Question about Li-Ion and Li-Mn batteries?

[AmandaJoVS]

Hey vapers. I just ordered a Vamo V6 and its my first mod that takes external batteries. I also ordered a Nitecore Intellicharger i2, 2 Efest 18350s and 1 Efest 18650. They have been working fine in my Vamo (I've been using it for a few days) I just went to charge the battery (18650) for the first time. I read the instructions for the Nitecore i2 charger before doing so being that I'm new to using batteries like this, and the manual said that charger would blink simultaneously if the batteries weren't put in correctly. Once I plugged the battery in, it did just that. I knew I put the battery correctly, so I started reading the manual more thoroughly and realized that I had ordered Li-Mn batteries instead of Li-Ion. So I have a couple questions about this... First of all, and most importantly, are these batteries even safe with my Vamo? That is my main concern... I have taken the batteries out and put everything aside until I know the answer to that question for sure. My other question is, if these batteries are safe to use, what kind of charger should I purchase? I'm trying to decide whether I should just return the charger and keep the batteries, but if the batteries are not safe with my Vamo (And my Innokin SVD 2.0, which is on its way on its way) then I'll keep the charger and purchase different batteries for these devices. I know I sound like an idiot, but believe it or not, I did read up on this quite a bit before purchasing these products... I just didn't realize that the batteries werent compatible with the charger. The reason I ended up with these specific batteries and this specific charger was when I purchased my Vamo, there were a list of options to buy with it. (Batteries, chargers, tanks, etc.) Since this was going to be my first device with external batteries, I ended up just purchasing everything as a kit. I would be really surprised for them to have these batteries listed in the accessories menu if they are not safe to use with this device. So to break it down and put things more simply...

1) Are these batteries safe to use with my Vamo V6 and Innokin SVD 2.0?
2) If they are safe to use, then what charger do I need to purchase?
3) If they are not safe to use, what batteries are recommended?
I will most likely be ordering more batteries anyway since I have another device coming that takes them, so any suggestions for good batteries would be very appreciated. Thank you so much

 

[lamarrk]

The designation Li-Mn is the same as IMR. I'm going to take a guess that you purchased Efest IMR batteries. If so, they are fine and exactly what you need.
You were supposed to charge them when you first got them. Li-Mn (and other Li batteries) are shipped with a storage charge of around 3.6 to 3.7 volts on them and should be charged to 4.2 volts before 1st use.

Not sure if the batteries are fully dead or not. If you have a voltmeter check them for their voltage before putting them on the charger. Anything above 2.5 is good. Put them back in the charger and watch them for a while. If they start charging keep an eye on them until they're finished. If the voltage on the batteries was above 2.5 and the charger just blinks all the lights, then the charger may be defective.

Voltage readings below 2.5 means those batteries have been over discharged and it could be dangerous to continue using them. Throw them away (dispose of properly) and get some more batteries.

Feel free to ask away, especially if my explanation was a little too technical.

ETA: AW IMR are the best batteries recommended for vaping. Buy from a reputable dealer (NOT Ebay).

 

[AmandaJoVS]

I don't have a volt meter to check I'm really new with these external batteries. I stuck my 18350 in the charger because I know it still had some charge. (Put it in my Vamo to see) The yellow light that was blinking at me earlier did the same thing this time, but it's just the bottom one that was blinking. (There are 3 vertically lined lights) I turned the battery upside down on purpose just to see what it would do, and it made all 3 lights blink simultaneously. I ended up puting the batteries back in (An 18350 on the left and an 18650 on the right) The bottom light did blink a few times but now the bottom light is steady and the middle light is blinking. Does this mean they are charging right?

 

[AmandaJoVS]

View attachment 413654

These are the batteries I got.

 

[AmandaJoVS]

It doesn't say thaf its compatible with my IMR Li-Mn batteries but like I said, they seem to be charging okay. The 18350 was about half charged or a little more and the top light is already blinking which I am assuming means it's close to being charged? The 18650 has the bottom light solid and the middle light is blinking. I hope this is a good sign!

 

[DreamWithin]

That charger should be just fine for those batteries

I'm not sure if I'm reading your post correctly, but does the blinking look anything like in this video? This is a pretty good visual demonstration of what it should be doing while charging. Jump to the 5:00 mark to see the charge lights blinking

 

[DreamWithin]

Moved from Accessories Discussion to Batteries & Chargers forum

 

[Stosh]

Just to clear up one misconception re the Li-Mn batteries.

A Li-Mn (IMR) is actually a Li-ion battery.
If a Li-ion was a car, a Li-Mn designation would be like saying a Chevy car, it's just one type of many.

