Mega eGo charger question

[NuGalicia]

Just got the Mega eGo with 900 mAh battery and a Fast USB charger. When it finally died I plugged it into a standard wall charger KR808 with a max rated output of 0.1 A. The light was green from the first minute but the battery wouldn't charge.

I also have a KR808 XL charger that is rated at 0.2 A. I'm wondering if I should just put on an adapter and use that?

Am I supposed to charge from my computers USB port, or is there a wall charger specifically made to go with the Fast USB charger?

I read the standard 510 charger works but takes longer, but I don't have one. Where can I get the right wall charger for the USB Fast Charger to plug into when charging a Mega eGo (900 mAh) battery?

 

[Mr.Self_Destruct]

I'm not really clear on what you are asking or stating. (I've had a few to drink) But I use a hello 016 charger HelloTech 016 420ma charger for my ego and it works great. I have a standard ego 650mAh. this charger is for the hello 1300mAh battery. So it should work for a 900 mAh no problem.

 

[Drozd]

your question isnt super clear but I think I got the gist of it...
you've got the eGo on an eGo fast charger but then plugged into a KR808 usb to AC adapter of some sort?

anyway yeah I'd plug it into the computer's USB port... even an adapter that's pushing .2A is going to be terribly slow to charge that battery...

here let's break it down:
let's say you have the native eGo fast charger and the usb to ac adapter that would normally come in a kit with it...
the AC to USB adapter output is .5A and the fast charger's output is 420mAh (.42A)

the standard 510 mains charger works on em with an adapter but is painfully slow taking upwards of 6+ hours to charge the 650mAh eGo batteries because it only pushes 150mA (.15A)

so while that KR8 charger may actually be working you're probably looking at 10+ hours to charge that battery

plug it into the USB of your computer that fast charger will probably have it charged in about 2.5 to 3 hours

 

[Kent C]

Just got the Mega eGo with 900 mAh battery and a Fast USB charger. When it finally died I plugged it into a standard wall charger KR808 with a max rated output of 0.1 A. The light was green from the first minute but the battery wouldn't charge.

I also have a KR808 XL charger that is rated at 0.2 A. I'm wondering if I should just put on an adapter and use that?

Am I supposed to charge from my computers USB port, or is there a wall charger specifically made to go with the Fast USB charger?

I read the standard 510 charger works but takes longer, but I don't have one. Where can I get the right wall charger for the USB Fast Charger to plug into when charging a Mega eGo (900 mAh) battery?

First, if the charger went green within the first minute, that means that the vendor likely already charged it and it's ready to go.

The eGo charger should operate from any usb port that is 300ma or greater - you only need the 1 (2amp for KR8 PT) when running a passthrough without an inline batt. So any wall plug with a usb port will work (again 300ma or greater).

I've heard that eGos will actually charge on a regular charger but no confirmation from guys like Quick1 or Scottbee as to whether this is wise or not or what the difference actually is. So for now I'd stick with the eGo charger or as you point out, a regular 510 charge BUT with the cheap 'adapter' that Janty, TW, etc. sell when charging an eGo/Tornado via a mains charger.

 

[NuGalicia]

Without going into particulars about my laptop, I want to avoid charging from my computer. I'm kinda' surprised a wall charger (AC to USB adapter) didn't come with the Mega eGo.

You guys answered one question: apparently I'll need at least a 420 mAh (0.42 A) wall charger to get the job done. The ones I have won't work (200 mAh/0.2 A & 100 mAh/0.1 A). They won't even light up the button when it's pressed while plugged in for 2 hrs.

So thanks, and I'll start looking for the '0.5 A charger mentioned by someone above.

 

[Seabrook]

Without going into particulars about my laptop, I want to avoid charging from my computer. I'm kinda' surprised a wall charger (AC to USB adapter) didn't come with the Mega eGo.

You guys answered one question: apparently I'll need at least a 420 mAh (0.42 A) wall charger to get the job done. The ones I have won't work (200 mAh/0.2 A & 100 mAh/0.1 A). They won't even light up the button when it's pressed while plugged in for 2 hrs.

