I would just like to share some of my experiences with a cheap 3$ eBay battery (like this one), as well as ultra-cheap 2$ USB chargers.
I bought this battery early January to supplement my GS3's main battery. At first I used it as a backup battery, keeping it in my bag in case my main battery dies. This worked great for a couple of weeks until I could no longer be bothered to swap out the battery every time I needed to charge the other one. So I ended up leaving the eBay battery in full time. At this point I have grown to trust it, seeing as I hadn't had any issues.
Months went by like this, but by the end of March, I was scratching my head as to why my phone wasn't lasting as long as it used to. I guess this change was so gradual that I didn't notice it for long. Now this past week, the battery has had even more trouble holding a charge. It took hours to recharge, and barely lasted with me listening to music, chatting on fb and checking reddit several times a day. It got to a point where one night, it only charged to 90%, and then the next night it charged up to 45%. It also would only charge a few percent at a time when daydream was on.
Now yesterday, by the time I got home ~16:00, the battery died. I plugged it in, but it wouldn't charge - a battery with a warning symbol icon lit up when plugging it in. After a few minutes of fiddling, I managed to get my phone to turn on, but then it almost immediately turned off. A few minutes more, I managed to turn it on and finally charge using the original charger. After an hour, it didn't even reach 20%. This enraged me, causing me to finally hot swap the battery to the original one. Surprisingly, it charged up to 70% in less than 1 hour. Quite a nice change.
Since this morning I've been using it more than normally (large FTP download, streaming youtube), and I still have 60%
I suspect that the low quality anode within the battery corroded very quickly due to the high stresses involved with powering the phone, and charging rapidly. The thing that I often see online, is people being afraid of batteries blowing up or damaging their phones, but this is highly unlikely. The phone has the battery charging circuit built into it, and it will regulate the CV and CC charging cycles itself. It shuts off the phone when the voltage drops too low, and it wouldn't go over 4.2v because the phone wouldn't charge above that. The only damage that a cheap battery can do is to leak or vent inside a phone - hence the need for proper circuitry in the phone.
I also have experiences using absolutely the cheapest batteries in some of my other gadgets. Both of my cameras use the cheapest batteries I could find on eBay - without any problems. Ironically, for my point and shoot, the eBay batteries last longer and display an accurate time estimate. With my DSLR, the 2 batteries that I bought (originally to make a cheap power supply for long timelapses), they work identically, charge identically and fit perfectly. I also bought some protected 18650 batteries for various LED projects I was working on, as well as for my flashlight, but about half of them are now dead - I suspect due to the protection circuit. So yeah, those are my experiences with ultra cheap batteries.
Now, as per the chargers, I mostly use only el cheapo dealextreme or eBay ones. I've had no issues with charging my old iPhone, my SGS3, tablet, and my el cheapo 20$ Huawei phone. However, they don't work well with my Raspberry Pi, iPad and my mom's Android tablet (the touchscreen glitches big time).
So yeah. I don't know what the purpose of this is. Just had to speak out .
Related
I have 2 batteries for my new TP2. Is it better to store one and then use it when the working battery expires (a year or so in the future?) or keep both charged alternately? Any advice on charging practice to get the most out of the batteries would be appreciated. Thank you.
for me it is better to use the batteries alternatively as the battery discharges over time and this will kill the battery.
If you got the second one to extend the daily charge capacity, then charge it and alternate.
If you got the second one just to eventually use, then store it about 50% charged, wrapped up, in the refrigerator. It will last for years that way. Warm it up some before unwrapping it.
Your 2nd battery will lose capacity slower if you leave it charged at ~40% (though I've never heard anyone claim LiPo lasts longer at lower temperatures) and don't use it, but to buy a spare battery NOW for use LATER was a bad idea. LiIon (of which LiPo is a sub-genre) batteries lose capacity over time, regardless of whether they're used or not.
Yep, might as well alternate between the two of them (weekly?) because they're both ticking down. And as said, if you're going to store one of them, store it at 40-50% charged at room temperature (20-25c).
Hi guys,
don't tell my digital camera batteries about this thread. They are 5 years old (both Konica-Minolta and noname) and I rarely used them. They still offer pretty good battery time.
Fact is: Lithium-Ion batteries will loose capacity by using them. They make about 500 to 1000 duty cylcles, after which you will notice the lower capacity. They should never be deep discharged and can be charged whenever you like. Only the first few charging cylcles should completly fill them.
Storage is best at about half loaded capacity and moderate temperature. This will keep them operational much longer than when being used. As mentioned this works for my batteries already 5 years!
Andre
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/print-partone-19.htm
Hello.
Edit: Read the last line first... not worth the money!
Low on power?
I am currently testing a battery pack with solar panels.
I've taken some pictures and uploaded them to flickr while it's charged my phone.
Click on the pic for more pics.
I did first a charge over night from my phone wall charger (the charger that comes with it has US sockets.
It comes with a 6 plugs for Nokia, Samsung, MOTO, SE, Iphone 3g etc, and the best of all, Mini usb
I do need a micro usb soon... when my new phone arrives. (HTC Desire)
I have no idea how long it will take to charge the device on solar power, but i would guess days... There is not that much sun here yet. I will test that in the next few days.
