What charger for 2017?

Hey guys,

I had to give away my Opus BT3100… dad was winding down the batteries dangerously low without knowing it.

I was happy with that charger… yeah the fan was basically for fun and went nuts often, but it never got hot, charged at a good 2 amps across 4 cells at a time. But I feel like there could be more.

I am attempting to wade the HKJ’s work but he doesn’t outright recommend a particular charger.

I could spend $50 on a charger. Prefer amazon or mtnelectronics, don’t mind going fasttech if it’s going to save a bunch.

I don’t think I’d like one of those $259 hobby chargers though. I really just need a good step up from the stalwart nitecorn i4.

What would you get?

How about the Nitecore Digicharger D4? The only thing I'd like is to have a higher capable charge current :)

You are correct, I always avoid to generally recommend a specific charger because it depends on what you need from a charger.
For a analyzing charger I usual recommend:
Opus BT-C3100/3400
LiitoKala Lii-500
SkyRC MC3000 (Top end model with a price to match and not the easiest user interface).

Of course there are other good analyzing chargers, but none with the track record of the above.

For $50 you could get a Liitokala Lii-500 4 bay analysing charger & an Xtar SV2 Rocket 2 bay charger.
The Lii-500 will charge 4 cells at a max of 1A each & for faster charging, of say 26650 cells, the Rocket will charge both bays at 2A but has no analysing features.
Both good solid chargers.
You will get both for $50 probably with a bit of change as I recently just got a third Lii-500 for $14 delivered & the rocket for about $30.
Of course you could always get another OPUS but I found the fan noise annoying on mine & the capacity shown to be a little too “optimistic” (high) for my liking so have stopped using mine.

I'm in need of a charger myself.

*Tagged*

Yes I found my OPUS to show about 5–10 higher on capacity than the true capacity (often 10% higher) as reported by HKJ & members using other analysing chargers such as the MC3000.
I find my Lii-500”s more accurate than the OPUS on capacity testing.

That thread is mine. Yes, it is true that it can be 5% to 10 % off. I accepted that before I bought the charger because that is what other members were reporting. I have also had several batteries within 2% to 3% of HKJ’s numbers. VTC5 and VTC6 among Two of them.

@bella-headlight: What version do you have? Do you have the 2.2Version? My fan is not loud at all. Sometimes it is on when I go to bed and I am able to fall asleep w/ no problem and I am a very light sleeper!

Also consider the XTAR DRAGON VP4 Plus for a reliable workhorse. Review link is in my signature.

Is that not blasphemous in the eyes of the Li-Ion safety gods?

The Dragon IS a reliable workhorse. They run 89USD but IMR has them 2 @ 60USD each. Maybe you could get together with someone and split. I think you will like. (add 5USD ship each)

Unno. Nitecorn i4 2017 version?

Depends what you’re going for in a charger. How “smart”? How many cells? Etc.

Well when there is one advised that has 4 bays, charges, analyzes and costs less then a lot of simple dual bay chargers (thus the $14-20 Liitokala li500) it seems like a no brainer to me :wink:

+1 :+1: to the Lii-500 The Miller :slight_smile:
I have 3 :wink:

The price of the Lii-500 is actually what puts me off! I mean how can it be so good and be so cheap?

I constantly hear complimentary comments about this charger so maybe this really is just great bang for the buck…. I’m off to look at the usual retailers, give my trusty WP2 a rest…

Yes mine is the 2.2 version.
My fan was noisy from new, it whined like it needed lubing.
I lubed it & it was quiet for a short while then started whining again.
After a few months it just stopped working so I stopped using it.
It always read high on capacity sometimes 8-10% higher.
Many members have posted similar to the above with some regularly lubing them & some fitting a different fan & the charger reading high.
I have found that the Lii-500 is within 1-2% by comparison & obviously silent as it has no fan.
If you are lucky with the fan then the OPUS is a good charger & as it always reads high is fine for tracking the health of cells but it was just to far out for me as I like to confirm a cells true capacity when I first get it.
I was disappointed with the OPUS TBH.

Yes, and I meant to add….all of the Liitokala chargers are great and priced right,

I think we have no idea how cheap electronics are to make.
it is just a piece of molded plastic, a pcb, some chips and few metal parts.
The Lii500 is not cheap, the rest is expensive :wink:

I have 3 x Lii-500”s, 2 x Lii-202”s & 6 x Lii-100”s all perform well :+1:
Although I also have 2 x D4, 2 x i4, 2 x C4 & a broken Opus they are my “go to” Li-ion chargers, unless I want to charge a cell at 2A when I use the Rocket.
From what I have been told Miboxer have a 4 bay 2A charge/discharge/ capacity test across all 4 bays that will take 4 x 26650”s charger under development (with proper termination).
That should be an interesting charger :+1:

The electronics are cheap yes but just think of the cost to engineer and design. Imagine paying a western design engineer the time to design and thoroughly test just one simple charger! It would be thousands!
BLF rock here, just imagine the hours the Q8 has taken you and the team, done for the love thank god :+1:

The components used are not always the right components either, take cheap multimeters. Most hobbie versions get away with it because of the applications but if you look inside, the expensive protection is substituted for an inadequate alternative. The fuses in some flukes cost more than some dodgy DMMs, nobody knows until it injures them or the equipment! HKJ shows us inadequate isolation distances weekly in alsorts.

Not really sure where I am going with this reply but I’m still impressed the Lii500 appears to be so budget friendly :smiley:

Ps, the Miller, did you get my PM I sent? Maybe a week ago now?

I’ll have to agree with what has already been said about the Lii-500. It is a fine charger & certainly priced right. My OPUS works fine, no fan issues at all…… but I prefer the Lii-500 hands down for my go-to analyzing charger. A part of the reason is the greater accuracy than the OPUS.