odd battery behaviour

[expat]

Over the last few months, I've purchased 5 batteries. They area ll Ego 650mah, with the exception of one which is a 900mah. I have had trouble with them all. I am not sure at all if it is something I am doing, or if the problems is the batteries. I also bought two new chargers.


Brand new, and fresh off the charger, they might work for 10 minutes, and then they flash as though they needed charging. Clicking them 5 times, off and then on, can sometimes stop this happening, but not all of the time. This does not happen consistently, now and then fresh off the charger, they work fine.


The most disconcerting thing that happens, is that sometimes after I take a draw, the battery does not turn off. It stays on and fires until I can unscrew if from the boge carto, once I separate them the battery flashes 5 times, but does not turn off. When that happens, I am not able to click it 5 times off, it simply keeps flashing.That worries me quite a bit.


I am looking to find out what the issue is, and what I can do about it. I am about at the end of my tether.

 

[Broodwich]

Yikes that stinks. So I have 2 ideas:
When you put them on the charger do you stand there for a few seconds to make sure they are actually going? I only have egos for a backup but sometimes they have to get threaded into the charger juuuuust right to stay charging.

Second thought, are you buying all of them from the same vendor? If so maybe try a diff vendor, or charger from a diff vendor etc.. If they are all from the same vendor tell them about your issue maybe they will be able to offer assistance.

 

[expat]

Thanks Broodwich. Yes, I always stand there to make sure the light goes green to red, and stays that way. I don't charge them overnight, or when I am not in the house.

I've bought both the new chargers, ones recommended for the battery types, and all five batteries from the same vendor. I put the first failures down to bad batteries, but when the second lot failed as well, it made me wonder what was going on. I am over the warranty time they give, just over, but I have sent them an email.

Seems quite a run of bad luck really. I am not sure where else to go to buy more, a bit leery I guess.

 

[Harlen]

It can be your atty too try a different typ ?

 

[expat]

I use boge cartos, not chained to them, but I do 'get' them

 

[Broodwich]

Well I know spending more money is probably the last thing you want to do right now. But if a different topper does not fix your problem I'd suggest trying one more vendor. I get my egos from myvaporsotre and have not had any issue with the batts.

 

[Rickajho]

A few things come to mind:

You didn't say where you got these, but it is known that stuff purchased off the likes of eBay and FastTech can go through runs of problems, out of spec batteries, or frauds. (Like 1,000 mAh eGo batteries with a 180 mAh capacity battery inside them.)

How hard are you screwing stuff onto these batteries? Ratcheting devices onto batteries so tight it practically takes a wrench to remove it is bad practice, resulting in pushing the center post on the battery down too far. And among several problems that can result from that is shorting the battery out - resulting in an "always on" condition as you describe until you remove the device, allowing the center post to release and "spring back" a bit in the process. If you cannot unscrew that carto in a single handed operation it's on too tight.

Regarding charging:

Make sure the contacts on both the battery and the charger are clean and dry. These liquids are actually non-conductive and e-liquid left on the battery 510 connector or charger connector can cause poor charger performance.

What are you plugging the eGo charger dongle into? The USB power supply has to provide a minimum of half and amp (500 mA) current for the charger to work properly.

If you bought the correct chargers the ratings plate on it should read:

Input: DC 5 volts, 500 mA
Output: DC 4.2 volts, 420 mA

 

[expat]

I bought these from a forum supplier. I bought the correct charger at the same time. In fact we exchanged several emails in which I made sure I was getting bits that would all work happily together. I can over tighten anything, I have limited strength in my hands. I clean the battery, as well as the charger each time I use it. I also screw the battery into the charger while it is unplugged.

 

[Broodwich]

Sorry I'm out of ideas. But if you try a topper from another company and a battery from another company that will at least tell you if it's them or something you're doing. If you feel like spending the cash for a little experiment that is

 

[Switched]

Sound advice provided here but as Rickajho stated, not all eGo batteries are created equal.