These mobile devices use many different types of rechargeable batteries to keep them energised, but the most common being Lithium-Ion.

Lithium-Ion batteries need to be charged once they have fully discharged. 

But, more often than not, you might need to use the device that has a lithium-ion battery when charging it. 

So, can you charge a Lithium-Ion battery while using it? Yes, you can charge a Lithium Ion battery while using it, however, it’s not the best practice. Doing so will result in a lower rate of charge which means it will take longer to charge the lithium ion battery. 

There are some other issues that arise when trying to charge a lithium battery while using it which shall be discussed further in this article. 

Deeper look at how a battery is charged

Knowing the process of how a battery is charged, will help you better understand why using a Lithium-Ion battery while charging it isn’t very ideal.

There are two main classes of batteries; Primary and Secondary.

Primary batteries are one-off batteries that must be disposed of after they have fully discharged. These types of batteries can only be used once.

Secondary batteries are rechargeable. This means that when they have been fully discharged of all their energy, they can be ‘recharged’ back to their full capacity and used again. 

A Lithium-Ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery. 

They can be recharged multiple times, and their lifespan is largely dependent on their chemical composition.

How a battery charger charges a battery  

But, rechargeable batteries do not just recharge by themselves (which would be neat if they could). However, they require the aid of a battery charger.

Batteries power devices by converting stored chemical energy into electrical power (which is a product of voltage and current). 

The process when a battery releases its energy to power devices is known as discharging. While reversing the discharging process and giving energy back to a dead battery is known as recharging.  

Charging a battery involves a number of steps which include;

• Charging
• Stabilising (optimising the charging rate)
• Terminating (knowing when to stop the charging process)

Charge and Discharge rates of batteries vary from one to the next depending on factors such as their chemical compositions and size (the amount of charge they are able to hold for their given physical size).  

Discharging involves the release of electrons when a chemical reaction occurs in between the two terminals (or electrodes) and electrolyte (the substance that separates the electrodes). 

Once the chemical reaction within the battery is over, the battery is effectively out of charge (flat).

For primary (disposable) batteries this is the end of the road, however, rechargeable batteries can be recharged to be used again.

Battery chargers are used to reverse the chemical reaction process to recharge the battery. While discharging involves energy leaving the battery, charging a battery involves feeding energy back into a battery (using a battery charger) to reset the chemicals to their initial state. 

To feed energy back into a battery, battery chargers supply electric current for a predetermined period of time. 

Reasons not to charge a Lithium-Ion battery while using it

It might seem that a battery charger has a simple task of just feeding current to a Lithium-Ion battery to recharge it.

However, there is a bit more that happens within the battery charger to ensure that the battery is optimally charged while also being protected. 

So it might not be the best idea to charge a Lithium-Ion battery while using it. 

Let’s take a look at why. 

There are a couple of things that happen when you try to charge a Lithium-Ion battery and use it at the same time.

Reason #1 not to charge a Lithium-Ion battery while using it

Firstly when a battery is being charged, it is subjected to a voltage higher than its own. This is why current flows from the battery charger to a battery.

If you try using a Lithium-Ion battery while it is charging (for low currents), you could trigger safety circuits as it may detect the extra current as an overcurrent or short, and stop the charging process. 

For higher currents, the load will draw power from the battery charger which means that the battery isn’t going to get much current and is going to charge at a slower rate taking it a longer time to reach full capacity. 

Reason #2 not to charge a Lithium-Ion battery while using it

The second issue that arises is that every now and then, the battery charger stops charging to monitor the voltage of the Lithium-Ion battery. 

When this happens, the battery will start supplying current to the load which isn’t an ideal situation as the Lithium-Ion battery will then report a different voltage when subjected to a load, as opposed to when not under load circumstances. 

This messes up the charging process.

Can you charge a Lithium battery while using it for consumer electronics? 

The scenarios we have discussed above have mostly been with Lithium-Ion batteries that are detachable from devices (like power tools for example), where the battery charger is a separate entity.

