SkyRC — IFA 2014 — MC3000 charger-analyzer

[aznsx]

If you really want to understand the dichotomy of the whole story of design, implementation, and support of this product, you need only goto the web site product page and read the first 5 lines following 'Insane Performance'.

Just sayin'. I have no further information or comment. Take from it what you will.

 

[aznsx]

I read all the stuff in the previous posts regarding the internal resistance being off on the v2.17 and v2.18 firmware versions and I can confirm that it was indeed the case with my new unit using the v2.18 firmware.

I just realized that I feel pretty silly that after having discussed this 'issue' for a while now, I've never asked the obvious, fundamental question:

Does anyone in fact know if this issue is known by or has been reported to the manufacturer by anyone through any channel? Is it possible they might be completely unaware of it?

(cc @Mandrake50)

 

[aznsx]

I just realized that I feel pretty silly that after having discussed this 'issue' for a while now, I've never asked the obvious, fundamental question:

Does anyone in fact know if this issue is known by or has been reported to the manufacturer by anyone through any channel? Is it possible they might be completely unaware of it?

**********CONFIRMATION BUMP**********

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I have a question that may apply only to firmware 1.18, or perhaps I am doing something wrong.

I would like to temporarily change an option in a program to run once, without permanently changing the program. In the cheat sheet, under "Change Program options" the final step says,

"8. Press-and-hold to SAVE and EXIT"

but it has the following footnote:

"If -instead of step 8- you press-and-hold a Ready slot number button, the parameter changes you made will be in effect once and for this one selected slot only.
The changes will NOT be saved to the Program number you selected but discarded as soon as the slot is ready again.
Useful for creating and starting temporary similar programs based on a saved program."

When I try that, it also saves permanent changes to the program. In other words, step 8 footnote still saves the changes to the program number, and then starts the program in the slot I press & hold.

My MC3000 is new, and running firmware 1.18. I never have used any version prior to this. Is this something that used to work, and was changed in 1.18? Or, am I doing something wrong?

Thanks for any pointers.

 

[aznsx]

I have a question that may apply only to firmware 1.18, or perhaps I am doing something wrong.

I would like to temporarily change an option in a program to run once, without permanently changing the program. In the cheat sheet, under "Change Program options" the final step says,

"8. Press-and-hold to SAVE and EXIT"

but it has the following footnote:

"If -instead of step 8- you press-and-hold a Ready slot number button, the parameter changes you made will be in effect once and for this one selected slot only.
The changes will NOT be saved to the Program number you selected but discarded as soon as the slot is ready again.
Useful for creating and starting temporary similar programs based on a saved program."

When I try that, it also saves permanent changes to the program. In other words, step 8 footnote still saves the changes to the program number, and then starts the program in the slot I press & hold.

My MC3000 is new, and running firmware 1.18. I never have used any version prior to this. Is this something that used to work, and was changed in 1.18? Or, am I doing something wrong?

Thanks for any pointers.

I understand your post, and had previously noted this in the documentation as something I needed to verify, but had not yet done so. Thanks for prompting me to do it;-) I'll verify this on V1.15, and if no one else has addressed your post, I will post my observations after I check it.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I understand your post, and had previously noted this in the documentation as something I needed to verify, but had not yet done so. Thanks for prompting me to do it;-) I'll verify this on V1.15, and if no one else has addressed your post, I will post my observations after I check it.

Thanks. Yes, it would be interesting to know if this works in firmware 1.15. If it does, that might be a reason for me to downgrade.

The latest manual (1.20, dated 2022) doesn't mention this trick at all, so maybe it was never supported, or removed recently? It's only mentioned in the cheat sheet, which is a few years old.

 

[kreisl]

Hey everyone, i hope you guys have moved along well! I still use the mc3k every other day, mostly using program [11] for charging 18650 of my Fenix hm61r V2.0 (whose charging cable went corrupt). Just wanted to let you know that i started a healthy fun extremely satisfying new hobby: ping-pong (the "o" is actually pronounced "ah" as in "baht" Simpson or "kah-eel" if you pronounced Kyle within 2 syllables) which is the Chinglish word for table tennis.
I entered a local geman club 1 year ago and made it onto the league team, displacing some girl sorry 😘
Now I'm looking into buying a modern CN-designed ping-pahng robot (ball machine) with Bluetooth smartphone control. On Amazon dot com the pongbot NOVA S PRO from a large Shanghai company conglomerate seems attractive.

