Xiaomi NiMH AA/AAA 4 slot USB charger (and batterybank)

A few months ago I noticed Xiaomi getting into the NiMH battery game with their Xiaomi ZI5 AA NiMH batteries.

Currently Xiaomi make some good quality Lithium USB battery banks. I have both the 10000mAh and 16000mAh Xiaomi battery banks, and they are good.

These new NiMH AAs are 1800mAh-1900mAh and claimed to be LSD and made in Japan.



The batteries are made in Japan (so are they FDK???)

These can be found on the usual Chinese sellers like:
http://www.banggood.com/4PCS-Origin...800mAh-NI-MH-Recharger-Battery-p-1052672.html
http://www.gearbest.com/batteries/pp_363064.html
https://www.fasttech.com/product/4817600-authentic-xiaomi-zi5-aa-1-2v-1800mah-rechargeable

The prices weren't so great compared with Eneloops, or even the newly announced Ikea Ladda (FDK Japan) batteries, so I didn't think much about them.

The thing I noticed yesterday is that they also released a 4 slot independent channel USB charger (with battery bank capability)



The charger can be seen at Banggood http://www.banggood.com/Original-Xi...-Battery-Charger-with-USB-Port-p-1052225.html

or Gearbest http://www.gearbest.com/chargers/pp_363063.html

It appears to be have 4 independent channels, and is a fast charger, so I am going to order one to test out with my USB solar panels.

Thought you guys might be interested as well.

I've come to the conclusion that fast chargers produce more heat than I like.

recDNA said:

I've come to the conclusion that fast chargers produce more heat than I like.

Click to expand...

That's true, but this Xiaomi charger at 550m for AA and 225mA for AAA is still less than 0.3C so shouldn't get too hot.

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Evadinnn said:

I suspect it's the China Evolta (Eneloop) in disguise due to its similarities in the Evolta claims.

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The image claims that they are made in Japan though. By "famous manufacturer".

very interesting, I also found this charger and I'm considering buying it.... by the way GB coupon for 9.99 USD here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...rBest-New-Arrivals-(update-continually)/page4

Well i ordered one and since the charger is already on sale the coupon does not work for sale items.

I have a thing for microusb chargers at the moment.

John.

The charge time seems to depend on how many cells you are charging according to the blue quick charger graph, even though the specifications do not show this.

(1.5V AA: 550mA x 4 ; 1.5V AA：225mA x 4)

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http://www.gearbest.com/chargers/pp_363063.html?currency=GBP&gclid=CPq4wZSQ-8wCFQaNGwod4r8Pyw

John.

TinderBox (UK) said:

Well i ordered one and since the charger is already on sale the coupon does not work for sale items.

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Keen to know when you get yours. I ordered mine on the 25th, and it's not shipped yet (coming to Australia).

My current portable USB AA chargers:


* Portapow USB charger 4 slots (also seen this as a Fujicell SCH500 or 500F charger) - but can only charge 2 in slots 1&2 or 3&4 or 4 at a time. Also uses same USB socket for input and output and front button to switch, and needs USB male-male cable for charging and has USB output.
* Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus 4 slot charger - can only 4 AAs at a time, needs additional attachment for AAAs, uses USB mini socket for charging and has USB output.
* Sunjack AA/AAA charger 4 individual charging slots, 0.5A charge current for AAs, uses USB micro socket for charging.
* Liitokala Lii100 1 slot NiMH/Li-ion charger - only 1 AA/AAA at a time, Uses USB micro socket for charging, and has USB output

Mine is still processing, I ordered it yesterday, I ordered a couple of those flexible usb lights, these new ones have a touch to turn off/on function and are cheap enough to order a couple.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/upda...omi-power-bank-for-Laptop-PC/32428948102.html

John.

keithy said:

Keen to know when you get yours. I ordered mine on the 25th, and it's not shipped yet (coming to Australia).

