Test/Review of Charger SkyRC MC3000

I’ve never heard great things about Rechargeable Alkaline. I have experience using them in graphing calculators… they nothing special. What I used back then was certainly well eclipsed by LSD NiMH. If things change I’d like to know about it though…

MC3000 Firmware V1.02, Hardware V1.04:
App V2.5 is working here, since i have altered the language setting of my Samsung Galaxy S5 (Android 5.0) from German to English (UK) !
With german language settings fixed point values (e.g. 4.20V) are displayed as “fixed colon values” (e.g. 4,20V) in the app. And the app will crash saving such a setup.

I’ll have to test if the app is still “congesting” after some hours. With german language settings i had to stop app, remove app in android task manager, clear cache in android settings, (cycle charger power off/on), restart app …

At least they are making improvements. Another case of user debugging.

Whats the right voltage setting for charging nimh? The stock setting is 1.65V and I think it’s a bit too high, I set them to 1.55V instead and got ~2450mAh capacity from a pair of eneloop XX. Haven’t touched any of the other settings as I’m not very familiar with ni-mh chemistry. I’ve been using a maha 9000 in auto setting for the last 5 years and it seems to be doing ok.

There is no right voltage for NiMH when using -dv/dt termination, but it must be high enough to not interfere with the -dv/dt.

I see…. So there is no need to change any of the setting in “eneloop” mode except for lowering the current for AAA cells? 1.65V is ok for -dv/dt?

Correct, if you look at my reviews there is no charge voltage for -dv/dt charging.
Voltage can be used to stop the charge, instead of -dv/dt, but this will usual mean that cells are not filled completely.

App V2.8 was released. The bug for fixed colon values wasn’t fixed and will crash this app in more than 100 countries.

Hi all,
I’m new to this forum and joined in the hope of getting some help with my SkyRC MC3000 charger.
There are semi circle metal plates under each slot that appear to be sensors.
My unit arrived from GB with one of these metalic clips dislodged (from slot #3) .
I only noticed it because it had gotten stuck in the slider section for slot#1.
Carefully I placed it back where it dislogged itself from. It seems a bit loose.

My question is:
What is this metal part for (I’m guessing individual battery temp sensor)?
I’d like to know in case I should return to GB.
P.S. The temp sensors for each battery seem to work

Cheers Ed

The metal plate transfers battery temperature to the temp sensor for that slot, a missing plate do not disable the sensor, but simply means the coupling between the sensor and battery is a bit more loose, i.e. the temperature difference (Between real and measured temperature) will be larger.

Thanks HKJ so much for the reply.
Like I said the plate came loose and I put it back in so at least im not missing any parts.
I did notice some themal paste on the tip of the sensor in the slot hefore i replced the metal plate.
The other plates are all in place very solidly.
This one seems a bit loose.
Do you know of the plates are meant to be be glued or soldered in place?
From what I can tell they just clip in place and come into contact with the thermal paste tip.
Im hoping that even though it feels loose i might just be able to remove and bend it a bit then replace it again.
I really dont want to go through a warranty claim if its working ok.
From my observations temp reading in slot 3 seem very close to the other slots even with the plate feeling a bit loose.
Since temp readings are used in programs Im a bit uneasy with the problem even though its minor …. Just my OCD cant let it go :slight_smile:
Thanks again for the advice.

I believe they just click in, adding some glue might make them stick.

For EU folks: NKon.nl has it now 97,75€ plus ship (around 10€).
Could’nt resist :person_facepalming: . Now the short wait… (guess 4 days) :beer:

EDIT: So I had it for two days now … and I already love it!
It is not difficult at all to make programs for it, I have used up the 30 slots!. Well I forced myself to leave a few slot numbers for acute needs.
I gave it a re-calibration (easy done also - can also be found on YouTube) as it was a little off on the last digits. Well it is now exact according to my Fluke 179.

BUT!
I think the MC3000 Charger Manual is really difficult to read i.e. the usage of the abbreviations TOV (Total Overview), SOV (Slot Operation View), SPV (Slot Programming View), DDV (Diagram Drawing View) and GSV (Global Setup View) throughout the manual.
These abbreviations make the manual almost unreadable and should not have been used. I am going to remove them in my written manual and write the real meaning. I think the time used will be earned back quickly.

I wonder if I am the only one in BLF with a SKY-MC3000 with broken spring posts.
The problem is widely discussed on CPF.

As a rail in my MC3000 seemed loose when I retracted the negative bracket I decided to look inside.
I immediately saw that the ends of the thin plastic spring posts in slot #3 and #4 were tilted backward because they were broken at the base and the springs pulled the pins forward at the other side of the PCB as much as the hole allowed it to tilt. It could just be a matter of time before the springs would slip the broken posts (as reported by CPF members) and I made a fix that seems to hold.
What worries me is that the good spring posts in slot #1 and #2 look solid enough when they are supported by the PCB hole, so I suspect that the damage to slot #3 and #4 were done at factory assembly time. If the rails are operated without the posts being supported from the PCB then the thin posts could easily snap.
On CPF there is a member who collects S/N numbers of MC3000 with broken posts trying to identify a problematic production batch.
Perhaps a member of both forums could help him with my S/N which is 000908555, bought may, 2016.

BTW. A new Firmware v1.11 (and a new manual) has been released. Reportedly it should be safe to upgrade on Windows 10.

I have got 2 broken spring posts in my unit, #1 and #2. Happened while charging 71mm long protected cells, they suddenly just popped off. First I thought the batteries overheated and melted the spring post, but it’s just because the post is extremely thin and weak.

Fixed it myself by attaching the spring to the hole in the PCB using a small ring. But now it’s a bit loose and won’t charge 16340 without a spacer… Not a big deal really since I only use it for measuring the health and capacity, not for regular charging.

My unit was brought just after release, could be the very first batch.

Actually this happened a long time ago, I didn’t realize this problem was so common and didn’t bother to talk about it because I got it fixed in 15 minutes.

I was thinking about buying this charger. But now I have second thoughts…

@will34
Thank’s for reporting. If you want you could mention your S/N here. I think that sooner or later ‘TinderBox (UK)’ will see this thread and can utilize our numbers in his statistics.

@atbglenn
As HKJ said:
“Even with all the above issues I can only call it a very good charger, but it is not for everyone”.
A buyer should be willing to invest a lot of time and obviously some mechanical and programming (updates) knowledge in this ‘hobby project’.

Have you been able to confirm if any of the issues you found have been addressed with updates?

Many issues have been fixed with firmware upgrades, but I have not tried it.

There is a MEGA thread on CPF about the charger where a guy has collected all the issues and ideas for improvement, then marked them when they where fixed/added.

How easy it is to determine hardware revision? Is it visible on the outside of the box (so you can ask a retailer before ordering)?