My husband's eGo exploded!

[chinsk]

I was doing some research on Lipo bags, and came across an RC forum where they were discussing possible alternatives to the bag...someone mentioned using (2) 1 gallon ziploc bags filled with sand and sandwiching the battery and charger in between the "sand bags." Seems kind of silly when put into context of charging e-cig batteries lol. Or maybe a kettle or pan of some sort with bag of sand as the lid?

Of course, I know MY charger cable is no longer than a foot, so it might take a little bit of rigging. Idk, I'm just bored, pulling an all nighter, trying to kill time, and this is what caught my interest

I saw Rolygates post about using a cookie tin, so I McGuyvered myself a charging container last night. I fashioned a hole large enough to drop an eGo battery attached to a charger into the container (I folded the edges so it would not scrape wires) and then drilled several vent holes in to the top. I also drilled screwholes to fasten the lid of the container down. I would post pictures, but it is a very very unmanly color

 

[ResinBalls]

I saw Rolygates post about using a cookie tin, so I McGuyvered myself a charging container last night. I fashioned a hole large enough to drop an eGo battery attached to a charger into the container (I folded the edges so it would not scrape wires) and then drilled several vent holes in to the top. I also drilled screwholes to fasten the lid of the container down. I would post pictures, but it is a very very unmanly color

Ha! No worries about the pics, your words painted a clear enough picture, and I'm imagining it being hot pink with unicorns all over Don't worry, it's only strike one, you still got your man card.

I need to try and find something around the house that I can McGuyver away at...

 

[orson]

joyetech eGo chargers list the input at 500mA which matches the output of the joyetech USB wall adapter.

Other wall adapters do not necessarily output 500mA, for example I have a V2cigs wall adapter that outputs 5v and 1000mA.

My point being it is probably best to not only use the correct charger for the batts but to make sure the wall adapter is rated to output the same voltage (should always be 5V) and the same amperage (in this case 500mA) as what the charger's rated input is.

 

[chinsk]

Ha! No worries about the pics, your words painted a clear enough picture, and I'm imagining it being hot pink with unicorns all over Don't worry, it's only strike one, you still got your man card.

I need to try and find something around the house that I can McGuyver away at...

I wouldn't call it hot pink... maybe few shades lower

 

[ResinBalls]

Joyetech eGo chargers list the input at 500mA which matches the output of the Joyetech USB wall adapter.

Other wall adapters do not necessarily output 500mA, for example I have a V2cigs wall adapter that outputs 5v and 1000mA.

My point being it is probably best to not only use the correct charger for the batts but to make sure the wall adapter is rated to output the same voltage (should always be 5V) and the same amperage (in this case 500mA) as what the charger's rated input is.

Yeah, I don't own a Joyetech wall adapter, and I was going to buy one. Then I thought, I have a V2cigs one as well as a halocigs G6 one. I compared the specs side-by-side between the 3 and the V2cigs one, as you stated, did not match, BUT the halocigs one did, so that saved me a few bucks. BTW, the halocigs one says 0.5A which is the same as 500mA (1A = 1000mA)

 

[Corley]

Got pics?

Curious to see these batteries and chargers.

I haven't uploaded any pics anywhere. If you do a search on a Joyetech charger that would come with a 650mAh starter kit, you should find a picture of both the charger and the USB adaptor we used. They both came from the starter kit. Sorry, but I just haven't taken the time to resize and upload pics.

 

[Corley]

First off I want to say that I am very glad you and your husband and kids are more then fine! Seeing as I have two 650mAh ego batt's (that seem fine) and now a 1100mAh pass through battery that seems to be doing wierd things, and reading your article I am thinking very seriously on personally throwing in the towel and walking away..........I cannot afford a risk like this as I rent a very small room............

Sent from my BlackBerry 9300 using Tapatalk

While it was certainly not my intent to discourage anyone from vaping, I hope that in posting this that everyone who reads it is very cautious about these things. We thought we were fairly well informed, though by no means experts...yet still, there is so much to learn.

 

[markfm]

The output current rating on the USB power supply (the thing which has a plug on one side, a female USB on the other) should be greater than or equal to the input specified on the charger part (the thing with a USB male plug one one side, and a battery connector on the other).

If you have a PV charger which says input 5V 420 mA, it is not a problem to use it with a USB power supply that is rated, say, 5V 1000 mA output. A power supply just provides an available source of voltage at up to a given specified current -- it doesn't "push" the current at your charger, your charger "pulls" what it needs off the power supply.

