Posts Tagged: Lithium Battery

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10
Apr 11

18650 Battery Dimensions: What to Consider When Buying

For many years, we have been using a lot of rechargeable batteries. Battery packs have gone a long way beginning from its nickel-cadmium roots. This is considered to be the first alkaline battery. This was used heavily for commercial purposes before being replaced by the more advanced nickel metal-hydride rechargeable battery. This was more reliable and lasts longer compared to nickel-cadmium batteries. However, the nickel metal-hydride battery was soon replaced by an even more advanced battery. The lithium-ion rechargeable battery stores even more power and so, lasts longer in-between charges. With more power, it can also juice up more power-hungry devices, but do you know the 18650 Battery Dimensions & Specifications?

A standardized format used in producing li-ion rechargeable batteries is the 18650 format. This is a cylindrical cell measuring 18 X 65mm. The 18650 format battery is the most economical li-ion rechargeable battery format based on cost-to-energy ratio.

Advantages of Li-Ion Rechargeable Batteries
Li-ion batteries are usually chosen for various purposes. These are as follows:

  • It is able to store more power.
  • It can provide power to power-hungry devices.
  • Relatively low maintenance.
  • Built in features for longer lifespan.

The best rated li-ion 18650 batteries can store a lot of power with only a relatively short charge. This allows you to use your appliance for a much longer period. For instance, with just about 2 hours of charge, the best rated li-ion 18650 battery can run for about 8 hours.

The 18650 li-ion battery can provide a stronger power during usage. This means that it can cater to appliances that require more power such as electrical drills. If the battery provides less power, the drill may not operate in its optimum condition since it is not drilling as hard as it should. With a stronger power, the drill is able to turn faster and thus, drill harder.

With best rated li-ion 18650 batteries, you do not need to take care in charging as you do with other types of batteries. This is because it is relatively difficult to overcharge the battery. When it has reached its full capacity, its integrated circuit will stop it from being charged further. On top of that, you do not need to discharge the battery periodically even if you do not use it since there is no memory effect.

As mentioned above, the 18650 li-ion battery contains extra features that help it to have an easier maintenance. This includes the ability to regulate voltage levels when discharging. Other than that, some products also have thermal cut off protection, effectively terminating access to the battery if it overheats. All this adds to a longer lifespan of the best rated li-ion 18650 batteries.

When buying 18650 rechargeable batteries, there are a few points that should be considered. These are:

  • storage and output levels.
  • chargers.

It is very important to take note of a li-ion rechargeable battery’s storage levels. Usually, it is available in the following flavors:

  • 1600mAh
  • 2400mAh
  • 2600mAh
  • 3000mAh
  • 3600mAh

The higher the number, the more storage the battery is capable of. It should also be noted that with a higher storage capability, it will take a longer time for it to be fully charged. In relation to that, the output levels of the battery should also be noted. The normal output level for 18650 li-ion batteries is about 3.7V. A higher number means more power is output to the appliance.

Along with rechargeable batteries, we should also consider the chargers for these batteries. There are many different types of chargers. Some of them can charge only 2 batteries at a time while others can charge up to 4. Some chargers have light indicators while others do not. We should choose one that fits our requirements and budget.

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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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