Question about charging 18650, 18490/500, etc...

Status
Not open for further replies.

Drewps5co0tt

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jun 22, 2011
1,435
1,154
53
Hey all,

I have a dual "trustfire" charger that I got with my Lavatube to charge my 18650 batteries and I'm getting a ProVari next week with the 18490/500 and I wanted to know when I charge the battery(batteries) do I have to babysit the charger and is it ok if the battery finishes charging and then sits in the unit while it's still plugged in? As in overnight, it would def be done before I woke up obviously...is there any danger to this or is it ok to do?

Thanks
 

NickZac

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Feb 19, 2012
231
67
Baltimore, Maryland--US
I would not leave any lithium batteries unattended while charging. With that said, the red AWs used on the Provari are as stable as lithium batteries come for mods. But nonetheless, you shouldn't leave them while charging. Show them the same level of attention you would if you had a fire in your fireplace...you don't need to watch it every second but you want to keep an eye on it. DON'T CHARGE THEM NEAR YOUR FACE, CHILDREN, OR PETS. If by chance one explodes, they usually start a fire which you would need to extinguish before it becomes an all-out home fire. So if you haven't already, consider a small and accessible fire extinguisher as a good investment. I usually keep one in the same room in which I charge batteries in just in case. A LiPo charging bag will contain an explosion in most cases. I have the Pila...and as safe as it is I still do not leave it unattended.

And as far as leaving them plugged in after charging, this is not a good idea for lithium batteries, as lithium batteries are VERY sensitive to overcharging, where as older traditional rechargeable are not sensitive like the lithium-base ones. Also, lithium batteries lose very little energy from just sitting, unlike NiCad and NiMH batteries. This is where the concept of leaving them plugged into a 'hot' charger came from...but for lithium batteries, leaving them in only risks harming them and not helping them. Depending on your charger, this can also shorten service life greatly. While chargers (and even some battery units) have overcharge protections, these do not always work, as evidenced by the many eGo explosions (or these eGos do not have any protection at all, which is even worse). If you have lithium batteries in which you will store (as in if you keep a few spares for down the road), you should store them at about 50%. Storing at a full charge will shorten service life and storing them empty will kill them.

And as always, anyone who uses rechargeable batteries (or electricity at all for that matter) should own and become competent with using a multimeter. If your charger is charging the batteries beyond 4.22-4.25 Volts-ish, then disgard both the charger and the battery as neither are safe for use on a product you hold inches from your eyes.
 

Filibuster

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 3, 2012
889
1,254
Tacoma Washington
I try not to leave them unattended while charging as well. Something that worked really well for me, especially with the 18650's is that I got a Pila Charger. They are a little spendy, at around $45, but they greatly reduce the time it takes to charge the batteries to full capacity- at least in my experience. This way I don't have to babysit them nearly as long! :D
 

matrixxu

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 27, 2011
418
316
Timisoara, Romania
Nothing wrong with the trustfire charger ( i presume it's a TR-001 ) , but you have to pay attention when the lights turn green. From that point you have pretty much tops 20 minutes till the batteries start to overcharge, ideally you want your li-ion and li-mn batteries to charge to 4.20 max.

The alternative wich allows you to leave them to charge without worries is Pila ( kinda pricey and what comes next does the same thing ) , the Xtar WP2 II ( comes with 2 spacers but make sure to grab 2 extra so you can charge your 18350 and 16340 ) , and the latest Xtar SP2 .

Trustfire and Ultrafire chargers are not miles cheaper than Xtar, but they do not end the charge cycle, they just slow down considerably.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread