750mA charging current is to much for 16340
I thought that we had to limit the charge rate to about 0.5C … I only ever charge my 18650’s at one amp and they are 3100mAh … The main reason I use one amp is because I use the cheap charger boards and they are set at one amp … I still check the temperature of the batteries regularly during charge because I always charge my batteries on my (oak) desk whilst I am working (or playing on Ebay)… I used to use my infra-red thermometer but now I just touch the batteries with a finger.
For my smaller Li-Ions , I use a Soshine SC-S1min charger with four individual bays and prefer to charge two cells at a time to limit the charge current … With one cell , it pushes out 700mA , 2 cells are 350mA , 3 cells are 235mA and 4 cells are 175mA … So I prefer to charge two cells to limit the current … I suppose ideally I should get a couple more of the cheap charger boards and change the resistors to give the correct charging rate , but I don’t use many of the smaller Li-Ions … Maybe one day I’ll do it.
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>>>>>>750mA charging current is to much for 16340
Yes, I know that. So I had a 14500 in the other slot. The 16340 in slot 1 and the 14500 in slot 3. +BUT+ I think I now know what happened. The 14500 finished charging, so 750mA went to the 16340. Absolutely didn’t think of that.
So, the Intellicharger to me now is actually the stupidcharger. When doing 14500s or 16340s, I must constantly check to make sure BOTH are still charging. Otherwise, if one finsihes before the other, it will get too much juice and might blow up.
I can understand only charging two 16340s at once, but now with this latest development, this charger becomes downright dangerous PLUS ridiculously time-consuming. I mean I always check my batteries while charging, but I don’t sit there, monitoring it every second, waiting for one to be done so I can imediately insert another battery so one doesn’t blow up. This is a downright silly design. Maybe it makes sense in some electrical design way, but in use, it’s just downright idiotic.
I’m going to play around with my Trustfire and Ultrafire double tray chargers and see if they do the same thing. Take DMM readings off the charger tabs with and without batteries, although I may not be able to take an accurate reading without a load on the charger to create a real-life charging situation.
I don’t think these chargers do the same thing because they have never produced a hot battery, even back when I didn’t know well enough to not charge the smaller li-ion batteries singly.
Dont forget some more air holes, unless you want a pipe bomb.
The gasses would vent through the place for the cord.
> Intellicharge v4
White label (v1) or yellow label (v2)?
Good point, he may have a V1 in which case this makes sense. Speaking of these chargers has anyone else ordered a I2 yet?
I was going to post pix here of my battery explosion, but decided more people may want to see ’em, so started a new thread, or will in a few minutes.
Ubehebe, I just saw the pics on your 14500 explosion thread and that is some scary stuff. I’m glad that you and your wife were out of the kitchen at the time. After reading experiences from other members in this thread I got spooked about having thrown my 16340’s in my trash basket in the kitchen. I just went through the can and pulled them out. I decided just for curiosity’s sake to test them. Both batteries tested at 3.75. This shows how quickly it overheated. That is about .05 vt over what I started with. I have included a picture of the culprit cell. Other than the melted plastic and a little dark spot on the bare metal, it looks perfectly normal. I will take them to work and throw them in our large industrial dumpster instead of my trash basket.
Well I thought I was posting a picture! Sorry. I guess I don’t know how.
Here.
Thanks scaru!
this is what i use when i charge my batteries. i bought this to charge my rc cars before i got into this flashlight craze. but after hearing stories, i now use it to charge my flashlights also.
From what I read, most li-ion events seem to be venting with flames, not out-and-out explosions. In the case of a venting, man, this sack looks like a great safety gizmo. Putting one of these non-explosive but VIOLENT ventings inside a sealed metal box of any kind could cause an explosion by trapping the rapidly expanding gases. This sack does not do that. Wish I invented it. 
Not exactly cheap on their site at $25-$40, but what is cheap these days?
Might just get one. Or maybe make something similar myself. Thanks for posting it. Had NO idea anything like this existed, but then I don’t get out much.
Which charger please? White label, or yellow label?
Here’s more on the difference: Review: SysMax/NiteCore Intellicharger i4 V2 Charger
If you had a v1 — you had trouble coming.
You can find them for a few bucks on ebay.
I would say 2 to 3 times a week.
Have you considered the cheap charger boards on Ebay , 4 for about £5 … There is a chart showing the resistor values for different charging currents so you can pick the exact charging current you need for the little Li-Ion cells … I’ve got four but I only use them at one amp so I didn’t have to change the resistor … The input power is 5V into a mini-USB socket fitted already to the board … You would have to solder on two leads to charge the battery … I have croc-clips on the ends of the (4”) leads and I clip onto magnets which “stick” to the ends of the battery … They work very well and I don’t use my other Li-Ion chargers anymore … I think that because you can choose the ideal charging current for the Li-Ion batteries , they have to be a very safe charger.
HKJ will be testing them (when they arrive) in several different charging current applications … I can’t wait to hear what he thinks of them … Anyway , I like them.
I still “feel” all my battery types regularly though , even the Eneloops … It’s just something I do !
Everyone should have a quick feel at regular intervals during charging ! (No rude comments please)
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>>>>>Which charger please? White label, or yellow label?
Yellow label. I did my research before buying it, or I thought I did. But that the full voltage goes to to the remaining battery when the other one has finished charging is a real pain in the butt. Makes it pretty much useless as far as I’m concerned. As far as I can tell, the cheap Ultrafire/trustfire two-bay dual-tray chargers don’t do that, but I need to check more. No time today.
What I do to get past that is I have a 10,000 mah nimh D that I keep discharged.