Lemme play with plastic balls instead of batteries. Bout time!

 

[sos_nz]

Signed up just now to report a good price on the SkyRC MC3000 on Aliexpress @ the New World Technology Store - just $70.91 USD. Firmware V1.15, hardware V2.2.

I'm hoping it's not a mistake / scam, since I've had my eye on this charger for a few months. I mainly charge eneloops, but have a few NiCad and LiPo cells. But mostly I like tweaking and playing with over engineered devices like the MC3000.

Will report back in due course - hopefully of safe arrival & success!

EDIT: I would speculate if the price drop means a potential replacement is (finally) on the way - but other vendors have the usual price. For now.

 

[aznsx]

$70.91 USD. Firmware V1.15, hardware V2.2.

Wow! Are we talking factory new? If so, that is indeed noteworthy. I'm not currently in the market (I've bought two in the past year), but I did just happen by my U.S. distributor's site last week, and did note they have it listed 'in stock', at $129.xx, which is about where it's been. Even though I'm not looking, I'll still be interested in this. Thanx!

Just as an aside, I think you'll find that although it has flexibility and features many may not need (yet), from an overall electronc engineering quality standpoint, it is not over-engineered. In that respect, it is adequately engineered relative to / compared with the others currently in that space EDIT: ;most of which are not. To get that quality, it comes with a lot of features too. You'll benefit from the quality immediately, and you won't likely outgrow it;-)

Cheers (and welcome)!

 

[sos_nz]

Just an update, the Aliexpress New World Technology store has "shipped the item" and provided a FedEx tracking number, but the package hasn't been picked up by the carrier for a week.

And now the store is "On Vacation".

There are a couple of other cheap MC3000's on sale at a similar low price, with similar pictures and descriptions, from new stores with minimal reviews.

Caveat emptor, folks.

EDIT: Well, it turned out that seller was a scammer, and the store closed down a week after I ordered. AliExpress has just come through with a full refund, and in the meantime, I ordered the MC3000 from a different seller, with 8 year's selling Hx, 5000+ items in the last 18- days, and 97.4% positive reviews (from 1,410 actual buyers). Even the price was pretty good ($183 NZD, incl shipping & taxes). It should arrive tomorrow (at least it's in my country).

Lesson learned!

 

[bluflaam777]

Just an update, the Aliexpress New World Technology store has "shipped the item" and provided a FedEx tracking number, but the package hasn't been picked up by the carrier for a week.

And now the store is "On Vacation".

There are a couple of other cheap MC3000's on sale at a similar low price, with similar pictures and descriptions, from new stores with minimal reviews.

Caveat emptor, folks.

There's a Chinese going on and most 'stores' in China actually warn of this. I bought a couple of things but they said there will be several days before they will ship because of the holiday.

 

[sos_nz]

There's a Chinese going on and most 'stores' in China actually warn of this

Thanks, I'd thought of this, but am still a bit suspicious since the tracking number goes to my country, but not region, and it's unusual for free shipping sellers on Aliexpress to use FedEx in my experience. And a quick search shows FedEx numbers are given in scam situations (scam #005).





Again, sorry for taking this thread off topic, but having posted what looks like a good deal, I want to help inform others if it turns out to be true or not.

EDIT: I've edited my post above to confirm that seller was a scammer, and the store closed down a week after I ordered. Lesson learned!

 

[dlwmacgregor]

I just stumbled onto this forum because I was considering replacing my new XTAR VC4 Plus with the MC3000.
I had a rather scary incident happen a few days ago with the XTAR.

I bought 10 new Eneloop AAA batteries from Amazon.ca and I was "testing" their charge level, as I do all my new batteries.
I put 4 of them into the VC4 Plus and sat down in my armchair about 6 feet away.
After about 5 minutes I heard 3 loud "pops" from the charger.
One of the batteries look discoloured so I went to grab it and burned my fingers!
I looked at the display and it was displaying Li-Ion as the battery type! It was a Ni-MH bettery. So I cooked it good.
Seems that the positive battery contact was not making a good contact with the battery and it "fooled" the detection circuit. BAD!
The positive battery contacts on the unit are not flat but have bumps or dimples that can make connection with an AAA sized battery problematic.

