Review: Xtar VC4 Charger

Product page : ( Please read ) http://www.xtarlight.com/05-chanpin/p-001-1.asp?styleid=339&style=Charger

HKJ review : https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/32916

A 4 Bay USB charger from Xtar :

Xtar VC4 :

I hope everyone has visited the product page ? I really dont want to repeat everything said by the manufacturer .

In a nutshell we have a 4 Bay USB charger that can charge Li-ion and Ni-hm batteries . I have tried this charger VIA my computers USB port as well as a Wall to USB adapter . All the video is with the Wall adapter . And I cant help but feel the wall adapter can not really supply enough power for more than one or possibly two batteries to be charged in reasonable time . Perhaps there is a USB wall adapter out there that can supply more power , I just dont have one .

Anyhow back to the charger itself . It is a quality charger , nothing about it feels cheap or nasty , it terminates properly ( Charge ) and does not trickle charge . I swapped Li-ion and Nimh around in the bays at random , and had no issues . ( Charge rate may be affected ) Never did the charger try to undercharge or overcharge the batteries as I swapped them around .

First video is the charger charging AAA Ni-mh batteries . You can clearly see the pulse charging taking place .

Second video is just the CH button:

Third video is with a Li-ion batteries , and I move the second battery about .. ( Interesting result with USB Wall adapter ) I just dont have the space on my desk to try this with the computers USB port , just lack the space .

A very interesting charger , but I cant help but feel that it is limited by the power that the connected to USB port can supply , which is going to be the limiting factor to performance with multiple batteries . I would have really liked to have seen a 12v power supply connection so that the charger could see its full potential .

Conclusion:

Another excellent product from Xtar , unfortunately limited by the power that the connected to USB port can supply . I dont think USB was ever meant to be a High Power Port / connection , and when you charge 4 batteries , you will need quite a bit of power to make the charger operate at factory specifications . So if you really want this charger please keep in mind that you may want a decent USB wall adapter that can provide the power needed .

Now aside from getting power from a USB port , this is an excellent charger and the only way to have made it better would have been to include a 12v power supply or connector to supplement the choice of power .

I have to agree with you. One advantage that I see with this charger is the ability to connect with a solar type power supply. I am not sure if anyone has tested this combination yet. Most solar based power supplies use a USB port for external power. I am not that savy to get into specifics, but it could be a use for charging AA and AAA cells. Not sure if the solar output has enough output to charge Li Ion cells.

Thanks for the review! Next time we want to hear your voice on the videos, or some cool music :slight_smile:

They should include a USB wall power for this charger for free to make this charger a winner :smiley:

Quite possibly music :

I have heard my voice , and I hate it ... literally cant stand to hear my own voice ...

So yes , music could be done ..

I purchased a solar AA charger with USB port , and I added a solar cell VIA USB to supplement the on board solar power , and it works ..

As long as your solar cell is 5V output and supplies enough Amps , it should work , but the cells get expensive as the size gets where you want it .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-14W-Solar-Panel-Foldable-Solar-Charger-for-5V-USB-charged-/321584975683?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4adff54f43

Thanks for the review.
Well done.

This charger can only charge 2 cells at 1A otherwise with 4 cells is 500mA.
Nice charger otherwise.

I bought a Goal Zero this for my earthquake supplies and I have no problems charging 18650’s with a Miller ML-102 attached to the optional battery pack. I attached it to the battery pack to smooth out the power from the solar cell but I’ve charged 18650’s with the Miller attached directly to the Goal Zero.

I looked at that , and thought it too expensive ..

A long time ago I purchased a Solar charger ( The other site ) , and it was ok . So I started looking at a unit ( Charger with solar cell + USB port ) . I found one for about $10 , its 4 port and with the added solar cell , actually charges 4 AA nimh to full capacity in one day .

Now that I have the Xtar VC4 , I may need to shell out $50 for a much better solar cell pack .. I think as a solar powered charger the VC4 may be brilliant ..

Excellent guys! Thanks for the tips. :beer:

The screen of the VC4 in the last picture seems to have scratches. Did it come that way, or did mischief happen after receipt?

Me thinks it happened in transit , the USB cable was on top the charger and it looked like it had a bit of a rough trip ..

The charger now resides with my brother , since he is a Battery Noob , I feel the VC4 will look after him just fine .

What can I say , I trust the charger more with Li-ion than I do my brother .

My brother has a solar panel set that has the power to feed the Xtar VC4

i bought a few of these a while back. Still found them in a Google search today (Oz readers). $10 approx.

https://m.catchoftheday.com.au/product/handy-dual-port-charger-6818/

Have measured a genuine 2A going into my iPad (using charger doctor) so this would be a simple and inexpensive way to add 12V option to this charger.

5v and 5A = 25Watt

Most of the ones I see claim 2A , and the one I have ( 2 ) both claim 2A ..

I dont see 2A ..

I need to buy one of those current meters that plug into the wall and then read out the current of what ever is plugged in ...

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AU-Plug-Power-Energy-Watt-Voltage-Amps-Meter-Analyzer-Power-Consumption-Monitor-/271618016231?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3f3db203e7

Hmmm , might have to buy one NOW!