Would i know if my battery was about to explode?

[djsvapour]

Ipow and K1 is a safe set-up.

A year (nearly) is a really good result (yes... despite what they say about 300-600 charge cycles).

The main weakness about these batteries is the chargers and the charging method (510 screw-in). I'm not saying it's unsafe... it has a good track record overall, but problems have been known. Problems is why I also don't recommend having any part of the charger (the mains wall plug, the usb cable, whatever) that outputs too much.

People always pick on certain makes of charger. To my knowledge, you can't charge an e-cig battery with a Apple charger. You can only use an Apple wall adapter and some sort of USB cable. I only use wall adapters that output 500mAh for eGo type batteries.

 

[Beeker]

I own Apple chargers in 500ma, 1A and 2.1A versions.
Perhaps the better advice would be to use a 500ma charger instead of making alarmist blanket statements.
The same issue may occur with *any* wall-adapter that is able to deliver a higher current.

In my case I'm simply unsure what her charger is capable of...so I need to caution her.

Electricity goes through all of us, and is not to be relegated to wires.

How true that is....

 

[sofarsogood]

Virtually all the news stories about ecig accidents involve unprotected batttery cells carried in a pocket with other metal objects or mishandled mechancal mods. The victims are mostly young men which is probably no accident. There are accidents involving high performance flashlights, phones, comptuers, etc. but those don't compete with cigarettes, which pay 10's of billions in taxes.

My batteries are either in a mod, in a charger or in a silicone tube, never rolling round loose and unprotected. I'm only buying regulated mods and only from companies with brands and reputations to protect. I'm only buying batteries branded by LG or Sony and only from sources that won't be selling fakes. My current set up uses LG HG2's that are rated for 20 amps while my coil calculator says my setup shouldn't draw more than 5 amps. Batteries last longer if they are discharged and recharged slower rather than faster.

 

[Beeker]

Virtually all the news stories about ecig accidents involve unprotected batttery cells carried in a pocket with other metal objects or mishandled mechancal mods. The victims are mostly young men which is probably no accident. There are accidents involving high performance flashlights, phones, comptuers, etc. but those don't compete with cigarettes, which pay 10's of billions in taxes.

My batteries are either in a mod, in a charger or in a silicone tube, never rolling round loose and unprotected. I'm only buying regulated mods and only from companies with brands and reputations to protect. I'm only buying batteries branded by LG or Sony and only from sources that won't be selling fakes. My current set up uses LG HG2's that are rated for 20 amps while my coil calculator says my setup shouldn't draw more than 5 amps. Batteries last longer if they are discharged and recharged slower rather than faster.

You won't be seeing SONY batteries, at least not from e-cig vendors....they have sent a "cease and desist" to vendors--seems they don't warranty their batteries unless they're used "as intended"...and in their view that ain't in vaping products...

 

[sofarsogood]

You won't be seeing SONY batteries, at least not from e-cig vendors....they have sent a "cease and desist" to vendors--seems they don't warranty their batteries unless they're used "as intended"...and in their view that ain't in vaping products...

Why do I think Sony has made that pronouncement before. It's sort of a moot point for me for the forseeable future. The best choice for me right now is the LG HG2 (3,000 mah and 20 max amps). Steam engine predicts my setup should be drawing about 5 amps and the vtc mini amps read out says 4.5.

If sony sells their 18650's for rebranding then their batteries are being used in ecigs never the less and may be not their best ones so what they are really saying is we can only use their second tier batteries in our mods. That may protect them from lawsuits but may be it doesn't protect consumers from bad batteries. Hmmm...

 

[herb]

I always do the old arm over the shoulder flip and then crouch down low to the ground and cover my ears when i think an explosion is eminent .

Just my opinion

 

[Lova]

Yep, standard Apple Wall Wart outputs 2.1amps, especially when designed for an iPad. Most Ego class batteries accept max current of about 0.5 to 1 amp, 2.1amps way over that spec.

Huh, thought it was that the wall charger Provided a certain amperage, then the battery /mod drew what it needed. Also I thought that you shouldn't vape or charge from a laptop, unless it's plugged in.

A battery can't draw more current than the charger is capable of providing without the charger dropping it's voltage and the current along with it. A low or dead battery will try to equalize it's charge as fast as it can, unless it's regulated... so if the charger can provide 2+ amps the battery will take the 2 amps...even if it's not good for the battery!

And vaping off the laptop battery without the charger/power supply plugged in is like leaving the lights on in your car without the engine running.

Woah guys. Chill out with the false stuff. All eGo-type batteries use a regulator board in the USB charger. Also, 2A wall wart is CAPABLE of giving out 2A, there is little to no chance of it "overcharging" anything with a regulator board (like the eGo-battery USB charger.)

All eGo-USB chargers I have at hand are regulated to give 4.2v @ 420mA.

USB wall warts don't really care what the load is if it doesn't go over the 2A limit of the charger. If there's a regulator board that only allows 420mA to pass through, it only draws 0.42A from the charger, no more or no less.

I can disassemble and reverse engineer an eGo charger, but I see no point in doing it, just because the charger has got a regulator board which regulates the current, be it 5v @ 30A or 5v @ 0.001A to 4.2v and always under 0.42A.

