The making of the BLF UC4 charger: the start of a new venture, INTEREST LIST, UPDATE 7 (Well, ramping stopped :/ )

And besides, this is a different project than most BLF group buys.

This is a joint project between BLF and SecondLifeStorage, that could have some nice repercussions on the whole battery charger industry. The SkyRC MC300 was quite popular even at 100$US.

So, a (possibly) 39-(confirmed)49$US charger.

Not only would it be a hit on BLF and SecondLifeStorage(that last one is especially important!), but also E-Cig, some prepper websites, etc.

For $49, I’d be intested in one.

Definitely interested in one

In for 1.

Ooo this seems nice! I’m in!

Since we can change current from 0.1 to 3A in 0.1A step, i think encoder wheel is better than 4 buttons input, no one want to press a button 30 times

I’m in but a prototype needs to go to HKJ or Mooch

Put me down for one.

Started speaking with Mooch, but not HKJ.

No worries there.

INTEREST LIST

1. 1x BlueSwordM
2. 1x AmishBill.
3. 1x OLd_gUY
4. 1x shirnask
5. 1x bhstinger
6. 1x Lux Perpetua
7. 1x anonymous_user
8. 1x mitsuki08
9. 1x gkushev
10. 1x 1stein
11. 1x I_like_lamb
12. 1x Grigio
13. 1x xenotar80
14. 1x charwinger21
15. 1x Cirnyan
16. 1x Joshk
17. 1x Rayoui
18. 1x thisnameisvalid
19. 1x KevinZA1988
20. 1x tomas_f
21. 1x 4Null
22. 1x jmoots
23. 1x Klayking
24. 1x candor
25. 1x Dioda
26. 1x NEIL944
27. 1x heliosxx
28. 1x twodollarbill
29. 1x Yelov
30. 1x slmjim
31. 1x Dep668
32. 1x PBWilson
33. 1x Vaxd
34. 1x Pete7874
35. 1x Dsvist12
36. 1x contactcr
37. 1x Geoduck
38. 1x SKY89
39. 1x engber

Please add me to the interest list.

Also, guys, I actually have a backup plan.

I’ve spoken with DLYFull yesterday, like I said before, and they said that if there’s not enough interest for a brand new aluminium charger, they could use their current UT4 as the base.

The reason for making a whole new charger base? 75-78mm 21700 compatibility and better heatsinking.

I don’t see my name on the interest list. I expressed interest back in July, post #91

Interested.

It was pretty clear that a new mold would be too big a risk from the beginning, but what do you mean when you say it will be aluminum? Are you thinking a single milled chunk, or a bent case like the steel cases commonly seen on other electronics? A solid piece would be fantastic just for the heft, but I’m a bit concerned it would impact costs quite a bit - and what measures will be taken to prevent bare cells or internal components from shorting against the conductive body? Surely a thin layer of anodizing or paint isn’t sufficient?
This seems like an interesting project for sure, but I’m concerned the specific requirements you have for a charger may be to niche compared to others, and the budget may make it impossible to create a quality product that meets the requirements safely.
Have you considered working with the Cheali Charger software It’s open source, and seems to do just about everything you want when paired with an Imax B6. A custom case with all the bits and pieces you want could be a lot easier to create, and basing it off an existing product could improve reliability. Or is there a reason you don’t want to go this route?

I’m in for 1.

Interested in 1

I’m in on anything BLF!

I currently have the Xtar Dragon VP4 Plus. Does this offer anything over the VP4 Plus and MC3000 chargers?

@bmengineer, I’m not worried about that. Who do you think built the aluminium ISDT chargers? :slight_smile:

A thick layer of black anodizing(50um+) should be sufficient.

Anyway, that, I don’t know yet what method will be used. I’ll have to ask later.

About the 49$US budget, they said that even with the nickel plated brass holders, it’s actually a rather reasonable price as a 4 cell charger for the BLF GB, even including the necessary safety measures and testing that I asked for.

Any larger than that, and new tooling would make it much more expensive, since it’s built out of aluminium. Still way less than a plastic mold though.

That’s the problem…

It would actually be more expensive to make this compatible with 75mm+ 21700s.