Time for a new charger

I have a MAHA MH9000. This is my second one, as the first one was replaced on warranty. Now this one seems to be doing what most MH9000 do and that is slowly losing one charging bay after another. Can't complain too much as I have gotten years out of it. I mostly charge enelops and am looking for a same type of charger that will also somewhat restore some almost dead cells. Whats out there now at competative prices to the MAHA and might stand a chance of not having it slowly turn into a one cell charger?

I have the same need as Trouthead. I have used a Maha 9000 since 2008, but I am loosing individual bays.

I have read through a lot of the reviews here and ones referenced here. However, this is a very smart forum and…
I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE SOME ADVICE - a good charger can quickly become a very complex instrument, and I am much more interested in it as a tool than a project in and of itself. I just cannot seem to wade thru and keep track of all the built-in variables.

I want: reliable/accurate charging of Eneloops [1900 mah and 2400 mah] and 18650 3.7V/3500 mah cells. I don't expect to branch out much beyond those two, unless some AA chemistry offers much greater capacity with long storage. I'd like to be able to charge 4 cells at a time, due to the 9-cell capacity of my Mag85 [Borealis]. Since I travel a good deal to remote places, I have tried to stick with AA form factor as much as possible - I have managed to find these for example deep in the jungle in Guyana, all over Africa, and recently in small Central Asian towns.

I would like to be able to measure discharge capacity to at least roughly equalize the cells in my multi-cell applications.
I am not trying for the nth degree of battery life – My original Maha 9000 has me still using Eneloops dated 2006 that show 1700 mah [~90% original capacity] on its still-functioning bays. However, another Maha 9000 leaves me dry re: 18650s.

I have been impressed with the reviews of the SkyRC M3000, but I wonder if price and complexity are beyond any of my needs/desires.

Q: does it really make a difference for my application if my charger does or does not use pulse charging? Some reviewers seem to put a premium on this?

RECOMMENDATIONS, PLEASE. I will take responsibility for my final decision!!

For NiMH I would buy the mh c9000 again. Feel free to assume that production and product quality got improved during the 11yr of production.

Does anybody knows if there was any kind of improvement or updates to the mh c9000?

kreisl said:

For NiMH I would buy the mh c9000 again. Feel free to assume that production and product quality got improved during the 11yr of production.

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kreisl, I'm comfortable with that, and I'm used to setting both CC and DC depending on my use. No reason I need an all-in-one charger!
But what about my 18650's? I only have (2), and so a smaller charger could work well. What would you recommend, suggest I narrow down to considering? I looked at the Nitecore i2 [new], but it has no capacity analysis capability that I could detect, and I really like to try matching capacity in my several multi-cell devices - esp. the Borealis that draws so much current.

photonhoer said:

But what about my 18650's? I only have (2),

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You could get another (2), then you'll have (4) :huh:

Oki kidding. It's been a long time since i bought any batteries or chargers. My C9000 stays in the drawer and i try to do everything with the mc3k, even though it takes more button presses sometimes. Right now(!) i am topping off my 2yr old NiZn AA batteries. After 2yr of practically no use, the capacity and general performance has become abysmal and i can't seem to get them back like a sleeping Eneloop.

mc3k is expensive but so are other quality 4bay chargers like c9000 and opus.

I never read any reviews or what but the Miboxer series of chargers could be something for you. What do you think? http://tinyurl.com/miboxel

Trouthead

If you only need NiMh AA and AAA charging, testing and refreshing the MH9000 is still my choice. They have a 3 year warranty, are readily available and have US based customer support. I am also on my second one. The first one was the first charger that I bought that did something other than charge batteries. Maybe the Opus BT-C2400 could be an option if you are looking for something less expensive.

Once you get into chargers/analyzers that handle LiIon and NiMH chemistries there are a lot more options.

I have a Nitecore d-2 for my Lithium, and I can use it for enloops, but I have grown used to the refresh etc features of the MAHA. I would be open to chargers that can handle both Lithium and MiMH. I just don't want (and there might be no way around it) a disposable charger.

i'm using the MC3K for most of my charging duties for now as my cells have been 'parked' for a while and i'm giving them a cycle/refresh on the MC3K..

if not, i guess xtar (in my opinion) is a good choice for general duties, likewise the Nitecore.. if a bit of cell analysis or more functions are required, then perhaps the Opus BT3100 v2.2 or Liitokala Lii 500 Engineers are in order , if you do not want to fork out for the MC3K..

My Maha C9000 chargers are still working well and I continue to use them. I have a Pila IBC charger that I use for 18650 cells. I guess that makes me a little old fashion...

I recently purchased a MC3000 and am just figuring out how to use it. I figure that if I can type a response on a computer I should be able to figure out the MC3000.

The chargers that have more features seem to have a longer learning curve but being a charger geek I think it is worth the effort to figure them out.

In retrospect I am surprised that the Maha and Pila chargers have lasted this long. The MC3000 has some big shoes to fill if it wants to keep up.

Tom

SilverFox said:

I recently purchased a MC3000 and am just figuring out how to use it. I figure that if I can type a response on a computer I should be able to figure out the MC3000.

