TP4056-Based DIY Dual Channel Charger. "Poorman's CC/CV" ($3.75)

So I got a couple TP4056 controller based single cell charging boards just for fun purposes… They cost less than $1 each in ebay so why not. HKJ has a very detailed review here..

The fully built “Poorman’s CC/CV” dual channel charger costs only $3.75 to make, breakdown:
–2x TP4056 boards $0.75
–1x Dual 18650 holder $1.65
–2x Mini Heatsink $0.30

These little things pulls about 1A each and generate a decent amount of heat, so I secured them with thermal adhesive over a heatsink and they only get slightly warm now. The bottom side is taped to avoid any shorts, although the heatsink is coated and not conductive as is. I wired them in parallel so the Mini USB can be connected in either port. A micro USB port version is also available, but these fits the heatsink perfectly.


Green = no battery or fully charged
Red = charging


Close-up of the boards, wired parallel


Pulling 1.79A from a power bank, individually they pull 1A, but I think my cable is too long and limits the current a bit.


Pushing 0.83A into a 3.9V NCR18650BD.

A truly budget charger with good CC/CV profile. Hope you liked it…

Very nice job, sir! :slight_smile:

+1. They look real sweet.

Could be stickied so newbies can be pointed to it instead of buying a junk cheap charger,like I,and probably most of us,did at first.Really nice job.

Ha, I just linked a new member to that HKJ review. I should have linked him here. Nice build and thread. :)

Well done :-D

Thanks everyone… In this charger I didn’t use a led voltmeter because the ones I got from FT only displays 1 decimal and with bad accuracy of ±0.03. I might add them if I get a decent one. And for the amp meter I like the USB charge monitor instead, much more convenient. When the current drops to 0.7A a channel it’s entering CV.

This is a great project for those who want to get into budget DIY. Just be careful with battery placement since the board didn’t pass reverse polarity test.

I must have spent more than $30 in useless cheap chargers in my early flashaholic days…

Nice…good job! Those TP4056 boards are pretty good…just do not put the battery in backwards…they are not reverse polarity protected and instantly go kaput

I had an old Xtar MC1 the daggum micro USB kept coming off the board, so I just used the slider body and added the TP4056 to it w/ a small piece of wire


My latest one after I fried one of the above boards, I use clear 18650 heatshrink wrapping to keep it from shorting out

I even unsoldered the 1.2K resistor and put on 2.2K, limiting max current from approx 1A (the IC gets really hot) to 500mA~ and they get warm, but take considerable more time to charge

Oh for those folks who get flashlights that have the “charge port” on the side (that are direct connect to the battery, no charge intelligence whatsoever)…these also work well for those too, as long as you get the right side spade plug and keep the polarity correct when you solder the plug on to the wires

How long it would take to charge an average 18650 battery with one of these?
Also is it safe to leave it unattended? It won’t ruin the battery or worse if left ON after charging full?

P.S. Miller ML-102 vs this board?..

Charge time depends on the 18650’s capacity. Some 18650s are 1000mA, others up to 3600mA .
These chargers should not harm battery. They should do proper li-ion charging with proper cut off. But some use different clone chips than the original that was tested by HKJ.
Its not recommended to leave any charger unattended.

I have on way this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/370865460416?\_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I want to make one “six channel”. The source is an old AT.

I was holding off on buying lithium cells since I didn’t want to buy another charger just yet. Maybe that will change now; thanks.

Let us know if you get the exact chip pictured. With the logo.

A little bit cheaper on aliexpress:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/TP4056-1A-lithium-battery-special-pad-charger-module-changer-of-lithium-ion-battery/32239000052.html

Note that those things go dead if you reverse polarity the battery or input voltage.
I built a nice 8*18650 2*14500 Charger with 10 of those modules and a big 5V Power Supply - but 4 of the modules are dead because of my failure

But the shipping fees are very very expensive.

Yeah, I just noticed and filed a complaint. Those sellers are using fake free shipping offers.

here 10pcs for 3.99$

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Micro-USB-5V-1A-Lithium-Battery-Charging-Board-Charger-Module-10pcs-/141455577566?pt=Battery_Chargers&hash=item20ef68d1de#ht_7906wt_1123

I ordered last week. Will update here when I received.

I think this “F” mark represent genuine manufacturer
I got 4056 chips only from ebay that have no this logo. failed one chip. may be clones.
So its better post pic or comment about chip, everyone who brought these boards

Be careful with these as they’re way too cheap to be true TP4056s, and in the close up picture it looks like they have blurred out the chip print. It does not say TP4056 anywhere in the description.

You do want a listing that says tp4056 but even then you can get clones. There are at least 3 different clones. They are marked TP4056 (without logo), 4056 or 4056ES. Only the chips with the logo are the original chip that HKJ tested.