UltraFire WF-188 charger. Charging AW IMR 16340 3.7V 550mAh.

[IOWN]

Ultrafire WF-188 Lithium Battery Charger
AW IMR 16340 3.7V 550 mah

I've emailed the vendor about my question, but it's taking too long for a reply..

I was wondering about the two switches on this charger.

One switch is for 3.7V/3.2V.

The other is for 300mA/650mA

I assume the first switch should be set to 3.7V.

It's the other switch that confuses me. The instructions for the switch:

"According to the battery capacity, select the charge current(650mA or 300mA)
charge current <=0.5 Capacity."

Does anyone know which current is BETTER to charge my AW IMR 16340 3.7V 550mAh batteries? I don't care if it takes longer to charge with the lower current. I don't want to over stress the batteries with the higher current. If the lower current will make my batteries last longer and give me full power then I'm happy.

If I do the calculation <=0.5 Capacity. 550 x 0.5 = 275 So I guess I should set the switch to 300mA. I'd still like to know if there are any advantages/disadvantages associated with the higher current. Like if I set the switch to 650mA instead.

 

[Switched]

The 2nd switch is the charging rate and should be lower than the carrying capacity of the battery. e.g set it a 300mA. If you have a battery with a higher capacity, e.g 900mAh then use the 650mA setting.

However IAW Battery University, low and slow is better than high and fast for charging batteries. But my recommendation is safe to use - battery life will be slightly lower in the long run but not anything significant. OTOH charging a battery with to high a current e.g 550mAh battery at 650mA can cause greater damage then charging larger capacity batteries at a fast rate (e.g 650mAh batts and up).

Example: It will take roughly 3.5 - 4hrs to charge an 2600mAh 18650 at the high setting whist it will take 8-9 hrs at the low setting.

 

[IOWN]

The 2nd switch is the charging rate and should be lower than the carrying capacity of the battery. e.g set it a 300mA. If you have a battery with a higher capacity, e.g 900mAh then use the 650mA setting.

However IAW Battery University, low and slow is better than high and fast for charging batteries. But my recommendation is safe to use - battery life will be slightly lower in the long run but not anything significant. OTOH charging a battery with to high a current e.g 550mAh battery at 650mA can cause greater damage then charging larger capacity batteries at a fast rate (e.g 650mAh batts and up).

Example: It will take roughly 3.5 - 4hrs to charge an 2600mAh 18650 at the high setting whist it will take 8-9 hrs at the low setting.

Thanks Switched!

I did a little research on this charger but found nothing specific for my AW IMR 16340's. I read a review with a bunch of guys comparing the Ultrafire to a CC/CV hobby charger, which slows the current down in the final stages. The WF-188 charger just shuts it down suddenly at full voltage. For the price of this charger and batteries I can't complain.

 

[Switched]

No it's a good charger and the one I use. It is the only charger I know of that will charge 26650s

 

[IOWN]

No it's a good charger and the one I use. It is the only charger I know of that will charge 26650s

So far I like it The springy sliding negative terminal is a little sticky, but maybe it'll get smoother in time.

It'll be good once I upgrade to a real battery mod

off to work..

 

[Switched]

So far I like it The springy sliding negative terminal is a little sticky, but maybe it'll get smoother in time.

It'll be good once I upgrade to a real battery mod

off to work..

Yup the sliders stick once in a while but mo biggie. No they don't get better unfortunately.