Lithium Ion Help AW 18650 and Pila IBC!!

[nmiller]

Guys.... I need help. I just bought a Pila IBC and the new AW 18650 2600mah batteries. I put 1 18650 in the charger for about 5-6 hours and the light is still red. I have unplugged the charger for now because I'm concerned. Is this normal? I was under the impression that the cells come partially charged and the initial charge was quick. Please help before I continue.

Thanks,

Nick

 

[ptolemy]

Guys.... I need help. I just bought a Pila IBC and the new AW 18650 2600mah batteries. I put 1 18650 in the charger for about 5-6 hours and the light is still red. I have unplugged the charger for now because I'm concerned. Is this normal? I was under the impression that the cells come partially charged and the initial charge was quick. Please help before I continue.

Thanks,

Nick

try to rotate the batteries 90-180 degrees and it should turn green

 

[AW]

If you have a DMM, check the voltage reading of the batteries and it 'll tell you the charging status. Sometimes the final CV phase may take a bit longer if the contact is not solid.

 

[1 what]

Hi nmiller,
I had a similar problem about 2 years ago.
I my case it was that the negative terminal of the charger was not contacting the metal of the neg terminal of the battery. It was resting on the plastic liner at the end of the battery. It looked ok but it just wasn't.
I could have used magnetic spacers to build up the battery but all I did was bend the metal terminal out a little with a pair of needle nose plyers.
Rough but effective:thumbsup:.
On a related note It's good to see AW responding to your thread. In my experience his after sales service is fantastic.

 

[nmiller]

Thanks all. I'm going to run up to the store and buy a DMM and go from there. I wouldn't surprise me if there is a bad connection though. I'm new to this stuff but running high powered lights on primaries is too expensive. I'll let everyone know what I come up with.

Thanks again,

Nick

 

[lrp]

I'd think it is a minor problem, you started off right with the best charger and Lith-ion cell!

 

[nmiller]

The voltage reads 3.92v. I tried to rotate the batter a bit and nothing changed so I went ahead and bent the tab on the charger slightly. Everything appears to be ok. What does everyone think?

 

[AW]

3.92V is about the same voltage that I ship the P18650-26. It looks like no charging has been done. At this voltage, the Pila should finish charging in less than 1 hour. Please try again.

 

[nmiller]

Well It just went green about a 10 minutes ago so I think we are oK. Perhaps the bending of the tab fixed my problem. It measured 4.17 volts.

 

[Linger]

nmiller,
Glad you got a dmm. Keep it handy, use it often.

(You've made a lot of good choices, keep reading up on battery university, I pick up something all the time)

Remember readings will go wonky when the DMM battery gets low (so you need to learn what they should be in allsituation so you regocnize this )
Best,
L

 

[Bones]

It seems the charger didn't establish contact on the first attempt, which may have been caused by some sort of leftover residue on the contact points.

It might be prudent to scrub all the contact points on both the cells and the charger with a clean, dry cotton cloth to ensure the best possible connection.

I've also found ptolemy's suggestion to slightly rotate the cells in both directions along their longitudinal axis after their seated to be sound advice.

 

[nmiller]

Thanks all. I will keep studying.