XTAR VP1 Dual Bay LCD Charger

Yes, and I have already done a couple of charge cycles. It does a very fine CC/CV charge.

Why have a display without capacity measurement though? SIgh.

Xtar VP1 $49.99
0.25A
0.50A
1.00A
CC/CV
LCD display showing charging current and volt charge progress.

Xtar SP2 $34.99
0.50A
1.00A
2.00A
CC/CV
Led lights showing charging status and charging current indicators.

I’ll wait for HKJ’s review and decide if that LCD display is worth the higher price tag.

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?

They are not both 750mAh cells, the 14500 has higher capacity than 14500 cells.

A 16340 is usual between 500 and 600mAh.

A 14500 is usual between 600 and 800mAh.

Okay. Thanks. I was wondering if it was some sort of internal resistance thing that I didn’t understand.

I once contemplated between 16340 and 14500.
My mind automatically jumped to(assuming the same tech): h(πr^2) ie, more area=more power. :slight_smile:
16340= ~6832.64mm^3
14500= ~7693mm^3

For Li-Ions, cycling only wears them out, and doesn’t does anything good.

Why bothering with this one if you have an original i4 for the same price :slight_smile:

Jason, have you tried 26650?

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 have checked a few, with the help of tinfoil is they do connect:

Notice I did say safely :slight_smile: could alligator clip it to a 26650 holder with magnets. Though, 1A may be slow for this feller.

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.

H., J. - thanks for trying that :slight_smile: Much appreciated! :beer:

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.

That’s the way I think. An all in one charger is handy, but I would rather have two chargers that each have a single purpose, and do excellently.

Okay Jason, I ordered one. I’ll stick my SP2 in a drawer until I need it to charge 26650. I sure hope the slides are nice and smooth, I hate sticky sliders.

i think it is good enough. which more kind of feature do you look forward to?

The review is up and I like the charger.