Test/review of Nitecore SC4

Thanks for another fine review, Henrik.

My SC4 arrived two days ago.

It is good looking and seems more study than my other chargers. It is easier to use, works faster and runs cooler than my other most recent charger, the Opus 3400.

It is pretty much a plug and play for dummies like me.

I bought the LiteOn power supply and adapter connector recommended by some here for the Opus. I was delighted to learn that it works fine with the SC4.

My only nit, other than its somewhat larger size than the Opus, is that you have to take more care to line up smaller cells like 14500s and 16340s. That is a bit easier with the Opus.

Especially with the coupon price, I’m quite pleased with the SC4.

A pity to see a charger that could be the one turn up to be just ok, but it works, so we’ve got that

Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask but is there a consensus on what’s closest to the one? I’m still using a Cottonpicker.

Really good review.

I bought an SC4 with the coupon. I wouldn’t pay full price for this charger, but with the coupon I think it’s a pretty good deal. It does a good job on lithium-ion cells, which is what I bought it for. I’ve charged some Eneloops on it, but I prefer the slow cool charging of some of my other NiMH chargers.

My main complaint is the default charge rate of 2000mA is too high for most cells. I’d prefer a lower default: 1000ma or maybe 1500mA. Or, ideally, some way to configure the default. It’s easy to change the charge rate, but you have to do it every time for every slot.

The time-splitting when charging more than 2 cells was confusing for me at first. But, once I figured out what was going on, it made sense.

I have a question about charging 4 cells. If I have cells that specify a maximum charge rate of 1300mA, can I charge 4 of them with a charge rate set to 2600mA? The time-splitting will make it an average of 1300mA. However, is the 10-second pulses at 2600mA going above spec?

I thought the time-split pulses would be much slower; about 1 second like it is on some of my other chargers. 10 seconds seems like it might be a concern if I want to just double the charge rate to compensate.

That’s an awesome review.
I was expecting a better performance from a such branded charger, but oh well…!

A long waited review, Thanks

+1

Thank you for the review. Guess I will have to use my SC4 as a backup charger in case I have much batteries to refuel… and for everyday use, stick to my trusty Xtars :slight_smile:

PS. few hours after your review someone on forums is selling SC4 :slight_smile:

G'Day HKJ,

Thank you VERY Much for a Superb review.

Btw, I bought 2 to charge my LiIon batteries from Banggood during their B'day sale for U$29.61 and

found them to be Very Good for my requirements, and their UI's operation is very intuitive.

Best Regards,

George

It’s sad really: Nitecore have great vision regarding new products, but then they cut corners and the final product wind up with flaws.

Thanks again HKJ!

Why would they not design this charger to support 2A current in all 4 slots simultaneously? Would it really add this much more to the cost? Or would there be heat issues that would require fan cooling that they were trying to avoid? Just wondering…

There are other chargers out there that support 2A x4 without a fan…

the only reason i still use li-ion single cell charger is because it’s simple and easy to use, and accurate
if i want to charge fast, i can just use my RC charger, with fancy screen and can go up to 6 cell*5A, and it’s just about nearly 30$ at my place(isdt sc-608)

After about 1 week of use my SC4 no longer works on slot 4 and the USB port works some of the time. It will stop sending power through the USB port after a minute or so. It will then reset the USB port automatically and then repeat the same thing losing power after about 1 minute, then resetting again. Slot 4 will do nothing when a battery is installed and it won’t even indicate that a battery is in slot 4. I don’t have slot priority turned on. Super annoying! BG is giving me the run around while I am trying to get a replacement or refund for the defective one that they sent me. Otherwise it worked well for the 1 week previous

Well that sucks. I really like the display. I guess my new charger gonna be become my back up charger. Back to the Xtar.
Thanks for the review HKJ. I should of waited before I bought one. Now I know for next time lol

I purchased my Xtar VP1’s, VP2’s, SV2’s, and the Litokala Lii500 based on HKJ’s reviews. I couldn’t be happier. To be honest, I never was a fan of Nitecore chargers. This review reinforces my opinion.

I have no idea.

Ths SC4 was interesting because of the high total current output, but that was false advertising, and for the looks and display. For 2 cells it does everything it’s expected, the ONE would do that with 4 cells, 4 truly independent channels that provide fast charging, and looks good in the process. It is better than the D4 I had before, but this detail would make or break a purchase decision.

At the moment seems more reliable for me continue using the Zanflare C4, ans some of the Xtar.

To be fair, it does specify 6A total charging current. So, it’s not false advertising. What is a bit misleading (or unclear) is how it manages that current.

Still, it’s an average of 1500mA across 4 slots. I think that’s reasonably fast, at least compared to many other chargers that have much lower charging current. Four Samsung 30Q cells charged in 2 hours. I’m okay with that.

Four independent charging channels would certainly be better. But if you want each of them to support the full 3A charging, then that might make for a much bigger (and noisier due to a fan) charger. If you still would be okay with a 6A total charge, then how do you manage sharing the current across 4 slots? You don’t want to charge cells in parallel, because they might be different capacities or different states of discharge.

A lot of chargers do time-sharing among slots. So I don’t think it’s fair to single out the SC4 as being especially bad in that regard.

I think this is The One: Test/review of Charger GyrFalcon All-44 (Enova)

The GyrFalcon All-44 by Enova, reviewed by HKJ. Charges everything, and up to 1 amp per slot simultaneously. Does it all except analyzing cells. I bought one from Mountain Electronics and have been very happy with it. Enova GYRFALCON ALL-44 4x Li-Ion + NiMH Charger

Supposedly the new MiBoxer C4-12 can do 3A x4, and it has no fan. Alas, I say ‘supposedly’ because no one has verified this yet. :slight_smile:

As I said in another post (or thread) I don’t dislike the charger, I like it a lot better than the D4 despite being about 30% larger, and the display is gorgeous and informative (would be dreamy if it’d show all info on the cells simultaneously), it’s the misleading advertisement that bothers me (a lot, actually). As some people already said, I think this charger was still a little expensive but fine with group buy price, wouldn’t recommend at full price.