What charger for 2017?

Also consider the XTAR DRAGON VP4 Plus for a reliable workhorse. Review link is in my signature.

Is that not blasphemous in the eyes of the Li-Ion safety gods?

The Dragon IS a reliable workhorse. They run 89USD but IMR has them 2 @ 60USD each. Maybe you could get together with someone and split. I think you will like. (add 5USD ship each)

Unno. Nitecorn i4 2017 version?

Depends what you’re going for in a charger. How “smart”? How many cells? Etc.

Well when there is one advised that has 4 bays, charges, analyzes and costs less then a lot of simple dual bay chargers (thus the $14-20 Liitokala li500) it seems like a no brainer to me :wink:

+1 :+1: to the Lii-500 The Miller :slight_smile:
I have 3 :wink:

The price of the Lii-500 is actually what puts me off! I mean how can it be so good and be so cheap?

I constantly hear complimentary comments about this charger so maybe this really is just great bang for the buck…. I’m off to look at the usual retailers, give my trusty WP2 a rest…

Yes mine is the 2.2 version.
My fan was noisy from new, it whined like it needed lubing.
I lubed it & it was quiet for a short while then started whining again.
After a few months it just stopped working so I stopped using it.
It always read high on capacity sometimes 8-10% higher.
Many members have posted similar to the above with some regularly lubing them & some fitting a different fan & the charger reading high.
I have found that the Lii-500 is within 1-2% by comparison & obviously silent as it has no fan.
If you are lucky with the fan then the OPUS is a good charger & as it always reads high is fine for tracking the health of cells but it was just to far out for me as I like to confirm a cells true capacity when I first get it.
I was disappointed with the OPUS TBH.

Yes, and I meant to add….all of the Liitokala chargers are great and priced right,

I think we have no idea how cheap electronics are to make.
it is just a piece of molded plastic, a pcb, some chips and few metal parts.
The Lii500 is not cheap, the rest is expensive :wink:

I have 3 x Lii-500”s, 2 x Lii-202”s & 6 x Lii-100”s all perform well :+1:
Although I also have 2 x D4, 2 x i4, 2 x C4 & a broken Opus they are my “go to” Li-ion chargers, unless I want to charge a cell at 2A when I use the Rocket.
From what I have been told Miboxer have a 4 bay 2A charge/discharge/ capacity test across all 4 bays that will take 4 x 26650”s charger under development (with proper termination).
That should be an interesting charger :+1:

The electronics are cheap yes but just think of the cost to engineer and design. Imagine paying a western design engineer the time to design and thoroughly test just one simple charger! It would be thousands!
BLF rock here, just imagine the hours the Q8 has taken you and the team, done for the love thank god :+1:

The components used are not always the right components either, take cheap multimeters. Most hobbie versions get away with it because of the applications but if you look inside, the expensive protection is substituted for an inadequate alternative. The fuses in some flukes cost more than some dodgy DMMs, nobody knows until it injures them or the equipment! HKJ shows us inadequate isolation distances weekly in alsorts.

Not really sure where I am going with this reply but I’m still impressed the Lii500 appears to be so budget friendly :smiley:

Ps, the Miller, did you get my PM I sent? Maybe a week ago now?

I’ll have to agree with what has already been said about the Lii-500. It is a fine charger & certainly priced right. My OPUS works fine, no fan issues at all…… but I prefer the Lii-500 hands down for my go-to analyzing charger. A part of the reason is the greater accuracy than the OPUS.

This is a fantastic idea & stellar advice!!!

These 2 chargers have been my go-to pair for several months now.
At this point in time you will not find a better analyzing charger, for the money; than the Lii-500. Combine that with the faster charging capability of the Xtar mentioned and you have a winning combination. :slight_smile:

I charge at 500mA because I read that is best for the cells, right?
In the summer, even at that low current I place the charger on a big CPU heatsink for easy airflow at the charger and put a piece of 2mm copper on the cells with a couple of CPU heatsinks on top if that to get heat away from the cells.
Can’t imagine 2A, but we don’t have or want airco :wink:

Maybe,but my God, My Husky and me being a VERY light sleeper works for me! :wink:

No, I do not think that 500ma is best for the cells. It migh be for a 700 mAh 14500 but not for a 5000 mAh 26650.
For the 26650 the 2000 ma charge would not even be .5C …
A 500 ma charge for the same battery is only .1C …… much to slow in my book. It might even miss termination. Not good…….

It is ALL about preference! I like to see ALL 4 bays at once instead of data from One[1] channel at a time! No Thanks!

Charging at 500ma, I assume you mean for 18650”s & 26650”s may result in a few extra cycles out of the cell but Li-ion charging is recommended up to 1c or the capacity of the cell per hour.
500ma charging on a 3000mah 18650 will take around 6 hours to complete assuming the cell is pretty much fully depleted & around 10 hours with a fully depleted 5000mah 26650.
I generally charge 18650”s at 1A which is still only .33c of a 3000mah cell & at 2A on a 5000mah 26650 cell which is still only .4c.
I am still charging at less than .5c but it takes half the time you do & if I lose a few cycles compared to charging at 500ma so what.
If I had a 4 bay charger that charged at 1.5A across all 4 bays that is exactly what I would charge my 3000-3400mah 18650s at, which is still only about .5c, & given the option I would charge my 5000mah 26650”s at .5c or 2.5A rather than 2A :wink:
Good quality cells are cheap & life is to short to warrant really low charge rates just to get a few extra cycles in my opinion.
Good cells are only around $4-$6 each & even if I were to only get 100 cycles from my cells the way I charge them & charged them once a week that is still 2 years life from a $4-$6 cell.
Each to their own obviously & what is important to me charging wise may not be important to others as I know for instance that some people don”t like to charge their cells to 4.20v to help increase their life.
I am happy with the way I charge my cells & my cells life, & at the rates I charge at the cells stay cool so I doubt I am reducing their life by much.
Just my take on it The Miller :wink:

You actually do all that ‘The Miller’? Charging at 500ma? Why? Have you found “you” need it or are you just being very precautious?

My high capacity 18650’s do not even get warm at 2000ma charge…. much less the 26650’s.
And they have no “extra” cooling at all.

What brand & model charger are you using?
.
:slight_smile: