DSD Smart Charger Question - Does this happen to you?

I've owned a DSD Smart Charger and a small collection of rechargeable Li-ion batteries for almost two months now. Those of you who own and are familiar with this particular charger know that it has a single indicator LED that changes color from red to green when the installed batteries are fully charged.

Sometimes while topping off my batteries I've observed that if I remove a battery (protected or unprotected) from the charger and quickly re-install it, the LED will change color from red to green indicating that the battery is fully charged. The indicator is suppose to automatically change from red to green when the inserted batteries are finished charging. Every once in a while, my charger's indicator LED appears to get "stuck on red". From experience I know when a given pair of batteries should be finished charging. Only by removing one or both batteries from the charger and re-installing them does the indicator LED change from red to green. Again, this doesn't happen every time I use the charger nor does it only happen to certain pairs of batteries.

Has anyone else observed this phenomenon with their DSD or any other brand of smart Li-ion battery charger?

Hello CoffeeAchiever,

You are experiencing the Constant Voltage portion of the CC/CV charge.

A Li-Ion charger will charge at a constant current up to around 4.2 volts, then hold 4.2 volts while the current drops off. This part of the charge can take an extended period of time, and as your cells age, it will take longer and longer.

When you remove the cells from the charger and put them back on, the charger senses that the voltage is already at 4.2 volts, and it simply stops charging.

To get the most capacity from your batteries, you should just let them charge. If you are in a hurry, pull them early.

Tom

Fantastic explanation. You really hit the nail on the head describing what must be going on with my charger. Thanks!