While it was charging, the phone was downloading music from spotify, wifi on, no 3g on.
I bought the item DX: dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.30011 it cost $13.63
charging process in numbers:
[17:40] level 33 voltage 3692
[18:01] level 41 voltage 3816
[18:23] level 52 voltage 3890
[19:12] level 61 voltage 3829 <-- Stopped charging!
Now the solar charger stopped top charge my phone...
It was cheep, just don't buy this device if you need extra power...
rvenes said:
Hello.
Edit: Read the last line first... not worth the money!
Low on power?
I am currently testing a battery pack with solar panels.
I've taken some pictures and uploaded them to flickr while it's charged my phone.
Click on the pic for more pics.
I did first a charge over night from my phone wall charger (the charger that comes with it has US sockets.
It comes with a 6 plugs for Nokia, Samsung, MOTO, SE, Iphone 3g etc, and the best of all, Mini usb
I do need a micro usb soon... when my new phone arrives. (HTC Desire)
I have no idea how long it will take to charge the device on solar power, but i would guess days... There is not that much sun here yet. I will test that in the next few days.
While it was charging, the phone was downloading music from spotify, wifi on, no 3g on.
I bought the item DX: dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.30011 it cost $13.63
charging process in numbers:
[17:40] level 33 voltage 3692
[18:01] level 41 voltage 3816
[18:23] level 52 voltage 3890
[19:12] level 61 voltage 3829 <-- Stopped charging!
Now the solar charger stopped top charge my phone...
It was cheep, just don't buy this device if you need extra power...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try turning off your phone and letting it sit. it may still charge your phone to 100% but not when your are drawing a charge.
charge in day light not moonlight like 17-19:00
and turn damn wifi off
Thanks for the review. I go camping often and this was a thought, but not anymore.
i would really like to know if you turn your phone off will it charge it to 100%
Id probably find a bigger solar panel i used one like that in some school project lol
josefcrist's test I think reflects the reality for all solar chargers with internal battery, even those with double the capacity.
Maybe I'm a little bit off topic, but since I got the same more or less experience with a similar product, I'd like to say a few maybe usefull words on the matter.
I got a solar charger with 2500mAh battery. The led light on one side shows that the battery is being charged (when it is green). Well, i put it on my office's window and the green light never went off (at least for 3 days that I checked). This means that sunlight is not enough to charge it fully.
Then, one day I tried to charge my phone with it. I charged the gadget first with my phone charger (using a usb mini chord). Then I tried to charge my phone. It worked for half hour and then the gadget's battery was drained, while the phone's battery increased for 10% only.
Maybe I had many losses because I used the phone's long micro usb chord (the gadget had only a usb mini adaptor).
Then, I said "Ok maybe I have to charge it on DIRECT SUNLIGHT in order to see if it is really effective". Hmmmm. Well! I kinda destroyed the solar charger (I think). When I went to pick it up (I put it in my car's screen on a really sunny day IN GREECE) hardly could I touch it and when it cooled off i saw that the solar panel became curved from heat (and stayed that way) while it was plain previously.
Now I cannot figure out whether it works or not. Maybe I will through away a few more bucks buying another similar (OF COURSE NOT THE SAME), just to be sure that these things DONT REALLY DO WHAT WE ALL IMAGINE (OR HOPE) THEY DO!!!! PERIOD.
Thanks so much for this review, I always wondered about these.
i use Arctic C1 Mobile solar charger (http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/power/batteries/44/arctic-c1-mobile.html), i guess it's just similar, but with only 3 connector adapters and greater battery. always nice to have it on the way.
maybe try using another phone to charge.....
Thanks for info! Will gonna try the Arctic charger
Thanks for the review... Overheating a charger on a car dash... I can't believe it failed
If i pick up a spare battery to use as a emergency backup for my captivate how long can I leave it say.... sitting in my car.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
One or two months, maybe longer depending on how low you want it's charge to go before using it.
Of course as soon as it's made it starts loosing total capacity.
A charger left in your car will do more good (sorry, couldn't resist)
Not sure if those "emergency" battery pack chargers are any good, might be worth looking into.
A day if you don't use your phone lol
An in car charger is definately the way to go if thats what you're wanting to do. But the li-ion chemistry can hold its charge for several months, but it doesnt do them any good leaving them charged for any length of time. They lose their total capacity much faster if theyre left charged, and this is worsened if left in a hot environment (like in a car during the summer).
It would be best to cycle the two batteries (use them alternately) so they dont stay charged for too long.
Hope this helps
strike-down said:
An in car charger is definately the way to go if thats what you're wanting to do. But the li-ion chemistry can hold its charge for several months, but it doesnt do them any good leaving them charged for any length of time. They lose their total capacity much faster if theyre left charged, and this is worsened if left in a hot environment (like in a car during the summer).
It would be best to cycle the two batteries (use them alternately) so they dont stay charged for too long.
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any gadgets left in a "hot evironment" for a long time will not be a smart thing to do. It's always best to charge it fully and unplug it from the charger/outlet.
