Need some help!

Batteries and Chargers Chargers
1

I’ve spent the past couple of days looking through the forums and reading HKJ’s reviews and I still can’t figure out what I need. I already have a Nitecore i4 to take care of most all of my charging needs. However, there’s two things I’m looking for:

1) A charger that will do 4.35V
2) A charger or something to test my cells…capacity, discharge, etc.

I’m not sure if I should look for both of these items in one unit or if I would be better off getting a XTAR SP1 from RMM and a (fill in the blank, maybe Lii-260 from Ebay) for testing purposes.

I don’t need something to do plots or anything like that. Just something that can test old cells, laptop pulls, etc. to verify that they’re still good. Or would a charger like the XTAR VP2 be good enough for what I need???

Pardon my ignorance. I was starting to get really frustrated from researching and studying and I know that you guys can help me out with what I need a lot easier than me figuring it out on my own and probably getting the wrong thing :bigsmile:

2

Bump for help needed, please

3

For testing cells, I would recommend the Turnigy Accucell-6 hobby charger. It doesn’t have USB port, so it can’t plot graphs on a computer, and it can’t do 4.35V, but it does everything else. It’s generally considered the best bang for your buck in inexpensive hobby chargers. I could be wrong, but I am not aware of a reasonably priced “hobby charger” that can handle 4.35V. Your best bet for that would probably be one of RMM’s Xtar 4.35V chargers.

4

The Opus will do what you want.

5

You’re exactly right. Thanks FmC! I had looked at the Opus but I wasn’t aware that it would also do 4.35V. Chloe’s review shows the hidden switch.

Where would you recommend I get one? RMM doesn’t carry them. Haven’t been able to find anyone yet that carries them in the US.

6

Gearbest has a coupon code still, they're not US-based though..

7

And while we’re on the subject, I think the hobby charger should be able to do 4.35v discharges just fine.

8

Ok, so I’m down to the Opus, Tenergy TB6-B from Amazon, or the IMAX B6-AC from Hobby King. Need some help, guys. I feel like a tennis ball bouncing back and forth between all of these.

9

You’ve got your feet in two+ entirely different camps. IMO you’ve got to decide what you want to do. (The third charger you linked is not a “traditional” hobby charger in that it has a built in AC PSU. That almost makes it a black sheep - is the PSU good? Does it provide enough to run the unit full tilt?)

As far as I’m concerned the Opus is effectively 4 separate chargers in one box: you can tell it to do any function you want on any channel - simultaneously. The hobby chargers can only really do one cell at a time if you need to do different things to the cells. The hobby chargers are probably significantly more precise and can provide a higher charge current. Will the chargers you linked to do 4.35v charging? (I doubt it. You listed that as a requirement so…)

10

4.35v charger at HobbyKing. Don't have one, no idea if they are decent.

11

Nice catch! I missed this development.