Dedicated LiFePO4 charger

Batteries and Chargers Chargers
1

I’m looking for a charger I can drop LFP cells into without fiddling with buttons to set the chemistry or risk overcharge if power is lost and restored while charging. Does anyone have a suggestion for a charger than can be persistently switched to 3.2V?

There are older threads about this, but rather than reviving a thread last touched 2+ years ago, I thought I’d ask if anyone has a more recent solution. I have found pre-made charging PCBs that can be set to LFP, but no pre-assembled chargers. My experience with the Xtar VP2 (the only option that seems to have a physical switch for chemistry) is that it overcharges LFP-- see My Xtar VP2 will overcharge.

2

You can set the Gyrfalcon All-44/88 slots to 3.4V. The voltage / current will be remembered until you unplug it.

3

AFAIK there are no LiFePO4-only charger and I doubt that any company will build one (maybe except some cheap 1-slot-charger)

runswithsnakes have a good idea, maybe the SkyrcMC3000 with a saved profile is another solution. But it´s also the most expensive solution.

4

MiBoxer —you have to initially choose LifePo4 but if the power goes out it remembers the last setting

5

Which MiBoxer exactly? I have similar chargers from Dlyfull and it remembers nothing if the cells get ejected or if it gets plugged out.

6

Yeah, if you know which specific model works like that, it might be the answer for me. Thanks

7

I know how many revisions of the C4 already exist, that´s why I´m asking

Saw this here, with a hardware switch

But personally I don´t like those kind of basic chargers

And not sure whether Xtar-chargers are good at LiFePO4-charging

8

My Xtar VP2 overcharged LFP, I might be willing to chance it on another Xtar, but the MX4 appears to be unavailable anywhere.

9

MiBoxer C4 – double click mode button–toggle through chemistries — if the power goes off the mode is saved when the power is resumed – if you take the cell out of the slot – you have to reset back to LifePo4 ( Li-ion is default or of coarse Nimah is the voltage is that low)

10

5$ LiitoKala Lii-100 ?

11

I think there are minimum 4 Versions of the C4, dunno if all have the same behaviour

12

The Opus 3100 has a switch under the base plate that lets you set the voltage to 3.7V, 4.20V and 4.35V.

13

I still use my VP2 chargers, and still use them for LFP as well. They reliably charge LFPs to 3.6V at charge termination, and after testing this extensively, the only instances when I was able to reproduce ‘over charging’ was when the cells were left in the charger for an extraordinarily long time (hours) after charge termination. I even bought a third VP2 last year after doing that testing. That single problem I mention is very easily avoidable by being even halfway diligent about removing cells from the charger after charge termination. The charger should not do what it does, but for me, it’s a non-issue in actual practice. Keep in mind that this overcharge ‘issue’ was originally reported by a user who left the cells in the charger a very long time after charging was completed. They still show ‘in stock’ at 18650batterystore for $25USD.

…and no, I do not use the internal, unsupported / undocumented switch for 3.6V charging inside my Opus BTC-3100. I’m not that guy (although I understand that some do use it). I would personally recommend the VP2 over that Opus ‘solution’.