Impressions of Allmaybe TC2 (nee XTAR ET1 Polaris) battery charger

Just received a new charger, the Allmaybe TC2, an English-language version of the XTAR ET1 Polaris.

For reasons unknown, the ET1 is marketed only in China, and I had resigned myself to a VC2 Plus, despite some minor reservations about it, before making an inquiry to XTAR directly.

Unbeknownst to me, and maybe most, XTAR has an alternate brand called Allmaybe, and I was informed that they do sell an English-language version of the ET1, as the TC2. It's available directly from their Aliexpress and eBay stores, so I ordered one from the latter.

The specs are pretty typical for a USB-input charger, but what makes it unusual for XTAR is that it doesn't have a sparse display like their more recent models do, nor does it require the special USB-to-barrel connector input cable that the VC series uses. The display indicates voltage, mAh input, current (albeit as a mode and not instantaneous measure), status, and cell type, for one channel at a time. It will also provide up to 2.0A, for one slot, or 1.0A for both, given the limitations of USB.

Additionally, it is also capable of measuring capacity, using a charge-discharge-charge cycle. It remains to be seen how well this function actually works, but aside from the VP4 Plus Dragon, I don't recall any other XTAR charger having this feature. This wasn't originally known to me, or an initial selling point, but is nice to have as a bonus.

All in all, I think this is what the VC2 Plus should have been, but at least a facsimile finally arrived. Being housed in a slightly longer version of the SV2 form factor, it's not quite as compact, but still quite manageable.

Without being put through the rigors of an HKJ test procedure, I can only surmise how the TC2 actually performs. But I think XTAR chargers generally get the fundamentals of the charging process right, which is a big part of their appeal (despite compromises like the sparse displays), and I expect this one to follow suit.

I'll try to add more as I gain some experience with it, but here are some pictures:

Thank you for starting this thread. I've been intrigued by this charger since I read about it a while ago.
The USB power supply doesn't suit me, otherwise I'd get one.
Afraid I'm stuck with my boring old Dragon.
P

The charger looks great, and packaging appears on par with all Xtar chargers

I viewed Allmaybe on eB sold directly from China

*Where do customers return it for warrantee ShenZhen, or is there an US distributor?

You'd think they could come up with a better English word. Looking at the name my first thoughts are Allmaybe it'll work for awhile, or Allmaybe the charger malfunctions right out of box, and then goes into garbage can cause there's no where to warrantee except in China

peter yetman said:

Thank you for starting this thread. I've been intrigued by this charger since I read about it a while ago.
The USB power supply doesn't suit me, otherwise I'd get one.
Afraid I'm stuck with my boring old Dragon.
P

Click to expand...

I fully understand that USB input imposes constraints that many don't want, especially heavy-duty users. For me, as a casual user, it's something I can live with and later opt for something more if needed. But for now, I'm loathe to add yet another 12v mains adapter to the mess behind my desk when I already have two power strips in use. This is something I can plug into the multi-port desktop USB adapter that I already use to charge other devices.

I also considered two other "fast" USB chargers, the MiBoxer C2-3000 and Golisi i2, but the relative strength of XTAR's history was a big factor. The MiBoxer is a bit of an odd duck in that it will take 5-12V input, and was originally bundled with a USB-to-barrel cable like the VC series. As part of the revision that added manual current selection, they changed the bundle to include a 12v adapter instead, and pretty much dropped the USB pretense altogether. Now, the only way to obtain the USB cable is to buy the optional car adapter kit, which also includes a special dual 5/12v adapter, so it's even more moot.

knucklegary said:

The charger looks great, and packaging appears on par with all Xtar chargers

I viewed Allmaybe on eB sold directly from China

*Where do customers return it for warrantee ShenZhen, or is there an US distributor?

You'd think they could come up with a better English word. Looking at the name my first thoughts are Allmaybe it'll work for awhile, or Allmaybe the charger malfunctions right out of box, and then goes into garbage can cause there's no where to warrantee except in China

Click to expand...

I've tried to make sense of the marketing, but it's just kinda odd all-around. I think it's fair to say XTAR has a more well-known, pretty good reputation, and if they wanted to expand their product offerings to wall adapters and other accessories, it would have felt natural. But, they've got this other lesser known brand (est. 2016), and restrict this particular model to it when it could have probably had more exposure outside of China if sold under the XTAR brand.

But, it appears they're plowing more resources into building it, as there are now D2 and D4 chargers that weren't even in the lineup a couple weeks ago. They've also altered the TC2 product page to now include the typical Powerpoint feature "slides" that these companies love to use in their marketing.

As far as service coverage, I have yet to need XTAR's or any other brand's service, but I'm not expecting it to be any better or worse than other brands that originate and operate from China; in other words, probably neither quick nor painless. That's seemingly part of the package, whether it's an XTAR, Liitokala, Opus, or any number of such brands. I expect that it would be handled by XTAR in much the same way.

More impressions...

Took the opportunity over the weekend to try out the capacity test function with an almost new Samsung 30Q (< 5 cycles).

The cell was nearly full, so it didn't take long for the initial charge phase to complete, but overall, it still required about 13-14 hours total for the whole process.

During the discharge, the slot indicator light turns blue, the activity bars rotate counter-clockwise, and the mAh counter counts increases until the TC2 decides the cell has been drained. In this test, it registered 2984 mAh, and I think the voltage was ~2.6v at that point (I wasn't watching it closely). Then it automatically starts another charge cycle, while keeping the discharge capacity figure displayed (as opposed to the input counter during a normal charge).

After the process was complete, and the indicator turned green, the cell oscillated between 4.20/4.21v on my DMM. Incidentally, I think this is one of those chargers whose voltmeter will not display a value above 4.20v. At no point during the test process did the charger or battery emit any discernible heat above room temperature.

Another behavior I noticed is that the TC2 seems to be reluctant to charge the cells I have at 2.0A. The 30Q initially starts at 2.0A and then quickly drops to 1.0A, with two different USB mains adapters both capable of supplying 2.4A. Therefore I suspect the charger's internal logic is the deciding factor, and unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be a manual override. The Olight 18650 cells I've tried always indicate 1.0A.

I'm still quite new at this hobby, so I lack much in the way of being able to try different batteries and such. But it's looking very much like this is a still more of a "safe" layman's charger than a hobby/enthusiast-oriented charger, despite the test function and 2A capability.