But, many consumer electronic devices (that use Lithium-Ion batteries), have their charging circuits embedded in them.

Devices such as smartphones, smart watches, laptops, and so much more. 

These devices have come a long way, and include sophisticated charging circuits within them. 

Most of the time you would have used one of these devices while you were simultaneously charging it as well.

But, how is this possible?

These devices have been designed with charging circuits that allow one to use it and charge it at the same time. 

Engineers would have realised that sooner or later, the user would need to use their device (especially smartphones) when charging.

Note, while it may be possible, it is still not advisable to do so as you will still be slowing down the rate of charge.

What is the best way to charge a Lithium Ion Battery?

As we have just learnt, charging a battery and while using it is not good practice. Doing so will reduce the rate of charge which means it is going to take longer for the Lithium-Ion battery to reach full charge.

To charge a Lithium-Ion battery more efficiently, follow the three tips below;

1. Do not use the battery while it is charging
2. Do not charge the battery under extreme temperatures (cold or hot). Stay within moderate temperature settings
3. Avoid fully charging the battery (especially with Lithium-Ion batteries). A partial charge will extend its lifespan 

For consumer electronics like smartphones, turn the device off and then charge. This will drastically reduce the charge time. 

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Lithium Batteries are a type of rechargeable battery used in many portable electronics. 

When Lithium batteries lose their charge, they need to be ‘recharged’ using dedicated chargers. However, the sun provides us with free clean energy that can be used to power devices via Solar Panels.

Can you charge a Lithium battery with a solar panel?

Yes, you can charge a Lithium battery with a solar panel, but it is not recommended to connect a solar panel directly to a lithium battery as they can be damaged from overcharge. Also, lithium batteries require a special process of charging which will need to be followed if you are using a solar panel to charge it. 

This article will take a deeper look at Lithium batteries and what is required to charge them using a solar panel. 

Deeper look at a lithium battery and solar panels

To understand the question at hand, it will first help to take a closer look at the lithium battery and the process of charging them (I will keep it brief). 

Rather than going through unwanted information about the battery, I will cover its key characteristics 

Lithium Ion batteries  

While there are many different types of Lithium batteries, the most common of them is the Lithium Ion. So this article shall concentrate on this particular type to see if it is possible to charge it with a solar panel. 

Most (if not all) batteries are given their name because of the type of chemical composition they are made of. In this case, the battery uses lithium ions.

During the discharge cycle, the lithium ions move from the negative terminal (cathode), through an electrolyte to the positive terminal (anode).

Different types of Lithium Ion Batteries

Lithium Ion batteries come in a variety of shapes for different applications. 

• Small cylindrical (single cell with, solid body, with no terminals)
• Large cylindrical (single cell,solid body, with threaded terminals)
• Flat or pouch (soft, flat body)
• Rigid plastic case (large threaded terminals) 

Other key characteristics of Lithium Ion batteries are their Nominal voltage and Current Capacity.

Nominal Voltage: This is the normal voltage that the battery operates at. Some batteries might have a higher voltage at full charge, however, this value will soon drop down to its nominal voltage after a predetermined amount of time. 

All the packages above come with a nominal voltage of 3.7 volts. However, cells can be connected in series to generate larger voltages.

For example, three lithium-ion cells can be connected in series to give a voltage of 11.1 volts, or four cells can be connected to give a voltage of 14.8 and so on. 

Current capacity: Is the amount of current that the battery is capable of storing. It is usually given in Amp-hours (Ah) or Milliamp-Hours (mAh). 

Lithium-Ion batteries come in a range of current capacities ranging from as low as 40 mAh all the way to 2.6 Ah. 

To increase the current capacity further, batteries are connected in parallel. However, this is a bit more of a complicated process as the internal impedance of each battery needs to be matched. 

What is the process involved to charge a Lithium Battery

The Lithium-Ion is a special kind of battery compared to other batteries of different chemistries. This type of battery has strict requirements when it comes to charging it. 

