wismec reuleaux rx 200 question

[Valkyrie]

hey folks...can you/ could you/ would you...use the ac plug in and usb to micro usb cable to a galaxy note 4 phone to charge the batteries in the mod...seems like it would take forever from the usb port of a laptop and my external battery charger is a 2 bay xtar vp1...your expertise and knowledge is appreciated greatly...

 

[snake94115]

hey folks...can you/ could you/ would you...use the ac plug in and usb to micro usb cable to a galaxy note 4 phone to charge the batteries in the mod...seems like it would take forever from the usb port of a laptop and my external battery charger is a 2 bay xtar vp1...your expertise and knowledge is appreciated greatly...

Only if the laptop had protected USB port which is highly unlikely unless you have a Hardcore Gaming rig.
In your situation I highly recommend charging directly from a wall socket using an adapter.

http://www.ecig.com/ego-usb-wall-charger.html?a_aid=vapecrawler

 

[smacksy]

Only if the laptop had protected USB port which is highly unlikely unless you have a Hardcore Gaming rig.
In your situation I highly recommend charging directly from a wall socket using an adapter.

http://www.ecig.com/ego-usb-wall-charger.html?a_aid=vapecrawler

For what it's worth I tried a 5v 1150 mAh USB wall charger from my old Motorola Droid Maxx on the RX...batts were about 40% and it fully charged up to 100% in under 3 hrs..kinda long but it did work..I use a separate 4 bay charger but I just wanted to see if in-mod charging works..good to know it does, just takes longer... Lol


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[Valkyrie]

thanks alot to you both...much appreciated

 

[snake94115]

No worries...Anytime...Cheers!

 

[OBDave]

1. I would never charge a mod via laptop port - this dates back to when eGo fires were a thing doing this back in the day.

2. The real question is what charge the Reuleaux will accept - I'm not sure what those ultra-fast chargers with the new mobile devices pump into their lipo packs, but I wouldn't charge Li-ion cells at more than 1A, 0.5A would be preferable for the sake of cell life. If you can hook a 2A or whatever charger up to the mod and it'll regulate charging current down to 1A or less, I'd say you're good.

3. Good time to invest in a charger with 4-6 bays next, eh?

 

[snake94115]

1. I would never charge a mod via laptop port - this dates back to when eGo fires were a thing doing this back in the day.

2. The real question is what charge the Reuleaux will accept - I'm not sure what those ultra-fast chargers with the new mobile devices pump into their lipo packs, but I wouldn't charge Li-ion cells at more than 1A, 0.5A would be preferable for the sake of cell life. If you can hook a 2A or whatever charger up to the mod and it'll regulate charging current down to 1A or less, I'd say you're good.

3. Good time to invest in a charger with 4-6 bays next, eh?

1 I remember that happening all to frequently.
2 I can't remember the name of the charger that does that I think it's an (Efest LUC)...Not sure really I need more coffee.
3 6 bay? they make those now?

 

[OBDave]

I've got an Efest LUC 4-bay - it can do 500 mah or 1A to all four sleds, or 2A just to the two inner sleds. I usually use it at the 500 setting.

They do indeed make 6 bays - I'm liking the looks of this one, but I want something that can do NiCad as well as Liion for my TV clicker batteries and whatnot...

Edit: The important thing here is that OP is asking about the wall wart and cord that came with his new Samsung Galaxy phone - my wife has one, and I've got a Motorola Turbo 2 that both come with these micro USB cables that can pump half a charge into like a 4000 mah lipo inside 20 minutes. I have no clue how they're doing it because I haven't bothered to learn, but I suspect that they're pushing way more amperage into the phone's lipo than we'd want to push into an 18650. Hence my concern with whether the Reuleaux can step down the incoming charge to something more appropriate for the cells - this seems to be the crux of his question.

 

[snake94115]

Edit: The important thing here is that OP is asking about the wall wart and cord that came with his new Samsung Galaxy phone - my wife has one, and I've got a Motorola Turbo 2 that both come with these micro USB cables that can pump half a charge into like a 4000 mah lipo inside 20 minutes. I have no clue how they're doing it because I haven't bothered to learn, but I suspect that they're pushing way more amperage into the phone's lipo than we'd want to push into an 18650. Hence my concern with whether the Reuleaux can step down the incoming charge to something more appropriate for the cells - this seems to be the crux of his question.

