Vapex 2700 new cells - 174 to 2100 mAh?

[fireguy]

Hi,

I purchased 12 Vapex 2700 mAh cells from an ebay seller (who has 100% feedback and only sells Vapex cells). I thought these would be good for devices that might run the cells too low (clock, digital weather station, kids toys) where if the cells got killed, it wouldn't be as bad as losing some Eneloops.

The cells came in 3 retails packs. The first 4 were put into the C9000 for refresh and came up with capacities of 2023 (74%), 1784 (66%), 2175 (80%) and 2154 (80%). I'm doing a break-in on them which will be ready tomorrow.

The second set was put into my 600F charger. Two charged immediately and the other 2 took several hours. The two that charged immediately were put onto the C9000 and discharged. They had capacities of around 170 mAh. I charged them on the C9000 at 1000 mAh charge and they ended within minutes. I discharged them 2 hours later and they had a similar capacity. I neglected to check voltage levels on these. I discharged them and left them overnight. This morning the voltages (with DMM) are 1.277, 1.229, 1.277, 1.273.

The third set has had nothing done with them yet. The out of package voltages measured with a DMM are: 1.204, 0.721, 0.704 and 0.720. I don't see any date code on the cells or the package.

Are these just bad cells? Should I run the first set through several break-in charges to see what the capacity is? How many break-in charges should I do?

 

[Mr Happy]

When a brand new cell measures 0.7 V out of the package, you can pretty much assume it is DOA. Perhaps these are old stock that have been too long in storage.

If purchased from a normal retailer you would return them for refund or replacement. Here I am afraid you have discovered the perils of buying on eBay.

If you want to try and recover them, you should put them through a break-in cycle before attempting any normal charging. Use a capacity of 2000 mAh rather than 2700 for the first cycle and see how they turn out.

 

[fireguy]

When a brand new cell measures 0.7 V out of the package, you can pretty much assume it is DOA. Perhaps these are old stock that have been too long in storage.

If purchased from a normal retailer you would return them for refund or replacement. Here I am afraid you have discovered the perils of buying on eBay.

If you want to try and recover them, you should put them through a break-in cycle before attempting any normal charging. Use a capacity of 2000 mAh rather than 2700 for the first cycle and see how they turn out.

Thanks, Mr. Happy. You're actually dead-on! I contacted VapexTech and they say they haven't sold the 2700 mAh batteries for some time, so these ones are at least 2 1/2 years old. Of course the eBay seller won't respond to my email. :shakehead Live and learn! I'll see if VapexTech themselves will do anything for me.

 

[bretti_kivi]

following on from the age thing:
There's an offer on in a store here for 2500 Sanyos. Now, the date on these is given as 2005-2006. Are they likely to still be good?

Bret

 

[Mr Happy]

following on from the age thing:
There's an offer on in a store here for 2500 Sanyos. Now, the date on these is given as 2005-2006. Are they likely to still be good?

At that age there would be some doubt about whether the cells were still good. As a rule of thumb NiMH cells should be used within 6-12 months of manufacture (except for LSD cells, which so far have seemed OK up to 2 or 3 years from manufacture).