The battery charger is a voltage limiting device with some differences to other chargers. 

The key differences include;

• Higher voltage per cell
• Tighter voltage tolerances
• Absence of trickle or float charging

Trickle charging is when a battery charger is able to charge a fully charged battery at a rate equal to its self-discharge rate, which allows the battery to maintain its full charge level. 

A lithium-ion battery charger does not offer trickle charging because the battery cannot accept overcharge. The battery can become unstable if charged above its nominal voltage which could result in permanent damage. 

Damage can result in the form of an explosion! 

The charger comes with strict settings that adhere to the restrictions that come with charging this type of battery which will include features such as an end-of-charge detection circuit  to monitor when the battery is fully charged. 

What is a solar panel?

Now, let’s take a closer look at the solar panel. 

Solar panels are increasing in popularity, and becoming the go to for providing a means of free, clean renewable energy to homes, business, and much more. 

They work in conjunction with the awesome powers provided by the sun, which is the biggest source of solar energy in our galaxy, the milky way. 

Solar panels are panels that convert light (solar energy) from the sun into electricity which can be used to power electrical and electronic equipment. 

They come in a variety of sizes and power outputs depending on the needs of the application it will be used for. 

Connecting a solar panel directly to a load

So, these awesome panels have the ability to provide power to electrical and electronic devices. But, is it possible to connect them directly to a load?

Connecting a solar panel directly to a load is not the most ideal option as there are a few drawbacks;

• The load will be unable to draw the maximum power at any given instant from the solar panel
• The solar panel could be overloaded due to the demands of the load
• It might be a cloudy day, and the sun might pop in and out which means you won’t have a steady stream of power (so they are weather dependant)

A better option would be to store the energy produced by the solar panel in a rechargeable battery where the load can then draw power from.

How do you charge a battery with a solar panel?

Solar panels are rarely used by themselves to charge a battery. They will be one of a few components used in what is known as a Solar Power System. 

The solar power system can then be used to power electrical and electronic loads. 

Components of a solar power system include;

• Solar Panel(s)
• Charge Controller 
• Rechargeable battery
• Inverter (AC applications) 

Let’s take a look at each component and what job it has in the overall system. 

Solar Panel – has the task of converting sunlight into electricity.

Charge Controller – the current produced by the solar panel is fed into the charge controller. The controller regulates the current produced by the solar panel to protect the batteries from overcharging. 

The controller can detect when the battery is fully charged and can stop, or limit the current (trickle charge) received by the battery. 

They also have the job of protecting the solar panel from reverse current (current being fed back into the solar panel from the batteries) when there is no sunlight. This can also lead to the battery losing unwanted charge. 

Rechargeable battery – rechargeable batteries are where the power generated by the solar panels is stored. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, chemical compositions, voltages, and current capacities. 

Inverter – The current produced by a solar panel is normally a Direct Current (DC). However, solar panels are used in many settings where Alternating Current (AC) is required. An inverter has the capability of converting this DC current to an AC current. 

Can you charge a Lithium battery with a solar panel?

Yes, you can charge a lithium battery with a solar panel (this is assuming that the solar panel has the right output power requirements to charge the battery). 

However, there are some issues to consider before doing so. 

The first major one being overcharging. We learnt earlier that lithium batteries (especially the Lithium Ion variety) are easily damaged when they are charged above their nominal voltage. 

For this reason, lithium battery chargers do not have trickle charging. The charger is designed specifically to stop charging the battery when it has reached its ideal voltage. 

Connecting a solar panel directly to a lithium battery is not an ideal scenario, as the solar panel has no means of knowing when to stop providing power to the battery.

It will constantly be feeding energy to the battery (as long as there is sunlight) which will lead to overcharging and damage to the battery. 

