What Voltage Should I Charge My 3.7 V Battery?

There are different voltages battery available that depends on the design and the components inside the batteries. To consider the 3.7 V battery it comes with a protection board so that the battery does not get damaged. Sometimes it is also available without the protection board. The 3.7 V battery generally has a nominal charge of 3.0 V and a full charge of 4.2 V. The potential of these batteries ranges between some hundred to some thousand mAh. These batteries are generally used in different instruments and meters and other products.

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If the 3.7 V battery has a protection board then it can be charged with a 5 V charger. A 5 V charger is usually used in the USB of computers, mobile phones etc. If it lacks the protection board then it is instructed to charge it with only a 4.2 V charger. This is so as the standard voltage for a fully charged 3.7 V battery is 4.2 V. If the charging voltage surpasses the 4.2 V the battery may lose its backup and become useless. The volume of the battery determines the capacity of the 3.7 V battery. The larger number of batteries in parallel has greater capacity.

A series of 3.7 V batteries that have higher capacity will take more time to charge than a single 3.7 V battery with lower capacity. For instance, a battery that has 1000 mAh capacity will take less time than a battery that has 2000 mAh capacity to get fully charged with the same charger.

How to charge a 3.7 V battery?

It is always a concern that the battery does not get overcharged or over-discharged as there is a possibility of the battery getting ruined. To charge a 3.7 V battery you need to have some skills so that the battery can last longer with you without altering its performance. So there is a four-step method to charge a 3.7 V battery that is as follows:-

Activation charge -  In the first step when the battery has reached the lowest charge a small current is applied to activate the battery.

Constant current charge - Then when the temperature rises to a certain percentage, the charging current is also raised to the constant current fast charging point.

Constant voltage charging - As the voltage reaches 4.2 V, the voltage should be changed to a constant voltage charging point of 4.2 V. After this the charging current will start to decrease slowly.

Trickle charge – When the battery is fully charged change it to trickle charge so that the charge remains maintained and does not drain quickly.

Can I charge a 3.7 V battery with a 4.2 V charger?

The 3.7 V battery has a charge cut-off voltage of 4.2 V and its discharge cut-off voltage is  3.0 V. It is recommended to use 4.2 V constant voltage charging mode as it is safe to use it for charging a 3.7 V cell. When the battery has a 3.6 V open-circuit voltage, it’s time for the battery to get charged. There is no need to pay attention to the time while changing the battery with 4.2 V as the maximum directed voltage is 4.2 V. The 4.2 V charger can be used even when the battery is not safeguarded by the protection board. However, when you use a high voltage battery like 5 V your 3.7 V battery needs to have a protective board as the maximum charging voltage of the 3.7 V battery is 4.2 and when it rises to a higher voltage there is a possibility of the battery to get overcharged and may even blast or catch fire. Hence a 4.2 V charger is the best option to charge your 3.7 V battery whether or not it has a protective board.

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Lithium battery charging is a time-consuming process. Constant current charging is typically utilised to allow the battery to attain a specific voltage value before switching to a constant voltage power supply. Although the constant current charging pace is quick, the lithium battery cannot be overcharged or it will be damaged or explode. As a result, when it gets close to the greatest voltage, it switches to a constant voltage power supply, steadily charges upwards, and then stops charging at 4.2 volts.

How long to charge a 3.7 V Li-ion battery? 

The normal time that is taken to charge a 3.7 V Li-ion battery is one and a half hours to a maximum of two hours. It depends on the power source and the voltage capacity of the charger that determines the time to be taken to charge the cell. It also depends on the battery percentage at which you are putting it to charge. The lower the percentage the longer the time to be taken. A fully charged Li-ion can give a backup of five to seven hours on high mode. When the battery becomes old with constant usage it starts to lose its backup as well as takes more time to get fully charged. So the time that it takes to get fully charged may vary after a couple of years.

The usage of lithium batteries is common nowadays because of their reliability and fast charging capability. The performance and durability of these batteries will be determined largely by your handling habits and the conditions under which you use the battery. Proper charging and storage of your batteries will result in improved performance and more charge cycles. However, these batteries like any other battery, degrade over time. As a result, you should expect to replace your battery every two or three years. The time between replacements will be determined largely by how long you use your battery each day. Those who use their devices frequently will notice that their batteries lose a significant amount of capacity in just one year. Users of light devices can even use a battery for three years without noticing a significant loss in overall battery capacity.