Can I use a 4.2V charger for a lithium ion battery?

The good news is that nearly all batteries you will encounter are going to be 4.2V. And you can use a 4.2V charger for both lithium ion and lithium ion polymer. If you ever encounter a 4.35V battery, you can always use a 4.2V charger: it'll charge it up to 4.2V which is perfectly safe. We carry two chargers in our store (at this time).

Are lithium polymer batteries safe to use?

Lithium Polymer batteries are dangerous to use and need to be handled carefully. They are designed to output power many times their capacitances, with some batteries capable of outputting hundreds of amps for a short time. However, it is recommended to start with NIMH batteries first. (Note: The passage does not directly answer if lithium polymer batteries are safe or not, but it does indicate that they require careful handling due to their power output.)

What type of battery is in the top pack?

The top pack is an HV type. Lithium-HV, or High Voltage Lithium are lithium polymer batteries that use a special silicon-graphene additive on the positive terminal, which resists damage at higher voltages. When charged above 4.2V, most lithium batteries exhibit significant capacity loss and reduced lifespan.

Can a lithium battery be used as a charge module?

All this means that you can employ unprotected Lithium cells such as standard 18650 batteries in combination with common charge modules. Off-the-shelf battery modules are a good way to secure a project that uses batteries against common faults that might occur while charging or discharging a Lithium battery.

What is a lithium ion battery pack?

Packs like these are normally spot welded together with nickel strips. Lithium-ion, or Li-ion typically refers to the overarching technology of rechargeable lithium batteries, but also specifically refers to the traditional cells built in cylindrical metal bodies. The venerable 18650 is one such cell, but a large variety of sizes and types exist.

How to correctly charge lithium-ion and LiPo batteries?

This third part of the series introduces how to correctly charge Lithium-Ion and LiPo batteries so that you can understand what you need to do when implementing a custom charging circuit. Typically, you charge lithium batteries by applying the CC-CV scheme. CC-CV stands for Constant Current - Constant Voltage.