Pila IBCT charger and AW protected 18650 batteries review

A week ago my DSD 18650 battery charger broke and my crappy no-name 18650 batteries were barely holding a charge so I bought the nicest batteries and charger I could find. The Pila IBCT charger (link) and the AW protected 18650's (link).

First the Pila IBCT charger:
It is one of the more expensive battery chargers out there, but I read it was worth it. I have nothing to compare this charger to except my DSD charger. Compared to the DSD charger, the IBCT charger is a quintessential charger. The first time I charged up my AW 18650 batteries, it charged them to exactly 4.20V, whereas my DSD charger would always overcharge them to 4.3V. Unlike the DSD charger, it charges both batteries separately but at the same time. This allows you to charge a partially discharged battery and a fully discharged battery at the same time without damaging either one.

It has 4 different states in the charging process:
Stage 1 - Automatic analyzing battery status
Stage 2 - Quick charge
Stage 3 - Slow charge
Stage 4 - Standby mode, trickle charge

Those who know there way around Li-Ion batteries will immediately remember that Li-Ion batteries are damaged when trickle charged. However according to some people over and CPF, it's not actually trickle charging the batteries:

CPF said:

They incorrectly refer to the CV stage of the CC/CV Li-Ion charging algorithm as a "trickle" charge.

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The charger came in a very nice, neatly packed box.


It also came with a carrying bag.


Inside there was the actual charger, AC adapter and plug adapter for use outside the US, 2 spacers for smaller size batteries, and a free LED keychain.


The charger has a transparant lid which lifts up. The spacers screw into the positive terminal of the charger.


While charging batteries, a red LED indicates it's currently charging and a green LED indicates it's done charging.

The LEDs are visible through the transparant lid.


The charger and batteries get slightly warm during charging, but there are some vents on the underside of the charger to help dissipate heat.


Pros:
Charges Li-Ion batteries to exactly 4.20V
High quality
Charges batteries separately
Has a reset button to re-charge the battery if the charger thinks it's charged when it's not
AC adapter works in multiple countries
Includes spacers to charge smaller batteries
Free LED keychain

Cons:
None!

Conclusion: The price is high, but it's worth every penny.

AW protected 18650 batteries:
These have both thermal protection and electrical (overcharge and over-discharge) protection. However like most other protected 18650 batteries, they do not have a button top. Their positive terminal is flat. This prevents them from being used in devices where the positive terminal isn't a spring. Adding small magnets to the positive terminal fixes this.


However these batteries have 3 small bumps on their negative terminal (see above image) which allows them to be used in series. These work great, but I don't understand why they didn't put the bumps on the positive terminal instead, eliminating the need for magnets in some cases.

My only complaint is the size of the battery. 18650 stands for 18mm diameter and 65mm long. These batteries are both a little longer (approximate 67mm due to the protection circuit) and a little wider (18.5mm). All of my other 18650 batteries are 65mm in length and 18.3mm in diameter. For me the larger diameter was the problem. They refused to fit in my Spyder II. Who would have thought that 0.2mm would make the difference. However I blame this on Wicked Lasers. When I removed the label foil, it reduced the diameter to 18.4mm. This allows the battery to barely fit in my Spyder II, but once the battery is in it's stuck and I can't get it out without shaking it. I don't have any other 18650 lasers at the time of this writing to see if they fit, but I assume they do.

Pros:
Excellent protection circuit
2600mAh
bumps on negative terminal

Cons:
A little large
Flat top positive terminal

Conclusion: Buy them (except if you have a Spyder II).

I've had my eye on the Pila charger for a long time myself, read many excellent reports and testing of it on CPF too, but never got around to buying any. In light of recent events I decided it was time to get a UL listed charger that is following the Li-Ion charging specs to the T, as CPF'r say Man those guys test and re-test everything with O-scope's and what not, some people have way too much time and equipment.:thinking:

So I ordered a few of them and they finally arrived today, the charger and the power supply even feels like quality, unlike like the cheap junk on DX, etc.

Oh about the trickle charge thing, Yes it does fully terminate the charge at the end of it's charging cycles, otherwise it would not be compliant; and is very easy to test for. Those instructions as you may have noticed were written in 2005 by the marketing genesis's who don't know squat about the technical aspects of the charger, and in-fact the charger has evolved over the years, while the instructions included sadly have not.

Nice review with pics! :thanks:

I just received my pila yesterday. My AW rcr123's charge to 4.18v, the WL 18650 charge to 4.20v. I feel much safer with the pila, but accidentally left a WL supplied 18650, in the WL supplied charger (same as yours electron) over night and it stopped at 4.24v. Not great but eh.

If I buy another charger, it will probably be a Turnigy Accucell-6 (or 8). Only one battery at a time for how I'd use it but allows tunable final charge.