Gotcha

 

[OBDave]

I think I'm gonna move this over to the battery sub, hopefully someone with specific charging knowledge will see it here.

 

[Jon@LiionWholesale]

I can help with this but need more detail. You're saying your mod has a micro USB port and you're charging the battery, inside the mod, but instead of using the cord that comes with the mod you're using a galaxy s4 charger?

If not give me more info on what we're talking about.

 

[Valkyrie]

I can help with this but need more detail. You're saying your mod has a micro USB port and you're charging the battery, inside the mod, but instead of using the cord that comes with the mod you're using a galaxy s4 charger?

If not give me more info on what we're talking about.

the rx200 uses 3 18650 batteries in series...comes with a usb to micro usb cable for updating and onboard charging...was just curious if a phone charger that uses 110 v ac to supply 5v dc at 2 amps would be an alternative...i understand 2 amps is a bit much to push into 18650 batteries but was hoping someone knew if the charging circuitry in the rx200 would limit to 500ma or 1 amp...otherwise ill just get a 4 bay charger...really dont want to charge with my laptop via the usb...did that make any sense...

 

[Jon@LiionWholesale]

the rx200 uses 3 18650 batteries in series...comes with a usb to micro usb cable for updating and onboard charging...was just curious if a phone charger that uses 110 v ac to supply 5v dc at 2 amps would be an alternative...i understand 2 amps is a bit much to push into 18650 batteries but was hoping someone knew if the charging circuitry in the rx200 would limit to 500ma or 1 amp...otherwise ill just get a 4 bay charger...really dont want to charge with my laptop via the usb...did that make any sense...

Got it,

Yes if it's meant to use a USB cable then it should be regulated, and won't pull more current than it can handle even if the USB supply is capable of supplying more than it's pulling. So you should be able to use the USB wall supply from your phone.

If you go the other way, i.e. it tries to pull more current than the wall adapter can supply, then you're also fine it just won't charge. I doubt that will happen though if it's meant to charge from a computer unless you try to use a wall adapter for something really tiny like a bluetooth headset.

I still bet a separate charger is going to work a lot better for you though.

 

[Valkyrie]

Got it,

Yes if it's meant to use a USB cable then it should be regulated, and won't pull more current than it can handle even if the USB supply is capable of supplying more than it's pulling. So you should be able to use the USB wall supply from your phone.

If you go the other way, i.e. it tries to pull more current than the wall adapter can supply, then you're also fine it just won't charge. I doubt that will happen though if it's meant to charge from a computer unless you try to use a wall adapter for something really tiny like a bluetooth headset.

I still bet a separate charger is going to work a lot better for you though.

my current charger is the xtar vp1 2 bay....what charger would you recommend for charging married sets of three

 

[iiKryptic-old]

I just watched a video the other day and he stated never to charge 18650's @2amps. Is this true? Never heard of that until now.

 

[snake94115]

I just watched a video the other day and he stated never to charge 18650's @2amps. Is this true? Never heard of that until now.

This is a case of (slow and steady wins the race).
Charging at 2amps might not pop the battery but it will cause the battery to degrade faster.
Stick with 0.5amps or 1amp if you're in an emergency situation.

 

[iiKryptic-old]

This is a case of (slow and steady wins the race).
Charging at 2amps might not pop the battery but it will cause the battery to degrade faster.
Stick with 0.5amps or 1amp if you're in an emergency situation.

Thanks @snake94115

 

[snake94115]

Anytime.No Worries...Cheers!

 

[OneBadWolf]

I have no clue how they're doing it because I haven't bothered to learn, but I suspect that they're pushing way more amperage into the phone's lipo than we'd want to push into an 18650. Hence my concern with whether the Reuleaux can step down the incoming charge to something more appropriate for the cells - this seems to be the crux of his question.

Firstly, the phone internally regulates how much current/volts goes into the battery. Cell batteries have their own circuit board.

