Battery Overcharging – Causes and Symptoms

Many modern devices in our homes, offices, and other places run on batteries. A battery is an electronic device that stores charges and then supplies them to power other electronic gadgets. This makes batteries quite handy, especially in terms of portability for various devices.

3.2V 20A Low Temp LiFePO4 Battery Cell -40℃ 3C discharge capacity≥70% Charging temperature：-20~45℃ Discharging temperature: -40~+55℃ pass acupuncture test -40℃ maximum discharge rate：3C

READ MORE

However, their use may require precaution too. This is something many users may ignore or don’t fully understand. One of the most significant issues with batteries is overcharging and over-draining. Most users will not even care about it. And yet, these are issues that will affect the life of the battery. You may have to buy another battery, which is costly.

Handling batteries improperly can shorten their life span. In worse cases, it can even cause an explosion. The last thing you want is increased maintenance costs for your devices.

In this guide, we will be discussing battery overcharging protection and its causes. Keep reading.

Battery Overcharging Protection Circuit With Automatic Cut-off

Technological advancement in batteries and the world of electronics has created useful gadgets. Most batteries today come with computerized charging and discharging functions. This stops the batteries from charging when it’s full or over-discharging when below the standard voltage.

Almost all power banks today come with overcharge protection. This is a built-in circuit that detects the status of the battery and stops any loading process beyond 100 percent. With this circuit in place, you can leave your power bank charging overnight, and it will not have any issues.

The circuit operates easily by monitoring the power bank’s heat. As you may already know, charging a battery excessively beyond its capacity generates heat. The overcharge protection circuit uses the effect at 100 percent charge. An NTC resistor is often used for this purpose.

Resistance is another factor necessary in understanding how these circuits work. In short, the resistance becomes shorter with rising temperatures. For instance, at a certain point of temperature, the power flowing through the NTC grows. Since this part of connected to the charge controlling unit, it will detect any change and react to it appropriately. It will stop the loading process, protecting your battery from exploding.

Battery Overcharging Causes

What causes batteries to overcharge? This is another important question we need to answer in this case.

There are many causes of battery overcharge. Mostly, it depends on the type of battery you are using.

Low Temperature High Energy Density Rugged Laptop Polymer Battery Battery specification: 11.1V 7800mAh -40℃ 0.2C discharge capacity ≥80% Dustproof, resistance to dropping, anti - corrosion, anti - electromagnetic interference

READ MORE

Here are some of the most common factors:

Using incorrect chargers

Rechargeable batteries are pretty handy. They can give you hundreds of charge cycles, which makes them better than single-use batteries.

However, many people don’t know that using the wrong charge can cause a lot of harm to the batteries. This is why device manufacturers include recommended chargers with their products.

Using the wrong charger can cause too much heat to build up. This will create an overcharging issue, which can end up affecting the battery negatively.

For car batteries, improper use of the charger cause the same issues. If, for instance, a car battery is placed on the charger for too long, it can overcharge. This leads to a significant decrease in the life span and efficiency of your battery.

Always read about specific batteries and recommended chargers. It will save you a lot of trouble where you would be forced to buy a new battery.

Using Faulty Chargers

Sometimes you will find faulty chargers. For instance, something may happen to the charger cord and affect its wiring.

Using such chargers can lead to battery overcharging. Even if you monitor the charging process keenly, it would be hard to realize when it is happening.

Avoiding this issue can be quite challenging. Manufacturing mistakes are common in many areas. And they happen without warning.

It’s recommended that you always test your charger regularly before using it. If it’s running correctly, you should not worry about overcharging.

Heat

Heat is the number one cause of battery overcharging. This is why most manufacturers will recommend that you charge your devices under low temperatures.

Even for car batteries, heat can still be a big threat. Packing your car or driving under extreme summer heat can have adverse effects on the battery. If the battery has had similar overcharging issues in the past, extreme heat only makes it worse.

Heat and overcharging are closely related. It can be a bit hard to avoid these issues if you live in warmer climates. The best way to prevent it is to avoid overcharging altogether. This may mean installing overcharging protection circuits.

Faulty Batteries

Faulty batteries are the main cause of overcharging issues. If your batteries are swollen, for instance, the chance of heat built-up is very high. When internal chemicals interact, it can be hard to avoid these problems. It’s recommended that you dispose of swollen batteries or those that have physical damages. Forced charging can lead to explosions.

Buying poor-quality batteries can have the same effect. They may be cheap, but they may not have a protection circuit. When heat builds up, there is no system in place to stop the loading process. You can avoid these risks by only buying products from reputable brands.

Battery Overcharging Symptoms

Overcharging happens when the battery is charged beyond the recommended voltage. It can damage the batteries and, if not handled, be dangerous to people.

Overcharging signs and symptoms vary depending on the battery type. But the following signs are common in most batteries:

Overheating: As stated above, heat is the main cause of overcharging, and likewise, overcharging leads to heat build-up. Touch your charging battery and feel its temperature. If it’s 100% and you notice abnormal temperatures, discontinue charging.

High voltage reading. It’s easier to notice higher than normal voltage output in batteries. In-car batteries, for instance, you will notice this from the alternator readings. When charging batteries that don’t have to overcharge control circuits, consider buying a charger that shows charging percentage and battery capacity.

Physical damage on the battery. If your battery is swollen or showing any physical damages, it could be overcharging. It’s recommended that you don’t try to charge such batteries. Instead, dispose of them immediately and replace them.

Batteries have become more dependable today than any other source of energy. Their popularity only grows by the day. Proper use and handling is therefore necessary. Use this guide to avoid overcharging your batteries.