Hi Chicago X!
Thank you to Chicago X for recommending the XStar WPA6 II. Also, thank you to
rumblin' bumbl... for your somewhat informal (but courageous) test of the WPA6.
(see https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/4723 ).
I decided to order one from an eBay Canada seller (who accepted a "Best Offer Price"
of only $32. shipped to the US) By the way, if you don't want to wait for overseas
shipping to the US, here's a US based eBay seller who's offering the unit at $35.26
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250932125540&fromMakeTrack=true
My UltrFire Rapid Charger WF-188 has left a little to be desired. Although it may end up
actually fitting a 26650, it charges my 18650 to voltages that differ from 4.18 to 4.21+
(unaccepatable?) for various pairs from the same lots of cells - (and of course, it only holds 2 batteries).
I also would love to have the ability to charge 6 18650 cells at once. I understand
that the WPA6 II will only charge 3 of the 26650 but that's the magic number for the
2 DRY lights that should be on their way (and I understand that the new 5xXML
TrustFire may accommodate 3 of these humongous cells as well).
Ultimately, it might be nice to have a Turnigy 8150 or better yet, a $100+ iCharger
but I can't justify the outlay at the moment.
I'd also like to research their capabilities a little more. The following link "to
that other site" does provide some interesting info but I'd like to know even more.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?250111-Does-a-Turnigy-Accucel-(6
-or-8)-test-cell-capacity It does seem like it would be helpful to be able to:
1)measure the energy capacity of individual cells
2)balance cells - ALTHOUGH I WOULD LOVE TO UNDERSTAND THE ADVANTAGES OF BALANCING A
LITTLE BETTER - Can anyone lead me in the right direction?
3)connect to my computer via USB to create discharge graphs and other useful
information to share with BLF folks.
Regards,
KumaBear