Hi
if the battery has no defects and is fully charged then it should run just as long as your normal battery.
Calvin
Website Design and Development
A spare battery should be used regularly too, do not live it for a month without using it because sometimes some battery don't work after a long time of storage. But I have tried not using my spare charged battery for about a month and still it works after i put it on my phone, it has a full battery. As long as they are not exposed to heat/sun it can last long.
I lost a genuine HTC battery and found it moving house about 6 or 8 months later
I was pretty surprised to see it still had about 3/4 charge in it and worked fine.
As written previously:
An in car charger is definately the way to go if thats what you're wanting to do. But the li-ion chemistry can hold its charge for several months, but it doesn't do them any good leaving them charged for any length of time. They lose their total capacity much faster if theyre left charged, and this is worsened if left in a hot environment (like in a car during the summer).
It would be best to cycle the two batteries (use them alternately) so they dont stay charged for too long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to add, that if you do not want your li-ion battery to loose their total capacity it's best NOT to keep it at all in car (where temperature is above 18C) and if left for longer time - DO not keep it FULLY charged.
The best for 'spare' li-ion battery is to be charged with ~40% for extending its live.
Also do NOT discharge your battery completely or leave it discharged.
On the other side it 'likes' to be charged constantly and even sometimes slightly overcharged (it does not have 'memory' - so charging at any moment will not affect it's life).
Maybe an extended battery
I ordered the HTC extended battery for my TBolt, but I'd love to keep the stock battery in a pouch on my work belt and just kinda forget about it in case a situation arises where I need it. Any idea how long it'll hold the charge?
It will discharge over a certain period of time. Not sure if its days or what, but it will.
Your best bet would be to buy a spare battery charger on eBay or something
It will very slowly discharge over time, but certainly not days, and unlikely even weeks. I have spare batteries for my Droid I've left out a couple months at a time and when I finally slapped them in my Droid they were still at 100% charge.
just don't let the spare become too hot, or that will drain it faster.
It depends on how your storing them also. Keep them out of the cold or extreme heat and it should hold its charge for a couple months.
Another piece of advice if you get a spare battery charger, don't leave the battery mounted into the charger after its charged up if it isn't plugged in. might just be the cheap one I have but if I do that it drains the battery overnight
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
My 2750 mah battery lasts all day
Sent from my ThunderBolt using Tapatalk
A charged LiIon battery will hold a charge for years.
Keep it stored in a cold place, away from heat. Heat and the full charge will oxidize the battery and it will lose capacity, (though still hold a charge).
Basically, never keep it in a hot car.
Storing it in a cold refrigerator is a great idea, but warm it up before you use it.
i use my spares about once a month. after a month of no use, they are still at like 95%.
If you where to place it some where or carry it it usually losses about 10% to 15% a day I always bring the extra battery where ever I go. Also a good thing to know that powering the phone up can take 10% from the battery when powering up.
Zinsko said:
If you where to place it some where or carry it it usually losses about 10% to 15% a day I always bring the extra battery where ever I go. Also a good thing to know that powering the phone up can take 10% from the battery when powering up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lithium Ion batteries we use in our phones don't discharge that fast when not in use, unless the battery is bad. Normal discharge on them is around 1% a month or less. If you're storing a battery for a long time, you'd be better off not storing it at 100% charge though, can cause damage to them over the long term.
That being said, my stock battery is in my bag with about an 80-85% charge on it, I only use it in case of emergencies (I'm never away from a charger longer than that 85% will cover, so works well for me).
Zinsko said:
If you where to place it some where or carry it it usually losses about 10% to 15% a day I always bring the extra battery where ever I go. Also a good thing to know that powering the phone up can take 10% from the battery when powering up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No way they lose that much.
I have an old Windows mobile phone that has not been turned on since last year. I just turned it on to check it, and the battery is at 60%. No idea what it was when I turned it off, but likely not 100%.
LiIon does NOT lose but just a percent or two a month. Store your spare batteries in a cold place like a refrigerator, and they will last with a charge longer then you have the device.
Here we goes guys,
I finally received all parts to refresh my Panda Pixel 2XL.
New screen (Ixifit)
New USB-C port (Ixifit)
New battery
New display adhesive
Because I'm on reddit, I shared my experience and a nice guys tell me this:
'You will have charging problems after you replace the battery. I've done a few, all "original batteries", two of the phones charging times went from two hours to 8-9 hours to fully charge.'
"Maybe you have gotten a different battery. But I tried two different batteries in one phone and another battery in a second phone. Both phones, even after cycling the batteries, took 8-9 hours to charge from 20-30% to full. Using the original charger. I tried new cables and charging pucks. Resetting the phone etc. Even putting the old battery back in, still had the same 8-9 hour charging time. There must be something in the firmware that doesn't like loosing power(when the battery is disconnected). I don't know. I have to warn customers now before I change them out. Hopefully you will have better results."
Is it possible that phone software doesn't support a true power cut off (or removed battery) and charge slowly the new battery?
What is your experience about this because now I'm scared.