Headlamp wall charger bit the dust?

[Jacobson]

Bought a rechargable 1800 lumens headlamp in 2015 for $20 and has served me well.
The internal batteries are 18650.

Something just like this

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TG6Q44/?tag=atomicindus08-20

The wall charger seems to have stopped working.
When connected to the headlamp, the status light stays green, even if batteries are dead.
I tried using the car charger, and that seems to work. So it looks like the wall charger is the issue.
I think lamp and batteries are still fine.

I will try to find a spare wall charger that fits.
Or, I will buy a dedicated 18650 battery charger tray.

Hmm, I could also get a USB to DC barrel jack cable, that would solve it also.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KXBKHJZ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

It seems the newer generation have common cell phone charger ports, not AC adapters and barrel jacks.

 

[mv213]

Lots of stuff uses USB charging now, even some of the 18650 batteries. You could do what I did, get a Nitecore D4 charger for 18650’s, and convert as much battery operated stuff as you can to use them (flashlights, etc).

 

[BTJHP]

If that light has lasted that long with Chinese 18650s, it might be time for an upgrade. If you are using it everyday, look at the Skilhunt H04 if you can afford it or the Convoy H2. Both have built in charging options. I'd also recommend some high capacity Japanese or Korean cells. I prefer Panasonic/Sanyo GA or LG MJ1. My cells that are pulled from packs measure about 3000 mAh.

 

[fuggle]

I second the upgrade of Chinese cells to Japanese or Korean. We've done this on all of our headlamps. If you really want to keep that headlamp I suggest buying an 18650 charger.

 

[Outlander]

I use wall/USB chargers for many different applications - from microcontrollers to KVM switches. I have been finding I can wear them out. Most recent one to die, the one powering my Chromecast.

 

[Jacobson]

I dug out an old AC adapter kit with Various sized attachments and plugged it into the lamp.
Will let it charge overnight and see if the batteries charge

 

[FMB4]

I prefer Panasonic/Sanyo GA or LG MJ1.

I agree. Just be sure to avoid Samsung and "not well known" brand names. Panasonic is one of the very best brands imo. As for the charger, you might find a similar replacement with the same specs online (changing the plug-in connector could be nesseccary tho).

 

[Jacobson]

I agree. Just be sure to avoid Samsung and "not well known" brand names. Panasonic is one of the very best brands imo. As for the charger, you might find a similar replacement with the same specs online (changing the plug-in connector could be nesseccary tho).

Best place to buy quality 18650's ?

 

[Jacobson]

After doing some research, I think my 18650 batteries are just 100% dead. This may be why the charger shows a green light. I may try to connect the dead 18650 to a good one to bring up the voltage, so the charger can recognize it

 

[Jacobson]

I prefer Panasonic/Sanyo GA or LG MJ1.

Where do I buy these ?

 

[Indexmill]

I agree. Just be sure to avoid Samsung and "not well known" brand names. Panasonic is one of the very best brands imo. As for the charger, you might find a similar replacement with the same specs online (changing the plug-in connector could be nesseccary tho).

Why are Samsung batteries ****?

 

[BTJHP]

Where do I buy these ?

They're sold out most of the usual places due to supply/demand. It sort of depends on how many you need and how much you're willing to pay. I get most of my 18650s from battery packs for as low as $1 per cell. There are places like BatteryHookup that sell salvageable packs, but even they sell out fast.

Most 18v or 20v cordless battery packs that are 4 or 5 amp hour are going to have 10 Samsung 20R or 25R cells, but these are high drain cells which are good for things like vape pens but not really needed for most flashlights. If you can get a non-working tool battery pack that someone is trying to recycle, that's the cheapest way. Even some of the Harbor Freight cordless batteries have Korean or Malaysian made cells.

 

[Jacobson]

They're sold out most of the usual places due to supply/demand. It sort of depends on how many you need and how much you're willing to pay. I get most of my 18650s from battery packs for as low as $1 per cell. There are places like BatteryHookup that sell salvageable packs, but even they sell out fast.

Most 18v or 20v cordless battery packs that are 4 or 5 amp hour are going to have 10 Samsung 20R or 25R cells, but these are high drain cells which are good for things like vape pens but not really needed for most flashlights. If you can get a non-working tool battery pack that someone is trying to recycle, that's the cheapest way. Even some of the Harbor Freight cordless batteries have Korean or Malaysian made cells.

Will pass on the $1 recycler. I found a site that sells brand new 18650 for $2.50/ea. I will just get those. Looks like I can get 7A, 15A, or 30A.