Nitecore i2 charger - Problem

[New2vaps]

I posted 2 days ago because I was worried that the Nitecore i2 would not stop charging the battery after it's fully charged. I was comforted by a few forum members that it does in fact stop charging and trickle charges towards the end. I was happy because I was going to buy the Pila ( $45 ) and now I had extra spending cash for juice and other stuff.

Well I noticed something strange that started 2 days ago. By the way, I am charging 18350 AW batteries. Once I place a battery in the left bay, it starts flashing the first yellow indicator. Within 3 minutes all 3 yellow indicators are yellow and showing it's fully charged when it really isn't.

I have tried this with 2 batteries in both bays and the left one does what I described above. It also does this is with just the battery in the left bay by it's self with the right empty. The right one is working fine.

What do you guys think? Has this happened to anyone? I am thinking of buying the Pila in fear that my right bay will stop working and I can't use my mod.

 

[Baditude]

Well, your charger definitely doesn't sound like it's working properly. I assume it's a new charger? Contact the vendor that you purchased from and ask for an exchange. I have the Nitecore i4, and my daughter has the i2, no such problems.

Doesn't hurt at all to have two chargers, in fact it make perfect sense. I recently got my i4 because my 14 month old Pila is down from 2 working charging bays to only 1. Indicator light stays red and doesn't charge the battery, so I was down to just one charging bay.

I also have an Xtar charger that only charges 18350 batteries. When I first bought it from RTD Vapor, the charging lights acted weird. Finally figured out that the polarity was reversed on the charger: turn the batteries the wrong way and it charged the batteries fine. However, I paid money for a properly made charger. I contacted RTD and they sent me a new one.

 

[Traver]

It sounds like a bad charger but how old are the batteries and what is the brand?

 

[New2vaps]

The batteries are about a week new, bought them from Provape ( AW 18350 ) I also have 2 batteries ( Efest IMR 18350 ). I have been using the charger on a daily basis for over a month with no issues with the Efest batteries. Also no issues with the AW batteries. Just 2 days ago the left one started showing charge complete in 3 minutes.

The charger was a bundle that came with the Vamo 3 from fasttech.

I will see about contacting fasttech about the charger, but having to mail it to China might not be worth it. Not sure, how they handle this kind of an issue.

I am thinking about buying the Pila from Provape, what do you guys think? Also, does the Pila come with SPACERS so I can charge my 18350 batteries or should I buy those also from Provape?

Thanks again for the quick responses. I had a feeling this charger not doing what it's supposed to do.

 

[matcas]

I got a i2 from fast tech a couple months ago and one of my bays went out. Oh well it was cheap. Ill buy a new one on amazon.

 

[Jazzi Mike]

What voltage are the batteries at when it says they are charged after only a few minutes?

 

[Baditude]

The batteries are about a week new, bought them from Provape ( AW 18350 ) I also have 2 batteries ( Efest IMR 18350 ). I have been using the charger on a daily basis for over a month with no issues with the Efest batteries. Also no issues with the AW batteries. Just 2 days ago the left one started showing charge complete in 3 minutes.

The charger was a bundle that came with the Vamo 3 from fasttech.

I will see about contacting fasttech about the charger, but having to mail it to China might not be worth it. Not sure, how they handle this kind of an issue.

I am thinking about buying the Pila from Provape, what do you guys think? Also, does the Pila come with SPACERS so I can charge my 18350 batteries or should I buy those also from Provape?

Thanks again for the quick responses. I had a feeling this charger not doing what it's supposed to do.

I buy all my batteries and chargers from RTD Vapor. Mainly because they guarantee genuine brand batteries, have high quality batteries and chargers in stock, and have excellent service. I had absolutely no issues getting a replacement for my messed up charger, and the owner was deeply appologetic. He even gave me a discount code for my next purchase. This is the reason that I don't purchase from places like FastTech.

Before buying the Pila from Provape, check the price for one at RTD. The Pila does come with spacers, but I don't recall how many. I bought extra just to be on the safe side; plus they are inexpensive.

I would have bought another Pila charger, but it only comes with the 2 charging bays. I have several mods and at least a dozen batteries of varying sizes, so I need chargers that have at least 4 bays.

 

[New2vaps]

Thanks for the advise Baditude. I contacted fasttech to see if I can get a replacement under warranty for the nitcore. In the mean time I will buy the Pila.

 

[Traver]

I think everyone here will agree that Pila is one of the best chargers. However and I may be out of date on this, they only guarantee it with Panasonic batteries. So if you do have any problems with it don't volunteer that you are charging other brands.

I would also go to one of the big box stores and get a $10 multimeter. You should check your batteries for voltage once in a while. A fully charged battery should never go over 4.2 volts. A meter is invaluable for trouble shooting batteries and cartos.

 

[New2vaps]

Thanks Traver. Just curious, instead of using a multimeter, can I just check the voltage of the battery on the Provari or vamo?

 

[Heavyrocker]

Thanks Traver. Just curious, instead of using a multimeter, can I just check the voltage of the battery on the Provari or vamo?

YUP.I do all the time.

 

[New2vaps]

UPDATE:

So I went a head and ordered the Pila from RTD Vapor. I also contacted fasttech about my nitcore charger and they said they will replace it with a new one. I would have to mail it back but not to China, to Miami actually and it will get forwarded to China. They also advised me that they will recover most of my mailing fee since it is less than 3 months old. Bad news is it will take up to 2 weeks. Good news is I will have a new Nitcore charger as a back up.

Thanks again everyone