Charging Librem 5 Batteries Outside of Phone

[Quarnero]

@irvinewade

So if the meaning of your question is: given constant availability of a grid supply could the phone remain available forever with two batteries but without ever putting the phone on charge? then the answer is a “touch and go yes”.

Well thought out advice, I think (as depends on how someone organized).

@irvinewade

To refine that answer a little: external charging takes about 8h 20m and I will usually put the phone on charge when the battery depletes to 20% which may be sooner than 8h 20m, but if I pushed my luck with the internal battery and let it go closer to 0% then I might be able to go long enough to change the battery after the external one is charged and before the internal one is flat.

Are you getting (as no manual provided) this 4.35V intelligent charger’s red LED light back to blue after 8+ hours (if down to 3% while 4500mAh÷600mA requires more than 7 hours for sure, although guessing that up to 5 hours might serve the purpose also) of charging your Librem 5 3.8V battery? Asking while didn’t wait (after first time usage yesterday) for blue LED light on my PinePhone’s one but it was 100% after putting it back to the smartphone (and during last night decreased to 92%, which impressed me positively).

As well, I find your recommendation to use 4.35V intelligent charger as quite better option, kind of native support to this battery itself, for Librem 5 external only charging (yet please be aware/read @dos post, particular request actually, directly above from this one, that Librem 5 battery inside of the smartphone should not be attempted to be charged with over 4.2V in order to reach its higher voltage capability of 17.1 Wh, as I understood this important request) of original Librem 5 battery while the linked one from @JR-Fi provides, charges with using 4.2V (which in my amateur opinion isn’t quite adequate for high voltage 3.8V batteries when outside of this particular smartphone charged, as related to this thread title). @irvinewade, thanks a lot for this advice, link to slow charging external device (and probably, while not 100% sure how to properly explain this, for battery itself somehow healthier type of charging)! And please note that: “the battery capacity can be increased by about 15%.”

@weirdnerd

Does an easy solution exist to charge a Librem 5 battery without putting it inside the Librem 5?

As second solution, above mentioned 4.2V external charger (with Librem 5 battery outside of the smartphone itself) would live fully charged battery at 3.7V Max., I believe, and with quite less time needed as it provides 1250mA, I think (and perhaps prolonge its expectancy life). What you think/know about? Just for the purpose of dialog/discussion here, until some expert shows/points out to exact differences/advantages of two mentioned external charging methods (as those universal devices for external charging of LiPo or LiHV batteries look the same but they aren’t, 4.2V vs 4.35V).

And least but not last would be to thank to Purism for choosing 3.8V Li-ion battery! The one that gives users two choices of external charging (as 3.7V battery should not be charged with 4.35V, someone might try this just for one time, if insured, but don’t think that such kind of insurance exists), but 3.8V battery can be charged with 4.2V, externally as well as internally (therefore calling other members within this Forum that already tested those simple external chargers to provide some additional input).