What you don't want is for the power supply output number to be less than the charger input. In that case the charger wants more incoming power than the power supply can source; that is an over-stressing condition, mis-matched items.

Yes, you do want to make sure voltages match. The vast majority of standard proprietary PV chargers are designed for "normal" USB voltage, which is nominal 5VDC. If the vendor PV says to not plug their charger into a PC, or their "USB" power supply has an output voltage that is outside the range of around 4.8 - 5.2VDC, then I would not use it with a standard USB power supply, because then they may be using a USB connector but they are not operating within normal USB voltages.

On the PV charger side, if you use anything other than the manufacturer charger there are a couple thing to be careful about. 1) One item is to make sure that the charger output is not larger than the PV battery size. If you have a PV battery that is say 180 mAh (like an old fashioned small 510 battery), then you do not want to use it with a 420 mA output Riva charger -- the charger is putting out too much current for the 510 battery to take in properly. 2) Another is to know whether your PV or charger is one of the "oddball" ones with reverse polarity -- common practice is for the center post of the connector to be positive, while the other, threaded, part, is negative/return. Unfortunately there are several well-known cases where a vendor has chosen to flip their polarity, positive on the threaded part, negative on the center post. Even though something has a 510 connector, if the polarity is reversed it is NOT safe to mix-and-match a center-positive and a threaded-positive battery and charger. A cartomiser/atty doesn't know or care which part is positive, since it is just a resistive element, but the charger does care what the battery terminals are. 3) The third possible error in mixing chargers and PVs is a mismatch in charging voltages. It used to be that all of the "stock" PVs pretty much used the same battery chemistry, needed the same charger input voltage (4.2V or so). Unfortunately, nowadays it is possible to have a mismatch, as sometimes the battery is different. I've got a small, popular, new, all-in-one PV. It is a standard 510 connector device, standard center-positive, however the charger for it is marked output 5V 0.1 Amp. I like the device a lot, it performs well, but it is NOT appropriate to use its charger with another 510 connector device, since while the polarity is okay and the output mA is not high, the voltage is too high.

Ahh, the joys of product differentiation -- this used to be much simpler, not all that long ago, but with the increasing use of PVs there has been a parallel increase in product differences.

 

[Alžběta Madragana]

Actually it's not the vendors fault. In the past 6 months, I've read a bunch about eGo's failing...not so much exploding like yours did but failing in general. China's quality control has gone down the drain. I have an ego set that is 18 months old and well used. Still run like champs.

madvapes.com sells the 2amp wall adapters...please invest in a couple if you charge more than one battery. Please price check around.

Sorry for derailing your thread earlier about the battery bag but it wouldn't hurt to get yourself one of them also. A little pricey but can save your family and house. Mine is a Lipo-Safe...got if off eBay as they were the cheapest.

So true so true on China QC going down the drain. That alone is the factoid of the month!
I've gotten really disgusted with Chinese-made stuff that's e-cig related lately.
However, I am very glad to hear you and your husband are OK without any scratches!
Seriously, though, I've become afraid of LiOn batts when it comes to anything e-cig related. That's why I switched to Ni-Mh modds.
O yea, and MadVapes is a fine vendor. I'll buy from them anytime. Fact is, I just placed another small order with them last week. Good folks, and better customer service. I had an issue with a battery I got from them last year and not only did they call me back, they made it good. How many suppliers can you get to actually call you back on something!
Stay safe, and keep on vapin'.....

 

[ResinBalls]

Another is to know whether your PV or charger is one of the "oddball" ones with reverse polarity -- common practice is for the center post of the connector to be positive, while the other, threaded, part, is negative/return. Unfortunately there are several well-known cases where a vendor has chosen to flip their polarity, positive on the threaded part, negative on the center post. Even though something has a 510 connector, if the polarity is reversed it is NOT safe to mix-and-match a center-positive and a threaded-positive battery and charger.

How do you tell which is positive and which is negative?
As in, center post and threads...

 

[chinsk]

How do you tell which is positive and which is negative?
As in, center post and threads...

I am pretty sure this involves putting a meter to it. Most DC power supplies (like for your wireless router, cordless phone, etc) actually displays a standard symbol to indicate the polarity, perhaps this is something these charger manufacturers should adopt.

