Battery charging

[Milliways]

I have just got my new laser which i have charged, it has a trustfire 18650 battery and has 333mw power, I was wandering when i should next charge is? Do i have to wait for it to run out fully before a recharge?
Soz for the noob question and thanks for any advice!
Dave

 

[SerpantSlayer]

You should charge lithium batteries before the they lose too much power. They will degrade if you discharge them too much.

 

[Milliways]

Ahh ok.. I'll charge it every other day then
Thanks for the advice!

 

[Hiemal]

If you have a multimeter, you can check the voltage of the battery to see how depleted it is.

Li-ion's have a fully charged or "fresh" voltage of 4.2 volts. A dead li-ion is around 3-3.1 volts. Once it reaches that charge you must give the battery a break, and then charge it.

If you continue to discharge a li-ion after it has reached that voltage, you run the risk of destroying the battery... there's a point where the battery will become truly dead and unchargeable.

If you tried charging one it would get hot, and may vent or explode with flames.