 

[AmandaJoVS]

Yes, that's how it's charging. Once I put both in at once and noticed one of them go up to the second blinking light, I realized that that's what it's supposed to do. I had read the manual right before hand since I hadn't ever dealt with these kind of batteries before and the manual said thag the charger would blink if I had the batteries in wrong. I knew I had them in right, (Positive up top, negative at the bottom) so I just assumed they werent compatible, especially once I saw "Li-Mn" on the battery instead of "Li-Ion". Now I realize that Li-Mn is just a certain type so I feel pretty silly... Luckily I have nice people like you guys to help me without making me feel like an idiot Lol

 

[AmandaJoVS]

While on the discussion of batteries, I have one more silly question. I say silly because I'm not even a noobie... I've been Vaping almost a year now and have several mods but always used mods with internal batteries. Anyway, I want to buy a couple more batteries since my SVD 2.0 should be here tomorrow but I'm a little confused about something. I've read up on this quite a bit since I decided to go the external battery route, but I keep running into the same question when I'm trying to purchase them. I'm not sure what amps to buy... Correct me if I'm wrong but if I get a 30 amp battery, then as long as I stay UNDER 30 amps, I'm okay? I don't do rebuildables (No time with 3 kids) but I do have an Atlantis that I use on a couple of my mods sometimes. I'm actually a bigger fan of just using my Nautilus or Nautilus Mini with 1.8Ω heads which I'm pretty sure keeps the amps pretty low. The reason I'm asking is because first of all I want to be safe, but also because I want to buy the Efest 18650 25000mah since its going to last the longest, but I just wanted to make sure I was understanding the amps correctly. It doesn't matter if I'm running below 30 amps (Even way below) as long as I'm not going above 30 amps, right?

 

[Rickajho]

Yes, that's how it's charging. Once I put both in at once and noticed one of them go up to the second blinking light, I realized that that's what it's supposed to do. I had read the manual right before hand since I hadn't ever dealt with these kind of batteries before and the manual said thag the charger would blink if I had the batteries in wrong. I knew I had them in right, (Positive up top, negative at the bottom) so I just assumed they werent compatible, especially once I saw "Li-Mn" on the battery instead of "Li-Ion". Now I realize that Li-Mn is just a certain type so I feel pretty silly... Luckily I have nice people like you guys to help me without making me feel like an idiot Lol

Oh pfssshhh - stop it. This is more complicated than smoking.

You are fine on your batteries. People know around here that I'm not all that impressed by NiteCore stuff, so if they didn't explain in the instructions what battery chemistry types the charger was compatible with... that wouldn't surprise me.

In the basic sense IMR is a safer chemistry Li-On battery. That is what you are looking for.

You want to avoid any batteries that say they are ICR chemistry. ICR is, let's say, a 1st generation Li-On battery that is more dangerous if something goes wrong. Because they are less safe they typically (but not always) have a protection circuit inside the battery - which you may see mentioned in the product description. Beyond them being the less safe chemistry, that protection circuit in the battery doesn't play nice with a VAMO. It conflicts with the electronics in VAMO's and all sorts of unreliable behavior results.

If you ever have any questions about specific batteries you are looking at, it's ok to throw up the product links here to get advice. BUT: your whole experience is built around the quality of your batteries. Don't shop price only. There is no point in purchasing dubious batteries off eBay, only to have to spend more money to replace them if you found out you bought fakes. We go for places we know we can trust that have been in the battery business for years. That would be places like RTD Vapor, Illumination Supply etc.

 

[Stosh]

Only silly question is the one left unasked.....

If you are using stock pre-built coils, at 1.8Ω and higher, you amps will be well under 30 amps, closer to 3 amps. And you do want to be under...it's like a speed limit...

I believe that both your Vamo and SVD will display the ohms of the topper you're using. It's a good idea to check your resistance when connecting up a new coil or topper, your mods make this very easy.

Then just kick back, put your feet up, put the 3 rug-rats in time-out and enjoy a nice vape......

 

[Ryedan]

Hey vapers. I just ordered a Vamo V6 and its my first mod that takes external batteries.

Anyway, I want to buy a couple more batteries since my SVD 2.0 should be here tomorrow

I use neither of these mods, but from having a look at them on the internet, they both output 20 watts maximum. If I got this wrong, someone please correct me

Using the Steam Engine battery drain calculator, at the most, 20 watts will draw 8 amps from a single battery at 3 battery volts. The Efest 18650 25000mah batteries are capable of 20 amps continuous, the 35A is a pulse rating that is a bit suspect for vapping. They are however just fine in this application

It doesn't matter what resistance atty you put on these devices, at 20 watts neither device will draw more than 8A from the battery.

I'm not sure what amps to buy... Correct me if I'm wrong but if I get a 30 amp battery, then as long as I stay UNDER 30 amps, I'm okay?

You've got it Amanda

 

[Baditude]

Maybe this will simplify your battery knowledge:

Battery Basics for Mods: IMR or Protected ICR?

Deeper Understanding of Mod Batteries

On a side note, I once purchased an Xtar charger from RTD Vapor. It had unusual blinking lights when a battery was inserted. I reversed the battery on a hunch (what would normally be upside down; negative up and positive down) and the blinking stopped. Whoever assembled this charger at the factory reversed the polarity of the terminals. I contacted RTD who promptly sent me a new charger.