Posts Tagged: Lithium Batteries

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10
Apr 11

18650 Lithium Ion: Rechargeable Battery Review

Rechargeable 18650 Lithium Ion Batteries
Li-ion batteries are the most advanced rechargeable batteries currently used in the consumer market. It is currently being used in many items including mobile phones, laptops, cameras and other mobile consumer electronics products. Its ability to store power and quick charge to full capacity makes it attractive for common and frequent use.

Li-ion usage has been steadily increasing in the past few years. Sales are increasing by 10% every year. Conversely, the prices of li-ion batteries have dropped from $4 per watt-hour to about $1.50 per watt-hour. With a lower price, more and more products are now using li-ion batteries. This in turn drives the price down even further.

One of the most economical formats of li-ion batteries is the 18650 Lithium Ion format. Batteries with this format have the measurement of 18 X 65mm.

Choosing 18650 Lithium Ion Rechargeable Batteries
It is not easy to choose the best rated li-ion 18650 batteries. There are a lot of factors that need to be taken into account. However, 18650 li-ion rechargeable batteries have a lot of advantages over other rechargeable batteries. These include:

  • No memory effect.
  • It is able to store more power.
  • It has built-in protection to extend its lifespan.

With other types of rechargeable batteries especially nickel cadmium, there is a serious problem called the memory effect. This happens when the battery is charged before it has fully discharged. This causes the battery to be ‘confused’ about its maximum possible charge. Subsequent charges will cause it to charge to a point lower than its maximum possible charge. This is known as the memory effect. In the long term, the battery will lose its capacity and will have to be replaced. This problem is not present with li-ion batteries. As a result, li-ion batteries last longer than its counterparts.

With a different chemistry used in li-ion batteries, the best rated 18650 Lithium Ion Batteries are able to store more power compared to other types of rechargeable batteries. This effectively means that li-ion batteries can provide power for a longer period of time.

A new feature found in the best rated li-ion 18650 batteries is the integrated printed circuit board (PCB) protection. This feature controls the voltage that goes in and out of the battery. It prevents under-voltage at 2.5V and over-voltage at 4.25V from happening. If voltage falls too low, it will cause the battery to over discharge. On the other hand, when voltage rises too much, it will cause the battery to overcharge. With the internal PCB protection, the issue of overcharging and over discharging will not happen anymore.

There are many different manufacturers of the best rated li-ion 18650 batteries. These include Ultrafire, Tenergy and Trustfire. The prices of li-ion 18650 batteries between these manufacturers vary. The price difference is mostly caused by extra features or capacities between one battery and another. Usually, the more expensive battery will have extra features such as thermal cut-off protection. Sometimes obtaining a more expensive battery can ensure a battery that is of better quality comparatively as well as a battery that has a longer lifespan.

Typical 18650 Lithium Ion Rechargeable Batteries
Unfortunately, all the li-ion 18650 batteries produced by the manufacturers mentioned above have similar features. All Ultrafire, Tenergy and Trustfire li-ion batteries have the following characteristics:

  • Integrated PCB protection prevents batteries from over charging and over discharging.
  • The batteries can be charged more than 400 times.
  • The batteries come in a range of different storage levels.

Doing a search for li-ion rechargeable batteries with the 18650 size in Amazon.com provided information on the more popular choices. The Tenergy brand of li-ion rechargeable batteries seems to be more popular than the rechargeable Ultrafire 18650 batteries.

Tenergy li-ion 18650 rechargeable batteries can still maintain 90% of their initial charge even after 400 charges. It is expected that these batteries will last more than 500 charges. The rechargeable Ultrafire 18650 batteries, on the other hand, can only maintain about 85% of their initial charge after 400 charges.

With this in mind, it is clear that popular choices are made based on the features that differ from one battery to another. This can be due to the fact that a lot of the features are already very similar. As such, the battery that has that extra edge will be the more popular choice.

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10
Apr 11

18650 Charger: The Best Way To Charge Lithium-ion Batteries?

There is only one method to charge lithium-based batteries. The self-styled “miracle chargers”, which promise to reinstate and prolong batteries, do not exist for lithium chemistries. Neither does fantastic-fast charging apply.

Makers of lithium-ion cells have very stringent guiding principles in charge processes and the pack should be charged as per the producers “typical” charge method.

Lithium-ion is a very clean structure and does not require priming as nickel-based batteries do. The 1st charge is no dissimilar to the 5th or the 50th charge. Labels teaching to charge the battery for 8 hours or more for the initial time may be a leftover from the nickel battery days.

Most batteries are charged to 4.20 volts by a tolerance of +/?0.05V/cell. Charging merely to 4.10V abridged the capacity by 10% but gives a longer service life. Newer cell are able to deliver a superior cycle count with a charge to 4.20 volts a cell.

Even though the voltage peak is attained faster with elevated current, the topping charge will take much time. The charge time of the majority chargers is nearly 3 hours. Little batteries utilized for cell phones can be charged at 1C; the larger 18650 cell/battery used for laptops should be charged at 0.8C or a smaller amount than that. The charge competence is 99.9% and the battery remains chilly throughout the charging. Full charge is achieved after the voltage threshold has been attained and the current has fallen to 3% of the rated current or has leveled off.

Some chargers, such as the 18650 charger, claim to fast-charge a lithium-ion battery in an hour or less. Such a charger removes stage 2 and goes straight to “ready” once the voltage threshold attained the end of stage 1. The charge intensity at this point is nearly 70%. The topping charge normally takes two times as long as the first charge.

