What is my charger doing?

[Princessa]

hmmmm... seems someone has passed on her cold here... *aaaaahhhhCHOOOOO*

Thanks, Neemy

 

[babyblueut]

I would say that the USB port isn't knocking out enough power to charge; the light comes on (easy) battery won't charge due to the power requires. That's my thinking.

but in every usb and computer that I have tried? also my charger that came with my ego works just fine in usb. i dunno, strange.

 

[Cee_Jay]

I checked five Riva kits and found 2 chargers that will operate using a USB input. The other three do not.
Both "good" chargers are Desan, and one of the "bad" chargers is an ego. Same result achieved using a 12V source.
All chargers work using the 120v wall type.

 

[ImYourSalt]

strange... thats for the info everyone.

So Riva chargers are finicky, and some of them will only charge via A/C power?
How are the EGO chargers?

 

[babyblueut]

strange... thats for the info everyone.

So Riva chargers are finicky, and some of them will only charge via A/C power?
How are the EGO chargers?

The eGo charger that I have works flawlessly no matter where I plug it in.

 

[Cee_Jay]

I checked five Riva kits and found 2 chargers that will operate using a USB input. The other three do not.
Both "good" chargers are Desan, and one of the "bad" chargers is an ego. Same result achieved using a 12V source.
All chargers work using the 120v wall type.

strange... thats for the info everyone.
So Riva chargers are finicky, and some of them will only charge via A/C power?
How are the EGO chargers?

Here's my take strictly from observation. Poor eyesight from old age prevents me from having some fun investigating, but I do have a few years experience with larger (much larger) Lithium batteries and chargers. Here's a link in detail, but in a nut shell a quality charger has two levels at which a charge is applied - high and low. The high rate is much faster (higher current) then the lower one. (See para #2 in the above link)
I believe the blinking or on/off we see in the led indicators is the charger portion measuring at what point the cell is in the charge cycle and setting or allowing the charge to continue appropriately. In view of that, our wall chargers are powerful enough for the charger to use the higher rate and the USB ports are not.

Charging multiple Li cells concurrently from a single charger becomes a bit more complicated as cells must be kept within the 3.2v (LiIo) or 3.6v (LiPo) to 4.2v range. The cells must be kept closely balanced to prevent damage or even destruction.

My unconfirmed conclusion is - The chargers supplied with/for ecigs are limited to less than perfection for the batteries to make them considerably safer for the general public. I've never had one measure 4.2v when the led turns green which indicates they are at something less than 100%. Most commonly it's 4.12v which is at best 90%, even if left on charge overnight. Again - I believe that's a great safety factor, and one that is very acceptable for the use intended.

Lithium battery technology and included chemistry is changing just as fast as the developing e-cig, and it's sure to improve as they both evolve.

 

[Abe]

Hey CJ, thanks for that, it made an interesting read.

 

[ImYourSalt]

The eGo charger that I have works flawlessly no matter where I plug it in.

Glad to hear it!

Here's my take strictly from observation. Poor eyesight from old age prevents me from having some fun investigating, but I do have a few years experience with larger (much larger) Lithium batteries and chargers. Here's a link in detail, but in a nut shell a quality charger has two levels at which a charge is applied - high and low. The high rate is much faster (higher current) then the lower one. (See para #2 in the above link)
I believe the blinking or on/off we see in the led indicators is the charger portion measuring at what point the cell is in the charge cycle and setting or allowing the charge to continue appropriately. In view of that, our wall chargers are powerful enough for the charger to use the higher rate and the USB ports are not.

Charging multiple Li cells concurrently from a single charger becomes a bit more complicated as cells must be kept within the 3.2v (LiIo) or 3.6v (LiPo) to 4.2v range. The cells must be kept closely balanced to prevent damage or even destruction.

My unconfirmed conclusion is - The chargers supplied with/for ecigs are limited to less than perfection for the batteries to make them considerably safer for the general public. I've never had one measure 4.2v when the led turns green which indicates they are at something less than 100%. Most commonly it's 4.12v which is at best 90%, even if left on charge overnight. Again - I believe that's a great safety factor, and one that is very acceptable for the use intended.

Lithium battery technology and included chemistry is changing just as fast as the developing e-cig, and it's sure to improve as they both evolve.

Thanks for that! That makes sense to me.