old4570
Flashlight Enthusiast
I like the sliding contacts , they feel nice , I just wonder a little about the long term + there is no problems with any 18650 I can think of , they all will fit with room to spare [ Yes even the Xtar 18700 with room to spare ] .
The only issue I have is the design of the cradle , if you knock the charger the battery may very easily be dislodged , so just bear in mind the batteries are not held in place very securely .
Now the the charger has sliding tabs for adjusting charge current and voltage range , I really hated them with a passion , they just screamed cheap to me , so when I opened the charger for some pictures I was some what remiss in putting them back when closing the charger , Im much happier with the tabs removed , allowing me access to the switches directly .
The charge chord seems to be a euro plug equipped one , so might be something to bear in mind .
By old4570 at 2011-01-01
By old4570 at 2011-01-01
By old4570 at 2011-01-01
I will update as I complete the battery charging tests .
OK some charging info :
650mA setting =
18650 Battery @ 3.79v - 600mA charge current
18650 Battery @ 4.11v - 350/360mA charge current
18650 Battery @ 4,18v - 290/300mA charge current
300mA setting =
18650 Battery @ 3.79v - 300mA charge current
18650 Battery @ 4.11v - 300mA charge current
18650 Battery @ 4.18v - 290mA charge current
Ive been runing tests on the 650mA setting , and when the charger terminates , its @ 4.21v/4.22v and once the light goes green it actually stops charging , I could not measure a charge current on termination .
There does seem to be an issue though , early termination . For some reason some batteries are terminating @ 4.14v/4.15v whilst others go 4.21/4.22v , it does not appear to matter whether the cells are protected or not they may fully charge or not . I dont know if this charger has resistance sensing and terminates early because some cells may have more internal resistance as they approach full charge , or whether its an issue with the sliding terminal and the way it is set up with a rail type system [ see pictures ] . Anyhow , I will explore this when I have done the 300mA tests . If it turns out to be some sort of resistance sensing , then it can be used to sort out your good cells from the not so good ones , but if this were your only charger it could leave you with a lot of undercharged batteries .
Currently testing 300mA setting :
There is no joy with the 300mA charge setting , it looks like early termination at 4.11volts on both channels .
Im going to mod the charger now to eliminate the rail system as a possible cause of the early termination , so keep an eye out , also I will take a video with the amp meter connected .
The only issue I have is the design of the cradle , if you knock the charger the battery may very easily be dislodged , so just bear in mind the batteries are not held in place very securely .
Now the the charger has sliding tabs for adjusting charge current and voltage range , I really hated them with a passion , they just screamed cheap to me , so when I opened the charger for some pictures I was some what remiss in putting them back when closing the charger , Im much happier with the tabs removed , allowing me access to the switches directly .
The charge chord seems to be a euro plug equipped one , so might be something to bear in mind .
By old4570 at 2011-01-01
By old4570 at 2011-01-01
By old4570 at 2011-01-01
I will update as I complete the battery charging tests .
OK some charging info :
650mA setting =
18650 Battery @ 3.79v - 600mA charge current
18650 Battery @ 4.11v - 350/360mA charge current
18650 Battery @ 4,18v - 290/300mA charge current
300mA setting =
18650 Battery @ 3.79v - 300mA charge current
18650 Battery @ 4.11v - 300mA charge current
18650 Battery @ 4.18v - 290mA charge current
Ive been runing tests on the 650mA setting , and when the charger terminates , its @ 4.21v/4.22v and once the light goes green it actually stops charging , I could not measure a charge current on termination .
There does seem to be an issue though , early termination . For some reason some batteries are terminating @ 4.14v/4.15v whilst others go 4.21/4.22v , it does not appear to matter whether the cells are protected or not they may fully charge or not . I dont know if this charger has resistance sensing and terminates early because some cells may have more internal resistance as they approach full charge , or whether its an issue with the sliding terminal and the way it is set up with a rail type system [ see pictures ] . Anyhow , I will explore this when I have done the 300mA tests . If it turns out to be some sort of resistance sensing , then it can be used to sort out your good cells from the not so good ones , but if this were your only charger it could leave you with a lot of undercharged batteries .
Currently testing 300mA setting :
There is no joy with the 300mA charge setting , it looks like early termination at 4.11volts on both channels .
Im going to mod the charger now to eliminate the rail system as a possible cause of the early termination , so keep an eye out , also I will take a video with the amp meter connected .
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