Review of SysMax/NiteCore Intellicharger i4 V2 Charger

[ChrisGarrett]

I suppose I could do that haha. I got my heart set on Redilast as the reviews I read showed them often as just slightly better than AW and seeing as AW's reputation on this forum I was pretty stoked to find Redilast slightly cheaper on EDC and I haven't found any other sites that sell Xtar and Redilast. Any suggestions?

Yeah I wouldn't mind if the Pila was a little cheaper it seems a lot to ask.

Thank you.

I like EDC+ and bought two of their 17670s and their 3 mode P60 XM-L2 U2 drop in back in November, for a fair price, but they're expensive on that NiteCore i4 v2, just so you know.

You can find them on Ebay for $17-$20 shipped, from authorized NC dealers.

If you have to, buy the batteries from them and get something like an Xtar charger...maybe the now discounted VP1 with volt meter, for ~$40 shipped. With what you'd save on it and shipping, over the slower Pila, you'd almost get the cells for free.

You need to look around. EDC+ is good people, no doubt, but they, AW and CalliesKustom all got passed by in 2012, due to their inflexible pricing stance.

Chris

 

[HKJ]

I suppose I could do that haha. I got my heart set on Redilast as the reviews I read showed them often as just slightly better than AW and seeing as AW's reputation on this forum I was pretty stoked to find Redilast slightly cheaper on EDC and I haven't found any other sites that sell Xtar and Redilast. Any suggestions?

There are many good brands, many of them get batteries manufactured (Protection and button top added) at Keeppower. You can buy Keeppower marked batteries at some dealers other sells the ones with their own label.

One brand I can remember is Orbtronic.
Xtar does also sell the 3400 battery, i.e. any dealer that has Xtar, might also have their batteries.


Small differences in capacity between brands is most likely due to different age of the batteries, i.e. when a dealer get a new batch they will have slightly higher capacity than a ½ year old stock.

 

[Goredoth]

You need to look around. EDC+ is good people, no doubt, but they, AW and CalliesKustom all got passed by in 2012, due to their inflexible pricing stance.

Chris

Cheers Chris, I'll keep what you've said in mind.. Especially the quoted part. Didn't realise that before but after having a look at Orbtronic and a few other good brands found in HKJ's compare batteries tool I see I can get 3600mAh for what I was going to pay for 3.4!

One brand I can remember is Orbtronic.
Xtar does also sell the 3400 battery, i.e. any dealer that has Xtar, might also have their batteries.

Small differences in capacity between brands is most likely due to different age of the batteries, i.e. when a dealer get a new batch they will have slightly higher capacity than a ½ year old stock.

Thanks again, I think I was pretty sceptical of most brands because I have read so much about the false mAh ratings but it's starting to look like it's not nearly as many as I thought.. Mainly UltraFire haha.

 

[TomasVarnik]

Hi, noob question...

Is there any difference between putting the batteries in the the charger and then plug it into the outlet, and doing it the other way around (ie first plug it, then insert the batteries)?

Is one of the ways better than the other?

And then... when the job is done, is it better to take out the batteries and then unplug it, or vice versa?

Sorry for the silly question

 

[SilverFox]

Hello TomasVarnik,

Welcome to CPF.

Keep in mind that the only "silly" question is the one that is not asked...

Usually there is no difference. However, there are some exceptions. Try it both ways and see how things work out.

Tom

 

[TomasVarnik]

Thank you Tom.

I was asking because I read that I should always power up the charger first before inserting batteries unless stated otherwise in the instructions, but I can't figure out why...

OK, I will try it both ways and see how things work out

 

[HKJ]

Thank you Tom.

I was asking because I read that I should always power up the charger first before inserting batteries unless stated otherwise in the instructions, but I can't figure out why...

OK, I will try it both ways and see how things work out

Generally when I test chargers, I put the battery in before I power up the charger. I do it this way, because it is easier to connect my sense wires with the power off.
The only time it failed was with the MCC-4 charger, because due to a "problem" with its automatic current select.
When I use chargers, I usual do it the other way round, i.e. the charger stays powered when I replace the batteries.

 

[Scarface26]

Has anyone here ever used the Revolectrix CellPro 6 battery charger? It is mostly used for charging batteries for Remote Control planes and Helicopters (mostly LiPo , although it will do others including NiMH, Li-Ion, LiFeP04, and Nicd). I have one and am researching to find out if it is suitable for use with my Fenix 18650 batteries. It is a really good charger, and can be connected to a laptop to display graphs while charging and discharging.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Scarface26, welcome to CPF. It would be good if you started your own thread re your question, which is off topic.

