WF-138/WF-139 Overcharging

[benjd]

Guys,

I've read the 139 overcharging thread here which raises a few question which hopefully someone can answer for me.

I've only just received my first flashlight so am not too "in the know", as it were (so apologies for what may be stupid questions...).

The postman came today with my Fenix P3D Q5, a set of AW RCR132As, and the UF WF-139.

After reading the above topic, I'm worried that the charger will kill my batteries over time. So...

• Since the AW RCR132As are protected, can they be overcharged?
• If I can get a hold of a voltmeter, how do I test the charger for over charging?
• Should I swap the WF-139 for a WF-138 just to be safe?

Many thanks,
Ben

 

[Oddjob]

Hey Ben,
Even though your batteris are protected, overcharging or overdischarging will shorten the life of the cells. I just invested in a Pila IBC charger. It is more expensive but it is a better charger that actually terminates the charge at 4.2 volts. I you are going to be using your cells a lot you may want to look into one of these.

 

[benjd]

Hey Ben,
Even though your batteris are protected, overcharging or overdischarging will shorten the life of the cells. I just invested in a Pila IBC charger. It is more expensive but it is a better charger that actually terminates the charge at 4.2 volts. I you are going to be using your cells a lot you may want to look into one of these.

Thanks for the reply.
One problem being that I'm over in the UK at the moment and google turns up no distributors... plus I'd prefer not to spend any more money if at all possible

 

[crofty]

If you did want a pila ibc pilatorch.com will ship you one to the uk for $80, I ordered it this morning. They said they`ll ship it by tomrrow and provide a tracking number.

 

[DM51]

BugOutGearUSA stock the Pila IBC and they will ship overseas from the USA. You would need to talk to them about the shipping charges, but I think the total for the charger + shipping would be quite a bit less than $80.

 

[crofty]

About 3 people recomended that site to me in another thread but when I asked them and they wouldn`t ship to the UK.

 

[DM51]

That seems quite peculiar, as they have shipped to me before.

You could PM them and ask, as they are Authorized Dealers in the MarketPlace.

Or you could e-mail them at sales{at}bugoutgearusa.com - put the @ symbol in there instead of {at} - and see what they have to say about it.

 

[StefanFS]

I have three WF-139 chargers bought from AW, they all stop charging when the cell is between 4.17 and 4.20 Volt. Even if I leave cells in it a number of hours after the green light goes on they have never exceeded 4.20 Volt. They have worked very well.

 

[Norm]

:welcome: Ben,
I think anyone who is using Li-ion batteries needs to invest in a multimeter.
To test for overcharging check the battery voltage straight after you take the battery off charge it should be no higher than 4.20 Volts.
Norm

 

[Black Rose]

BugOutGearUSA stock the Pila IBC and they will ship overseas from the USA. You would need to talk to them about the shipping charges, but I think the total for the charger + shipping would be quite a bit less than $80.

Depends on whether you want insurance or not.

Pila IBC + First Class International (Not Insured) shipping = $61

Pila IBC + International Priority (Insured) shipping = $77

 

[benjd]

:welcome: Ben,
I think anyone who is using Li-ion batteries needs to invest in a multimeter.
To test for overcharging check the battery voltage straight after you take the battery off charge it should be no higher than 4.20 Volts.
Norm

Thanks mate.
I'll get myself a meter to see how my charger is performing...then think about the Pila

 

[mitch79]

I just received my WF-139 and a pair of Trustfire 14500's from DX today.
After a full charge till both lights where steady green I removed and rested the cells for 15min.
Voltages are 4.1612V and 4.1622V respectively, measured with my Fluke DMM.
I'm happy

 

[matrixshaman]

While I know some here really are big on the Pila I think it depends on how you use your charger. I only charge my batteries while I'm right near the charger - usually when I'm on the computer and I used to check the voltage while charging often until I got to trust that my WF-139 (and 138) do not overcharge batteries. I think some do and some don't - it's partly the luck of the draw but I believe the newer ones are better and having a voltmeter is a great investment - eBay has tons of cheap voltmeters and I'm sure there are some UK sellers. Dealextreme also has some if you don't have a local source or don't use fleaBay. So while a Pila might be nice if you need to just throw in the batteries and go about biz elsewhere knowing it's the best and won't probably explode any good batteries it's a lot of extra $$$ if you are babysitting the charger anyway.