Second, I have not been able to find the specs for amps on the RX, but it does balance charge each cell seperatly. I noticed the RX has a lower cut off voltage than my external charger, but not that much lower. 4.15-4.18 compared to 4.2-4.22 on the external.

 

[f1r3b1rd]

I just watched a video the other day and he stated never to charge 18650's @2amps. Is this true? Never heard of that until now.

The term we used in marine batteries is 'trickle charge.' Basically think slow cooker. It's better long term for most batteries; as a general rule, to charge them at a slow rate, over a longer period of time. You have to think about it in terms of the chemicals and cathodes inside the battery absorbing the electrons, and filling up. Charging it to fast is going to degrade them chemically over time. Its not necessarily going to cause detrimental physical damage from the aspect of a 'boom.'- Perse (or shouldn't)
However, it will, without a doubt, kill the longevity of the battery life. So,your lifespan may go from 1 year to 6 months.
Personally, I never use the onboard chargers, if I can remove the batteries. I got used to taking them out from the days of mechanicals and prorapes, where you didn't have the option. Granted with some, ie dna200s the option as are slim. But, batteries overall, I've always seen as a maintenance expense and would rather spend a few extra dollars and preserve the mod and safety. Especially if the mod is upgradeable-those USB ports are only held in via 2 small solder points, and I like to minimize sticking things in there. A good external charger is not expensive and will pay for itself through extending battery life.

 

[iiKryptic-old]

Personally, I never use the onboard chargers, if I can remove the batteries. I got used to taking them out from the days of mechanicals and prorapes, where you didn't have the option.

Yup I don't use on board either, I have 2 external chargers and one has the option to charge @.5, 1.0 or 2.0 amps. Apreciate the input that makes perfect sense to charge @ a slower rate.

 

[OneBadWolf]

Ok. put the meter on the RX200, it is drawing just under 1 amp when charging. Divided by 3, for the number of batts, each batt is charging @ about 300 ma. This will give very good battery life, but take quite a while to charge.

I'm actually happier about this rate, as it is unlikely to stress the chip too much. Compare the size of a ciruit board in a intelligent external charger, and then the board in a typical mod, and the charger board dwarfes the mod board. The mod board has a lot more functions to accomplish than the charger board, so why are charger boards bigger? They are bigger because they need components capable of handeling hight current to achieve faster charge rates, and to do that, those components that run at higher current/temperatures need to be bigger, and thermal protection and heatsinking need to be design considerations. At lower current, not so much.

I will continue to USB charge the RX, overnight once in a while, using a 750 ma usb charger. that gives me about 25% headroom for the charger circuit. I think its fine with this mod, and the RX is the only mod I will USB charge so frar.

 

[slagathor]

I've got an Efest LUC 4-bay - it can do 500 mah or 1A to all four sleds, or 2A just to the two inner sleds. I usually use it at the 500 setting.

They do indeed make 6 bays - I'm liking the looks of this one, but I want something that can do NiCad as well as Liion for my TV clicker batteries and whatnot...

Edit: The important thing here is that OP is asking about the wall wart and cord that came with his new Samsung Galaxy phone - my wife has one, and I've got a Motorola Turbo 2 that both come with these micro USB cables that can pump half a charge into like a 4000 mah lipo inside 20 minutes. I have no clue how they're doing it because I haven't bothered to learn, but I suspect that they're pushing way more amperage into the phone's lipo than we'd want to push into an 18650. Hence my concern with whether the Reuleaux can step down the incoming charge to something more appropriate for the cells - this seems to be the crux of his question.

If your still looking for a good charger capable of Ni-MH and Ni-Cd, I use to use a Foxnovo F-4S before some one knocked it off my desk and busted the power plug on the board inside, no one knocked it off of course, must have been a ghost...heh
Its a nice charger, I miss it...

 

[Jon@LiionWholesale]

my current charger is the xtar vp1 2 bay....what charger would you recommend for charging married sets of three

Sorry I missed this. Honestly any charger on our site are the highly recommended ones we've found. Just depends how many features you want. The Nitecore I series is my favorite low cost basic charger. The Efest LUC, Efest Blu6, and Opus BT-C3100 are all highly recommended ones that have more features. Personally I think the Efest LUC V4 is the best for most people who are on a reasonable but not super low budget. XTAR ones are good but I like the higher charging speed capabilities of the Efests and Opus.

