Hey,
I hope this is the right forum for this.
You can just skip right to "The problem" (or keep reading).
So, I got me this charger/power bank a while back. However, I have not really used it. Honestly, I used it once to test how it would charge my phone from a 18650 cell, after which I put it away.
The main reason I bought it was to use as a 'backup' power bank for when I'm hiking (but also as a charger). (Some stuff came up, so I wasn't hiking for while but now I'm back at it). When I'm out in the field, I have like a ton of electronics with me: my phones, my cameras, my GPS, 5 or 6 flashlights and more stuff... That means there are lots of different types of batteries (that often go dead). I needed to become more 'versatile' with regards to power. That kind of flexibility dictated the need to charge certain batteries from other types of batteries.
I put together a 'charging kit' which consists of all sorts of cables, adapters, a USB tester, a magnetic charger from Olight, the Nitecore F1 and, most importantly:
I rigged up a 'power pack'. It's just a 4XAA battery holder (connected in series) which I gave a female USB connector.
I always carry 8 Primary Lithium AA's with me (that I never use). I also carry a varying number of AAA eneloops and AAA primary lithiums. That battery holder always holds 3 X (empty) AAA to AA adapters, and one adapter that has a AAA dummy cell in it. It's for when I (might) have to power something from just 3 primary lithium batteries. Those cells are about 1.8V when fresh (mine always are), so 3 of them in series are right about at 5V. If I'm in a jam, in theory, with this setup, I should be able to get at least some juice into my phone (for instance) until the combined voltage drops to below 4V (that's when the phone will start ignoring the 'power in').
Given the huge number of possible combinations I had to try it all out in a controlled environment. Firstly, to find out what worked and what didn't. But also to know which kind of currents I was getting out of what. So, I created this huge chart and began filling it up by testing all those combinations.
---------------------------------The problem with F1:
When I first got it, it was working just fine. With a fresh 18650 cell, charging my phone, the output voltage was ~4.8V (I think that was under the load) and the current (out) was at 1.276A. As luck would have it, the charging current was right about where I needed it to be and I was able to add ~50% to my phone's battery from that cell (Fenix 3500 mAh). Satisfied, I put the F1 away, until very recently.
Now, under the same conditions, I'm only getting ~3.8V in the output. Also, when I'm first putting in the 18650, I get that reading but then, after a couple seconds there's nothing. Then after a few seconds there's voltage again and then immediately it goes dead again. *The 18650 battery is at 4.15V. I have 2 more of exactly the same cells and that 'flickering' happens for all of them, so it's not the battery's fault. I've also noticed that the output voltage is affected by the battery's voltage, to some degree but not by much).
When using the F1 as a charger (charging same 18650 cells, battery voltage: about 3.8V):
Connected to a 3A USB wall charger, the thing draws right around 1.4 amps but in a funny way. The current will read 1.4A for a couple of seconds but then it'll jump to zero for a second, then it'll be at 1.4A again for a second or two, or three... and then it will drop to zero for a second (or two) again. There doesn't seem to be a pattern. I never tested the F1 on the input, so, I don't know if it's supposed to be jumping around like that.
What MAY have caused it:
In my testing/experiments I fed the F1 some low, and "high" voltage:
Low voltage: about 4V (3 X AAA eneloops)
High voltage: slightly over 6V (2 used CR123 primary lithiums, in series)
As far as I remember, I haven't tried anything "really stupid", (at least knowingly), but I could have made a mistake. The table was pretty messy. There were plenty of different batteries, connectors, adapters, 3 different 'measuring devices', I was using alligator clips for some stuff... I was being very careful and I really don't think that I fried the damned thing, but then again, I cannot be 100% certain.
Now, the only real reason I'm posting about it is to try and get to the bottom of this. I could have just ordered a new F1 but I NEED to know that it is NOT a piece of junk that gives out after a couple of months. I'll be taking this charger into the wilderness, like, miles and miles away from anything or anyone. It has to be reliable because, my life may very well come to depend on it.
Any ideas anyone?
I hope this is the right forum for this.
You can just skip right to "The problem" (or keep reading).
So, I got me this charger/power bank a while back. However, I have not really used it. Honestly, I used it once to test how it would charge my phone from a 18650 cell, after which I put it away.
The main reason I bought it was to use as a 'backup' power bank for when I'm hiking (but also as a charger). (Some stuff came up, so I wasn't hiking for while but now I'm back at it). When I'm out in the field, I have like a ton of electronics with me: my phones, my cameras, my GPS, 5 or 6 flashlights and more stuff... That means there are lots of different types of batteries (that often go dead). I needed to become more 'versatile' with regards to power. That kind of flexibility dictated the need to charge certain batteries from other types of batteries.
I put together a 'charging kit' which consists of all sorts of cables, adapters, a USB tester, a magnetic charger from Olight, the Nitecore F1 and, most importantly:
I rigged up a 'power pack'. It's just a 4XAA battery holder (connected in series) which I gave a female USB connector.
I always carry 8 Primary Lithium AA's with me (that I never use). I also carry a varying number of AAA eneloops and AAA primary lithiums. That battery holder always holds 3 X (empty) AAA to AA adapters, and one adapter that has a AAA dummy cell in it. It's for when I (might) have to power something from just 3 primary lithium batteries. Those cells are about 1.8V when fresh (mine always are), so 3 of them in series are right about at 5V. If I'm in a jam, in theory, with this setup, I should be able to get at least some juice into my phone (for instance) until the combined voltage drops to below 4V (that's when the phone will start ignoring the 'power in').
Given the huge number of possible combinations I had to try it all out in a controlled environment. Firstly, to find out what worked and what didn't. But also to know which kind of currents I was getting out of what. So, I created this huge chart and began filling it up by testing all those combinations.
---------------------------------The problem with F1:
When I first got it, it was working just fine. With a fresh 18650 cell, charging my phone, the output voltage was ~4.8V (I think that was under the load) and the current (out) was at 1.276A. As luck would have it, the charging current was right about where I needed it to be and I was able to add ~50% to my phone's battery from that cell (Fenix 3500 mAh). Satisfied, I put the F1 away, until very recently.
Now, under the same conditions, I'm only getting ~3.8V in the output. Also, when I'm first putting in the 18650, I get that reading but then, after a couple seconds there's nothing. Then after a few seconds there's voltage again and then immediately it goes dead again. *The 18650 battery is at 4.15V. I have 2 more of exactly the same cells and that 'flickering' happens for all of them, so it's not the battery's fault. I've also noticed that the output voltage is affected by the battery's voltage, to some degree but not by much).
When using the F1 as a charger (charging same 18650 cells, battery voltage: about 3.8V):
Connected to a 3A USB wall charger, the thing draws right around 1.4 amps but in a funny way. The current will read 1.4A for a couple of seconds but then it'll jump to zero for a second, then it'll be at 1.4A again for a second or two, or three... and then it will drop to zero for a second (or two) again. There doesn't seem to be a pattern. I never tested the F1 on the input, so, I don't know if it's supposed to be jumping around like that.
What MAY have caused it:
In my testing/experiments I fed the F1 some low, and "high" voltage:
Low voltage: about 4V (3 X AAA eneloops)
High voltage: slightly over 6V (2 used CR123 primary lithiums, in series)
As far as I remember, I haven't tried anything "really stupid", (at least knowingly), but I could have made a mistake. The table was pretty messy. There were plenty of different batteries, connectors, adapters, 3 different 'measuring devices', I was using alligator clips for some stuff... I was being very careful and I really don't think that I fried the damned thing, but then again, I cannot be 100% certain.
Now, the only real reason I'm posting about it is to try and get to the bottom of this. I could have just ordered a new F1 but I NEED to know that it is NOT a piece of junk that gives out after a couple of months. I'll be taking this charger into the wilderness, like, miles and miles away from anything or anyone. It has to be reliable because, my life may very well come to depend on it.
Any ideas anyone?
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