Need advice on compact charger for li-ion 18650 charger

[You can call me Al]

Hey!

I bought a Lumapower D-mini VX Ultra and love it! Now I need a charger. I already have a Maha Powerex MH-C9000 charger for NiMH and NiCD batteries, its one of the best chargers you can get. The box says I shouldn't use it for any other types of batteries.
1- Can anyone confirm that attempting to charge Li-ion batteries using this charger won't work? It does offer many settings.
2- Can anyone recommend a charger for my Li-ion 18650 2900mAh battery? Ideally it will be tiny so I can take it abroad while travelling.

 

[Nasty]

Small? $50 shipped.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=231760


What I use - $18.50 shipped

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=176076

 

[tandem]

I bought a Lumapower D-mini VX Ultra and love it! Now I need a charger. I already have a Maha Powerex MH-C9000 charger for NiMH and NiCD batteries, its one of the best chargers you can get. The box says I shouldn't use it for any other types of batteries.
1- Can anyone confirm that attempting to charge Li-ion batteries using this charger won't work?

The box does not lie. DO NOT USE THE C9000 TO CHARGE LITHIUM ION CELLS. The chemistry and charging requirements are completely different to NiMH and NiCd chemistries.

Used (and charged) safely, li-ion cells are of great benefit. However li-ion cells can be *extremely* dangerous if mistreated, and mistreatment includes using the wrong charger or a poorly designed and built charger. Dangerous includes venting dangerous gasses, venting "with flame", and explosion within your new flashlight.

You need a purpose built li-ion charger, and you really need to read up on the care and feeding of li-ion cells. They are not consumer items, quite unlike NiMH rechargeable cells that you can buy at almost any grocery store.

Fortunately for all of us, CPF has a great sub-forum on cells and chargers. Please visit it - there are a number of recent threads that can help you get up to speed.

PS: Welcome to CPF!
PSPS: The C9000 *is* a great charger! Just not for li-ion cells.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Moving this thread to Flashlight Electronics-Batteries Included forum.

Bill

 

[You can call me Al]

Thank you all for the reply!

 

[fvdk]

Hey!

2- Can anyone recommend a charger for my Li-ion 18650 2900mAh battery? Ideally it will be tiny so I can take it abroad while travelling.

I would recommend the XTAR MP1
http://www.xtarlight.com/en/05-chanpin/p-001-1.asp?styleid=79
Can easily be found on eBay.
Standard it comes with a USB cable but versions with an AC or 12V adapter are also available.

These chargers use a true TC.CC.CV charging system.

The WP2 version is also very small, charges a bit faster and accepts a wider range of cells.

Frans

 

[Quest4fire]

The Pila IBC is a nice, simple Li-ion charger with a good reputation. It can be used from 100V to 240V AC input as well as your car (12V to 24V DC input). It should meet all your requirements for traveling abroad. Mine works flawlessly on all my Li-ion cells. This thread should answer all your questions:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=201323

 

[radellaf]

The WF-137 isn't the best made but it does terminate and is tiny. You'd need a cord or plug adapter but it takes 240V. Caveat is that I'd open it up and check for loose bits or bad soldering.

Then there's the 3P10L1004, but you'd need a holder or magnets:
http://www.batteryjunction.com/li-smart-charger.html
http://www.batteryspace.com/smartcharger18afor37vli-ionpolymerrechargeablebatterypack--ullisted.aspx


Both of those would be faster than the WF-139, Pila, or Xstar. <500mA is really slow for a 2900mAh. Nothing will fully charge it in less than 3h, though. For portability, though, the USB input for the XTAR sounds great.

Pila's the only one with good build quality, AFAIK.