Your charger/analyzer/power bank, etc., collection

Hi all,

I'm sure this has been done before, but I'm still a relative noob here. As we all know, one of the fun things about a flashlight hobby is learning about batteries and of course chargers and analyzers. A year ago I didn't have much, but now I have a growing collection. Here's your chance to show them off.

Sorry, no photo as I'm away from home for the holidays, but feel free to post yours if you have one. Here's my list, in no particular order:



Goal Zero Guide 10 Charger/Power Pack
Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Solar Charger
Nitecore i4 Intellicharger (2nd gen)
Nitecore i2 Intellicharger (2nd gen)
Maha MH-C9000 charger/analyzer (has Powerex brand name on front)
Opus BT-C2000 charger/analyzer
Octa USB Charger from Cottonpicker
Portapow USB meter
Centech USB meter
Soshine 2x18650 power bank
Soshine 4x18650 power bank
SkyRC NC2500 charger/analyzer w/Bluetooth remote control app for iPhone
Tenergy 2xRCR123A charger
Watson RCR2/RCR123A Rapid Charger
Xtar MC0 (3)
Xtar MP2
Xtar MP2s (3)
Xtar WP2s charger/power bank special edition
Xtar XP1 Hummingbird
ZTS MBT-1 Battery tester
Four or five 10180, 10220, 10280 Steve Ku mini chargers
Lots of "dumb chargers" I don't use anymore

I have an i4 2nd gen Intellicharger with a mix of 18650 and LSD NiMH cells
A home-brew USB to 12v boost circuit to allow me to run the Intellicharger off of a power bank
A Maxboost 15Ah power bank with two 2A outputs and a digital readout of capacity
A USB voltage/ammeter dongle for monitoring and testing
I plan on purchasing a 15w or 20w monocrystalline solar panel for charging the power bank when needed (power outage)
I may pick up another Maxboost power bank

With the addition of the solar panels I will be completely covered as far as my phone, tablet, and all my lights are concerned, in almost any situation except a 'nuclear winter' scenario.

Hi Timothybil,

Thanks for the first response and that's a cool mod you have there for the Intellicharger. Actually I've wanted something like that myself. Also you reminded me I forgot to include the two dongle USB meters I have which are the Centech and Portapow units.

You have a fairly comprehensive collection! Do you store everything together?

I have:

Li-ion:
ML-102 (x2)
Cottonpickers triple mode with voltmeter
Cottonpickers ~700ma single mode
DGQ fairy charger

NiMh:
Technoline BL-700 charger/analyser
Crappy 2*AA/AAA USB dumb charger

Both NiMh and Li-ion:
Nitecore D2

Storage:
ENB 3*18650 USB power bank
Pb-acid 12v jump-starter pack with cigar socket output (runs the D2 or a USB adapter for charging phones etc)

2*Cottonpickers 5.5W solar panels

Matek USB power monitor.

This is cool and y'all are awesome!

I have a ~1-3 year old Energizer NiMH charger with no documentation, though it seems to terminate off voltage (not time).

I'm in the process of returning/refunding/exchanging/seeing-what-the-company-will-do-for a 2.5-month-old Tenergy TN156 NiMH charger that has stopped working.

I just got (New Year's Eve) a Powerex Maha MH-C9000, which I am very, very happy with.

Just getting started with this stuff...

Hi gravelmonkey,

Yes, most of it is on a table in the house that has become a dedicated charging station and battery storage area. The way things are going, I'm going to have to buy a bigger table soon.

Hi Grijon,

The Maha is a good charger/analyzer and is one the best for NiMH.

That's a lot of chargers :wow:. At least you don't have to worry about not having any charging conflicts xD.

Currently the best charger i got is the La Crosse BC-1000. I plan on getting a couple Maha chargers, one of them i believe is the 8 slot AA/AAA charger. Plus i need a D sized charger but only when i get the money to get the charger and the batteries.

I also bought a couple of Panasonic/Eneloop chargers (BQ-CC17), was going to sell one to a friend but he changed his mind.. but i'm sure i'll find someone else who wants one.

I also got a GoalZero Guide 10 plus, a Portapow, which i never tried charging batteries in it yet, an Energizer charger from 2005, and a Duracell CEF14N. I got a couple more NiMH chargers and a Ni-Cad charger that i don't use or is out of commission.

Hi midnightdistortions,


I don't have the La Crosse but I've heard good things about it.


