Lithium Ion batteries - conflicting info

[padren]

So, I got the green smoke electric cigs, which have Lithium Ion batteries and while they are nice and all, I've ran into a problem with the charge just not holding. I have two batteries but I'll pull one off (that says it's charged) and it just near-dead and flashes the low battery light when I use it. I read (in a really old thread I found via search) that these batteries aren't supposed to have a memory, but the FAQ on the site says:

 

Can I leave my battery plugged in to charge overnight?

 

Your battery should be taken out of the charger as soon as possible after the light turns green. Like all Lithium Ion batteries, overcharging can ruin the lifespan of your E-Cigarette.

 

First of all - is a couple hours (plug it in, let it charge, let it finish a few hours before waking up) really going to cause it to crap out in just a few weeks? If it knows when it's done (the light goes green) why does it just keep charging? What should I do, and did I really damage it or is this just blah-talk for a "If we sell you a bad battery expect us to blame it on something you did." style policy? I haven't contacted them yet because I want to have my facts straight first, since replacement batteries cost about $50.

 

If they are messed up, is there a way to restore them? What is the best way to deal with these sorts of batteries when apparently the charger will overcharge?

[Hal.]

Maybe you could use some sort of a timer switch at the wall socket , if a wall socket is used , that can be set to allow electricity to get to your charging apparatus for different amounts of time .

 

 

[JCP]

First of all - is a couple hours (plug it in, let it charge, let it finish a few hours before waking up) really going to cause it to crap out in just a few weeks? If it knows when it's done (the light goes green) why does it just keep charging?

 

Keeping your battery plugged in shouldn't be a problem. I keep my phone plugged in all the time, and my battery lifetime doesn't decrease. At least not noticeably.

 

And if you are really worried about it, just recharge it only when it is almost out of juice. And do it during the day rather than at night so that you can unplug it when its done.

 

 

 

If they are messed up, is there a way to restore them?

 

Just buy a new one. Lithium ion batteries are quite durable to begin with, so barring some unlikely event it isn't going to degrade or break down very quickly.

[StringJunky]

Here's the Wiki on Lithium-Ion:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery