Test/Review of Charger Xtar VC4

Hum great stuff mate… Really liking this charger but I need a plug for it…Does those with the skull mean to AVOID?

What does the total current means? Do we need a specific “total current” from those power supplies to get maximum charge speed from the charger?

EDIT: Can I use those USB phone adapter chargers?

Yes. One skull can be used in 120VAC country with only a minor risk.

For multiport chargers the total current is the amount of current that can be drawn from all ports together. For single port chargers it will be the same as the port current.

You just need a port current at 2A or above.

I don’t understand this point “Only caveat is that small batteries go into the two center slots or, for sets of four, in all four slots.”

Maybe i lost some detail in the test?

The centre slots always uses a low charge current, i.e. you have to put AAA in the centre slots.

With 3 or 4 batteries all slots will use low charge current.

I decided to try that charger our and ordered it some time ago - planning to use it with that chunky PSU, which came originaly with my wifes Samsung S6

Its definately Samsung original, but that 5.3v bothers me a bit

Thanks for the review. I’ve had one of these chargers for a couple weeks, and I like it a lot. I’m glad I didn’t buy a dud…

I doubt there will be any problems with 5.3 volt, it is only 0.05 volt above the limit.

Beautiful review and pics. Unfortunately this unit doesn’t charge 4.35v otherwise it may be a perfect charger for me!

Bet an old throw away ATX powersupply would be a GREAT way to feed this thing :wink:

Awesome review…thanks!

HKJ, how do I know the “port current” of my phone chargers? I got some and they would fit nicely but are some ratings:
Xiaomi ch-p002: Max 0.2A. Output: 5V - 1000ma
Mlais: Max 0.2A. Output: 5V - 1000ma

Does that mean the port current is 1A? Thanks.

They are specified with a 1A port current, if they can deliver it is an open question.

Oh crap. Looked everywhere but none of the 2A recommended wall chargers by HKJ can be easily obtained or obtained at all! Anybody knows where I can get a good 2A USB wall charger?

Ok Here are 3 I found after quite some reading and googling :smiley: Which one?
(tested ok by HKJ)
https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10002574/1191200-4-ports-usb-ac-wall-charger-adapter

(Not tested but looks good)
http://www.gearbest.com/usb-gadgets/pp_70688.html

(Not tested and looking quite cheap :smiley: )
http://www.gearbest.com/usb-gadgets/pp_164731.html

I also like that it can charge 32650 batteries, but it takes a fair bit of time.

I got the first one from these that you mention, tested by HKJ, from here

http://intl-outdoor.com/ioncell-4-usb-2a-power-adapter-p-328.html

I also bought an Ioncell charger from Intl Outdoor store, on the strength of HKJ’s review. The Fasttech versions were, at the time, not described as “authentic” Ioncell, and I seem to remember a FT comment that they weren’t original. That comment seems to have disappeared, but I didn’t risk buying what looked like a fake.

I see FT still don’t use the Ioncell name in their description, which seems ominious.

Sorry to go somewhat OT.

While NiMH charging is nice I really question their decision to use a USB input. For a noob-proof charger it’s likely to create a lot of confusion, especially since it doesn’t include a matching power supply. Considering it requires a power supply to output above 5.1V under load if I’m reading the charts right, then it’s likely that most people will get degraded charging speed with all bays occupied.

This reeks of some product manager getting involved and specifying that the charger must have USB input (buzzword compliance?).

Leaving aside the power supply issues, for people using matched cells in series the voltage display is pretty useless (by the time your cells are at .1V from each other after removing them from the light, it’s too late).

As I’m in the market for a 4-bay Lithium charger, it seems like the VC4 is a bad buy considering the more predictable VP4 is only a few dollars more and that the NiMH advantage of the VC4 comes with a lot of caveats.

The problem with voltage is to some degree due to cables and connections, the charger works down to 4.7 volt. Using a power supply slightly above 5 volt improves the handling of cable and connection resistance while the charger draws full current. I do not see the usb power as a big problem, but you need a good charger, then you can power charger and other stuff from it.

When you charge cell in the charger when will be balanced to much better than 0.1 volt, if you look at my curve there is not more than 0.01 volt difference when the charger terminates.

The main difference between VP4 and VC4 is that VC4 shows the charged capacity and VP4 shows voltage with high resolution. For car usage the VP4 can be directly powered from the car, the VC4 needs a usb adapter.

So if my only use will be for lion cells, Nitecore I2, VP2 or VC4? Price wise I’d prefer to save bucks and I will be charging only 2 lions at any point in time.

Would something like this be ok for this charger using either the 1.0A port or the 2.4A?

http://www.i-tech.com.au/products/177455_Winstars_4_Port_USB_AC\_\_SAA_approval.aspx

As long as the specification are correct, it would be fine.

The 1A and 2.4A ports might be in parallel, if that is the case the VC4 will use full charging speed on all ports.