So thanks, and I'll start looking for the '0.5 A charger mentioned by someone above.

I can't answer this Q, but I also am upgrading to an eGo, so I wanted everyone's input. What I can tell you is that for an adapter for my 510s passthru, instead of using my computer port, I used my iPod adapter. That works well for me and saved me a trip to the local elec. shop.

Good call on not using your computer port -- I think it was eJoker, moderator, that fried his motherboard going that route -- one of those times when something goes wrong.

 

[NuGalicia]

Thanks for the heads up Seabrook. I did some more searching & confirmed what you said about possible problems to charging using a computer. USB ports do not limit current or turn off power. See:
charge battery using USB Page of
I simply didn't want to leave my laptop on all night because my Dell has overheating issues and also it's charger gets very hot.
I'm amazed that no vendors found here on ECF have an AC to USB adapter (wall charger) with adequate current to connect the eGo Fast Charger to!
Madvapes has a 2 amp(2000 mA), but all others are .1 or .2 amp. The eGo fast charger really needs .5 amp(500 mA). Since the USB spec doesn't limit current, 2 amp could potentially fry the Fast Charger or blow up a battery.
All that said, here's where I found eGo users can get one:
Emtc - AC to USB 500mAh Power Adapter Charger
ECF vendors, here's another product you could offer (hint, hint...)

 

[Whistle_Pig]

I've decided I'm going to just bypass having to get yet another wall-wart. I'm going to find a molex connector in my PC parts box, and wire it to a USB port that I'll get from either a bulkhead connector or a USB extension cable. Then I'll have 5V straight from my PC's power supply, instead of from the motherboard. I think that my 600W PC power supply won't mind a bit.

 

[Whistle_Pig]

I've heard that eGos will actually charge on a regular charger but no confirmation from guys like Quick1 or Scottbee as to whether this is wise or not or what the difference actually is.

I'm doing this right now -- well, it's the std 510 USB charger, since my 2nd USB fast charger crapped out. Makes me wonder if there's not a bad manufacturing run of those things. In fact, I'm going to start a new thread on that subject.

Due to a shortage of charged batts, I was vaping just fine off my eGoXL earlier today, after a partial charge from the std 510 USB charger. Getting it fully charged now so I can have 9hr day from it tomorrow.

 

[keyzygirl]

Tasty vapor has it and its cheaper.

 

[NuGalicia]

I've decided I'm going to just bypass having to get yet another wall-wart. I'm going to find a molex connector in my PC parts box, and wire it to a USB port that I'll get from either a bulkhead connector or a USB extension cable. Then I'll have 5V straight from my PC's power supply, instead of from the motherboard. I think that my 600W PC power supply won't mind a bit.

Whistle, sounds like a creative idea. The eGo XL USB Fast Charger is rated: input: DC 5V 500 mA, output: DC 4.2V, 420 mA. It sounds like you'll have 5V, but I wonder if you might have exceeded .5 amps when the charger crapped out? At least you & I can enjoy a big easy to draw cloud of vape on an eGo while we figure it out!

 

[Moshmarr]

Tasty Vapor

I think this is it. Four bucks.

 

[Whistle_Pig]

Whistle, sounds like a creative idea. The eGo XL USB Fast Charger is rated: input: DC 5V 500 mA, output: DC 4.2V, 420 mA. It sounds like you'll have 5V, but I wonder if you might have exceeded .5 amps when the charger crapped out? At least you & I can enjoy a big easy to draw cloud of vape on an eGo while we figure it out!

Well, maybe. My XL batt is still charging using a std 510 charger -- guess it'll take overnight. As far as the PC USB port goes, I don't know. I do know that I can fully charge an Energizer XPAL 2000 from my PC, and it's a lot bigger than 900mah.

Anyways, I'll hit RadioShack on the way home tomorrow, since I was surprised to not find a USB bulkhead connecter in the junk pile.

 

[dkindig]

Laptop USB standard specs are for 500mA max from any single port, and when multiple ports are in use, the current to all ports in use won't exceed 500mA. That is, it is divided up between the ports that are in use. You should never try to draw more than 500mA from a laptop USB port or you can damage the main board.

