XTAR technical discussions -Your suggestions on upgrading xtar PB series charger?

If there is a chance to upgrade our PB series charger, how do you think of upgrading 2 slots to 4 shots? And what features do you want to add?

Welcome to share your views freely. Maybe your suggestions will be adopted. Thanks in advance!

Features:

- 2 slots that fit 18350 up to 21700 protected cells.

- QI wireless charging on the top.

- Move the cover to the other side (bottom).

  • Allow wireless charging to work with or without cells installed (pass through via USB-C PD input).

@xtarflashlight, I think making a 4-cell 21700 model would be lovely. It would allow for 75Wh battery packs with 5000mAh 21700 cells, a new in the industry.

If I had other suggestions, they would be:

1- USB-PD output up to 45W with PPS (this would require a 2S setup however, but since charging channels are independent, this should not be too hard to deal with and balanced).
2- Charging SOC limiter(80-90-95-100%).
3- Adjustable charging current.

If there was only one feature I could add, it would be the 2nd one.

Thanks for your kind comment! A 4-cell 21700 model will be too big to be carried out along? Some customers told they wanted a much compact charger/carrying-case, such as 3 or 4 x 16340/18350.

I haven’t had mine for all that long but I have a few ideas:

- I like to use mine as a portable power bank and put in a backpack, etc. Although the door snaps on rather securely, I want to have more confidence that it is not going to open when in a bag. I think an even more secure door mount would be ideal.

- I could be wrong on this as I am going off memory but I don’t think it will individually display the statistics for each battery if two are installed. I want to click the button and see the voltage level of battery 1 and battery 2 separately, while not charging or discharging. I want to know more than the percentage level. Again, I could be wrong on this.

- I am not a fan of the ribbon used to make battery removal easier. It was too long from the factory and I trimmed it a bit and it frayed and doesn’t look good now.

- There was a small bit of mounting/3M type tape included in the box but I think there was some debate about what it is for so some sort of explanation or improvement to why that is needed could be helpful.

I’d like to see a larger 4 bay and a 2 bay available. I want both. :smiley:

I love my PB2S. I think expanding the line would be nice though.

A 4x21700 version with an extra output port would be great. I think PB2S is sized well for an every carry bag. A 4-slot version would be ideal for travel. Adding one or two more USB-A ports for output would be nice too. Make sure it can still output power while plugged in, as I might use it as a USB hub at night to charge all my devices from one charging brick on the wall.

A 1x21700 version with a single USB-C port for input/output would be good too, as I have seen requests for such a product on Reddit. Even more portable than PB2S.

Support for shorter cells would be great across the whole line. I think 16340 is a good, minimum supported cell size.

Charge current selection would be excellent. It does not need to be per-bay, but a simple slide switch on the side of the charger to select between 0.25A, 1A, and 3A charging would be nice. Similar to the switch on the side of Xtar FC2.

I do not like the slightly rubberized soft-touch finish on PB2S. Switching to a typical matte injection molded plastic finish would be better, and would show less wear.

Thank you for taking feedback! I look forward to seeing any future models you may release.

I really like my PB2S.

It would be beneficial if it could be made smaller while retaining the same features. I personally wouldn’t find a 4 bay version as useful. It would be too big for me to feel good about tossing in my backpack for daily carry, but the capacity would still be too small for the rare occasions when I know I’m going to want a LOT of juice.

An additional USB-A port would be nice. There are times I would like to charge a couple of cell phones or other devices at the same time.

Pass through charging would be nice if it could be implemented without adding bulk. As Grizzly mentioned, there are times I would like to plug the charger in and still have the capability to have a couple of devices charging off of it at the same time.

@xtar

Yes, 4x 21700 would be great honestly. A bit big, but it would be able to hold a lot of energy.

Going with an 16340/18350 battery pack going honestly not be very useful. Too low capacity to be useful even in emergencies.

Xtar, have you thought about designing to fit the upcoming 4680?
I feel it’s better to start now if you want to be the first to market.

46800 cells would be far too large for a portable unit.

Single 21700, usb c, compact, weatherproof.

Weatherproof would be HUGE for me. I use mine predominantly hiking or kayaking, and it would be really nice not to have to worry about it if it got splashed, dunked, or rained on.

When 26800 charger :open_mouth: