Should I use my kgo battery till it flashes ,telling me that its time to charge, or should I be charging it before it gets to that point ?
when to charge kgo battery ?
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Don't quote me on this but I think I read somewhere recently that you should try not to charge your KGO battery until you have used about 75% of its power. Inotherwords, use it alot before charging it is what I got from it. I tried to find where I read that but I can't seem to find it. But like I said, don't quote me on it. I am interested to see what other answers you get because I really do remember reading that somewhere.
From my experience, the first time it would do it's flashing is an indicator to charge, not that it is dead. You can briefly use it after that point, but then it becomes completely drained. So to make it easy, yes, that would be a good time to throw it on the charger. You could also throw it on before that, if you have a good idea that it is close.
I think it's better to charge these batteries (like any lithium ion battery) before the voltage gets too low. Lithium ion batteries do not develop a memory, so no worries about losing capacity by charging them while they are still at a higher voltage.
I've read that the greatest enemy of lithium ion batteries (and most other batteries) is heat. And if you allow your batteries to discharge fully to the point where they stop working, it takes a deep charge to charge them up and that produces a lot of heat.
So my advice (and I'm no scientist) is to charge them sooner rather than later.
I've read that the greatest enemy of lithium ion batteries (and most other batteries) is heat. And if you allow your batteries to discharge fully to the point where they stop working, it takes a deep charge to charge them up and that produces a lot of heat.
So my advice (and I'm no scientist) is to charge them sooner rather than later.
There's a cutoff chip that will tell when to charge by way of flashing button or some models the button changes color. By that point batts are weak and really not performing all that well. Doesn't mean you have to charge immediately but best if done soon.
Either way is fine.
They have a chip that alerts us when the voltage is about 3.5 volts.
The suggestions to charge sooner rather than when they go dead pertains to batteries in mechanical mods that do not have a way of indicating when they are at 3.5 volts.
Batteries should be charged before they get below 3.2 volts but the eGo will not allow the voltage to get that low anyway.
Enjoy!
They have a chip that alerts us when the voltage is about 3.5 volts.
The suggestions to charge sooner rather than when they go dead pertains to batteries in mechanical mods that do not have a way of indicating when they are at 3.5 volts.
Batteries should be charged before they get below 3.2 volts but the eGo will not allow the voltage to get that low anyway.
Enjoy!
Pappy has the right idea.
It's all about Depth of Discharge (DoD). The lower the DoD, the more cycles the battery will have. If you only use 50% of the available power in the battery, and then charge it, you will get 4-5 times more charges overall. That means that you more than double the overall life of the battery.
Just do a google search on lithium battery life or charging - How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University
It's all about Depth of Discharge (DoD). The lower the DoD, the more cycles the battery will have. If you only use 50% of the available power in the battery, and then charge it, you will get 4-5 times more charges overall. That means that you more than double the overall life of the battery.
Just do a google search on lithium battery life or charging - How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University
What i have found with most rechargeable batteries (cell phone, laptop, and regular rechargeable batteries) draining them till they are dead is the best practice.
@ spaceball
Thanks for mentioning Battery University.
It is an excellent source of info.
Also here on ECF you will find good info relating to our ecig /PV /mods batts. Look under battery issues, battery stickies, the TRUTH.
Caio
Thanks for mentioning Battery University.
It is an excellent source of info.
Also here on ECF you will find good info relating to our ecig /PV /mods batts. Look under battery issues, battery stickies, the TRUTH.
Caio
Agreed! Lots of good info, especially on battery SAFETY, here on ECF. Considering that everyone is walking around with cell phones and laptops and tablets, it's always a good idea to brush up on battery knowledge. Especially when you are driving around in a Tesla.
I saw this about charging the KGO:
For best battery life, after you receive you new KGO, please charge the batteries for 8 hours (continue charging even after the battery light turns green). After this time, vape using the battery for 20 minutes and then return it to the charger for another hour. This conditions the battery for optimal performance.
Hope this helps!
For best battery life, after you receive you new KGO, please charge the batteries for 8 hours (continue charging even after the battery light turns green). After this time, vape using the battery for 20 minutes and then return it to the charger for another hour. This conditions the battery for optimal performance.
Hope this helps!
Yeah I believe that those instructions are for the old, I think nickel type batteries.
As kbalz said, those instructions don't really apply to the KGO's lithium battery. That would be good practice for battery types that have a memory effect. Lithium batteries have no memory effect. You just charge them and when the light turns green, that's it. You are ready to vape.
I sell cell phones for a living, and have been dealing with lithium batteries nearly every day for 5+ years.
My advice is this: Charge it whenever you feel like it. If you have 15 minutes to pop it on a charger, do it. However, it is a good idea to make sure that once every month or so to do a full charge cycle on your batteries eg. charge it full, then use it till the light blinks (Low voltage cutoff, it stops you before you can ruin the battery - just like a cell phone 0% isn't an empty battery, it just has reached the point where the lowest "safe" discharge point) then charge it to full again.
