I’m sure distributors were asked for input. We suggested in this order:
Capacity count (charging)
LiFePO4 or NiMH support
USB output or input
I also have nearly every recent charger under the sun but this is a plus because it’s a step up from the Cottonpickers BUT the same cost Cottonpickers can do NiMH
Note we suggested a close price point to this contingent upon the features above. Note that at this price it’s still competitive for the voltage readouts (as compared to others like Cottonpickers).
If it passes all the tests (I would expect it do, but I need to do some more measurements), then there are two things in favor of it:
The display, the obvious is that it can be used to see the charge state of the battery, but it can also be use to estimate the age of the battery (Not in years, but how word down the battery is).
If you are using 16340 and especially 10440 cells, the 0.25A range is very useful.
Generally I would expect it to be more expensive than the XP2, a custom made LCD display does cost more money than 3 leds.
Why is it that generally, charging a 16340 at 0.25A is preferred over 0.50A, while charging a 14500 at 0.50 is totally acceptable even though they are both 4.2V 750mAh cells?
I once contemplated between 16340 and 14500.
My mind automatically jumped to(assuming the same tech): h(πr^2) ie, more area=more power.
16340= ~6832.64mm^3
14500= ~7693mm^3
Sorry, the 26650 doesn’t fit comfortably in there.
+1 on the i4. If it’s a LiION/NiMH, I’d much rather go with a “brand name” than a knock off for safety sake — even if many of the components are the same.
I would assume because it does 3.0/3.2V. I personally would stick with my i4, although I’d like to see a new version that could do up to 2 amps for Li-Ion.
Hm, that’s true. LiPo support is quite… rare. i4 nor XTAR SP2 support this type of cells.
Anyway, I personally don’t like these all-in-one chargers, unless it’s hobby charger. Right now I prefer one, but good, charger for li-ion and other one for NiMh.