Onboard charging bad?

[NCC]

I know of one vendor that states onboard battery charging via USB could shorten the life of batteries and/or the device itself. With regard to the device, I think the concern was that the USB connector itself could be damaged/worn out by repeatedly plugging & unplugging. But, the batteries too? They recommend charging the cells in a dedicated charger.

I usually do use a charger. But, it sure is convenient at times to be able to use the onboard charging capabilities. Is this a real concern?

 

[Punk In Drublic]

There was a user on Reddit that conducted a USB charging test across several devices and found many continue to apply a trickle charge after the batteries reached 4.2 volts, and in some cases, to very concerning levels. Charging beyond 4.2 volts is not only damaging to the batteries life span, but can also be very dangerous should that voltage reach a critical state.

 

[Hawise]

It depends on the design of the device and the quality of the chip.

You're right about the connector being the weak point as far as the mod is concerned. They don't tend to be very sturdy and often break.

The batteries are another issue or four:

• Air doesn't really circulate when the batteries are in the mod, so they're susceptible to overheating which is very unhealthy for batteries.
• How well the chip controls the charge is unknown and presumably varies by brand. Is the charging rate accurate? Does it stop at the correct voltage? With multi-battery mods, does it balance the change properly? I wouldn't worry about a DNA mod, for instance, but I'd be less comfortable relying on a SMOK chip. With the more common brands of external chargers, we often have access to third-party testing data and other reliable evidence.
• In-mod charging often opts for higher charging rates, which are harder on the battery. You generally have more control with an external charger.
• External charging gives you the opportunity to see what's going on with your batteries. You can inspect them visually, and it's easier to tell if a battery starts heating up more than it used to when it's outside of the mod. The flip side of this one is that it's also much easier to damage the wrap if you take your batteries out, so you really do need to be sure to do a visual check.

I use an external charger, and I'd recommend that others do the same. That said, I probably would be willing to charge in-mod in a pinch, but I usually use DNA or Yihi chips. I don't think I'd want to risk it with a SMOK.

 

[r77r7r]

I wonder if the warning is just to cover themselves. But, I've stuck to lipo's from the beginning because of not finding a small enough dna or yihi mod.
Was looking @ that Collosal mod, but they had that disclaimer also. Probably as good as or better than a Pico which many use that way.
Can't agree with folks that say about the fragility of the usb port, have never had an issue. Altho some of my home devices and mods I had switched over to magnetic connectors for convenience.

 

[DPLongo22]

As a rule I prefer to charge externally. I'd by lying if I said I NEVER used the USB though. It's rare, but I do it.

 

[vaper1960]

I wouldn't make a habit of doing it... but, if you must charge it with USB, don't leave it too long.

 

[AngeNZ]

For me, the biggest risk of charging via USB is damaging the USB port itself.

I've had a phone, and a tablet, that can no longer be charged, due to the micro-usb port becoming either loose or damaged.

I fixed this from ever happening again by only using magnetic micro-usb chargers. It is a micro-usb cable, which magnetically attaches to the micro-usb port. The port stays in your device permanently. This just means, no wear and tear on the actual micro-usb port.

The round port ones seem to work the best - eg:
Amazon: Magnetic Phone Charger Cable - 3 in 1 Pack - Fast 3A Charging - Universal Cable

 

[r77r7r]

I Did have an issue with a Joye lipo batt tho. It was unusual and seemed like it might not have liked the 2a higher heat. Didn't help that the air vent was on the bottom and I didn't respect that. Got quite warm, it did. Lost a fair amt of storage capacity, lol.

 

[r77r7r]

For me, the biggest risk of charging via USB is damaging the USB port itself.

I've had a phone, and a tablet, that can no longer be charged, due to the micro-usb port becoming either loose or damaged.

I fixed this from ever happening again by only using magnetic micro-usb chargers. It is a micro-usb cable, which magnetically attaches to the micro-usb port. The port stays in your device permanently. This just means, no wear and tear on the actual micro-usb port.

The round port ones seem to work the best - eg:
Amazon: Magnetic Phone Charger Cable - 3 in 1 Pack - Fast 3A Charging - Universal Cable

Wow, I could never bring myself to buy a no-name brand w/o reviews.

 

[NCC]

For me, the biggest risk of charging via USB is damaging the USB port itself.

I've had a phone, and a tablet, that can no longer be charged, due to the micro-usb port becoming either loose or damaged.

I fixed this from ever happening again by only using magnetic micro-usb chargers. It is a micro-usb cable, which magnetically attaches to the micro-usb port. The port stays in your device permanently. This just means, no wear and tear on the actual micro-usb port.

The round port ones seem to work the best - eg:
Amazon: Magnetic Phone Charger Cable - 3 in 1 Pack - Fast 3A Charging - Universal Cable

Interesting.
It would help if USB ports were idiot-proof. I'm certain a good deal of the damage comes from trying to insert the plug upside-down. The engineers who designed them seem to have left out the human equation. I guess that magnetic adapter is a good work-around. I don't guess it's a solution for APVs though.