Bro, I do have that Trustfire charger, but the black version. That one does have overcharge protection cut-off….i have done it so many times with TF Flames 16340, Panasonic 2900/3100/Sanyo 2600 etc. It cuts a little high at 4.23x volts if you leave it there very long, that’s about it. I have never left it there for > 1 week after green, just feels funny to me. If it was a notebook (properly engineered systems) then that’s ok……
The LiCo blew at 4.43 volts under charging load here. 1 min 30 sec
What is a real UltraFire? In my test of 18650 batteries the ones that was supposed to be "real" UltraFire was the worst (They did not have the same capacity).
For example the lights that are manufactured by them are quite decent. Regardless, just because it says Ultrafire on the cover means practically nothing.
While they may be decent it really is just like batteries, they are Ok but not great. An Ultrafire battery is ok compared to AW, and a Ultrafire flashlight is Ok compared to a Fenix/Sunwayman/Crelant etc.
The point is that this thread had its share of the usual knee-jerk superstitious witch-hunt that follows every perceived threat/danger like it’s an of terrorism or something.
Yes, but if you look through my posts I never have recommend Ultrafire cells. I know from my own experiences that they suck and aren't worth the money. This just confirms that, it is evidence.
1. Why ever use an Ultrafire? Repeatedly, these are the subjects of threads about explosions. I think I will throw my freebie (with light) “protected” ultrafire cells away today.
2. I DO NOT READ anywhere the the OP’s exploding cells were protected cells.
3. Brand of charger wasn’t mentioned. In theory, would an xtar or i4 intellicharger have circuitry to avoid this? I think I will also throw away the freebie charger that came with the lights.
I didn’t find where he says specifically they where, but he does talk about not trusting a pcb. They are made of electronic parts, they do fail and are not always made of quality components.
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The OP’s pic shows a Trustfire tr-001. http://www.surevapes.com/Trustfire-TR-001-Lithium-Ion-Charger-White_p_149.html
Most all cheap chargers do not follow the recommended CC/CV charging algorithm for li-ion’s. The i4 and xtar VP1 does follow the proper li-ion charging algorithm. The xtar WP2 was reported to almost or at least closely follow the proper li-ion charging algorithm.
While i4 and xtar are trusted good chargers, they still can fail. Never charge li-ion’s unattended.
Read all this. Good stuff. Glad no one has been hurt by these so far.
I read some where that the chance of being seriously hurt by a Li Io battery was about the same as being hit with a fish dropped by a bird while walking in the desert… I think I’ll build that wooden box and wear a helmet in the desert…
Might just weigh all my batteries and test the PCBs also. I usually check voltages anyway. I gave my grandsons each a small LED flashlight with a 14500 and a single cell charger. Gonna order some good cells and take the GTL cells away!!
Good posts here, for the most part. Thanks for the info.
i remember seeing a picture of lithium battery exploded in a car and the car had all messed up part of seats and gearshift and handbrake…anyone remember what thread was that?
B) The charger or device causing the problem ( Short )
C) The protection circuit itself
2/ Anything electronic can develop a fault , so it goes for the protection circuit itself . Cheap batteries mean even cheaper protection circuits , and if the quality control on the protection circuit is anything along the lines of standard Chinese practice , then Im amazed at the lack of boom events , or perhaps we are just not hearing about them .
3/ The 14500 is very much like the 16340 , a small battery . I don't know why people push them so hard . Lets call capacity 700mAh to be generous , and say some one is pulling two Amps from the battery , that's 3C . Is the battery going to handle it , and more worrying is whether the protection circuit can handle it .