And another exploding ecig

[Dennis]

So could the idiots that keep saying a two amp power supply feeding a little puny cell is fine please fuck off till they understand what they are talking about fully? Kthanks

Sorry boss, but you began insulting first. And no one said that the puny cell would receive 2A with a regulated charger even if it malfunctioned. Only with those unregulated dongles. With a regulated charger the max capacity of a wall plug only matters if it isn't up to the job, ie weaker. Just try and plug an Android mini computer in a cheap 500mA wall plug if you don't believe me. External hard drives that plug into computer's USB ports sometimes come with two USB leads and plugs for you to connect them both together because they require more current than 500mA.

 

[Dennis]

People seem to confuse wall plugs with chargers. They're not. What they are are mini Power Supplies. It's up to whatever you plug into them to further regulate the voltage and current for their needs.

 

[Diche]

I make no pretense to be an electrician but this is how I understand it.

The plug is a step down device, it takes the mains power and converts it to a lower output.

Then in turn the ego chargers are also step down devices designed to take that lower power and reduce it further rendering it safe for the ego battery.

There is also a second type of ego charger available that is not a stepdown device. These are purportedly designed to be plugged into a laptops port and not a charger plug.

From a risk assessment point of view you have two clear areas of high risk both relating to the second type if charger. Firstly it could be plugged into a wall plug rather than a laptop causing an extremely high risk of overcharging the battery and turning it into an incendiary device. Secondly even plugged into a laptop it is feeding the battery a bit too much power and there is always the risk of power spikes. Therefore the USB plugs that are not stepdown devices are inherently dangerous and should be banned.

Secondly we have some areas of lower risk. Firstly a regulated ego charger could fail due to poor manufacturing standards, wear and tear or just shear bad luck. This isn't likely but for those that would like to manage this risk it is better to plug these devices into a device that has a lower rather than higher output. There is also the possibility that a wall charger could fail for similar reasons. I am not entirely clear what would happen in these circumstances with a regulated ego charger. How ever although possible it is not a high risk possibility because likelihood is low. These lower risk levels should IMO be managed through the existing trading standards protocols. If a company is producing and selling dodgy goods the need naming and shaming.




Finally in conclusion I can say that if I ever need to set my house ablaze to claim the insurance, I think I know a sure fire way of setting a delayed incendiary fuse up.

 

[Dennis]

I make no pretense to be an electrician but this is how I understand it.

The plug is a step down device, it takes the mains power and converts it to a lower output.

Then in turn the ego chargers are also step down devices designed to take that lower power and reduce it further rendering it safe for the ego battery.

There is also a second type of ego charger available that is not a stepdown device. These are purportedly designed to be plugged into a laptops port and not a charger plug.

I'm not sure these are supposed to be plugged into laptops for the reasons you stated.
Can someone please clarify us as to what these horrible dongles are meant to be used with?

 

[m0th]

This one vented as it kept supplying the current even at 500mA !
Mainly because that isn't the correct charger.

Don't mix and match use only approved chargers and use a bit of common sense.



Sent from my GT-N7105 using Planet of the Vapes mobile app

that one vented because it was charged to 5v, that is one of the chargers that isn't regulated and over voltage is a lot more dangerous for these batteries than current.

 

[gords1001]

Sorry boss, but you began insulting first. And no one said that the puny cell would receive 2A with a regulated charger even if it malfunctioned. Only with those unregulated dongles. With a regulated charger the max capacity of a wall plug only matters if it isn't up to the job, ie weaker. Just try and plug an Android mini computer in a cheap 500mA wall plug if you don't believe me. External hard drives that plug into computer's USB ports sometimes come with two USB leads and plugs for you to connect them both together because they require more current than 500mA.

Yes I threw a generalised insult out. Its deserved too.

Why can you not grasp that what we are talking about is when a regulated charger faults and becomes an unregulated pass through? Why, when we know these little chargers are cheap shit, are we so blind to the idea the failure rate will be, and clearly is, high on these things?

So what the "500ma purists" (it wasn't only myself who was being condescending or insulting) are suggesting is that to add a further layer of protection, limit the power supply. Incase the cell does end up directly connected to the power supply.

Both yourself and m0th state there is no benefit to using a higher current capable supply. But you cannot deny there is a potential risk. That being the case why not suggest sticking to a supply close to the suggested specs rather than massively over spec?


It really makes no odds to me either way. I dont and will never usr ego style devices for exactlt these reasons, I trust neither the cells or the chargers so will not have them in my house, but it concerns me that people ate seemingly blindly recommending something that COULD cause a problem, when the results associated with that problem can be minimised.

As I say, as far as I'm concerned, my original post was fair, if you actually feel that the generalised cap fits you, maybe ask yourself why?

 

[Diche]

I would guess this is one of the offending items

EBay no. 271493060010

Other than a general disclaimer there are no directions for use

 

[Dennis]

Yes I threw a generalised insult out. Its deserved too.

Why can you not grasp that what we are talking about is when a regulated charger faults and becomes an unregulated pass through? Why, when we know these little chargers are cheap shit, are we so blind to the idea the failure rate will be, and clearly is, high on these things?

So what the "500ma purists" (it wasn't only myself who was being condescending or insulting) are suggesting is that to add a further layer of protection, limit the power supply. Incase the cell does end up directly connected to the power supply.

Both yourself and m0th state there is no benefit to using a higher current capable supply. But you cannot deny there is a potential risk. That being the case why not suggest sticking to a supply close to the suggested specs rather than massively over spec?

There isn't any benefit from using an over specced supply other than its working well within its envelope. This is generally viewed as a good thing by electrical engineers. Neither is it any more dangerous if the supposedly regulated charger failed. Unless said failing involves the circuit rearranging itself and passing through all the available current from the power supply. Will my i4 dump 220V at whatever amps into my charging 18650s if it failed? Probably not. It would most likely stop working altogether. As we've seen, ego batteries vent even at 500mA, subjected to 5V. The culprits are obviously those nasty dongles.

 

[gords1001]

I'm not sure on the i4, mine failed quite spectacularly, charged one cell, then on fitting the next cell it electrocuted me through the negative terminal then imolated itself. I don't trust them now either.

I agree about the dongles. Personally I'm not enamoured with usb or micro usb as I've had to replace countless leads for phone charging, but I suppose a dedicated charging station is too expensive for a cheap ecig battery. Personally I will stick to sub ohm mechs and higg drain cells. Much safer imo

 

[Diche]

I do use ego batteries for my handbag friendly going out device. I have bought the batteries and charger from a reputable vendor and I will opt for the belt and braces approach of using them in combination with a phone charger of the lower output from a reputable source. I will also not leave them charging overnight. As far as I can see that risk management should leave me relatively safe.

I won't be surprised to see the dongle type chargers removed from the market in the near future.