I ended up with so many chargers partly because I got into collecting these small flashlights. Now I needed something that could handle batteries smaller than the usual RCR123A size. Then there was the 3.0V vs. 3.6V issue. Then I wanted to be able to charge in my car. Then I would read HKJ's great reviews and I'd think, "I gotta get me one of those! Pretty soon I had a collection of small chargers to handle all these pint sized batteries and situations.

Way too many!

2) Maha C9000's ( maintaining three household's and works AA/AAA batteries!)
1) La Crosse BC700 (travel/becoming a favorite)
1) XTAR VP2
1) XTAR VC2 (travel)
1) XTAR XP1 - (keep in my truck)
2) Nitecore D2's
1) Nitecore i2 (work)

When I put it on paper...I'm starting to see why the fiancé is always rolling her eye's and complaining!

EDIT: The La Crosse BC700 has quickly earned a spot as one of my favorites. It's really turned out to be a great charger/analizer.

My Stuff

All the items below was acquired in the space of 3 months starting October 2014 when I stumbled upon CPF while reading up on best nimh chargers.

CHARGERS:
Maha Powerex MH-C9000
Xtar MC0
Xtar MC2
Miller ML-102 V.7 (still on a slow boat from China)
Knockoff Belkin 1A Single Port USB car charger (need to upgrade to 2 slot, and get original)

POWERBANK:
Panasonic Mobile Booster KCB-L2B 5000mAh (primarily for the phone, and the usb portable fan for the kid on hot days outside)

STORAGE/CARRY METHOD:
With the exception of the C9000 (locked in a drawer at the office when not in use), everything is in my EDC work bag, including all my spare batteries (nimh AAs/AAAs, 10440s, 14500s & salvaged 18650s)


PLANNED FUTURE PURCHASES:
Xtar VP2
4x18650/6x18650 charger/powerbank
Solar Charger - Lots of sun here, any suggestions on a compact solar charger with minimum 1A output?

Re: My Stuff

Wow, good job there, xzel. That's quite a start in just a few months!

Re: My Stuff

unfortunately it came at a great cost, my credit card is glowing red hot and its only starting to cool down somewhat now... but thanks!

Re: My Stuff

I have a lot of everything including an old Lacrosse, but the highlight is a pair of Cadex C7000 series professional battery analyzers at work.

Re: My Stuff

Wow, Magellan! You had a whole year, and that's all you have to show for it? LOL

I started almost a year ago.

what I got is
in chargers,
Rayovac (Intertek) Model PS133 dual chan dumb charger (AA @ 100mA & AAA @ 50mA) -everyone hates 2x2 chargers, I'm pretty sure NLee the Engineer specifically dogged this charger, but I use this as my slow charger, love it because my Panasonic charger will no longer fully charge my Eneloop Pros, and this will, brute forces them to charge I guess. All the new chargers seem to want to placate the fast charge folks, when we would rather be nicer to our small cells and take the time. This charger is not nice to cells if just charging 2, always overcharges just 2, so really its a 4 cell only charger. I don't mix batteries with it, always use 4 of a kind.
Panasonic BQ-CC17 (black) 4chan smart charger (AA @ 300mA & AAA @ 150mA) - not chunky, sleek, very portable, convenient, safe. Nice. Not worth the $40 I paid for it considering my new NiteCore was $20, and I think the BQ-CC17 is under $16 now. Nice to gift.
Energizer "auto shut-off" Ni-MH Battery Charger (dumb, the dual chan "egg") (AA @ 180mA & AAA @ 60mA) - ridiculous charger. Has an on/off press switch, never seen one of those on a wall charger. Its just a backup, was a used item given to me.
NiteCore DigiCharger D4 (2015) - I can't get it to jump start my car, but it charges about every other kind of battery I know of (not NiZN though). With slow charge setting (150mA) and constant current, its nice to small cells. I thought it would have a refresh cycle, but it does not. HKJ's review told me she was the one.

in cells,
Rayovac 1.2v 6x AAA 600mAh, 2 AA (I forget the cap, they're in my kb right now)
Panasonic Eneloop Pro 1.2v 8x AAA 900mAh
Duracell Precharged Ion Core Duralock black top (MIJ, new duraloop) 1.2v 10x 800mAh
EBL 1100 1.2v 4x AAA 1100mAh
SoShine Li-ion 3.7v 350mAh 4x "AAA" (ICR10440)
Efest IMR10440 3.7v 350mAh 4x 10440
Also, a couple 10 year old Energizer NiMH AA, 2300mAh, 2500mAh (long story).
The BPI NiZn charger and 4x (~750mAh) 1.6v AAA should arrive Monday.