Other issues include what we discussed earlier in the section about connecting a solar panel directly to a load which include;

• The lithium battery not being able to draw maximum power from the solar panel
• Solar panel being overloaded
• Charging the lithium battery is dependant on the weather (cloudy days are not ideal)

What is needed to charge a Lithium Battery with a solar panel?

While there are some issues when it comes to charging a lithium battery with a solar panel, all is not lost! There is a way to work around these issues.

So what is needed to charge a lithium battery with a solar panel? 

You will need the same components we saw earlier in the section ‘how to charge a battery with a solar panel’. In this instance we have a solar panel, and a rechargeable battery. So all that is required is a charge controller.

The charge controller will take care of the main issue of the lithium battery being overcharged. It will also provide a constant current to charge the battery, and protect the solar panel from any reverse current. 

However, a note has to be made. Since there are many different types of batteries, there will also be many different types of solar charge controllers to meet the individual needs of each type of battery.

So, you will need to buy a solar charge controller designed for lithium batteries so that it will stop charging the battery when the nominal voltage is reached. 

The post Can you charge a lithium battery with a solar panel?
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With the emergence of rechargeable batteries, devices can be taken anywhere and charged on the go.

A Vape is no different. It is an electronic device designed to be used on the go, and has rechargeable batteries so you charge it no matter where you go.

There might be certain scenarios where you will not have a wall outlet available to charge your vape.

So, you might be wondering, can I charge my vape with a power bank?

Yes, you can charge your vape with a power bank. As long as the power bank has a USB output, sufficient output voltage, and capacity, you will be able to charge your vape no problem.

If you want to understand a bit more of what it takes to charge a vape using a power bank, read on.

Why it is possible to charge your vape with a power bank

A Vape is an electronic device designed to be used on the go.

It would be pointless if it came with a cord which always had to be plugged in for you to use it, resulting in you being stuck in your room at home smoking away (might as well invest in a Hookah)

So, lucky for you and me, vapes are powered using batteries making them mobile.

But, the beauty is that vapes are powered using Rechargeable batteries. 

This means once they run out of charge, they can be recharged. 

Not just once, but many times!

Charging the vape requires a power source. This power source comes in the form of Wall chargers that you plug into a power outlet.

The wall charger is created to charge devices that have rechargeable batteries like your mobile phone, laptop, vape, digital camera etc.

It has the ability to provide the power required to ‘recharge’ the batteries of electronic devices.

The power bank

Some smart person realised that power outlets might not always be available like when you are camping, or maybe going on a hike.

So, the Power Bank was invented to ease our pain.

It is essentially a portable wall outlet that you can take with you and charge your vape. 

Its main purpose is to provide power to be able to charge mobile devices when there isn’t a power outlet available.

Note, the power bank itself is a rechargeable battery and will have to be charged as well.

How a power bank can be used to charge vape

So, what does it take to charge a vape using a power bank?

To charge the vape using a power bank, the power bank will need to have sufficient voltage output requirements that match the vape’s battery voltage specifications. 

The standard nominal operating voltage for most vape batteries is 3.6 volts.

So, in order to be able to charge the vape, the power bank will need to provide an Output voltage that matches or is greater than 3.6 volts. 

In general most mobile devices use voltage that ranges from 3.6 – 5V. 

Because of this, the majority of power banks have an output voltage of 5 volts and is why they can be used to charge a vape. 

How long does it take a power bank to charge a vape?

The faster the power bank can charge your vape the better. 

How fast it takes a power bank to charge a vape comes down to two factors;

1. Output current of the power bank
2. Battery capacity of the vape

Output current (power bank) – Is the maximum value of current that the power bank can supply at its output 

Battery capacity (vape) – Rechargeable batteries have a characteristic that determines how much charge they can store known as battery capacity which is given in either Amp-hours or Milli-Amp-hours.

This unit lets us calculate how long a battery will last for depending on how much current it is supplying. 

For example, say your vape battery has a capacity of 1000mAh and is supplying a current of 10mA to power the vape, the battery will last for 100 hours (1000/10).

