XTAR PB2 thread

Same… I like mine too… it even charge my Samsung wireless charger quickly… very good product.

good power bank, not so good charger
because of not fitting protected nor button top cells

I got one of these for review from Banggood! Here’s the review link and there’s a promotion and code for those who want to buy one (all non-affiliate).

BTW, I do like this PB2 a lot :heart_eyes:

I do have a question though! I wanted to buy some batteries with large capacity (3400 or 3500mAh).
I’ve been thinking about the Sanyo GA, but recently saw the Samsung 35E and started wondering which would the the best.
Do you have any input on any of these? The batteries will mostly be used to work with the charger and, occasionally, to put in flashlights (non high drain)!

Any help is appreciated :wink: Thank you!!

Just take the 35E.

At most with a single cell, you are going to be drawing 3.5A, and the 35E is great at that much current.

So actually, just pick whatever is cheaper in this case.

Thanks for the answer BlueSwordM!
Actually I think that - at least in AliExpress - I’ve seen the Samsung cheaper that the Sanyo!
I may pull the trigger on a couple of them!!!

BTW, has anyone tried unprotected button top cells? I only have flat tops, so I don’t know if the button tops will fit as well!
Thank you again :wink:

Is my PB2 faulty?

I have good working LG HE4 for these but the charger sometimes get wonky and restart the charge as if my usb power aren’t capable of delivering power.
The USB out couldn’t charge my Oneplus 5T so I assume it cannot draw out more than 1A but I’ve read others charging modern high drain phones with ease

either my cells are not good or the pb2 is faulty?

But overall love the PB2 as it charges my cells really fast when it’s working properly. Cells that are low resistance are able to get topped up 100% real quick without heating the cells.

Just got mine yesterday and tried with button top 30Q, it was a very tight fit, not easy to remove, so I removed it and using Pana flat tops instead.

The PB2 will not charge low drawing devices
It will not charge my Blutooth earphones/MP3 players/10440/10180 lights/Nitecore TIP/TINI
So I have to carry TWO chargers when I travel???
I think NOT.

I love the idea of the PB2, but it misses the mark in a few ways.

There’s 3 things that would make it just about perfect:

- Type C input

- Auto-restart when the voltage drops, to make it play nicely with solar panels

  • Output toggle like Xiaomi uses to let you charge low-draw devices without cutting off the output.

And then of course, it’d be nice to see a 21700 version in the future.

I have an idea that your plan to provide unlimited power to your TINI is not going to happen.
The PB2 will not charge up the TINI nor the TIP let alone provide prolonged power.

well, I will list this, as it does not provide an adequate solution to the problem.

Yes… I found out it wasn’t charging a mini tini.

Another “quirk” I’ve found is that it will not charge batteries through the X-Dragon USB Detector. Maybe due to the balanced charging?

Thanks for checking and let us know mate! I will probably try it with the 35E flat top, then or with Sanyos!
Thanks :+1:

hi dear i just bought that xtar pb2 battery charger so m wondering if is it fine if i left my batteries in overcharge in that charger ?

Is there similar charger/powerbank for 18650 (two ideally but one or three would be fine, maybe 4 if not too big :slight_smile: ) which does not cut power to lower current devices? All I found are open/naked batteries… Or not good powerbank.

I got a TOMO Epilot E4 (4-bay 18650 powerbank/charger), testing low current load - I first tried charging a Mi Band 2 watch (USB meter registers 0.05A charging current), it doesn’t shut down. Then I tested using a USB load tester, doesn’t shut down at 0.05A, but it will shut off after several seconds of 0.04A. So the low-current-load shut-off for this Epilot E4 is around 40mA (0.04A).

As additional test, I tried using solar USB charger with the Tomo Epilot E4 — it seems to continue charging even though voltages are low (eg. USB input voltage of USB solar panel charger is below 4.0v, though of course, charging current is very low, like 0.01A only), but still it seems to mean that this powerbank/charger is also compatible with USB solar panel charger (where voltage can dip low and resume when voltage goes back up — I don’t have more accurate equipment to test more in-depth though.

Is anyone using one of these with an iPhone?

I’m considering one, but have seen allusions that it prematurely cuts off in the ninety-percent range and doesn’t fully charge them to 100%, presumably because of the low current detection.

Also a bit unsure of how modern iPhones handle DCP coded chargers. Not a big deal if it’s not the full 2.4A, but 1.5A isn’t as desirable.

One of these would tick a lot of boxes for an upcoming trip. Not eager to buy another dedicated power bank that will mostly sit in a draw and rot, like my last one did, since I don’t use them often. My 18650 cell collection is all flat-top and unprotected, so no issues there.

My iPhone 6S will be charged to about 93-95% before the PB2 cuts off charging.

Thanks. That’s not the end of the world, but does it still “fast” charge? That would be a deal breaker.