Noob Battery Question

[Simply Red]

I'm sure this has been asked and answered but I can't find it. Do the 18490's & 18650's need to be completely dead before I charge them? I get good time (day to day and a half) out of the 18650's but the 490's, only about 4-5 hours. All batteries are AW's and brand new.

 

[Dayglow]

You don't have to wait til they're dead but you can if you want to. I typically don't let mine fall below 3.5

 

[KY_Rob]

I'm sure this has been asked and answered but I can't find it. Do the 18490's & 18650's need to be completely dead before I charge them? I get good time (day to day and a half) out of the 18650's but the 490's, only about 4-5 hours. All batteries are AW's and brand new.

New LI-ion cells take a few charge/discharge cycles to get "broken in". After that, they'll work fine. The charge life on your 490's seems just a tad light, but a lot of that depends on how much your vaping, the resistance of your coil, environmental temperature during use, etc, etc.

They do not need to be completely dead before charging. In fact, it's not a good idea to ever completely discharge them. The Provari does a real nice job of letting you know when it's time to charge, but I like to charge mine before the button starts flashing.

Unlike the old ni-cad style rechargables, LI-ion does not develop a charge "memory". I've found that a regular use/charge regimen will make the batteries perform better!

I'd highly recommend reading these two articles if you haven't already:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...eeper-understanding-mod-batteries-part-i.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...eper-understanding-mod-batteries-part-ii.html

 

[Simply Red]

Thanks, Rob!

 

[EddardinWinter]

New LI-ion cells take a few charge/discharge cycles to get "broken in". After that, they'll work fine. The charge life on your 490's seems just a tad light, but a lot of that depends on how much your vaping, the resistance of your coil, environmental temperature during use, etc, etc.

They do not need to be completely dead before charging. In fact, it's not a good idea to ever completely discharge them. The Provari does a real nice job of letting you know when it's time to charge, but I like to charge mine before the button starts flashing.

Unlike the old ni-cad style rechargables, LI-ion does not develop a charge "memory". I've found that a regular use/charge regimen will make the batteries perform better!

I'd highly recommend reading these two articles if you haven't already:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...eeper-understanding-mod-batteries-part-i.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...eper-understanding-mod-batteries-part-ii.html

Nice answer!

You should check your battery when you put it in (should read 4.0 or higher when the battery is fully charged, it always has some drop under load) and when it won't fire (mine stop firing around 3.3v). If your numbers are off, it may be time to clean your ProVari....

If a fresh battery ever reads lower than 4.0 when I first put it in, I know it is time to clean the unit! If it reads 3.8 with a battery charged to 4.2, then you are losing the use of nearly half of your batteries usable life per charge!

 

[Simply Red]

Nice answer!

You should check your battery when you put it in (should read 4.0 or higher when the battery is fully charged, it always has some drop under load) and when it won't fire (mine stop firing around 3.3v). If your numbers are off, it may be time to clean your ProVari....

If a fresh battery ever reads lower than 4.0 when I first put it in, I know it is time to clean the unit! If it reads 3.8 with a battery charged to 4.2, then you are losing the use of nearly half of your batteries usable life per charge!

It hasn't been a week but, I'm going to perform "The Ritual of Cleansing" today. Need to go to Walgreens or CVS to find some long Q-tips.

 

[EddardinWinter]

It hasn't been a week but, I'm going to perform "The Ritual of Cleansing" today. Need to go to Walgreens or CVS to find some long Q-tips.

I use regular Q-tips and they work just fine, BTW.

 

[Simply Red]

I use regular Q-tips and they work just fine, BTW.

Sure enough! Thank you, sir. Thought my fingers were going to be too fat but not a problem.