Southwire 10010S (Intertek 4007177) Analog Multimeter (the one you used as a kid!)






missing cells are in lights, or caddy, and those are L92 at the far right
yes, photo is a quick and dirty parody ;-)

Awesome thread!

Re: My Stuff

Hi Chillinn,



Yes, when I first into this hobby a couple of years ago I thought it would be simple. Silly me. And that's despite having some modest EE background so I probably should have known. Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake.

Now I eagerly await the debut of a new Xtar charger and religiously follow HKJ's reviews. Good thing I'm retired since I probably spend too much time on this stuff.

Re: My Stuff

I have:

NiMH Cell Chargers

1x Technoline BL-700
1x Technoline BC-1000
1x Panasonic BQ-CC16 (+ 1 given away)
4x Sanyo NC-MDU01 USB
12x PowerTraveller PowerChimp 2AA USB (double as mini powerbanks) (+ 1 given away)
1x Rayovac timed slow charger (for NiCd / NiMH / rechargeable alkaline) (no longer in service)
1x Ever-Ready timed fast charger (no longer in service)
6x C or D to AA charging adaptors

Li-Ion Cell Chargers

1x XTAR VP2
5x XTAR MC1
2x Fenix UC35

USB Chargers

2x Anker 40W 5-port desktop
1x Samsung 10.6W 1-port plugtop
2x generic 5W 1-port plugtop
1x Masterplug 5W 2-port built into a surge-protection power strip
1x AmazonBasics 10.5W 1-port plugtop (recalled due to overheating problems at high power) (no longer in service)
1x generic 15.5W 2-port plugtop (no longer in service)
1x EasyAcc 12W 2-port 12V car lighter socket (no longer in service)

USB Solar Panels

1x Anker 14W
1x EasyAcc 7W

Li-Ion USB Powerbanks

2x 3000mAh EasyAcc U-Bright (+ 1 given away)
1x 7800mAh RAVPower
1x 9000mAh EasyAcc U-Bright
1x 12000mAh EasyAcc
1x 13000mAh Anker 2nd Gen Astro E4
1x 18000mAh EasyAcc

Yes, that really is an entry for 12x PowerChimps - I got my hands on an ex-Marks & Spencer job lot a few years ago. They were being off-loaded because the included NiMH cells were starting to deteriorate due to age, but the chargers and AAA to AA adaptors were still perfectly good.

I just tried a PowerChimp as a power source for modern devices; it put a 15% charge into my Moto G smartphone and 3-4% into my Note 2014 10" tablet, using 2 AA 1900mAh Eneloops each time. Not bad, all things considered, although it did get very warm!

Sometimes things get silly around here: I tested the "C or D to AA charging adaptors" by putting an AA Eneloop in an "AA to C adaptor" and putting that in a "C to D adaptor"

Re: My Stuff

Chargers or Charger/Analysers

Powerlab 8 multi-chemistry charger/analyser
Pila 2 cell lithium ion charger
MAHA C9000 NiMH charger
Duracell CEF23 NiMH Travel Charger
Anker 10 watt dual USB wall warts for Cygo-Lite li-ion powered bike lights + cell phones. Anker wall warts seem to be really good stuff.

Lithium Ion Cells

AW Panasonic LiNiCo 18650's in various capacities (12)
AW RCR cells (4)
AW IMR 18650 cells (4)
Keeppower Panasonic LiNiCo 18640 3400 mAh (4)
Various Sanyo unprotected cells salvaged from laptop packs (20, kept around for backup/emergency use originally... probably going to drain and dispose soon)

NiMH Cells

24 Sanyo Eneloop AA
~ 140 Duracell Duraloop AA+AAA (original confirmed Japanese Eneloops)
48 Amazon Basics AA + AAA (white label made in Japan, suspected Eneloops)

Re: My Stuff

xzel87 said:

unfortunately it came at a great cost, my credit card is glowing red hot and its only starting to cool down somewhat now... but thanks!

Click to expand...

LOL

i know what ya mean, my wallet feels the same way.

Re: My Stuff

My Chargers

Powerlab 8 multi-chemistry charger/analyser
Sony BC-CS2A NiMH Charger(came with digicam)
Maha/Powerex MH-C204W
Maha/Powerex MH-C9000
Xtar VP-2

I dont think I need any others for a while(other then maybe another VP-2 for charging 4x18650 exc.), I have most everything covered now.