18650 Cell Phone Charger

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18650 Charger Box Question

Picked up one of these 18650 power packs on ebay...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-5V-2A-Dual-USB-18650-battery-Mobile-Power-Charger-box-For-iphone-ipod-Mp3/390654017801?_trksid=p2047675.m1985&_trkparms=aid%3D444000%26algo%3DSOI.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D13%26meid%3D1080939390461984181%26pid%3D100012%26prg%3D1014%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D370888259958%26


With the intention of using it to charge phones, lights, etc. It can operate with any number of cells installed, up to four.

I was just reading the description and it says to use with unprotected cells because the box itself has "built in circuit protection."

But my plan was that if the need ever arose, I could simply steal a cell from the charger to power my flashlight in a pinch. Was going to use Callies Kustoms 3400 protected cells.



What would be the consequence of using protected cells in this power pack?
not having seen the inside of one of these, I would say that the only thing I could equate as a possible problem is batteries not fitting as protected cells tend to be longer than unprotected ones.
 
I have several of these 18650 battery box and I can confirm that most protected cells will not fit.

So far, AW IMR 18650 & Panasonic 2250mAh works fine and I just ordered some unprotected Panasonic 2900mAh cells as they are about 66mm in length so they should fit just right.

Keep in mind that newer iPhone, iPads etc will require 2.4A to charge so upgrading these battery boxes are cheaper that having to buy an upgraded powerpack

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk 2
 
I'm looking for a simple solution like the V3 from Fast Tech. I notice they have not been in stock for sometime. I've been looking around for other solutions, however, its hard to find or know which ones will accept protected cells. Does anyone know of a V3 type replacement?

I'm also concerned that Fast Tech might not restock a device in the same V3 style.

Thanks
 
18650 powerbank and charger?

Came across this one at DX; SKU 248311, for US$3.20
I'm sure many are familiar with the emergence of USB "powerbanks" that are essentially a boost circuit with a built-in 18650 (most non-removable), and the ability to charge said 18650. This one's like that, but you supply the 18650; from what I can gather there should be the charge system built in (has micro-USB and standard USB, micro usually being input for charging). So, does this sound like a possibly quite useful (and dirt cheap) combo of a charger (albeit a bit slow) and "emergency" USB supply?
I think I'd like the lid to be a bit better designed for use as a charger, but could this be a contender against the TP4056 boards, with the bonus of having USB-power-out?
 
Re: 18650 powerbank and charger?

Power banks with replaceable batteries is nothing new, I have tested a couple off them, but not the one you are writing about.

Usual they are not that great chargers and it will probably only fit unprotected batteries.
 
Re: 18650 powerbank and charger?

Ah OK, looks like the Miller ML-102 is a better solution with known components, and only a couple of bucks more. I'd seen the 101 previously, which was charge only. Looks like I'm a little late to the party :ohgeez:
 
Re: 18650 powerbank and charger?

Be aware that on the latest ML-102 the springs have changed making it difficult to fit protected cells.

Norm
 
Re: 18650 powerbank and charger?

Thanks for pointing that out Norm, I'd read one discussion where someone said it fitted 69mm which was fine for me, but on further investigation it seems that info was erroneous and it can actually only fit 65mm (unless hacked)
Guess I'll wait for Version 6
:thanks:
 
I have several ML-102 chargers, these were actually fantastic because they are small, handy and can easily charge your small smartphone devices and old blackberries to full charge, however with the advent of technology, they no longer cut it due to the fact they only charge at a bit lower than 1A.

What I did find and use now is the Coolook 2A Charger that uses 4x18650 batteries. This baby can almost fully charge an Ipad and can fully charge my Samsung Note 2 and another cellphone.

It has dual USB ports but the 2A is shared so ideally, if you want full power charging, use one port at a time.

Depending on the cells you use, that would determine how much they can charge. (I use unprotected 3400mAh Panasonics)

I never go anywhere without this charger.

It comes with a USB charging cord which you use to charge the device. It would be advisable to use a 2A USB Charger (like the Ipad's charger) so you can fully charge your 3400mAh in about six hours or less.

There are other bigger portable chargers which use up to six 18650's but those are overkill, they can even charge laptops.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This looks like it is becoming a general discussion thread rather than just a specific question about one particular item so I've merged the two threads - Norm
 
Li-Ion 18650 cells power box

I see some DIY power box that uses Li-Ion 18650 cells, from 1 up to 6 cells, on ebay. Here is one example: link - 4 cells
Based on the item descriptions, it uses unprotected cells (configured in parallel) and has protection against over-charge and over-discharge.
Similar power box appears to use somewhat different circuitry, a few claim that their box has short-circuit protection.

Does anyone have experience on using this kind of box? Is it worth buying?
 
Re: Li-Ion 18650 cells power box

I see some DIY power box that uses Li-Ion 18650 cells, from 1 up to 6 cells, on ebay. Here is one example: link - 4 cells
Based on the item descriptions, it uses unprotected cells (configured in parallel) and has protection against over-charge and over-discharge.
Similar power box appears to use somewhat different circuitry, a few claim that their box has short-circuit protection.

Does anyone have experience on using this kind of box? Is it worth buying?

Yeah, I have a couple - they seem to work pretty well, a good deal for the price.
One good aspect is that you provide the Li-Ion cells yourself so you can buy some good Panasonic cells rather than trust that the cheapest cells a manufacturer could source might be OK. You can also replace the cells after a few years and carry on using the device.
 
Re: Li-Ion 18650 cells power box

@Norm : Thanks for merging the thread, I did not know it has been asked previously

@KiwiMark : That is what I was thinking to put some good 3100 mAh cells to charge my gadgets a few times

Does anyone know whether this kind of powerbank will be allowed in cabin while flying?
 
@Norm : Thanks for merging the thread, I did not know it has been asked previously

@KiwiMark : That is what I was thinking to put some good 3100 mAh cells to charge my gadgets a few times

Does anyone know whether this kind of powerbank will be allowed in cabin while flying?

I've used my single 18650 USB chargers on lots of flights & never had a problem.

I currently use the ML-102.
 
I am currently looking for a good 1x18650 unit, simply because the two 4x units I have are seldom used because they are bulky and heavy and my need for more power than a 3100mah cell could provide is not great.. I'm thinking a 1x unit will actually be of more use. I also see most of these 1x18650 units seems to come equipped wit a flashlight. I'm not really sure if I like that or not. As I don't always carry a light currently, it would be sort of nice to have one in my emergency charger - which I presumably would often carry, if it was small... Any tips for a good 1x18650 USB charger with or without a light? I can't find a review (with measurements) of any. Or is there any known good IC I could look for?
 
You can get little USB add-on lights made for these, for about $1; light will be pretty dismal, but gives you the option of having the light or not having the light.

The ML-102 sounds ideal to me if/when they sort out the ability to fit protected cells. Don't know why manufacturers don't take them into account, it's not like they are uncommon.
 
This "USB Flashlight External Backup" seems interisting. I don't think I'm going to carry an extra non-integrated module around, it will probably just be laying around. The powerocks magic sticks would be great if not for their price and included battery. No flashlight but great sizewise.
 
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