18650 charger stops at ~4.07 V

[a1mu1e]

Hello All,

A while back I purchased a flashlight/battery/charger bundle from a company called Monster Flashlight (I've since learned of my mistake)

I decided to try out my charger again, and test it with my recently aquired voltmeter. When the green light turned on, I found that the cells had a voltage of 4.06/4.07 V. I put them back in the charger, waited, and checked again. Same thing.

My question is, aside from reduced capacity, what effect will this have on the performance of my batteries?
Will it affect their lifespan? Is it any more or less safe?

Also, how severe of an effect would this have on my runtime?

Thanks Everyone,

-Alexander

 

[LilKevin715]

What kind of battery are you charging? (name brand, capacity)

 

[MBentz]

Your runtime won't be quite as long as a fully charged cell to 4.2v.

The good news is that the charger isn't overcharging your cells past 4.2v and so it is safe to use. In terms of battery life, IIRC not fully charging cells will have a positive effect on battery life. Wait and see what the experts say.

 

[a1mu1e]

Thanks for the quick response. I am currently testing it with some cheap ultrafires I have around while my Sanyos are in the mail. So capacity = who knows...

I may just stick to my Xtar charger though... also in the mail. It was only recently that I decided to upgrade from Chinese garbage, since that stupid Monster Flashlight (rebranded ultrafire) set me back a few years ago.

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

Can you take a measurement of the battery voltages while they are still on the charger when charging and when the charge completes? It is possible if the cells are cheap or old that when they come off the charger 4.07 volts is all you are going to get. As the cells age they won't hold their full charge or capacity and the starting voltage will be lower, even right off the charger.

I can see this on my Xtar charger. Even with a good cell that's maybe a year old it will finish the charge up at 4.20 volts but as soon as the charge cycle complete it will drop into the 4. low teens right away while still on the charger. Older cells will drop into the 4. single digits.

 

[a1mu1e]

Can you take a measurement of the battery voltages while they are still on the charger when charging and when the charge completes?

Exactly 4.20 V. Thanks, that completely answers my question.

 

[127.0.0.1]

test volts while connected and charging...should read 4.2 mostly (or float between 3.x and 4.2)
if never 4.2, bad charger. if 4.2, bad battery that drops to 4.0 too fast

 

[a1mu1e]

Yeah, a perfect 4.20 while charging. Drops right after. Bad battery. But what can I expect from an ultrafire?

 

[a1mu1e]

If I post a picture of the charger, could anyone identify it? It looks like an ultrafire, but says some different stuff on the back (besides branding.)

I think Monster Flashlight claims to be their own OEM manufacturer, but I can't believe anything they say.

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

Post it up. Is there a model number on it? I recall having a few horrible UF chargers when i first started in the hobby. I think they were WP108 and WP109 (although I can't be sure).

 

[a1mu1e]

Post it up. Is there a model number on it?.

Thanks, I'd really like to know. I'll try to put it up tomorrow morning if I can remember, but I can't right now.

I hope someone can tell me what this thing is. I don't know how the heck I found that company, nor do I have enough experience to know what it is I'm being sold. IMHO, the flashlight itself doesn't look exactly like a UF 501B body, but it can exchange dropins with an ultrafire Infrared I own (501b I think). Is this P60?


The quality seems decent, somewhat better than the ultrafire, but the only thing I had to compare it to in brightness were Amazon Sipik clones, and it was an XM-L. I'm fairly convinced that I was swindled, however, as I paid 50$ plus shipping for this single 18650, suspiciously ultrafireish light.

 

[a1mu1e]

Pictures:

http://imgur.com/a/I4TDp

I've never really done this before, I'll see if it works.

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

Well considering that a quick Google search with the model HZS-101W turned up a few alibaba hits for the same charger at a cost of $1.82 I would not put too much into it's charging quality. It's very likely a very low quality charger and may be doing damage to the cells more so than the cells being on the lower end of the spectrum.

While I am not sure of your budget I would say you might want to look the site here and consider some alternate quality cells and chargers. While I prefer the Xtar chargers right now, they may cost too much for you. Also you can get good quality 18650 2900mAh or 3100mAh cells for under $10 each.

 

[a1mu1e]

Yeah, all of this is going in the attic as soon as my good ones arrive. When I bought from that site, I was not yet acquainted with the forums, and spent a lot on garbage. It was not until now that I got enough together to spend some real money on a flashlight again. Xtar charger, sanyos, and solarforce s2200. Thanks for your help.

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

Don't worry - we've all been there. There is definitely a learning curve.

Sounds like a much better package. Good luck with it.

 

[a1mu1e]

Don't worry - we've all been there..

Thanks. Love your name by the way!