so I just did something i should never do: overcharge a couple of AW IMR 18650 1600mah batteries. not sure by how much. maybe an hour? are they dangerous to use now or does it just cause the battery life to shorten faster?
uh oh...
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Overcharging is a function of a cheap or defective charger behaving badly. If your charger is working properly it terminates current being applied to the battery at the end of the charge cycle. The only way to check if your charger is working properly would be to put the batteries on a volt meter when you pull them off the charger.
What charger are you using?
What charger are you using?
oh ok let me clarify then - maybe i didn't overcharge. I don't yet have a volt meter, need to get one ASAP. it's the one essential I'm missing. I'm using a nitecore intellicharger i4. i came into the office and it was charged - i'm guessing had been charged for around an hour, give or take a bit...
I would guess that they're fine. Like Ricka said, most chargers cut off when battery is full.
This is the type of situation where a multimeter comes in handy
This is the type of situation where a multimeter comes in handy
phew, thanks guys. good to know. however I never want to leave them on it like that again just in case so i'm glad it gave me a little scare
Gonna get a volt reader ASAP. ...and a second reo...
Gonna get a volt reader ASAP. ...and a second reo...
When it's working properly. I see too many complaints on ECF about Nitecore's behaving badly.
Should be OK. I try not to, but I've left a battery on my Nitecore i4 overnight a couple times, with no misbehaving at all. I've heard of chargers making noise or getting batteries hot - I've never had a problem at all. It's BEST to charge while present, and to remove batteries when charged.
phew, thanks guys. good to know. however I never want to leave them on it like that again just in case so i'm glad it gave me a little scare
Gonna get a volt reader ASAP. ...and a second reo...
PSA:
I know I'm probably being .... about it, but my understanding is that you should never leave a battery charging unattended. 99.99% of the time, it's not a problem. But that .01% is truly ugly.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled program
I know I'm probably being .... about it, but my understanding is that you should never leave a battery charging unattended. 99.99% of the time, it's not a problem. But that .01% is truly ugly.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled program
Your fine ..... used one of those for many months and it never overcharged once. I would leave them in there overnight all the time.
One thing i've never understood is folks getting all freaked out about watching batts charge and pulling them off. Do the same people sit and watch all their other stuff charge and unplug as soon as its done ??
Laptop
Cellphone
electric razor
cordless tools
etc .......... ?
I have two of the Nitecore Intellicharger i4s, when the charging lights stop blinking they are done. I've left my batteries on them unattended as long as I've had them, and I've never had a problem.
Ok I have a question about this but I'll preface and say I do agree with AP in that I don't want to leave them unattended - my preference is to charge them in the office while I'm working, so that I don't go out of my way to leave them unattended. but what is the danger? is it a danger of the battery exploding causing a fire etc? or is it a danger of the REO exploding when i fire it with an overcharged battery?
or is it simply battery life in the long term?
I do leave my cell phone plugged in overnight (beside of me - alarm in the morning) and my computer plugged in a lot of the time, unattended. Is there the same danger for those types of batteries?
have to admit - I want to be extremely safe at all times - I also would love to be able to leave a couple REO batteries charging without worrying about getting them off *immediately*
or is it simply battery life in the long term?
I do leave my cell phone plugged in overnight (beside of me - alarm in the morning) and my computer plugged in a lot of the time, unattended. Is there the same danger for those types of batteries?
have to admit - I want to be extremely safe at all times - I also would love to be able to leave a couple REO batteries charging without worrying about getting them off *immediately*
Yes. Yes we do
Thats cool, I just have too much stuff to do for that ........
I figure its about the same odds as getting hit by lightning ..... during leap year.
I've been using the Nitecore i4 for more than a year and never had any problems with it. In fact, I bought a second unit as a backup. (bet you didn't think of a backup charger, huh?)
Anyway, I highlighted some features that I like about the Nitecore charger here:
Features
·Capable of charging 4 batteries simultaneously
·Each of the four battery slots monitors and charges independently
·Compatible with and identifies Li-ion (26650, 22650, 18650, 17670, 18490, 17500, 18350, 16340(RCR123), 14500, 10440), Ni-MH and Ni-Cd (AA, AAA, AAAA, C) rechargeable batteries
·Optimized charging design for IMR batteries
·Features three charging modes (CC, CV and Trickle Charge)
·Automatically detects battery status and selects the appropriate voltage and charge mode
·3 Color LED displays charging progress for each battery
·Automatically stops charging when complete
·Features over-charge prevention to protect batteries
·Features temperature monitoring to prevent overheating
·Made from durable ABS (fire ......ant / flame resistant)
·Features reverse polarity protection
·Designed for optimal heat dissipation
·Certified by RoHS, CE, FCC, CEC and KC
·Insured worldwide by Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd.
And as AP as previously stated, I recommend not leaving batteries charging unattended overnight. Why? Practicing safe battery usage.
PS: Here is a short video that has some interesting info I thought I'd throw in to the mix: Sysmax Intellicharger i4 Addendum - YouTube
Anyway, I highlighted some features that I like about the Nitecore charger here:
Features
·Capable of charging 4 batteries simultaneously
·Each of the four battery slots monitors and charges independently
·Compatible with and identifies Li-ion (26650, 22650, 18650, 17670, 18490, 17500, 18350, 16340(RCR123), 14500, 10440), Ni-MH and Ni-Cd (AA, AAA, AAAA, C) rechargeable batteries
·Optimized charging design for IMR batteries
·Features three charging modes (CC, CV and Trickle Charge)
·Automatically detects battery status and selects the appropriate voltage and charge mode
·3 Color LED displays charging progress for each battery
·Automatically stops charging when complete
·Features over-charge prevention to protect batteries
·Features temperature monitoring to prevent overheating
·Made from durable ABS (fire ......ant / flame resistant)
·Features reverse polarity protection
·Designed for optimal heat dissipation
·Certified by RoHS, CE, FCC, CEC and KC
·Insured worldwide by Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd.
And as AP as previously stated, I recommend not leaving batteries charging unattended overnight. Why? Practicing safe battery usage.
PS: Here is a short video that has some interesting info I thought I'd throw in to the mix: Sysmax Intellicharger i4 Addendum - YouTube
Yes they are very unsafe.
I fear for your safety.
Send them to me and I will dispose (cough) of them.
Honestly they are fine. Properly functioning charge will have stopped applying a charge when the battery reaches a certain level.
Mine come off the I4 at 4.15 V whether I take them off as soon as lights stop blinking or if they stay on overnight.
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