 

[Ragabi93]

I am using a regular android wall charger and cord from my phone. How long will it take to charge? Also, is it safe to take a nap while it is charging? Everything including the batteries are brand spankin new.

 

[JERUS]

I am using a regular android wall charger and cord from my phone. How long will it take to charge? Also, is it safe to take a nap while it is charging? Everything including the batteries are brand spankin new.

Yes and no, in a pinch it's safe to use the passthrough charging, however the abilities of charging through a mod are simply not great. You'll get an uneven charge across the batteries. You'll want to get a solid stand alone charger. It may seem like it sucks to spend the money on a charger, but in the long run it's VERY worthwhile. I liked what someone said, a quality charger is ~$20, and a quality mod is $30-50+, you think they slipped in $20 worth of charging ability into that price tag?

 

[OneBadWolf]

I am using a regular android wall charger and cord from my phone. How long will it take to charge? Also, is it safe to take a nap while it is charging? Everything including the batteries are brand spankin new.

It will be forever taking with new batts. 12 hours+

 

[smacksy]

hey folks...can you/ could you/ would you...use the ac plug in and usb to micro usb cable to a galaxy note 4 phone to charge the batteries in the mod...seems like it would take forever from the usb port of a laptop and my external battery charger is a 2 bay xtar vp1...your expertise and knowledge is appreciated greatly...

Hey there Valkyrie
Just to see if USB in-mod charging actually worked I used a 5v 1150 mAh wall charger from my old Droid Maxx..
Indeed it did work successfully, charged all three batts fully and evenly but it took too long, close to 4 hrs...I use a separate 4 bay charger..it fully charges three batts under 2 hrs...its faster, but it's good knowing USB will work safely if I ever need to use it..

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[OhioRuss]

I hooked my USB voltmeter/ammeter up to my 2A USB wart and attached my RX200 with 3 half charged Samsung 25Rs inside. I got the same(ish) results as @OneBadWolf. 1.03 Amps divided by 3 is .343ma each. My Nitcore D4 drops from 750ma to 375ma when a third (or 4th) battery is added. 343 vs 375 seems virtually identical for an overnight charge. Can anyone else verify that their RX200 chip regulates charge at 1A?

Ok. put the meter on the RX200, it is drawing just under 1 amp when charging. Divided by 3, for the number of batts, each batt is charging @ about 300 ma. This will give very good battery life, but take quite a while to charge.

 

[dr_rox]

The USB chips used in the mods needs to be determined. If you look at the metamorphosis of the USB spec, you will see that is is possible to get higher current and in some cases w/ usb 3.1, up to 100w (20v @5a).

Back in the old days, power was only on two pins on the charging cable. Then the port got 'smart'. w/ USB 2, if voltage instead of data was detected on the other pins, the device's chip switched to high curent/charge mode, to accept the max current the charger was designed to deliver to it. Some of the cell phones would trickle charge or not charge at all if there was no voltage on the other pins. Some of you may have noticed this when using old chargers on newer cell phones.

There are docs on wikipedia to get you started with links to further explain the 'open' spec and the chips used.

I'm working on a couple PoE security cams w/ raspi's and 2 cams each. Waiting on the buck converter in this pic to power stuff at end of ethernet cable because it is tiny.

So, just throwing out something below for resourceful peeps - so don't bother me for details, since I do not want to be responsible for mistakes.

Using a few cheap components and if you can solder, you can build a charger using these parts. It wont have a display, but have led's to indicate charging and end-of-charge. There are other variations of these boards on FT for building those portable power packs. With a little imagination, you can see how you can build a small charger and/or power pack for dual use if so inclined.




If you get the small boards they fit at the end of the sled. You can also remove the usb female since it is best to hardwire the thing - they have solder tabs input and output.

I still have a couple ego twists I use as loaners or travel mods. Small and handy w/ aro-ii's. Their chargers went tits-up a while ago, and have been using a similar lipo charging board as a replacement. I just solder a reclaimed carto 510 to board and clear shrink wrap the thing so i can still see the led's.