My current portable USB AA chargers:


* Portapow USB charger 4 slots (also seen this as a Fujicell SCH500 or 500F charger) - but can only charge 2 in slots 1&2 or 3&4 or 4 at a time. Also uses same USB socket for input and output and front button to switch, and needs USB male-male cable for charging and has USB output.
* Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus 4 slot charger - can only 4 AAs at a time, needs additional attachment for AAAs, uses USB mini socket for charging and has USB output.
* Sunjack AA/AAA charger 4 individual charging slots, 0.5A charge current for AAs, uses USB micro socket for charging.
* Liitokala Lii100 1 slot NiMH/Li-ion charger - only 1 AA/AAA at a time, Uses USB micro socket for charging, and has USB output

Click to expand...

Looks like a perfect charger, though it uses USB.

fedcas said:

very interesting, I also found this charger and I'm considering buying it.... by the way GB coupon for 9.99 USD here

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Ahhhhh... I did not see the coupon...

TinderBox (UK) said:

I ordered a couple of those flexible usb lights, these new ones have a touch to turn off/on function and are cheap enough to order a couple.

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Have you bought from that Aliexpress seller before? I have a couple of "touch" on/off ones, but the last time I ordered one from an eBay seller, they sent the normal one without on/off switches.

Evadinnn said:

Looks like a perfect charger, though it uses USB.

Click to expand...

For some of us, the USB charging input is exactly what we are after. For me it is both for use with my USB solar panels when hiking for extended periods, and also for a small travel charger that I can use with the USB power adapters I already carry.


Ever since the great Sanyo Eneloop NCMDU01 USB charger, (This was very difficult to find in Australia before they stopped making it), I have been searching for the perfect USB AA/AAA charger. The Eneloop NCMDU01 had an 850mA charge rate when using AAs, so was quite a quick charger, but it still only used a 500mA input.


The replacement for the Sanyo NCMDU01 was the Panasonic BQ-CC14 that HKJ reviewed http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Panasonic BQ-CC14 UK.html but that is another hard to find charger.

The Ikea Vinninge that HKJ just reviewed looked promising as a budget USB AA/AAA charger but is quite slow at 240mA.


The Fujitsu FSC341EX-B "portable Smart charger" looks good as well, but is currently expensive to get in Australia (around AUD$60 - $99).


My other USB AA/AAA chargers have various issues - the Sunjack is probably the best one at the moment with individual charging channels, but it stops charging when sun to the solar panel is obscured by cloud, then it appears to go on a trickle charge, rather than restarting the charging cycle again.


Anyway, will update when I receive the Xiaomi Zi5 charger.

I have around 30 orders from AlieExpress only 1 never showed up and i got a refund, I had a couple that were not the specs that i had ordered, and i got a refund on those as well as the sellers don't want negative feedback, I always compare the prices between Ali and eBay and amazingly Amazon can be the cheapest, but a lot of people do not know they are ordering from china/hong-kong and you have to give 10-30 days for delivery but you can get some amazing prices.

Unless you have really reliable sun, it`s best to charge an power bank and then use that to power your usb battery charger as a cloud can cause the charger to keep resetting if it`s directly connected to your solar panel.

If you have a small folding solar panel and you are looking for a battery charger to connect directly to it, get a usb charger with no display and as few led`s as possible as they all use power that could be charging your battery`s

If you have a small solar panel and only want to charge aa or aaa nihm battery`s you can get a dumb charger with virtually no electronics other than a voltage regulator and you have to stop the charging yourself, but the advantage is that the charger will run from very little power you get from a small solar panel like the dumb charger in the photo below.



John.

keithy said:

That's true, but this Xiaomi charger at 550m for AA and 225mA for AAA is still less than 0.3C so shouldn't get too hot.

Click to expand...

I'm a bit confused, 550mA AA / 225mA AAA is considered a quick charger? I know that they are faster than standard consumer chargers but it would take at least 3 hours to charge these cells.

Evadinnn said:

Looks like a perfect charger, though it uses USB.

Click to expand...

We actually need more smart USB AA/AAA chargers. Newer cars carry USB charging ports and being able to charge batteries without needing to use solar (which can be unreliable if you're in a cloudy area without sunshine) you can always use your car.