I use my USB fast charger off of my laptop all the time and the battery charges within 1-3 hours depending on how much I've used it (I swap batteries each morning when I get to work).

I believe a standard 510 charger is 200mA and the wall adapter for the fast charger is 500mA. At any rate, the electronics that regulate the charging current are in the dongle, so there are no worries about frying a USB port using the fast charger.

 

[NuGalicia]

Laptop USB standard specs are for 500mA max from any single port, and when multiple ports are in use, the current to all ports in use won't exceed 500mA. That is, it is divided up between the ports that are in use. You should never try to draw more than 500mA from a laptop USB port or you can damage the main board.

I use my USB fast charger off of my laptop all the time and the battery charges within 1-3 hours depending on how much I've used it (I swap batteries each morning when I get to work).

I believe a standard 510 charger is 200mA and the wall adapter for the fast charger is 500mA. At any rate, the electronics that regulate the charging current are in the dongle, so there are no worries about frying a USB port using the fast charger.

Here's the problem: "a USB port can never be counted on to limit its output current to 500 mA, or any amount near that. In fact, output current from a port often exceeds several amperes since multiport systems (such as PCs) frequently have only one protection device for all ports in the system. The protection device is set above the total power rating of all the ports. Therefore, a 4-port system may supply more than 2 A from one port if the other ports are not loaded." [from 1st link in post #7]

Simply put: the USB port may not fry while the motherboard, charger or battery do.

Right now I have a Fast Charger, cooler pad & mouse plugged into 3 of the 4 USB ports on my laptop. 500 mA + 180 mA + 100 mA = 780 mA. The power supplied to all 4 USB ports totals a minimum of 2000 mA (500 mA X 4 ports). This results in each device recieving nearly 3 times the current they were designed for, similar to charging a car battery on fast charge too long.

In any case, Tasty Vapor does have the right one.

 

[dkindig]

The power supplied to all 4 USB ports totals a minimum of 2000 mA (500 mA X 4 ports). This results in each device recieving nearly 3 times the current they were designed for, similar to charging a car battery on fast charge too long.

A device plugged into a USB port doesn't receive the full 2000mA. Any electrical device only draws the current that it requires for its own purpose. Just because the power that CAN be supplied to all 4 ports is available doesn't mean it's going to the device.

That's why in a house you can have a 15A circuit that supplies several lights and outlets in a room (actually, most commonly, multiple rooms). The actual current being delivered is determined by the number and type of devices plugged in.

For a stove, it might be a 60A dedicated circuit and even then, the current delivered to the stove will vary based on the number of burners used and whether the oven is on or not. When none of these are on, the current drawn will be only enough to run the clock/timer if it has one.

Electrical circuits in a house are designed based upon a percentage of the maximum possible load. This is allowed by code because it is very, very rare that every outlet and every light is used to capacity simultaneously.

 

[Whistle_Pig]

I've decided I'm going to just bypass having to get yet another wall-wart. I'm going to find a molex connector in my PC parts box, and wire it to a USB port that I'll get from either a bulkhead connector or a USB extension cable. Then I'll have 5V straight from my PC's power supply, instead of from the motherboard. I think that my 600W PC power supply won't mind a bit.

I did it: Done!

 

[Orph]

Madvapes has a 2 amp(2000 mA), but all others are .1 or .2 amp. The eGo fast charger really needs .5 amp(500 mA). Since the USB spec doesn't limit current, 2 amp could potentially fry the Fast Charger or blow up a battery.

My apologies for the noob question: Doesn't the device, in this case the fast usb charger rated at 420mAh, dictate the amp requirements by drawing only what it needs from the usb wall charger? So therefore, a 420mAh fast charger plugged into a usb wall charger capable of supplying up to 5V 2000mAh would still only draw 420mAh?

I've just ordered a usb wall charger for an iPad rated at 2A to use with a PT, and if I'm correct, this should be fine to use with my 420mAh fast charger... Can anyone confirm this for me?