Even Apple recommends this with the iPhone see this link then scroll all the way to the bottom "Use iPhone Regularly"
As Pappy said earlier, heat is an enemy of lithium batteries. Using "rapid" chargers will cause excess heat and strain on your battery. The "ideal" charge rate for a lithium battery is between 30-40% of the battery's total capacity. (that's also why car chargers are bad for your phone - they almost always are rapid chargers. If you must use one, use it for no more than 45 min at a time)
ex. Standard KGO charger 420mA, KGO Capactiy 1100mAh 420/1100=.3818 or roughly 38.2%
Also, leaving a battery on a charger for extended periods of time after fully charged causes similar issues. Heat and strain from unnecessarily pumping electrons in and out...
Sorry for the long-winded post, but I'm just excited that a noob like me can finally offer some real practical advice for once here on ECF.
My advice is this: Charge it whenever you feel like it. If you have 15 minutes to pop it on a charger, do it. However, it is a good idea to make sure that once every month or so to do a full charge cycle on your batteries eg. charge it full, then use it till the light blinks (Low voltage cutoff, it stops you before you can ruin the battery - just like a cell phone 0% isn't an empty battery, it just has reached the point where the lowest "safe" discharge point) then charge it to full again.
Even Apple recommends this with the iPhone see this link then scroll all the way to the bottom "Use iPhone Regularly"
As Pappy said earlier, heat is an enemy of lithium batteries. Using "rapid" chargers will cause excess heat and strain on your battery. The "ideal" charge rate for a lithium battery is between 30-40% of the battery's total capacity. (that's also why car chargers are bad for your phone - they almost always are rapid chargers. If you must use one, use it for no more than 45 min at a time)
ex. Standard KGO charger 420mA, KGO Capactiy 1100mAh 420/1100=.3818 or roughly 38.2%
Also, leaving a battery on a charger for extended periods of time after fully charged causes similar issues. Heat and strain from unnecessarily pumping electrons in and out...
Sorry for the long-winded post, but I'm just excited that a noob like me can finally offer some real practical advice for once here on ECF.
Doesnt the circuitry in the kgo charger limit the output regardless of thecar charger or wall charger you are using ? The car charger I use is output : dc 5.0v +/- 5% max 500ma ,but the kgo charger output is : dc 4.2v 420mah.so really wouldn't I only be drawing the 4.2v 420 mah ?
Yep, Absolutely. Most (if not all) discrete chargers have inbuilt overvolt and overcurrent protection. So no matter how much current your source puts out, the charger will limit it to 420mA (plus or minus a couple %). They also limit the charge to 4.2V even though most sources put out 4.5-5.5V. I keep my KGO cable plugged into my 3A powered usb hub and never worry that I am overcharging my batteries.
That is also why they don't recommend using the KGO charger for standard 510s or EGOs (designed for lower current due to capacity, and circuitry) but you are welcome to charge a KGO on one of their chargers (if you want it to take 5-10 hours to charge an "empty" KGO to full).
But at $4 each from Hoosier E-Cig, pick up a couple and leave one at work, one in your car, and one at home. Then you never need to worry about charging.
Except for "mechanical mods" which only feature an on-off switch most APVs and e-cigarettes will have circuits that will flash a "low battery" warning light and will shut the device down after a safe low voltage threshhold is reached. That threshold is far from being a "dead" battery. So, these devices won't allow the battery to discharge to a level that will damage the battery or cause safety concerns unless the battery is stored for a very long time.
The dead lowest voltage a Li-ion battery should ever reach is about 2.7V. Some Li-ion battery protection circuits prevent recharging the battery if that point is reached.
On my E-Power 14650 which uses protected Li-ion (ICR) the E-Power circuitry prevents use of the APV when battery voltage hits 3.2V. Note that it's takes about 23 hours (vaping 2-3ml per day) for me to take a 14650 down from 4.17V to the 3.7V regulation voltage. From there it only takes another 45 minutes for the battery to hit 3.2V. That's one of the nice performance features of Li-ion batteries.
The dead lowest voltage a Li-ion battery should ever reach is about 2.7V. Some Li-ion battery protection circuits prevent recharging the battery if that point is reached.
On my E-Power 14650 which uses protected Li-ion (ICR) the E-Power circuitry prevents use of the APV when battery voltage hits 3.2V. Note that it's takes about 23 hours (vaping 2-3ml per day) for me to take a 14650 down from 4.17V to the 3.7V regulation voltage. From there it only takes another 45 minutes for the battery to hit 3.2V. That's one of the nice performance features of Li-ion batteries.
At the end of the day say about8 pm I switch whether I need to or not. People this isn't rocket science!
Yep. It's not hard. I just swap out batteries after the low voltage signal flashes.
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