UltraFire 18650s?
- Thread starter Arnulf
- Start date
McAllan
Enlightened
Ideally they should be half empty since they''re best stored like that.
Either which way there's nothing wrong charging them to ensure they're full before use. If using in lights with more than one cell that's the correct way to do!
Of course a half empty battery charges faster than en empty one so first time you charge them you can get short charge times depending on the state they were delivered in.
Either which way there's nothing wrong charging them to ensure they're full before use. If using in lights with more than one cell that's the correct way to do!
Of course a half empty battery charges faster than en empty one so first time you charge them you can get short charge times depending on the state they were delivered in.
Thanks my friend for the info....I appreciate it. :)
kramer5150
Flashaholic
There's no way to tell without measuring them on a meter (I know DUH... but it needs to be stated).
Just charge them to 4.2V and you should be ready to rock.
Just charge them to 4.2V and you should be ready to rock.
Igor Porto
Enlightened
Charge them before use.
That's if you're a pessimist. if you're an optimist, they're best stored half full.
:nana:
I just have a DX cheapo charger.....it does not tell voltage....the charging light is supposed to turn green when the batteries are fully charged....I have never had any of my 123s or 18650s turn green yet...I just just charge them for a couple hrs and pop them back in the flashlights......my JetBeam M1X is now running on 2 18650s.:thumbsup:
march.brown
Flashlight Enthusiast
.
How is your property insurance ? ... Does it cover Fire ? :poof:
The only way to tell the amount of charge in the battery is to measure the off-load voltage and check against the chart ... For example 3.6V is empty , 4.2V is full , 3.85V is 50% full ... The chart is on several threads and is easy to find.
Some chargers can reach well over 4.2V before the green light comes on.
It is essential that you use a meter to check that nothing is going to take your batteries over the magic figure of 4.2 Volts ... This is more necessary when there is a risk of putting two batteries in the torch that have different voltages ... The higher voltage battery will force current the wrong way through the weaker battery ... This is exactly the way that explosions happen ... So , you have been warned.
.
Its been charging for about 4hrs...you think its charged yet?:eek:
Should I buy a volt meter and see if they are over charged? the batteries are putting off a chemical smell....I guess you cannot trust the charger. :(
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It just says DSD on the box...it will charge 123s and 18650s.....there is another thread in this forum where I asked how to use it because it did not include instructions....members told me the charge light would turn from red to green when the batteries were fully charged...it has yet to turn green...and that has worried me from the start. :confused:
Bullzeyebill
Flashaholic
Go down to Harbor Freight and buy an inexpensive DMM, then read this: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=236906.
Get the DMM tomorrow, and stop charging your LiIon's till you have it.
Bill
Get the DMM tomorrow, and stop charging your LiIon's till you have it.
Bill
No harbor freight in this small town....but there is a Radio shack affiliate......sounds like a pia....if they can make a reliable battery charger for my nikons battery...why can't they make one for 123s and 18650s?
Thanks for the link....I will go buy a DMM tomorrow. :)
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Black Rose
Flashlight Enthusiast
They do, you just have to pay the $$$ for it :)
Is it one that is easy to use like my nikon charger?
My nikon charger has a red light that blinks when the battery is fully charged.
Got a link? :)
mdocod
Flashaholic
The various certification boards that "force" a US based company to sell a quality charger (regardless of where it is manufactured) to consumers does not have jurisdiction in Hong Kong, which is where we are importing these products from. There are good ones and there are duds.
The DSD actually has a reasonable track record in that there are very few reports of it potentially over-charging cells. The biggest drawback of the DSD is that the power supply is only good for about 350mA and is prone to just failing for not good reason. Split between a pair of ~2500mAH cells, charging times from empty can easily exceed 12 hours for a pair of 18650s. Some people have reported 16+ hour charging times. For a pair of RCR123s, charging time can be upwards of 4 hours. The second biggest drawback of the DSD is that it is only a single channel charger. The 2 "slots" are just wired in parallel. This is normally fine but the user needs to make a mental note never to put 2 cells in the charger together that are in a drastically different state of charge. (One cell would quickly drain into the other cell, which could be very bad for one or both cells). The DSD can be upgraded to a more reliable unit with a Nokia cell phone power supply (many share the same plug). I've found them up in the 800-1000mA range, which will double-triple the charging speed.
If you could go back in time, I would have suggested that you buy the DMM FIRST. THEN take delivery on the cells. Whenever you order a loose li-ion cell, the FIRST thing you should do upon taking delivery is checking to see that is has arrived in a proper state of charge. Especially if you're rolling the dice on DX XFIRE cells.
Eric
Thanks for all the great info.:thumbsup:
If you know of a reliable safe charger for my 18650s let me know....thanks.:)
I am not sure what you mean....but the UltraFire 18650s came 2 to a pack...I bought 5 packs...and I did not buy them from DX.
mdocod
Flashaholic
The Pila IBC is regarded as bring one of the best cradle style loose li-ion cell chargers for consumers. Testing continues by myself and other CPF members on more chargers as they become available on the market and there may be some more options that are more reasonably priced that live up to quality and safety "requirements" that any li-ion user should have.
Where an ultrafire is purchased isn't really of much consequence. I will continue to regard them as likely to be lesser quality until long-term evidence proves otherwise. The good news, is that, many of the ultrafire/trustfire cells of today are dramatically better than those of a few years ago, so that is very promising. I feel much more comfortable with modern UFs than older ones.
Most people associate the ultrafire umbrella of brands as having their home on the net on DX.
Eric
Where an ultrafire is purchased isn't really of much consequence. I will continue to regard them as likely to be lesser quality until long-term evidence proves otherwise. The good news, is that, many of the ultrafire/trustfire cells of today are dramatically better than those of a few years ago, so that is very promising. I feel much more comfortable with modern UFs than older ones.
Most people associate the ultrafire umbrella of brands as having their home on the net on DX.
Eric
kramer5150
Flashaholic
mdocod
Flashaholic
X2 cells, 4800mAH/350mA :)
The DSD, while like you say, a CC only charge method, from the testing I have done, the way it works is to run CC till 4.25V charging voltage is reached (roughly), at which point it terminates, which can result in a resting cell voltage anywhere from ~4.12-4.22V depending on the capacity and the internal resistance of the cell. Installing cells in pairs will result in higher final termination voltages. moving up to the higher power wall-warts (NOKIA) results in lower final resting voltages (higher charge rates result in a larger differential between charging and resting voltages).
4.25V is within the parameters set by almost all li-ion cell manufactures and is a perfectly safe charging voltage IMO. Provided the resulting charge is close to 4.20V or less it's pretty decent.
To prevent termination voltages in excess of 4.20V on larger capacity cells, the best thing to do is charge 1 cell at a time.
Eric
