hazard2036
Newly Enlightened
Review MiBoxer C2-3000
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Hey folks today we will be reviewing the MiBoxer C2-3000 this is the second installment from MiBoxer a new player in the charging game. The first rendition of the MiBoxer charging series was heavily critiqued by fellow CPF members. We all had our say and told MiBoxer how they could improve there chargers. So now its time to see if they have listened and follow through with the updates. MiBoxer has still implanted the fully automatic controls so you simply put your batteries in the C2 and it does all the work for you. The C2 will decide what types of batteries they are and how much current to charge them at. I was hoping for a little more user control on this model so lets see how it does. \
Please note the C2 will not charge LiFePO 4 cells. The C2 can charge 4.30/4.35v lithiums but they will be under charged as cut off voltage is 4.20 volts. The C2 can charge all commonly found lithium cells that are used by us flashlight enthusiast plus the standard AA/AAA batteries like NiMH and Ni-Cs. Yes it can do Ni-Cd but I have not seen them for sale in may places lately.
- 4.20V(Li-ion/IMR/INR/ICR)
- Compatible with Ni-MH / Ni-Cd(1.48V)
Battery type: AAAA / AAA / AA / A / SC / C / D
The C2 has a much bigger and wider charging bay then most chargers on the market currently. The bays are very deep and extremely wide which makes charging 26650 easier. Even the biggest 26650s can fit ion the C2 with no problems this is the first for a charger that i own. The screen is big and clear and is backlight by a blue light. The one and only button on the C2 has a good tactile feel to it i like a good click.
MiBoxer has implemented a few new features which helps the C2 compete with other smart chargers. The new C2 can read impedance on both slots and has a battery capacity meter (MAH) calculator built into both slots. The design of the C2 give it some good overall cooling capabilities it doesn't get to hot while charging at all the c2 does have cooling on the back side like the C4 does.
I am yet to fully test the C2 with a DC adapter so basically I need more time as I have yet to test the C2 too its full capabilities.
The internal components are all good quality and there is lots of space on the voltage input
The extra wide slots are here for a reason the C2 is designed as a fast charger for larger cells. The C2 can charge two cells at 1.5amps each which will help when charging 26650s or even high drain 18650s. The 1.5amp charging rate can possibly cut charging time in half. Most 4 bay chargers do not charge at more then 1amp max! Nitecore has the SC2 that can charge at 2amps but that is also only a 2 bay charger. The SC2 has its own issues also with over charging i believe Nitecore has fixed the issue now.
Most 4 bay charger can only fit in a maximum of 2 26650 at the same time so I do not see the C2 only being 2 slots as an issue. Also most 4 bays charger can not fit the larger protected 26650 in the bay they are way to long.
The one issue I can see with this charger is that it uses trickle charging to keep cells full. I can tell this from looking at the specs but I do not have the equipment to test this my self. This will lead to battery degradation over time in theory the charge cycle will never finish. If the C2 is left on the charger will keep topping up the cells after the charge is complete. So basically your battery has reached 4.20 volts you then leave the cells on the charger they slightly drain to 4.15 volts.
The rails run very smooth and appear to be stainless steel
Once the battery has settled (cells always lose voltage once settled). The charger will take the cell back up to 4.20 volts this will continue to happen as long as the cell is inside the C2. Its very important to note that this is not over charging the cell. The charger will cut of charging once the cells reaches 4.20 volts. The MiBoxer C4 also had this issue it is a fairly minor issue but it is still an issue to keep in mind when choosing if you want to buy the C2. This trickle charging has its pros and cons your cells will always be full but that will lead to faster battery derogation.
If your primary charging battery type is NiMH the C2 is okay I would rather a 4 bay charger for exclusive NiMH battery chargring. The C2 is using the correct the way to charge NiMH but it is only charging the cells at 1amp each so charging 4 cells will take a very long time. Most devices like flashlights use 4 NiMH batteries. If they bumped up the current you could probably make the C2 works as a NiMH charger. I do notice a more stable cut of on the C2 when compared to other chargers. The battery settle a better and higher voltage. Standard cut of for NiMH cells was 1.46 volts and the batteries were only just warm to touch.
Being able to use a 5v power source means you can use the C2 with any standard USB type charger but I would recommend a high amperage charger. You can also buy the 9-12v USB fast chargers they come standard with some tablets and Ipads these USB chargers will work well with this charger. The best results are found while using a mains DC input adapter.
- USB
- DC
- 5v-12v @2 amps max
- Automatic detection of the cell type either lithium ion or NiMH,Ni-cad. This is good and bad I would of liked some more user input controls. The C2-3000 allows no input what so ever.
- Uses pulse charging for NiMH,Ni-Cd cells (Proper method of charging to achieve full batteries)
- Fast charge of 1.5amps max for lithium cells and max charge rate of 1amp for NiMH cells.
- Auto stops charge once cells are full.
- Auto adapts current rate to suit the individual cell. (smaller cells require less current to charge)
- Auto adapts to the input voltage of the charger 5v-12v
- Auto detects internal resistance of the cell in each slot
- Auto counts the estimated remaining charge time
- Supports repair of zero voltage cells (note only works with protected cells)
- Saves the charging curve automatically for lithium cells only
- Charges both ports independently (lithium can be charged on one and NiMH on the other)
- Supports charging for smaller cells
- High precision reference voltage calibration
- Reverse polarity protection and short circuit protection
The included MAH counter is actually pretty good its not perfect but none of the MAH readers included on charger are! If you put in a completely flat cell the C2 does a good job. I measured a Klarus 18650 3600mah cell at about 3450mah from almost flat I mean this cells voltage was at 3 volts. This is actually well within a few percent margin of error easily charging from flat is what most cell capacity readers do.
Cooling fins on the back
The impedance calculation is as good as all other chargers on the market it is hit and miss at best. When comparing to my Engineer-500 the C2 does well they are both a bit all over the place this is to be expected. My Sony VTC5 got 30milliohm and my Samsung 25r got 27 Milliohms which isn't to far of the mark. When comparing to other chargers if you have a professional set up that will be much better options to measure resistance. Resistance measurements on chargers is more of guidance at best if you buy a cell new and do a few test at the start you can easily track the cells life.
The remaining time features seems to jump around a bit because the charger is continually changing the charger current of the cells. Not a big issue just don't be put of by the long charge estimate at the start of a cycle. The time will adjust and get shorter once the charger settles down. No chargers that I own even have this feature.
Good addition are the different height bumps helps with all the different cell types
- MiBoxer C2-3000
- Charging cable
- Instructions
- Car charging adapter
I am back at home so i will add some info to this later!
Thanks for taking the time to read
Regards Chris
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