Bill

 

[Scarface26]

OK, Sorry.

 

[Frankiarmz]

my i4 Intellicharger died after I put four AA nimh and then plugged it the wall. Would not power up from the AC cord but did power up from the car cord, unfortunately that also malfunctioned. No repair facility in the USA, so I have another paperweight. Very disappointed in the return or repair policy, mailing back to chinais not an option I care to exercise. I did not misuse or abuse the charge, it failed prematurely.

 

[Gauss163]

Is there any difference between putting the batteries in the the charger and then plug it into the outlet, and doing it the other way around (ie first plug it, then insert the batteries)? Is one of the ways better than the other? I was asking because I read that I should always power up the charger first before inserting batteries unless stated otherwise in the instructions, but I can't figure out why...

I vaguely recall that some hobby charger manuals warn to power on the unit before connecting the batteries, since otherwise the reverse polarity protection will not work. So it is conceivable that other chargers may behave similarly.

 

[awyeah]

I always power up the charger first.

That said, it seems like chargers should handle this situation. What happens when the power goes out?

 

[lwknight]

I always power up the charger first.

That said, it seems like chargers should handle this situation. What happens when the power goes out?

Just don't put batteries in backwards.

 

[Gauss163]

I always power up the charger first.
That said, it seems like chargers should handle this situation. What happens when the power goes out?

All is well as long as the power does not fail during the tiny percentage of time when the batteries are installed with reverse-polarity.

But I don't know if this applies to the i4 since I don't own one. Does it even have reverse polarity protection?

 

[espresso]

Intellicharger v2 - IMR compatibility questionable

Since many of us still have v2 of this charger I suppose this thread isn't dead yet. I sent an email to the manufacturer asking whether Intellicharger v2 can safely charge IMR li-ions and this is their answer:

Thank you for your interest in Nitecore's product, only the 2014 model is capable of charging IMR batteries, the previous models are not compatible with these batteries.

User experience with v2 says that it can successfully charge IMRs. But we don't actually know what is going on at the end of the charge, do we? Maybe the terminating current is to big, maybe there's a slight overcharge every time....
HKJ tested this charger with an old IMR with high resistance. But what about new IMRs?

 

[HKJ]

Re: Intellicharger v2 - IMR compatibility questionable

User experience with v2 says that it can successfully charge IMRs. But we don't actually know what is going on at the end of the charge, do we? Maybe the terminating current is to big, maybe there's a slight overcharge every time....
HKJ tested this charger with an old IMR with high resistance. But what about new IMRs?

IMR has same charge requirements as other LiIon batteries, i.e. there is no problem charging them.

 

[espresso]

Re: Intellicharger v2 - IMR compatibility questionable

I was under the impression that some chargers might not react properly when charging cells with very low internal resistance and in result, supply higher current than needed during CV method. So the chemistry is the same, but the low resistance of the cell has an impact on charge control.

I'm also wondering what's behind the answer support provided.
It could be that they just didn't test this charger in specific cases with IMRs so they can't be absolutely sure it's safe. Or maybe the charger needs to be designed to monitor changes in current more accurately.

 

[HKJ]

Re: Intellicharger v2 - IMR compatibility questionable

I was under the impression that some chargers might not react properly when charging cells with very low internal resistance and in result, supply higher current than needed during CV method. So the chemistry is the same, but the low resistance of the cell has an impact on charge control.

If the charge current is oscillating a bit it does not really matter.

I'm also wondering what's behind the answer support provided.
It could be that they just didn't test this charger in specific cases with IMRs so they can't be absolutely sure it's safe. Or maybe the charger needs to be designed to monitor changes in current more accurately.

It might be support person that tries to sell the new charger model

 

[cobalt327]

First, apologies for opening this thread after it being idle for so long. I didn't feel my post warranted a new thread but if this is wrong I'll be happy to do so.

Has there been, or will there be a review of the 'updated' 2014 NITECORE i4 V2 Universal Intelligent Charger? It's advertised as having "optimized charging design for IMR Batteries". It also has steel "rails" for the moveable contacts to ride on so is much smoother than it was when it was metal on plastic. But it's mainly the potential difference in how it charges and terminates that interests me.

Thanks.