MidnightDistortions said:

I'm a bit confused, 550mA AA / 225mA AAA is considered a quick charger? I know that they are faster than standard consumer chargers but it would take at least 3 hours to charge these cells.

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Quicker than most I guess it's better to say.

With my USB chargers, only my Liitokala Lii100 does up to 1000mA but it is only a single AA charger.

The old Sanyo Eneloop USB charger and the replacement BQ-CC14 charger have a higher charge current of around 850mA, but like I said are hard to find.

The others I have - the Portapow (Fujicell SCH500) charges 4 AAs in around 5-6 hours, the Goal Zero in 6-10 hours, the Sunjack ~5 hours. Even the Fujitsu FSC341EX-B takes around 6 hours for AAs. You guys in the US can get this charger cheaply (I've seen it for around USD$10-$15), but in Australia, it is priced between AUD$60-100.

So I'm hoping the Xiaomi will be quicker than these at least.

My charger just shipped from GB today

John.

keithy said:

Quicker than most I guess it's better to say.

With my USB chargers, only my Liitokala Lii100 does up to 1000mA but it is only a single AA charger.

The old Sanyo Eneloop USB charger and the replacement BQ-CC14 charger have a higher charge current of around 850mA, but like I said are hard to find.

The others I have - the Portapow (Fujicell SCH500) charges 4 AAs in around 5-6 hours, the Goal Zero in 6-10 hours, the Sunjack ~5 hours. Even the Fujitsu FSC341EX-B takes around 6 hours for AAs. You guys in the US can get this charger cheaply (I've seen it for around USD$10-$15), but in Australia, it is priced between AUD$60-100.

So I'm hoping the Xiaomi will be quicker than these at least.

Click to expand...

It's probably what they meant but when i think of a quick charger i figure it would charge batteries under 2 hours which you would need 1 Amp or more depending on the battery, the C9000 is the only one i know of that does it safely (charges to about 90% then tops off for 2 hours if you can wait).

keithy said:

For some of us, the USB charging input is exactly what we are after. For me it is both for use with my USB solar panels when hiking for extended periods, and also for a small travel charger that I can use with the USB power adapters I already carry.


Ever since the great Sanyo Eneloop NCMDU01 USB charger, (This was very difficult to find in Australia before they stopped making it), I have been searching for the perfect USB AA/AAA charger. The Eneloop NCMDU01 had an 850mA charge rate when using AAs, so was quite a quick charger, but it still only used a 500mA input.


The replacement for the Sanyo NCMDU01 was the Panasonic BQ-CC14 that HKJ reviewed http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Panasonic BQ-CC14 UK.html but that is another hard to find charger.

The Ikea Vinninge that HKJ just reviewed looked promising as a budget USB AA/AAA charger but is quite slow at 240mA.


The Fujitsu FSC341EX-B "portable Smart charger" looks good as well, but is currently expensive to get in Australia (around AUD$60 - $99).


My other USB AA/AAA chargers have various issues - the Sunjack is probably the best one at the moment with individual charging channels, but it stops charging when sun to the solar panel is obscured by cloud, then it appears to go on a trickle charge, rather than restarting the charging cycle again.


Anyway, will update when I receive the Xiaomi Zi5 charger.

Click to expand...

I quote every single word
I was also looking forward to the review of the ikea vinninge, but unfortunately it's ruled out (total crap). I didn't know about the fujitsu though... I'll check, thank you

MidnightDistortions said:

It's probably what they meant but when i think of a quick charger i figure it would charge batteries under 2 hours which you would need 1 Amp or more depending on the battery, the C9000 is the only one i know of that does it safely (charges to about 90% then tops off for 2 hours if you can wait).

Click to expand...

I don't know if there is any commercially available USB input AA/AAA charger than can charge > 1A. Even at 1A I could only find my LiitoKala Li100 is the only USB input one I have.

fedcas said:

I didn't know about the fujitsu though... I'll check, thank you

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The Fujitsu is ok, but I think it is also only has a max charge current of 350mA. But is so expensive in Australia to find. Hopefully you can get it in Europe cheaper. Some guys are selling the charger separately in the US for around USD $10.