Stacking Batteries?

[nordoe]

I am not new to Lithium Ions or IMR's but I have always stayed away from stacking. I do have a few mods that use two batteries in parallel. I like to be over cautious and always check my batteries with a DMM. That being said I just purchased a smoktech vmax that uses stacked 18350's. I do know to always mark the batteries to make sure they are being used as a group and that they should be checked before and after use. I have two questions. First being that I always read to make sure the batteries off the charger are similar. How close is similar? If one reads off the charger at 4.12 and the other is at 4.14, is that ok? Same question for after use. If after use one measures at 3.17 and one at 3.09, is that ok? Not sure when to draw the line and disgard the set. Last question, is running batteries in parallel the same as stacking? Should the same parameters be in place when using them in parallel. Thanks

 

[WillyB]

FWIW those numbers would not bother me in least.

You might try alternate channels when charging, it's not unusual for different sides to charge a tad higher/lower.

You should also alternate them in the PV after charging. You could then re-meter them when they quit and see if the voltage difference has flip flopped. If it has it means your batteries are probably fine.

 

[nordoe]

thanks, and that is what i assumed. Just wanted a little piece of mind.