This formula can also be used to calculate how long it will take to charge the battery. 

Calculating how long it takes to charge a vape with a power bank

We can use the above factors to calculate roughly how long it will take a power bank to charge a vape. 

Standard vape batteries come with a battery capacity of 3500mAh. 

Below are calculations of different times which vary depending on the output current values of the power bank. 

As you can see, the greater the output current, the faster the power bank will charge your vape. 

Tip on charging a vape faster with a power bank

You might be tempted to use the vape when charging it with a power bank as it is portable as well. But, doing so is going to increase the time it takes to charge.

So, if you want to further increase the speed at which the power bank charges you vape, turn off your vape when charging. 

How many times can you charge a vape with a power bank?

Another important factor to consider when you take your power bank and vape on your next adventure, is how many times the power bank will be able to charge the vape after only being charged once. 

How many times a power bank can charge an electronic device like a vape, comes down to the battery capacity of both devices. 

For example, let’s use the same vape battery capacity from the above example (3500mAh). 

If we had a power bank with the same battery capacity (3500mAh), it would only be able to charge the vape once. 

We get this value by dividing the battery capacity of the power bank by the battery capacity of the vape.

If we increased the battery capacity of the power bank to say, 15000mAh, we would now be able to charge the vape around 4 times! 

While the advantage is obvious in that the power bank will be able to charge your vape multiple times, the downside is that it takes longer to charge. 

Do I need a special type of power bank to charge vape?

Cool, so you can charge your vape using a power bank!

But, do you need a special brand of power bank?

No, you will not need a special brand of power bank to charge your vape.

As long as the power bank has sufficient power at its output (voltage ratings) that match (or is higher) than that of the vape’s battery, you will be fine.

Do I need an expensive power bank to charge a vape?

What about the quality of the power bank?

Do you need an expensive power bank in order to charge my vape? 

We all want to get the best bargain when we buy something new. But, if we pay too little for an item we are going to suffer in the long run.

Nowadays you can buy all sorts of electronics for dirt cheap prices. Cheap electronics are possible because they use cheap materials to create them.

This means they will malfunction sooner than later.

While you do not need an expensive power bank to charge your vape, I do recommend buying a good quality power bank from a reputable brand.

You might have to fork a little more money, but this will save you down the road as you wont be buying more power banks to replace the cheap ones that keep malfunctioning. 

Is it a good idea to invest in a power bank to charge your vape?

The simple answer is yes!

Having a power bank has many advantages.

Advantage #1 using a power bank to charge vape: Charge on the go

The first most obvious one is that you will be able to charge your vape no matter where you go. 

If you are an avid adventurer as well as a vape connoisseur, the power bank will solve your problem when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no power outlets, and your vape battery is about to perish.

Advantage #2 using a power bank to charge vape: No need for replacement batteries

Second, you will not have to carry a bunch of replacement batteries. 

Also, lithium-ion rechargeable batteries pose a risk of catching fire especially when carried loose.

The power bank evades this problem by being able to recharge the existing batteries in the vape. 

Advantage #3 using a power bank to charge vape: Charge other devices

Last and not least, you are not restricted to just charging your vape with the power bank. 

No doubt you have a mobile phone. You will also be able to charge it and other small electronic devices with the power bank.

Considerations when charging a vape with a power bank

If you do not already have a power bank and are thinking of purchasing one, below are some factors to take into consideration. 

Output voltage – Make sure the output voltage of the power bank matches or is a little higher (usually 5V) than then vape’s battery. 

Speed – If you need the power bank to charge your vape fast, opt for one with a higher output current (and do not use the vape while charging)

Multiple charges – you might be away from a power source for a long time and need a power bank to charge the vape multiple times. In this instance you will need a power bank with a large capacity. 

Portability – You don’t want to have to lug around a power bank the size of a brick. This would be counter intuitive. So, you will have to find a power bank that is decent size as well as being able to tick your other criteria.

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