You won't be seeing SONY batteries, at least not from e-cig vendors....they have sent a "cease and desist" to vendors--seems they don't warranty their batteries unless they're used "as intended"...and in their view that ain't in vaping products...

Also, I don't remember Sony sending any cease and desists to ANY store. Only a "Not my problem if someone blows their head off when abusing the batteries"-letter, which was interpreted as a "cease and desist", based on which MFS decided to remove all Sony batteries from their store.

SONY VTC battery Cease and Desist via MFS • /r/electronic_cigarette

It only states, that Sony doesn't really care what you use the batteries for if it's within the limitations of the battery, but won't be responsible for any accidents caused by the misuse of the batteries.

Most if not all other e-cig stores, which carry 18650-batteries still have Sony VTC4's and VTC5's in stock, and will be getting more shipments of them in the future. Witch hunt and unnecessary danger cries are kinda futile, because Sony batteries won't be going anywhere from vaping communities.

 

[Beeker]

Woah guys. Chill out with the false stuff. All eGo-type batteries use a regulator board in the USB charger. Also, 2A wall wart is CAPABLE of giving out 2A, there is little to no chance of it "overcharging" anything with a regulator board (like the eGo-battery USB charger.)

All eGo-USB chargers I have at hand are regulated to give 4.2v @ 420mA.

USB wall warts don't really care what the load is if it doesn't go over the 2A limit of the charger. If there's a regulator board that only allows 420mA to pass through, it only draws 0.42A from the charger, no more or no less.

I can disassemble and reverse engineer an eGo charger, but I see no point in doing it, just because the charger has got a regulator board which regulates the current, be it 5v @ 30A or 5v @ 0.001A to 4.2v and always under 0.42A.




Also, I don't remember Sony sending any cease and desists to ANY store. Only a "Not my problem if someone blows their head off when abusing the batteries"-letter, which was interpreted as a "cease and desist", based on which MFS decided to remove all Sony batteries from their store.

SONY VTC battery Cease and Desist via MFS • /r/electronic_cigarette

It only states, that Sony doesn't really care what you use the batteries for if it's within the limitations of the battery, but won't be responsible for any accidents caused by the misuse of the batteries.

Most if not all other e-cig stores, which carry 18650-batteries still have Sony VTC4's and VTC5's in stock, and will be getting more shipments of them in the future. Witch hunt and unnecessary danger cries are kinda futile, because Sony batteries won't be going anywhere from vaping communities.

Woah guys. Chill out with the false stuff. All eGo-type batteries use a regulator board in the USB charger. Also, 2A wall wart is CAPABLE of giving out 2A, there is little to no chance of it "overcharging" anything with a regulator board (like the eGo-battery USB charger.)

All eGo-USB chargers I have at hand are regulated to give 4.2v @ 420mA.

USB wall warts don't really care what the load is if it doesn't go over the 2A limit of the charger. If there's a regulator board that only allows 420mA to pass through, it only draws 0.42A from the charger, no more or no less.

I can disassemble and reverse engineer an eGo charger, but I see no point in doing it, just because the charger has got a regulator board which regulates the current, be it 5v @ 30A or 5v @ 0.001A to 4.2v and always under 0.42A.




Also, I don't remember Sony sending any cease and desists to ANY store. Only a "Not my problem if someone blows their head off when abusing the batteries"-letter, which was interpreted as a "cease and desist", based on which MFS decided to remove all Sony batteries from their store.

SONY VTC battery Cease and Desist via MFS • /r/electronic_cigarette

It only states, that Sony doesn't really care what you use the batteries for if it's within the limitations of the battery, but won't be responsible for any accidents caused by the misuse of the batteries.

Most if not all other e-cig stores, which carry 18650-batteries still have Sony VTC4's and VTC5's in stock, and will be getting more shipments of them in the future. Witch hunt and unnecessary danger cries are kinda futile, because Sony batteries won't be going anywhere from vaping communities.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }

For my first post you quoted I did say "unless it's regulated". Some battery HOLDERS are not regulated and many ecig batteries have regulated outputs but not regulated on charger inputs. As to the user selection of removable batteries in e cig devices/mods...some 18650 batteries are UNPROTECTED (e.g they have no thermal or voltage/current safeties built in). We were not talking about EGO chargers that put out a proper standard charge of 4.2 VDC @ .5 Amps. We were talking about standard vs. non-standard USB generic wall warts that output 5.00VDC at currents higher than .5 Amps. No 18650 vendor on any of their spec sheets recommends that high a voltage for charging their batteries. I can tell you my battery gets quite warm when I plug in a 5.00VDC 2 amp charger vs. the recommended 4.2 VDC .5 amp charger. Sure the generic USB charger works but it' s not good for the battery if the battery gets hot! At best it'll shorten the life of the battery...worse case is, well, let any smoke out of any electronics and it won't work

As to my second post you quoted, and yes based in part on the MFS post, I decided to contact SONY, and they did tell me they have "advised certain ecig vendors not to use or sell their batteries for use in their products", yadda yadda. Now whether they're covering their butts and those "other" vendors have decided to share/not share that info with the public is up to them. Kudos to MFS for sharing that info with their customers. But SONY, having said to "stop selling our batteries" and "please inform your customers of the potential hazards" might seem like "legal speak"...well it is and it isn't.