I came across the MC3000 on a Google search and noticed that on the SkyRC website the positive contacts were flat.

I saw a review on YouTube from 2 years ago and that unit had dimpled positive battery contacts, different from the ones on SkyRC's website.

So here's my question...Are the positive battery contacts on the NEW MC3000 really flat? If they are I'll buy one to replace the VC4 Plus.
I also like that the MC3000 monitors the battery temperature and will shut off the charging circuit if the battery gets too hot.

Thanks

Doug

 

[mactavish]

Assuming the 360 degree photo I just looked at there, is not a computer rendering, it does appear the positive end no longer has the "dimples" on it, like my older one. That should be helpful when positioning smaller, thinner batteries, but the negative end on the sliding rails still has the raised dimples, and I've struggled with getting certain batteries the are light and thin to sit properly. One example: "Nitecore NL1485 14500. 850mAh 3.7V Protected (Li-ion) Button Top", close in size to a normal AA.

Most of my lithium batteries are FLAT TOPS, but button top batteries make it harder to align with the dimples on the positive end of the charger.

It might also be hard to confirm if you are getting a "hardware revised" charger, depending on where you buy it. Perhaps writing the company and maybe getting directly from them.

It's still going to be a BETTER and SAFER charger then what you are using now. Good luck, let us know what you learn.

 

[dlwmacgregor]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I have written to the company and am waiting for a response. I'll update the thread when I hear back.

I know the slider has dimples but I'm not as concerned about that end because batteries have mostly a larger flat surface on that end so alignment is not as critical or difficult.

And AA batteries sit in the slot more securely than the AAA ones and don't move around as much.

Understood about the "hardware revised" issue but since I'll probably buy it from Amazon.ca I can return it no problem.

 

[aznsx]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I have written to the company and am waiting for a response. I'll update the thread when I hear back.

I know the slider has dimples but I'm not as concerned about that end because batteries have mostly a larger flat surface on that end so alignment is not as critical or difficult.

And AA batteries sit in the slot more securely than the AAA ones and don't move around as much.

Understood about the "hardware revised" issue but since I'll probably buy it from Amazon.ca I can return it no problem.

The cell contact terminals were revised at some point specifically to enhance reliable connectivity w/ different (all?) cell formats. I don't know exactly when that occurred, but that could be determined by searching through this thread, &/or perhaps others on this site re: MC3000. From what I recall reading, that change was generally considered an improvement. These changes have been specifically discussed in the threads on this site, but some searching would be required to find those specific discussions in these 'marathon' (very long) threads.

I believe the photos on the SkyRC site that I see are of the older design.

My two units, purchased late 2023 have 3 raised 'bumps' on the '+' contact, and 2 raised bumps on the '-' contact. The bumps on the latter (-) appear to feature a more rounded 'point', whereas the ones I see in older photos have a more 'flat' surface. The smallest diameter cells I've used in mine to date are are 14500. I've had no cell connection reliabiity issues with those, 16340, 18650, etc. The design may or may not be well optimized for AAA-size cells (10x44?), but having never used the charger for those, I have no experience to speak from.

I can't shoot a photo at this time, but this (marginal quality) photo appears to be like or similar to my 2 units with respect to the cell contacts / terminals (at least regarding the '+' contacts):

SkyRC — IFA 2014 — MC3000 charger-analyzer

Re: SkyRC — IFA 2014 / CES 2016 — MC3000 charger-analyzer Grease potentially introduces higher resistance. And as the negative pole contact is made through the both rails touching each other(nothing erotic) , they decided to go without grease in later iterations of the charger.That makes sense...

www.candlepowerforums.com

Among perhaps other places, the early design can be seen in HKJ's original test / review. Although the internal photos in that review are fairly hi-res, they don't feature the terminals in detail; however their general design can be seen in the lower-res external photos at the beginning of the review, and appear similar to the photos on the SkyRC site with respect to the cell contacts;

Review of Charger SkyRC MC3000

Last but not least:

It's still going to be a BETTER and SAFER charger then what you are using now.

I absolutely concur, for many reasons.

