http://www.fasttech.com/product/1158902
Miller ML-103 Smart Charger for 18650 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
5.5mm power port, 4.2V / 1A
What is the range of DC voltage that can be supplied by the power supply with this charger?
As it seems to be essentially the same as the ML-102, I would guess you need USB so 4.5-5.5 volts.
Can the power supply exceed 5.5volts ? What is the upper limit of voltage and current that can be supplied?
We have no way of knowing, but I doubt it. Much over that and there is a very large voltage overhead which I doubt the circuit can handle.
Higher voltage needs to be burned off as heat by the charging chip. I believe the charging rate may be slower at 5.5v then at 5v.
If you need over 5.5v you could try a buck voltage converter to bring it down to 5v.
Take ML-101
The TP4057 chip can handle up to 15 volt, but the maximum input voltage for the charger will depend on the actual circuit and how much heat sink there is. I would stay close to 5 volt
Product Description
[Miller ML101]New Version 1A Charging 18650 battery Charging Device Overcharge and over discharge circuit reverse polarity protection
First, the product parameters:
Bid price for a single charger, excluding battery, power supply, cables!
Black and gray colors!
ML101 charger for the MINI USB interface, DIP pins, non-patch, rugged; interface, versatility, should be used less than 7V input voltage, it is best to 5V power supply. You can also charge via computer USB port.
Positive and negative Hardware: brass; negative spring: phosphor bronze wire;
Chi Mei retardant rubber shell using PC / ABS alloy materials, flame retardant grade V2, the new material, not recycled material!
Four nickel-plated screws from Taiwan, teeth relatively deep, the length of 12mm, tighten more firmly.
Board structure is quite perfect, pcb clean and simple. The parts are high quality brands with SMD components.
Perfect protection: over charge, over discharge, short circuit; input anti-reverse, ABS, reverse, five-protection, so you use more peace of mind.
Charging current: 1000mA (2 TP4057), battery anti-reverse, power input Schottky anti-reverse;
Charge management IC: Nanjing expand micro-TP4057, battery anti-reverse, reverse lights turned off, the charger is not bad;
Capacitor: Samsung 16V10uF (input and output are 10uF, higher reliability of the capacitor material: X7R, 10% accuracy the other: Toshiba Schottky; thick sound resistance and so on.
Why the heck don’t you ask on FastTech right on the product page?
They’ve answered all my questions in a couple of days with all the details.
Output USB so 5V.
Input, who the heck knows, probably 5V same as the 102 USB version.
Just get the 102, I don’t see a point of buying any other models.
ML-101 4,47$
ML-102 6,90$
(fasttech)
If you do not need USB-out, then you buy ML-101
I was hoping someone had hands on experience and could inform all of us as to what the difference in charging might be when for example, if you used 6.5v or 5.5v.Perhaps charging time is lower? I have one on order.
I bet the only difference is the supply power connector between 102 and 103.
nekdo: nah I bought the 102 because of the value, don’t need the output but it can come in handy for sure, especially if your phone can be charged via USB, then it’s a waste to not buy 102.
For what it is worth, v3.3 apparently uses a MAX1879 pulse-mode charger IC. The datasheet for the chip claims something like 4.5-20v maximum value. Miller162’s TaoBao listing claims an operating range from 5-20V, but says 5V is slow and recommends 12v.
Another detail: there are some chinese boards with this chip that are somehow using it out of spec as a 4.35v charger.
Any tips on how that’s being done, links to info, etc?
I bought a ML style charger from a member here that charges to 4.35 volts but do you think I can find the thread. It was around August.
and sort by date
The obvious way to do it to raise the gnd pin 0.15 volt above 0V.
Thanks Hank. I have no idea what that means but it was the first hit. 