The Vaping community is under fire and has many enemies and if they can get SONY to cry wolf, then others will follow.

There may be those on this forum that have “hidden agendas” but my suggestions were meant in the spirit of safety...and where personal safety is concerned I always err on the side of caution.

But, what do I know, I'm a simple Aerospace Engineer and not a “Vaping Wizard”...

 

[Lova]

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }

For my first post you quoted I did say "unless it's regulated". Some battery HOLDERS are not regulated and many ecig batteries have regulated outputs but not regulated on charger inputs. As to the user selection of removable batteries in e cig devices/mods...some 18650 batteries are UNPROTECTED (e.g they have no thermal or voltage/current safeties built in). We were not talking about EGO chargers that put out a proper standard charge of 4.2 VDC @ .5 Amps. We were talking about standard vs. non-standard USB generic wall warts that output 5.00VDC at currents higher than .5 Amps. No 18650 vendor on any of their spec sheets recommends that high a voltage for charging their batteries. I can tell you my battery gets quite warm when I plug in a 5.00VDC 2 amp charger vs. the recommended 4.2 VDC .5 amp charger. Sure the generic USB charger works but it' s not good for the battery if the battery gets hot! At best it'll shorten the life of the battery...worse case is, well, let any smoke out of any electronics and it won't work

As to my second post you quoted, and yes based in part on the MFS post, I decided to contact SONY, and they did tell me they have "advised certain ecig vendors not to use or sell their batteries for use in their products", yadda yadda. Now whether they're covering their butts and those "other" vendors have decided to share/not share that info with the public is up to them. Kudos to MFS for sharing that info with their customers. But SONY, having said to "stop selling our batteries" and "please inform your customers of the potential hazards" might seem like "legal speak"...well it is and it isn't.

The Vaping community is under fire and has many enemies and if they can get SONY to cry wolf, then others will follow.

There may be those on this forum that have “hidden agendas” but my suggestions were meant in the spirit of safety...and where personal safety is concerned I always err on the side of caution.

But, what do I know, I'm a simple Aerospace Engineer and not a “Vaping Wizard”...

Could also be that. Sorry for not reading your post in full, but most, if not all, eGo-type batteries with built in battery are charged with an external USB lead, with correct regulating circuits, and they only allow for said 4.2v @ 0.42A or 0.5A to pass through to the battery. In theory if you were to bypass that circuit completely, just pushing max amps and the full 5v from a USB PSU, you would be in dangerous waters.

As for the Sony thing goes, it seems like Sony doesn't want negative influence from such a niche group using and possibly abusing their batteries. So for what I've gathered from that reddit post was that Sony doesn't want MFS to sell their batteries, and MFS decided to recall all Sony batteries they sold. It doesn't mean that all battery resellers must comply to the said letter. If they did, you wouldn't find authentic Sony VTC's from illumn or any other company selling them either.

Could be also that I misintepreted the original postings. Any way, didn't mean to insult you, but using a USB wall wart to charge an eGo battery (done it myself with USB PSUs ranging from 0.5A to 2A, and no issues whatsoever) with the correct charging cable should be pretty safe no matter what maximum output amperage the USB wall wart is capable of, given that the charging cable isn't faulty.

 

[Beeker]

Could also be that. Sorry for not reading your post in full, but most, if not all, eGo-type batteries with built in battery are charged with an external USB lead, with correct regulating circuits, and they only allow for said 4.2v @ 0.42A or 0.5A to pass through to the battery. In theory if you were to bypass that circuit completely, just pushing max amps and the full 5v from a USB PSU, you would be in dangerous waters.

As for the Sony thing goes, it seems like Sony doesn't want negative influence from such a niche group using and possibly abusing their batteries. So for what I've gathered from that reddit post was that Sony doesn't want MFS to sell their batteries, and MFS decided to recall all Sony batteries they sold. It doesn't mean that all battery resellers must comply to the said letter. If they did, you wouldn't find authentic Sony VTC's from illumn or any other company selling them either.

Could be also that I misintepreted the original postings. Any way, didn't mean to insult you, but using a USB wall wart to charge an eGo battery (done it myself with USB PSUs ranging from 0.5A to 2A, and no issues whatsoever) with the correct charging cable should be pretty safe no matter what maximum output amperage the USB wall wart is capable of, given that the charging cable isn't faulty.

No problem. SONY San Diego (who sent the letter) is the culprit -- it did not come from the "mother ship" in Japan...so I wonder if they know. I need to do so more research on Japanese attitudes toward vaping...Additionally, I would not expect any battery only vending sites like "battery junction" or their ilk to suffer from the same stigma applied to vaping. I mean heck they use these things in flashlights and they're way low tech compared to some of the top MODS. Good thing I bought a Samsung. It may not be SONY, but hey it's not bad being number 2

 

[Bunnykiller]

only if you know how to make it explode