No trickle charge is used for the reason that lithium-ion is not capable to absorb overcharge. A nonstop trickle charge over 4.05V per cell would cause plating of metallic lithium that could direct to instabilities and negotiate protection. As an alternative, a brief topping charge is given to compensate for the little self-discharge the battery and its shielding circuit consume. Depending on the battery, a topping charge possibly repeated once each 20 days. Normally, the charge knocks down when the open terminal voltage falls to 4.05V per cell and turns off at a high 4.20V per cell.

What happens if a battery is unintentionally overcharged? Lithium-ion is designed to work safely inside their standard operating voltage but become unsteady if charged to greater voltages. When charging over 4.30V, the cell makes plating of metallic lithium on the anode; the cathode material turns into an oxidizing agent, loses steadiness and discharges oxygen. Overcharging makes the cell heat up. If left unattended, the cell could explode with blaze.

Customers Reviews:

Many customers’ reviews represent that Tenergy Multifunctional Charger for Li-ion Cylindrical Rechargeable Batteries (14500, 18500, 18650, RCR123A) is a smarter choice and really works good. It’s very useful because one can charge the 18650 batteries and the c123 ones as well. Other features include that it also informs through a light when they complete charging, one can also use a 12-volt adapter as if one wished to charge batteries in the car. It is user-friendly and done charging instantly in minutes. The charger accepts batteries of diverse lengths and the base contacts move up and down to accept batteries which are longer in size. The base contact is connected to a spring to give a safe grip on the battery. The charger at a time is capable of charging 2 x 18650 batteries. It can charge 1 battery at a time if that’s all one require.

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10
Apr 11

The Best Rated Li Ion 18650 Batteries

There was a time when there was no concept of being able to move electronic devices from one place to another. However, ever since the introduction of batteries, the portability of many devices has increased to a greater extent. Take the example of telecommunications. With the introduction of cell phones and their increased portability, communication has become so much easier. And to a greater extent, that evolution has been accredited to the fact that cell phones come with a rechargeable battery that makes their portability much easier. With batteries becoming rechargeable and smaller, the devices have become easier to carry and maneuver.

When it comes to rechargeable batteries, there are a few types that are available to people. Among these, the most in-demand batteries are Lithium-ion or Li-ion batteries and the alkaline batteries. Since the two have been in equal demand on sites such as amazon.com where many of their brands are on the bestsellers’ list, it is imperative to know how they differ from each other. Moreover, it will also help in determining which one is better than the other.

Li-ion 18650 batteries

The Li-ion 18650 batteries are considered to be one of the best options in terms of rechargeable batteries. Their usage is in many electronic devices and with their growing popularity; people are now showing more interest in learning about the best rated Li-ion 18650 batteries. Four types of this battery have been produced. These include:

-          18650 cylindrical (small) – With its solid body and sans terminal, this Li-ion battery does not have any terminals. Its usage is mostly found in electronic devices such as 18650 flashlight, some models of cell phone, laptops and digital cameras. Rechargeable Ultrafire 18650 batteries, AW 18650 battery and Tenergy batteries are some of its popular brands.

-          18650 cylindrical (big) – Comprising a firm body, this type of Li-ion batteries have big terminals that are wired. Mostly it is found in the brands that are imported from China.

-          18650 pouch – It has a softer body and a flat surface, with its usage mostly found in cell phones. Most popular brands include Sanyo, LG and Sony.

-          Prismatic – Much like the large cylindrical batteries, these too have wired terminals. It comprises a relatively soft case.

Besides their ability to be charged over and over again, Li-ion batteries also offer a lot of other benefits. Their easy availability in different sizes and shapes makes them flexible to be used in a variety of devices. They are lighter in weight and discharge less fluid than other batteries. Additionally, their usage is found to be safe for the environment.

Alkaline battery:

Although they initially came with no option to recharge them, the alkaline batteries now also come with the option of recharging them. They are known to retain the charged energy for a long time.

They have a huge disadvantage, however, due to the increased resistance internally, reducing the life of the gadget they are used in. In gadgets which need higher current to start, these batteries normally encounter failure. In its rechargeable form, it is worse in performing than the conventional alkaline battery that was introduced initially.

Li-ion 18650 Is A Better Choice

It is easy to conclude from the descriptions above that although alkaline batteries introduced their rechargeable version following the cue of Li-ion 18650 batteries, they just failed in the attempt. Before making the purchase of even the best rated Li-ion 18650 batteries, it is important to determine the purpose you need them for. A person who wants to buy them should always choose the one with self-discharge. The best rated Li-ion 18650 batteries may cost a bit more, but they also come with assurance of much higher performance than any other battery.

Many Li-ion 18650 brands are available in the market and online, including rechargeable Ultrafire 18650 batteries, LG, AW 18650 battery and Tenergy. The best rated Li-ion 18650 batteries in the U.S. currently are:

1.      Tenergy – They are given five-star ratings by the users on amazon.com due to their ability to gain completely positive reviews. Customers have shown appreciation that it does not overheat too fast and is very device-friendly.

2.      Obtronic – Another one to gain full points, it is the best in terms of energy density.

3.      LG - With their amazing energy density and for optimum electrode result, these were also able to garner five-star appreciation from the customers. They are used in 18650 flashlight, video camera and mp3 player.

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