This time i'll post a review of a nice little charger for li-ion.
The charger is made to use a USB host (also good with car adapters and AC/USB). No problem charging protected and unprotected 18650 and 18700 (XTAR own thing) tried all variations. It would probably take many other li-ion cells with a DIY adapters as charging current is "safe" for many at 500mA.
The charger charges around 4-5h on a normal usb pc port (unprotected sony 18650 2200mAh from a HP laptop battery pack). This beauty apparently does (not tested) revive almost dead protected li-ion's by charging them (when under the level of discharge protection) by applying a very small current and when above 3V starts charging normally. I've seen that behavior on a unintentionally hard discharged unprotected at 2,66V. It does follow CC/CV technique and terminates exactly at 4.2V. 5h later the cell was still at 4.2V, that looks good to me! Strangely the charger doesen't want to top cells if they are above 4V. You have to discharge it to 3,99V to top it. Presumably the charger do that by himself when the cell goes below 4V (that could take some months to test). The cells i tested doesen't go above room temp. It is a bit strange because my "oem" dx charger does warm up them a bit (higher current indeed but not that much).
All in all is a decent performar and good looking!
Does it work with AC/USB power-plugs (with higher mA output)? I would hesitate to connect it to my computer being this cheap. That would be one expensive charger, if it fries my mainboard.
Should work with adapter regardless, and it says so in the review. People plug a lot of cheap stuff into their computer, not sure why this warrant special attention. Maybe we're used to REALLY crappy chargers.
I'm more interested in the MP2. Could be the one to get for <20.
The difference to other USB devices is... this one could potentially not only consume energy but provide some high currents back in my usb port in case of malfunction. I wouldn't care too much if a AC/USB went .. POOF.... if it's taking down my PC ... different story. I have an AC/USB that's capable of 1000 mA where PC-USB -ports are limited to 500 mA. I hope that the charging regulation doesn't depend somehow on 500 mA max current at 5 Volts.
Yes you can use a higher current USB based host (AC/usb@1000mA) but not get higher current for charging. I tried once with my boss 230VAC/usb adaper rated 1A. Charge time roughly the same.
Usb decvices arent that bad. 110-230VAC to USB are the ones to be afraid of. The majority are insanely badly designed and assembled.
I own a very expensice pc (being a computer technician it is kind of normal) and have no problem using those ports. Actually i have yet to see someone ruining their ussb ports by junk equipment (over 15 years of experience).
When they destroy their usb ports it is being done physically by wrongfully pushing things into usb and whacking it for good. ;)
Looks interesting - thanks for the review. But I already own too many chargers - way too many! I think I could simultaneously charge 30 lithium cells if I went looking for chargers.
And more NiCd/NiMH than that though some of the chargers are not ones I'd be keen to use.
Must resist!!!
Can't afford to get into charger collecting. It would probably have worked out cheaper to have bought a Schulze charger, a high amp power supply and made up a pile of adapters five years ago.
1. It's also nice w/ good build quality like the MP1 above.
2. Fits 14500 loosely as it claims.
3. I didn't verify cc/cv, but cells do come off it at correct voltage >4.1v, <4.2v, so it doesn't trickle (however, even the cheap-ass DX 2x charger does this, or at least the one I got does, but that one will keep on charging crap cells so maybe not the safest).
4. Buy this if you need/want 2x 18650/14500. Otherwise I think the 1 bay one above should also be fine.
This beauty apparently does (not tested) revive almost dead protected li-ion's by charging them (when under the level of discharge protection) by applying a very small current and when above 3V starts charging normally. I've seen that behavior on a unintentionally hard discharged unprotected at 2,66V
I once stuck a 1.2v (!) cell from a Lenovo(sanyo) pack in the shekor from KD and it charged up fine. Went almost instantly to 3V+ and still hasn't burned my house down.
Probably not a good idea - they tend to break. Make up a conducting spacer - a 12-15mm long piece of dowel with a drawing pin stuck in each end and a wire joining the pins works fine.
