What's the best battery charger??? & a few other battery questions

[popeye79]

I got a lava tube, and ordered two AW IMR 18650 3.7v 1600mah bats from Mr.T manufacturing.

The trust fire charger that comes with LT takes FOREVER to charge (and it has this strange hum while chargeing.. is that normal?).

Someone recomended a PILA charger because it's supposed to be safer.

Is there a better, safer, FASTER charger available? Links would be appreciated too.

Thanks for all your help ecf peeps! Don't know what I'd do with out you!


ps.. also, when I check the voltage left in the battery, fully charged is 4.1. How low should I let it go before having to recharge? Or should I just get in the habbit of charging every night?

Thanks again!

 

[denali_41]

bigger the battery the longer it takes to charge,,my 900 mah ego batts take 2-3 hours on a fast 400mah charger and 6-7 on slow 150mah charger

 

[The Yeti]

1600mah bats should take about 1.5-2 hours to recharge. If it's taking longer, and with that hum, there may be something wrong with your charger. Get a new one from Super T, they're cheap (well, unless you go for the Pila).

AFAIK, the Pila will NOT charge any faster, but supposedly safer and more efficient. I don't have any personal experience with one.

A fully charged 3.7v bat should read at 4.1-4.2v fresh off the charger. You should recharge when you hit around 3.5-3.4v. My Provari would stop working at 3.3v. I don't have my LT yet, but it's on order.

 

[conan]

The Pila will charge a little faster. IBC Charger DC out : 4.2 VDC / 600mA x 2

 

[sobero4]

Pila 4-Stage charger. Provape has them for 45 bucks.

 

[Riverboat]

I love my Pila charger

 

[Latif77]

Agreed. The Pila 4 stage charger is the way to go.

 

[Shel]

Pila 4-Stage charger. Provape has them for 45 bucks.

I love my Pila charger

Agreed. The Pila 4 stage charger is the way to go.

Pila charger.

Period.

End of sentence.

 

[zen88]

still PILA is the best so far up to date... you won't go wrong with this charger... hope helps...

 

[Semiretired]

Super T where you bought the batteries has them.

 

[skipdashu]

Well lemme start some ... stuff. I just don't see any serious advantage to the Pila 4 channel over a $23 Trustfire TR-003-P4 charger 500mA x 4 or in a two channel the TR-001.

I also think you can run those IMRs down to 3v without worry since I think the spec on them is 2.75v.

2 hours to charge a 1600 mAh battery is too short for a fully run down 1600mAh unless you're using a hobby charger (like an Accucell) with a 1A charge rate.

When you ask about the 'best' charger you weren't wanting this cheap crap right? You were more going for this?

;-)

 

[mda71]

Well lemme start some ... stuff. I just don't see any serious advantage to the Pila 4 channel over a $23 Trustfire TR-003-P4 charger 500mA x 4 or in a two channel the TR-001.

I also think you can run those IMRs down to 3v without worry since I think the spec on them is 2.75v.

2 hours to charge a 1600 mAh battery is too short for a fully run down 1600mAh unless you're using a hobby charger (like an Accucell) with a 1A charge rate.

When you ask about the 'best' charger you weren't wanting this cheap crap right? You were more going for this?

;-)

lol...i looked at your last link and i almost fell to the floor...$13,000+....lol

I have a "I Charger 106b+". Its a economical smart charger. It allows you to view the the charging detail on your computer. Also you can charge more multiple cell with a modified battery holder. I used it when I was still in my RC hobby. You can probably fin it for less then $80. It offers you to customize the charging properties, if you want to.

Here is a video of some if its capabilities.

iCharger 106B+ Review and Features - YouTube

 

[skipdashu]

lol...i looked at your last link and i almost fell to the floor...$13,000+....lol

I have a "I Charger 106b+". Its a economical smart charger. It allows you to view the the charging detail on your computer. Also you can charge more multiple cell with a modified battery holder. I used it when I was still in my RC hobby. You can probably fin it for less then $80. It offers you to customize the charging properties, if you want to.

Here is a video of some if its capabilities.

iCharger 106B+ Review and Features - YouTube

Any opinion on the Accucel 6? Just thinking of it for PV single cell usage but would like to be able to put capacity stuff into a spreadsheet.

 

[mda71]

Any opinion on the Accucel 6? Just thinking of it for PV single cell usage but would like to be able to put capacity stuff into a spreadsheet.

Wow... I found that unit for $22-24....when I was in the RC hobby, a cheap decent Li-Po/Li-Ion charger with a balancer for multiple cells was at least $100. Nice find. Maybe I should go back to RC again.

Anyways, back to the subject. I think that model is more then sufficient to charge a single cell Li-Ion battery. Be aware that many do not have a power supply though. The power supply is about $10-20 extra. I think you need a 12v 5a AC adaptor. With that model I do not think there is a way to connect it to a computer to view logs. Also, remember to get a temperature probe for added charging safety.


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