EDIT: If you decide to buy an MC3000, I HIGHLY recommend that you get one that is / comes loaded w/ firmware revision V1.15. There are serious issues (at least one) which are currently associated with V1.17. I've seen no info yet regarding whether or not that / they have been addressed in the V1.18 firmware version currently listed for download on the SkyRC site, so it may or may not have provided a resolution. I see no link to the V1.15 revision level firmware download on their site, so if you buy one of a revision >v1.15, you might not have a way to down-rev it it V1.15. I don't know.

 

[mactavish]

My two units, purchased late 2023 have 3 raised 'bumps' on the '+' contact, and 2 raised bumps on the '-' contact. The bumps on the latter (-) appear to feature a more rounded 'point', whereas the ones I see in older photos have a more 'flat' surface. The smallest diameter cells I've used in mine to date are are 14500. I've had no cell connection reliabiity issues with those, 16340, 18650, etc. The design may or may not be well optimized for AAA-size cells (10x44?), but having never used the charger for those, I have no experience to speak from.

Bought mine in December 2020, updated to FW 1.15, staying with that.
My charger contacts appear the same as yours. As I mentioned, the only issues I've had is with thin, light "button tops", but those are mostly Eneloops NiMH. Trying to get them to not spin off the tiny bumps, is difficult. Someone once shared a 3D file, to print your own inserts that you could place in the charger to support smaller batteries, but I don't own a 3D printer.

 

[dlwmacgregor]

Thanks for all that aznsx.

I agree with what you said about the ri-res photos in that review.

Can you elaborate on the issues with v1.17 or can anyone here?
And has anyone tried v1.18 and can possibly report?

 

[dlwmacgregor]

The V1.15 Firmware can be downloaded here...

[Update] MC3000 Firmware V1.15 - SkyRC

 

[aznsx]

Thanks for all that aznsx.

I agree with what you said about the ri-res photos in that review.

Can you elaborate on the issues with v1.17 or can anyone here?
And has anyone tried v1.18 and can possibly report?

My focus is on one specific issue, although others might exist. I still lack current information on whether or not this issue has been corrected. Until that's been established, my working assumption must be that it may not have been, and that if that's the case I would not consider using any version higher than V1.15 where this problem is proven not to exist. I believe one or two users suggested they intended to test further for this (perhaps to determine the specific revision that introduced the issue), but I've not seen a report of such yet. My units both shipped w/ V1.15, and I'm not aware of any need or advantage for me to update to anything beyond that so it's of no impact to me at this time, but it definitely is for new purchasers, and particularly if the V1.15 download link no longer exists on the SkyRC site, which at this point appears to be the case. Note that when I quoted this info from another source, I did not link directly to the source post, as it was taken from a site I don't believe it's appropriate to link to here. I consider the info reliable enough at this point, as the user reporting it did due diligence in confirming its existence, and also did the down-rev to verify the link between the malfunction and the FW version. It would be nice if someone else could confirm this.

SkyRC — IFA 2014 — MC3000 charger-analyzer

With all those particular cells fully charged, what are the IR (internal resistance) measurement values reported for each of those 4 specific cells when installed in those same slots? (Also, since there is an issue with internal resistance measurements when using particular firmware versions of...

www.candlepowerforums.com

You may or may not have a full understanding of this 'Internal Resistance' measurement, and may not yet be aware of its importance to you, but I can assure you that it should be an important consideration for you at this time, even in lieu of that. You will / may come to understand that Internal Resistance (IR) is important to understanding the condition of cells. Essentially however, keep in mind that while you may or may not execute the test to provide those results on the display, the MC3000 runs an abbreviated / quick version of the test automatically each time a slot is initialized with a newly inserted cell, and the charger uses that measurement internally. Therefore, even if one may not care about the measurement as such, the charger does care what the IR is. The reported error is also not one I consider a small or negligible one, but is a fairly large error as well.

Perhaps someone else here has updated info on the status of this 'bug', which it would appear was introduced with a firmware update since V1.15. You wouldn't need to care if you purchase one that is shipped w/ V1.15. If you're considering buying one from someone who doesn't know, you might want to consider buying it from someone who does. That's the approach I would take at this time.

EDIT: I should also add that I've used only the native machine interface / buttons-display, and neither of the remote applications.