Ok to charge a 14500 in a AA charger?

[LEDbeam]

I know a 14500 battery is 3.7volts while a AA is 1.2volts, but would it still be safe to charge a 14500 battery in a charger designed for AA batteries? The size is the same. I figure it would just take maybe 3 times as long to complete the charge, but maybe there's more to it than that. I'm not too concerned about the charge time, but more about the safety. Seems that lithium batteries can be rather tempermental.
I got a pair of 14500 batteries in the mail yesterday, and it had a Hazmat sticker on the shipping container. That's sayin' something.

 

[paul1598419]

That won't work. You need to apply about 4.2 volts to charge that battery. Applying 1.8 volts just won't cut it.

 

[Blarg King]

No. The voltage is too low, you'd probably permanently damage/destroy the lithium batteries.

 

[Unown (WILD)]

Really odd question... Is this account hacked too??

 

[Blarg King]

I dont think its been hacked personally. I think they just dont have a lithium charger and want a quick and dirty solution. Only quick and dirty way to charge lithium batteries I know of is if you have a bench power supply that can do both constant current and constant voltage

 

[paul1598419]

I'd recommend the Opus BT-C3100. Best charger I ever bought. I have many chargers but never use anything but my Opus.

 

[LEDbeam]

Really odd question... Is this account hacked too??

No, it hasn't been hacked. I just was curious as to whether or not I'd be able to use my AA chargers to charge a 14500 since they're the same size. Just different voltage. I'm not all that knowledgable about electronics.

 

[Unown (WILD)]

No, it hasn't been hacked. I just was curious as to whether or not I'd be able to use my AA chargers to charge a 14500 since they're the same size. Just different voltage. I'm not all that knowledgable about electronics.

Oh ok just checking

 

[wolfram]

its all about chemical compatibility

 

[LEDbeam]

its all about chemical compatibility

But isn't the electricity being used to charge either battery type the same? Just being a lower voltage being the only difference?

 

[paul1598419]

But isn't the electricity being used to charge either battery type the same? Just being a lower voltage being the only difference?

You have to understand that charging a battery is dependent on the charging voltage. If you don't meet the lowest requirement you cannot charge that battery. And, if it isn't a protected battery cell, you might even damage it.

 

[LEDbeam]

You have to understand that charging a battery is dependent on the charging voltage. If you don't meet the lowest requirement you cannot charge that battery. And, if it isn't a protected battery cell, you might even damage it.

I guess I can see how charging at a voltage too low to actually "trigger" the charging process could damage the battery. Sometimes I've even heard that using too low of a voltage from a battery to operate the device it's powering can also damage something (either the battery or the device itself). Is there any truth to that, specifically regarding lasers, or flashlights?

 

[paul1598419]

Normally when the battery voltage gets too low it doesn't damage the device at all. With a lower voltage, and by extension its ability to supply current, you just under power your device.