EDIT: where did you order, I didn't get a bag or key chain (I ordered from flashlightz.com)

ppctx said:

I just received my pila yesterday. My AW rcr123's charge to 4.18v, the WL 18650 charge to 4.20v. I feel much safer with the pila, but accidentally left a WL supplied 18650, in the WL supplied charger (same as yours electron) over night and it stopped at 4.24v. Not great but eh.

If I buy another charger, it will probably be a Turnigy Accucell-6 (or 8). Only one battery at a time for how I'd use it but allows tunable final charge.

EDIT: where did you order, I didn't get a bag or key chain (I ordered from flashlightz.com)

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OMG you left the WL "bomb" battery in the charger overnight?? Well to be honest that is a great test though for Pila that it didn't blow-up the WL "bomb" battery is a real testament of how good the Pila IBC really is, because I would have expected the Pila to sense if something was wrong with the WL "bomb" and terminate the charge.

It's good that nothing bad happened and that is good news, I'm not sure if I would have tried that as a "test" on purpose myself; but its very good to know and I'm glad you reported about it.

Oh the Pila bag & LED key chain are no longer supplied by pila-usa or flashlightz, so unless you can find some old stock those items are gone now it seems.

electron said:

OMG you left the WL "bomb" battery in the charger overnight?? Well to be honest that is a great test though for Pila that it didn't blow-up the WL "bomb" battery is a real testament of how good the Pila IBC really is, because I would have expected the Pila to sense if something was wrong with the WL "bomb" and terminate the charge.

It's good that nothing bad happened and that is good news, I'm not sure if I would have tried that as a "test" on purpose myself; but its very good to know and I'm glad you reported about it.

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No, I did not do it as a test, it was an accident (head up butt) and it (the WL battery) was left in the WL supplied charger over night, not the pila. After the accident, I keep the pila charger within eye shot and monitor it.

Not the WL are great batteries... well any product that the manufacture does not put a manufacture label on has to make you wonder about the quality, but explosions are a real possibility with these rechargeables. I'm probably going to buy some of those Sanyo’s from LarryDFW. May start charging them inside a high wall turkey fryer or something.

TK Monster Explosion - CandlePowerForums
Ultrafire 18650 3000mA exploded - CandlePowerForums
EXPLODING Flashlight - Houston PD

very well written review +1

OK, my bad I thought you left the battery in the Pila overnight....I just re-read it and I now see that was not the case; I'm very glad all went well just the same. I really don't like leaving the house anytime I'm charging Li-Ions, too risky.

electron said:

I really don't like leaving the house anytime I'm charging Li-Ions, too risky.

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I hear you. I got all the way to work the next day before I realized what I had done. Immediately got back in the car and drove back home to get it off the charger and said a little thank you prayer that I didn't burn my family to death while sleeping the previous night.

ppctx said:

No, I did not do it as a test, it was an accident (head up butt) and it (the WL battery) was left in the WL supplied charger over night, not the pila. After the accident, I keep the pila charger within eye shot and monitor it.

Not the WL are great batteries... well any product that the manufacture does not put a manufacture label on has to make you wonder about the quality, but explosions are a real possibility with these rechargeables. I'm probably going to buy some of those Sanyo’s from LarryDFW. May start charging them inside a high wall turkey fryer or something.

TK Monster Explosion - CandlePowerForums
Ultrafire 18650 3000mA exploded - CandlePowerForums
EXPLODING Flashlight - Houston PD

Click to expand...

Holy crap those stories are scary. The batteries are pipe bombs! However, I noticed all of those explosions occurred during the use of the battery in a flashlight, and not during its charging. Are batteries more likely to blow up while they're discharging than while they're charging?

I'm only using my AW batteries from now on. :tinfoil:

laser_freak said:

Holy crap those stories are scary. The batteries are pipe bombs! However, I noticed all of those explosions occurred during the use of the battery in a flashlight, and not during its charging. Are batteries more likely to blow up while they're discharging than while they're charging?

I'm only using my AW batteries from now on. :tinfoil:

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I don’t know, electron's decided to bust a move while charging, think I've read another one similar to that. These things are pretty scary to me. The force that they let go with.. BAM! Surprised there isn't a documented fatality.

My arctic had a hissing sound the other day after I put a freshly charge battery in it, kinda like camera flash recharging. Scared the snot out of me. My thoughts are that explosions are more likely after/during an over charge (much less likely using the pila charger from the reviews I've read), but that’s just my uneducated guess.

It’s just about dark out, going to go lase the night sky.

Yea my WL supplied battery blew-up in the charger, another person reported his melted the inside of his Arctic so bad he threw the whole Arctic in the trashcan. That post is on FB and was on LC but I would imagine WL deleted it by now, he waited like the rest of us for 3 months and then for it ruin to the Arctic itself, is so sad; I'm very glad too that he was not hurt; well I don't recall anything being posted he was hurt in that incident.

A buzzing sound coming out of the Arctic?? really, that would make me very nervous about it.