 

[ResinBalls]

I am pretty sure this involves putting a meter to it. Most DC power supplies (like for your wireless router, cordless phone, etc) actually displays a standard symbol to indicate the polarity, perhaps this is something these charger manufacturers should adopt.

That's what I thought.

That's a good idea too, seems like it should have been done from the get-go and likewise with the manufacturers of these eGo type batteries.

 

[markfm]

Here's an example of charger polarity marking.



From the diagram you can see that this charger is standard center positive. This is my higher output voltage charger, marked as output 5V, so I would not use it with another PV, even though it meets the norm of center positive and the output mA isn't very high.

 

[ResinBalls]

Here's an example of charger polarity marking.
View attachment 82828


From the diagram you can see that this charger is standard center positive. This is my higher output voltage charger, marked as output 5V, so I would not use it with another PV, even though it meets the norm of center positive and the output mA isn't very high.

Oh, okay, seems like a pretty standard thing to have on such a device, although, both my chargers lack this diagram.

 

[Rocketman]

mark,
some of the disposables use a "charger" that has NO electronics inside. Just a couple of wires, and NO label (how lame).

Does that one actually have something inside it? 5V in, 5V out, maybe, maybe not

 

[markfm]

Good question, Rocketman, beats me. It's from my little stealth PV that I like a lot, but a good example of "be careful" relative to chargers. This one could be an actual charger, or it could just be a pass-through; the Key Ring might use an alternate chemistry battery. For all I know it could even be an errata on the marking, though I expect it is correct. (I don't mind referencing the make on this, it is a product I like, nothing bad about it, zero complaints from me, and it does have what I would call good markings on the charger).

Fortunately all my other PVs are mods, 3.7V standalone cells, so there's no chance I would mix up this charger with anything else. A newer person, still trying multiple 510-connector devices, however, would need to pay attention.

 

[Rocketman]

I agree about mixing them up, not good. I bought a bunch of the cigarette pack sized $10 kits to give away. The little USB to 510 adapter is actually well made. Two fairly heavy wires, good connectors, sturdy construction, but an accident waiting to happen. It a shame too, because the little kits last several charge/discharge cycles. But the left over "charger" tossed away in a drawer might get used on a real e-cig later. Mine had no label.

 

[DaveP]

I looked at my 1000mah eGo batteries. Both are aftermarket from different suppliers.

One says eGo-T and has no indication that it is Joyetech. It has no etching on the metal ring where the switch is. It has a nice logo brand on the barrel from the supplier.

The other says eGo-T on the bottom. Joyetech is printed on the opposite side of the bottom and it has CE and a picture of a trash can with an X over it laser etched on the metal switch ring.

I have an aftermarket charger and a Riva brand charger. Both say 4.2vdc 420ma on the charger cable. The Riva charger is branded Desan. The aftermarket charger has no brand on the charger cable.

Chargers can be strange at times. My 1000mah batteries take at least 2.5 hours to charge after they flash empty. Several times they have taken much longer than I thought was necessary and I unscrewed the battery, unplugged the charger, and started over. Sometimes, within 1 to 5 minutes they will flip to green once I do this. Coincidence maybe, but it has happened a number of times after I reset the charger.

I haven't bought a Liposafe bag yet but see the need to enclosed my batteries. My concern with bags and containers is that you can't see the LED when it's inside a container. That would just lead to longer charging times if you don't open the bag every few minutes and check. I'd like to see a bag that allows the led to show through an opaque material. I frequently walk by and glance at the LED just to monitor progress. It would drive me nuts to have to open a bag while the battery is plugged up to check progress. That seems to me to be counter productive to taking it off as soon as it turns green.

If you haven't seen a Li-ion batt burn catastrophically, here's one that will make you a believer in safety. Think about what would happen in an unvented container like a tube mod.

 

[Rocketman]

I want some of that tape. keeps the cell in place.

 

[Corley]

Just to compare with the video above. Of course, we did not see any swelling of the battery, and no smoke was coming out prior to explostion. On the first battery in the video, the sparking is a good depiction of what we saw, though our sparking lasted a few seconds longer before the explosion. There was a loud hissing noise with the sparking that sounded like 100 people just spilled some sort of fizzy soda at the same time, then the boom. No actual flames were observed in our explosion, but fire hot, orange glowing debris was scattered in about a 5 foot radius.