SashiX - No doubt it will charge a 18370 lithium battery if it existed. I was just trying to clarify/correct the chart that was posted. I know HKJ wouldn’t want any mistakes/typo’s to remain.
Appears to be a real upgrade to previous chargers made by Xtar. I like the adjustable amperage settings and the fact it will do 26650’s without having to tinker with it. Also nice to have another charger with CC/CV AND termination at the end of the charge cycle. If I wasn’t already overloaded with very good chargers, I would buy this one.
You are correct and I have fixed it (Thanks).
Cells discharged below 2.8V are considered not safe. Should not the charger provide at least an indication of the fact? Perhaps the charger should not charge them?
This depends on the cell, the current Panasonic 2900/3100/3400 can be discharged down to 2.5 volt.
I believe that Panasonic specify that you must soft charge below 2.8 volt.
One of the problems with LiIon safety is that the limits are depend on the actual cell used, this is no problem in a full battery pack with the charger build in, but it a problem when using a loose battery. It would be more safe if it did not charge below a low limit, but then there would be problems with tripped protections and depending on limit, some types of cells.
HKJ, this charger will actually try to charge a dead unprotected Li-ion?
For example, we have a salvaged battery at 0.8V, this charger will not refuse to charge, but instead it will try a soft charge?
And will it stop if the 0.8V battery is not chargeable? A timer perhaps - 10min charge does not bring up V -> terminate charge?
All in all, it still sounds dangerous for a normal user IMO. Maybe this charger should be for someone who knows what they're doing.
At low voltage it will use a very low current, that does not really charge the battery, but will reset protection, you can also see that the light stays green instead of showing red for charge.
The charger is not more dangerous than many other chargers on the market, many chargers supplies some current at low voltage, often more than this charger.
That low voltage may rise quickly, even with very low current.
Perhaps the 4.23V also should not be dismissed so easily, some people cry “Terrible!” at seeing 4.23V.
Some people does, without even reading a data sheet for a LiIon battery or knowing how to measure the charger voltage (This is not the same as the battery voltage, when the charging is stopped).
As long as the voltage is within the limits in the LiIon data sheet, I will not call it a problem.
Quoting myself
Sorry, I missed it first time.
The current on this charger is mostly stable, there is only small variations while the charger is adjust it, no switching between 0 and full charger current.
Thanks very much for the review! Frontpage’d and Sticky’d.
“These leds are red when charging and green at other times, including fault conditions.”
Which moron thought this is a good idea?
+1 That is opposite of the normal color indicators. Are we just being to pickey? Nah.
What scares me is their top of the line charger actually requires the user to test the cells with a multimeter before using it after a charge.
Because… a fault condition looks the exact same as a full charge!
Hmm... Sold (?) my WP2 II away.
Would this be my next charger? :)
What do you guys think of it´s price, better bang for buck to just get another WP2 II?
(not having any 26650 ATM)
My WP2 II just fried after a year of daily use at a 1 amp charge rate. This one might be a bit more robust with a 2 amp rating.
Yikes, not a very hardy charger I suppose?
IMO there has been really low amount of failure reports on WP2 II and I presume there are a TON of them in use just on this forum alone.
I remember reading this one and one before.
I would still say it is above average and not by a smallest margin.
I had no hesitation in ordering the same as a replacement since there really isn’t anything better available for under $20. It started acting up with one side not starting a charge unless a cell was in the other bay. Then, finally it went into blink mode. I suspect these could use a bit more ventilation.