Question about best charging current.

Hegner · Nov 14, 2020

Hello,

I own a Liitokala 500S charger and I wonder what would be the safest current settings for testing and charging Ion Li batteries, specially 18650. I can choose from 500 maH to 2000 maH but I'm afraid higher currents despite of charging faster can be dangerous for battery cycle. Any ideas?

sbj · Nov 14, 2020

With 0.3C you are always on the safe side:twothumbs

Hegner · Nov 14, 2020

sbj said:
With 0.3C you are always on the safe side:twothumbs

Well, in my case 500mah that's the minimum.
Thank you!

MarioJP · Nov 14, 2020

That depends how fast you want those cells charged and how many cells you have. Ideally, 1 amp is a fine balance of cycles and waiting for them to be done. 500mA if you have spares and/or time isn't a factor

Currents around 1.5mA or higher
Would be a last resort charge current option for urgently needing them like an emergency situation like an impending power outage or forgot to charge but suddenly needing them right away.

In my opinion 1.5 that's when heat generation most likely to happen. Whether it's from the charger itself or from the cells. Heat will for sure degrade cycles faster. I rarely charge my cells no higher than 1A.

Hope this helps.

Sent from my SM-A516U using Tapatalk

Hegner · Nov 14, 2020

MarioJP said:
That depends how fast you want those cells charged and how many cells you have. Ideally, 1 amp is a fine balance of cycles and waiting for them to be done. 500mA if you have spares and/or time isn't a factor

That's what I want: faster charge/test but with safety.

Currents around 1.5mA or higher
Would be a last resort charge current option for urgently needing them like an emergency situation like an impending power outage or forgot to charge but suddenly needing them right away.

In my opinion 1.5 that's when heat generation most likely to happen. Whether it's from the charger itself or from the cells. Heat will for sure degrade cycles faster. I rarely charge my cells no higher than 1A.

Hope this helps.

Sent from my SM-A516U using Tapatalk

Thank you so much. Much appreciated!

Dascombe · Nov 14, 2020

I tend to stick with 1A for charging my cells; fast enough for me and they remain nice and cool.

WalkIntoTheLight · Nov 14, 2020

Yeah, 1 amp is best for 18650's. You can go slower, but it's not going to result in any benefits. Only use 2 amps if the cell is made for high-drain (such as 20 amps or more). Of course, you can use 2 amps for 10A or 15A cells, and they'll take it okay, but it's a little harder on them.

MarioJP · Nov 14, 2020

I do want to mention that there are some chargers out there like mines that can charge cells up to 3 amps max! But i will never charge 18650 cells at that rate. That's too fast. Just because you can doesn't mean you should lol.

Also, another thing that has me amazed are li-po cells and quick charge in mobile devices. How it manages to dump 3,000mah within an hour without much heat generated from the usb-c port and phone amazes me.

The li-po that comes with my phone is rated 4500mah capacity and can easily handle 3A no problems.

Does this mean that li-pos are more superior than cylindrical cells?

Quick charge is right. An advancement of charging technology for phones and mobile devices lol.

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john61ct · Nov 14, 2020

0.4C is my ceiling when prioritizing longevity.

Lower in cool ambients

Higher does no harm when the cells are hot.

ledbetter · Nov 14, 2020

Best safety margin is charging at 7/10 of cell capacity.

ChrisGarrett · Nov 14, 2020

1A all day, everyday, even for NiMH Eneloop AAs, 400-500mA for the AAAs.

Chris

Hegner · Nov 14, 2020

MarioJP said:
I do want to mention that there are some chargers out there like mines that can charge cells up to 3 amps max! But i will never charge 18650 cells at that rate. That's too fast. Just because you can doesn't mean you should lol.

Also, another thing that has me amazed are li-po cells and quick charge in mobile devices. How it manages to dump 3,000mah within an hour without much heat generated from the usb-c port and phone amazes me.

The li-po that comes with my phone is rated 4500mah capacity and can easily handle 3A no problems.

Does this mean that li-pos are more superior than cylindrical cells?

Quick charge is right. An advancement of charging technology for phones and mobile devices lol.

Sent from my SM-A516U using Tapatalk

Thank you,Mario!

Enviado do meu iPhone usando Tapatalk

Hegner · Nov 14, 2020

ChrisGarrett said:
1A all day, everyday, even for NiMH Eneloop AAs, 400-500mA for the AAAs.

Chris

Good to know! That's what I'm going to do from now on.

Enviado do meu iPhone usando Tapatalk

TinderBox (UK) · Nov 14, 2020

I do as close as i can get 0.5C charge and 0.25C discharge for every type of battery chemistry unless i am in a hurry, Then it`s 1C charge and 0.5C discharge.

john61ct · Nov 14, 2020

Fot longevity the max discharge rate can go much higher than the charge rate.

But the impact of both do vary a lot by temperature.

fivemega · Nov 14, 2020

Hegner said:
Well, in my case 500mah that's the minimum.

mAh is measuring of battery capacity. So, you mean 500mA or 0.5A (1/2 A)

Dascombe said:
I tend to stick with 1A for charging my cells; fast enough for me and they remain nice and cool.

It depends on battery capacity and type. Charging a 10Ah battery at 1 Amp is 0.1C and charging a 1Ah battery at 1A is 1C (C is battery capacity)
If your 18650 has capacity of 3300mAh then 1A charging current is about 0.3C and if it has capacity of 1950mAh, at same current 1A is about 0.5C

Hegner · Nov 16, 2020

fivemega said:
mAh is measuring of battery capacity. So, you mean 500mA or 0.5A (1/2 A)

Sorry, I meant 0.5A

It depends on battery capacity and type. Charging a 10Ah battery at 1 Amp is 0.1C and charging a 1Ah battery at 1A is 1C (C is battery capacity)
If your 18650 has capacity of 3300mAh then 1A charging current is about 0.3C and if it has capacity of 1950mAh, at same current 1A is about 0.5C

adamlau · Nov 17, 2020

I usually charge at or close to 1C (based on minimum specified capacity) unless the product data sheet for the cell indicates a lower maximum charging current.

WalkIntoTheLight · Nov 17, 2020

adamlau said:
I usually charge at or close to 1C (based on minimum specified capacity) unless the product data sheet for the cell indicates a lower maximum charging current.

That's probably too high, except for high-drain cells. For example, 3.5 amps is way too high for a Sanyo GA or Samsung 35E 3500mAh cell.

But perhaps you meant 1A, not 1C.

john61ct · Nov 17, 2020

1C is fine, if your use case demands a very high discharge C-rate also.

But if concerned about longevity **and** your discharge C-rate stays under 1C

then 0.4C is a good limit to stick to

Question about best charging current.

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