So glad to share we released our new VX4 charger, the first capacity tester for rechargeable 1.5V Li-ion batteries! It also has wide compatibility for 3.6V & 1.5V Li-ion, 3.2V LiFePO4 & 1.2V Ni-MH batteries.
Please check more details online:
All Batteries, One Solution! There are some main feature:
The first capacity tester for rechargeable 1.5V Li-ion batteries.
Compatible with 3.6/3.7V Li-ion, 1.5V Li-ion, 1.2V Ni-MH and 3.2V LiFePO4 batteries.
High precision capacity test to distinguish overrated batteries.
Manual current selection function to meet different needs.
LCD screen displays real-time charging status.
Higher recovery success rate for over-discharged batteries.
Intelligent optimal charging strategy matching.
Built-in multiple protections for charging safety.
Seems like mainly for low capacity and smaller cells. A great option for AA, AAA, and the new chemistries. However 1x3 amp, 2x2 amp isn’t very impressive. Xtar needs to step up and deliver us an affordable, high output charger competitive with Vapcell S4+. So far nobody has launched a similarly priced charger to compete with that one and I’d happily buy one. So fsr you’re spending arouns $100 for anything similar to Vapcell.
Damn, my + and - are changed automatically to dots?
I really don´t need 4x 3A but it´s hard for me to get the meaning of this charger.
It supports big cells but can only deliver 1x 3A or 2x2A with LiIon, 0,5A for NiMH
0,5A is to much for low capacity AAA but to less for high capacity AA, not mentioned my 5Ah C or 9Ah D-Cells. Xtar have the better charger for NiMH with the VP4 Dragon which was released in 2016!
There are many good LiIon-chargers out there which deliver much better performance for LiIon and more options/performance for NiMH
Not sure whether the 1,5V LiIon-market is actually so important to sell this charger because I see it as the only feature which is not common. But in this case the Gyrfalcon S8000 would be the more interesting charger, also beacsue it could do almost all things better and much more.
Atm I have the feeling Xtar want to sell many different models but all with missing features and performance
I think Xtar should do something like Enova: Ask the users what they want and also made a charger they want.
I use mostly NiMH AAA/AA with higher capacity and if the VX4 could do also 1A with NiMH I would bought it, but with 0,5A only not. I really like the display and the size of the charger, it´s a shame that Xtar could not implement more NiMH charge currents.
I still hope the VX4 wasn´t the answer to this topic, but Xtar don´t gave me a answer if it is so
I like the style of this charger much, the display shows more values than I ever would expect from a Xtar charger.
To bad is the lack of features and performance, I have no problem to pay more money if I get a better one. So I have to wait for the EU-release of the Gyrfalcon S8000 and hopefully the new Vapcell-chargers.
We collected some frequently asked questions about xtar VX4 charger. Please check the answers on our website:
Q1 How is the capacity grading accuracy of the VX4 charger?
Q2 Why does the VX4 show very different capacity grading results for 1.5V rechargeable Li-ion batteries from different brands?
Q3 Why does the VX4 design capacity grading function for 1.5V rechargeable Li-ion batteries?
Q4 Why does the VX4 show higher capacity grading results for high-capacity 3.6/3.7V batteries?
Q5 For 3.6/3.7V Li-ion battery, would the set of 2.5V discharge cut-off voltage cause a over-discharging?
Q6 What factors affect battery capacity testing?
Q7 What effect does a battery with high internal resistance have on capacity testing?
Q8 Why is the actual energy of Tenavolts 2775mWh battery higher when tested with the VX4?
Q9 When grading the XTAR 1.5V AA 4150mWh battery, why is the capacity value lower than claimed rating?
Updated!# Factors affecting battery capacity testing on chargers
Some users told they test their batteries’ capacities on different chargers, the testing results might be different, sometimes significantly. There are factors affecting the battery capacity tests on the smart chargers. Kindly read more details online:
Discharge Current: The higher the discharge current, the lower the measured battery capacity, and vice versa. This is because when the battery discharges quickly (i.e. the discharge current is high), the energy that can be extracted from the battery is reduced, resulting in a lower measured capacity. Therefore, if the discharge currents set by the chargers are different, the measured capacity results will vary.
Cut-Off Voltage: According to the international testing standard IEC 61960-3 2017, the cut-off discharge voltage for 3.6/3.7V lithium-ion batteries is 2.5V. The higher the cut-off voltage, the lower the measured capacity.
Test Temperature: The temperature during battery testing has a significant impact on capacity, with the ideal range being 20±5°C. Both low and high temperatures can affect the battery’s discharge performance, then directly influencing its discharge capacity. When using different chargers to test battery capacity, it’s important to ensure the testing temperature is consistent to obtain accurate comparison results.
Capacity Grading Accuracy: A high-precision charger can significantly reduce measurement errors and provide more accurate results. For example, compared to professional capacity grading machine, the test accuracy of XTAR latest VX4 charger is over 95%. In a comparison test conducted by the XTAR laboratory under the same conditions, a randomly selected 1.5V AA 1200mWh battery showed a real energy of 1161mWh with the VX4 charger and 1129mWh with capacity grading machine. The accuracy error between them is less than 3%.
Yes, so the VX4 should show (to) high capacity because it discharges with a very low current, not really realistic for high capacity cells in high current consumer devices
The point of the capacity testing/grading is to test battery capacity over time, and have a fair comparison between batteries. It isn’t designed to test battery runtimes under high load, which generally requires a complex testing setup. Realistic expectations please!
It is a standardised capacity test, not a performance test. Added complexity to allow for higher currents (and thus higher heat handling) during discharge would significantly add to the cost of a charger, and would thus no longer appeal to the consumer market the VX4 is aimed for. It sounds like an SkyRC MC3000 would better suit your needs, noting it costs significantly more.
I use some NiMH-chargers whichcan discharge at 1A, my Vapcell S4+ can at least discharge 2 slots @1A with NiMH and LiIon, my Lii-600 can do 4x 750mA with NiMH/LiIon
I paid around 40€ for the Lii-600, I think Xtar can do similar for a similar price if they want to do it
I have some D-cells with real capacity of ~ 7800mAh, it would be a pain to test it with a VX4. Even the charge with 0,5A will be around 10 hours, the grading will take probably 26 hours
If a charger can fit these big cells it should also offer some more current options.
You mean for every chemistry?
4x 1A and more for LiIon would only work with fans and big heatsinks, would be a bigger and maybe noisy charger for much more money. Don´t think Xtar will ever build a charger like this, maybe Vapcell will do it
I have the ISDT C4 EVO, TBH it offers good performance for it´s small size but the fan is very annoying even for 4x NiMH discharging at 1A, with 2x 1,5A LiIon discharge it´s awful noisy
I think even with the much bigger size of the VX4 or VP4 Plus Dragon 4x1,5A LiIon discharge could be very hard to cool without being noisy
It also has wide compatibility for 3.6V & 1.5V Li-ion, 3.2V LiFePO4 & 1.2V Ni-MH batteries.
