New charger smell? or is it a bad unit

[anavidfan]

Hello all, I just got a new Nitecore intellicharger and plug it in the wall, saw a slight tiny spark which happens many times in our house. I then connected the cord to the charger unit. I then put my battery in. I smell an electrical smell, not burned but maybe dust or particles? Should I be worried? Im a bit paranoid about all things electrical.

I felt the batteries, cool, the charger unit, cool. Plug is cool to touch. Im not leaving it unattended but it seems to be doing its thing for about 40 mins now.

Let me know if im being overly worried or if this charger might have a problem and I should exchange it.

Thanks

 

[withravenoushunger]

Mine are the same way. I've had no problems with them.

 

[tidegirl]

Me too. Been using it for months with no problems. Will beinterested to see any other responses...

 

[Killowatt]

My trust fire has had that smell from day one, works like a charm. I also have a charger for AA batteries, it has that smell as well, been working for years.

 

[DavidOck]

Of more concern is the spark, which you say happens many times...

Assuming (dangerous, I know!!) the device is turned off when you plug it in - and on the charger you said that you plugged in the cord to the wall, then the cord to the charger - there should be NO current draw, and no spark.

May be a case of bad grounding in the house? Get a small outlet tester http://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-GCFI-Receptacle-Tester-RT200/203195019 or equivalent, and check it out...

 

[Butters78]

That's why I'm glad I invested in a Pila lol.

 

[DavidOck]

It's actually not uncommon with lower end chargers.

My hunch is that the internal transformers weren't properly baked after being dipped in insulating varnish. Since chargers aren't normally plugged in when not in use, it can take years to cook the varnish all the way inside the transformer windings. There's enough of a coating at normal voltages that its not an electrical issue.

Usually.

 

[Unforeseen]

Moved to Assorted PV Topics - E-Cigarette Accessories Discussion

 

[anavidfan]

Thanks for all the responses. The scent went away. I figured it was not a problem, but with all things electrical I worry. It might be the house, it is a few decades old and its very dusty. THe outlet does this once in awhile. I should put a surge/protectant strip instead of the 6 plug one I have on the outlet.

It seems to be working fine. I was using an Xtar, but got the 4 battery Nitecore because it has the cool shut off when it detects the battery is fully charged. So far it seems to be quick.

 

[kalidus8]

Hello all, I just got a new Nitecore intellicharger and plug it in the wall, saw a slight tiny spark which happens many times in our house. I then connected the cord to the charger unit. I then put my battery in. I smell an electrical smell, not burned but maybe dust or particles? Should I be worried? Im a bit paranoid about all things electrical.

I felt the batteries, cool, the charger unit, cool. Plug is cool to touch. Im not leaving it unattended but it seems to be doing its thing for about 40 mins now.

Let me know if im being overly worried or if this charger might have a problem and I should exchange it.

Thanks

Just recieved mine. Charged for 5 minutes then shut off with burning smell. Tried once more...same result. Filed return on amazon.

 

[anavidfan]

Sorry to hear that, I guess theres always that one in a million, I have been using the charger since my first post and its been going strong since. The only time I smell something is when charging up a brand new unused battery.

Im sure Amazon will take care of you. Love Amazon. Im sure they will send you a good one.

 

[anavidfan]

just out of curiosity, could it be a bad battery? Carefully try a battery that you have used before.

 

[ph0kused]

Just recieved mine. Charged for 5 minutes then shut off with burning smell. Tried once more...same result. Filed return on amazon.

Unfortunately I pulled a n00b move and bought it off fasttech. Normally I love fasttech, but for chargers, I should have spent $5.00 extra and bought it off amazon for their return policy.

I only use 18650 batteries. I bought an Intelicore i4 charger 6 months ago, loved it. Runs like a champ.

I needed another charger for my office @ work. This time around I bought the i2. Initially when plugging it in, it was charging fine - after about 10 minutes I got a pretty strong burnt plastic/electrical fire smell. The charger was warm not hot. The batteries were about room temp.

It's really just the smell thats tripping me out. I will keep you posted, I'm going to run it some more and see what happens.