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That's some news, congrats to the purchase Tom!
Welcome to the club, after 3yrs since 2014 I thought you wouldn't make it

Hope you like some aspects of the total product if not all. And shoot if you have specific questions or doubts, the owners will be glad to help including my humble self.

Good luck until then :tinfoil:
( yes it has big shoes to fill in agreed )

SilverFox said:

My Maha C9000 chargers are still working well and I continue to use them. I have a Pila IBC charger that I use for 18650 cells. I guess that makes me a little old fashion...

I recently purchased a MC3000 and am just figuring out how to use it. I figure that if I can type a response on a computer I should be able to figure out the MC3000.

The chargers that have more features seem to have a longer learning curve but being a charger geek I think it is worth the effort to figure them out.

In retrospect I am surprised that the Maha and Pila chargers have lasted this long. The MC3000 has some big shoes to fill if it wants to keep up.

Tom

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Although I have since switched to an Xtar VP2 for my main Li-Ion charging duties, I still have and use that Pila too

All of my NiMH continue to go through my MH-C9000.

Have also been considering if or when I should add a MC3000 ....

Started reading about the MC3000. It appeals to the geek in me but the thread is super long. Have not run across the failure rate yet for the charger and how warranty has been handled. There is one left on AMAZON.

for the MC3K, to use it in anything but the advanced mode is big waste of $$. i am not sure if its this way, but the MC3K software for windows doesn't allow programming and saving via the PC.. and what program set on the MC3K, might not be the same as what is set on the mobile phone app?

i was into collecting chargers some months back ... was following HJK's review.. ended up with xtar VP2, VC2, VC2 Plus Master, LiitoKala Lii500 x 2, Opus BT3100 v2.2 x 2, Enova Gryfalcon All-88 ..Almost went into hobby chargers like the imax b6 mini, but didn't do so due to the hassle of having to DIY some cradles and finding a place to run it and keep my kid's hand away from it ..

the only issue i have is that I keep forgetting about the saving the programs for all/ready for the MC3K..

Nice cheat sheet pdf for the MC3000 from member WWJD with help from others, Print it out and keep it with your charger, If you have a laminator even better.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?428121-SkyRC-MC3000-charger-CHEAT-SHEET

John.

A cheat sheet to use a battery charger?

Sounds like more than I could deal with. I'm still trying to figure out how to make the Opus 3400 go directly into charge without first discharging.

Trouthead said:

Started reading about the MC3000. It appeals to the geek in me but the thread is super long. Have not run across the failure rate yet for the charger and how warranty has been handled. There is one left on AMAZON.

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LOL i just bought that on the 5th! But looks like they still have some available. It was bought through a different company. I also bought the PowerEx MH-C808M and got another La Crosse BC1000 (for my older cells that won't charge in the Maha chargers). After that i plan on getting another C9000 but i bought other stuff too for my new place (if it ever closes, seller is dropping the ball on this). It's expecting to show up on Monday and the MC3000 on Thursday or Friday. Can't wait.

[FONT=&quot]I take back my recommendation for the Maha MH-C9000. My second MH-C9000 lost a bay yesterday and I am not sure if I want to buy another. Now I have one with 2 working bays and another with 3. Just for point of reference the first one is about 7 years old and the second about 4 years old.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]The MH-C9000 was sometimes nice to have on the road when traveling and I wanted to check the balance of cells. I have a lot of gear that uses multiple AA's and AAA's. I normally will travel with exactly twice the amount of batteries that I need to populate all my devices so let's say 20 cells in devices I take 20 spares. Typical charger complement would be the c9000 and an eastshine s2 for a backup.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Right now for my Friday trip I'm going to take my Opus BT-C3400 and the eastshine. I am a little concerned about the reliability of the BT-C3400 but I really have no choice and it fits in the same case as the MH-C9000.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]FYI I have a MC3k. I have had it about a month so I'm still in the learning curve and it's way bigger than the Maha and the Opus.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]For now I'm stuck with the old standby rule… Anything important take two of them.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]I certainly would welcome any good suggestions.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Thanks[/FONT]

Tom Thanks for the reply. I think I will stick with "proven" technology - i.e., familiar = that which I can more easily manage. Having to remember what the program was on a routine I may have forgotten to save sounds like an invitation to frustration and more for me. Another 9000 could be in my future if I loose more bays, and I will keep the New i2 charger for the few 18650's I now use in my new ZL 600 - which I like very much as its output is almost equal to the old Mag85 Borealis I have from Juan C [Blackbear]. John

fmc1 said:

I take back my recommendation for the Maha MH-C9000. My second MH-C9000 lost a bay yesterday and I am not sure if I want to buy another. Now I have one with 2 working bays and another with 3. Just for point of reference the first one is about 7 years old and the second about 4 years old.


I certainly would welcome any good suggestions.

Thanks

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As much as the C9000 is most likely outdated compared to the MC3000, and there's probably other chargers out there that are probably better i like how it functions. It only charges the cells up to 90% and gives a more easy 200mA top off for 2 hours. They're really easy on the cells compared to the BC1000. Looking at the price of a C9000 it's not exactly breathtaking (they no longer sell the one with the carry case on Amazon), neither are the BC1000 chargers (but they come with batteries! Cheap ones at that lol, but i'm trying different methods on charging them). I'm interested to see what would top the C9000 in travel chargers.