A Short Review of the MiBoxer C2-3000

MIBoxer sent a copy of their new C2-3000 Smart Charger for review. It has a lot of the capabilities of the C4 Smart Charger (internal resistance and capacity calculation), some limitations (no LiFePO4, only 2 slots) and some enhancements (car charging). I was out of town when it arrived and came down with some plague that was going around shortly after that so this is a quick review to add to the others that have already been done.

The Package

The Contents

Comparison with MiBoxer C4

The Display

Charging
The C2-3000 is smaller than its four-slot older brother as one would expect since it has half the number of slots as you can see from the picture. There are some user/reviewer requested improvements and a few added limitations but in general, this is a new and improved version. The user interface is simpler: there is only one button to switch display focus between the two slots and everything else is automatic: battery type between lithium ion and NiMH and associated charging profile. This is perhaps the reason the charging of LiFePO4-type batteries was removed. Both slots now have the ability to determine internal resistance and battery capacity which are automatically calculated. Each slot is completely independent from the other; one can have an AA-sized NiMH battery and the other can have a 26650-sized lithium ion rechargeable. The slots fit all of the batteries we tend to want to recharge. The charger can trickle-charge lithium ion batteries in an effort to bring them back from the dead. The power has been switched to a USB-based DC input, so don’t lose the included power cord (although a suitable replacement can be readily found.) It would be nice if there was a way to store the cord with the unit to keep them from being separated, like attached clips or an internal storage compartment. The USB charging can be 5V or 12V meaning you can use a regular USB power plug or a higher powered one like the ones that come with the new USB-C phone chargers. The included 12V car charger adapter delivers 12V so you can have quick charging in your car if you need it – a definite plus. It would have been nice if the cord ended in a USB-C or even micro-USB and the charger had this power input option just to help reduce the different types of cables and adapters one needs but it’s not a major negative.
As far as I know, the price of the unit has not been released and as we all know that will determine if the improvements have the chance to be successful.

P.S. I’ll add the pictures when I figure out the changes on Imgur.