What charger would you recommend for my needs?

flydiver · 2019-05-17T01:34:13.000Z

An analyzing charger will charge > discharge > the charge the battery and give you the capacity determined from DISCHARGE. This is the only accurate way to measure capacity.
Lii-500, Zanflare C4, and the Opus BT-C1000 are analyzing chargers.
The main advantage of the Opus is more control and options for charging and discharging. It has some ‘quirks’ that some people dislike. But, it IS more flexible, more powerful, and has more charging options.

A ‘charge only’ charger cannot do this.
The Miboxer C4-12 appears to be only a charger, but a good one. It’s fine if you don’t really want an analyzing charger. But I think you will.

BlueSwordM · 2019-05-17T01:38:23.000Z

See, the problem is that almost all analyzing chargers aren’t actually all that good.

They use resistor based dischargers, meaning current drawn goes down as voltage goes down, meaning capacity can easily be overread.

flydiver · 2019-05-17T01:50:37.000Z

BlueSwordM:

See, the problem is that almost all analyzing chargers aren’t actually all that good.

They use resistor based dischargers, meaning current drawn goes down as voltage goes down, meaning capacity can easily be overread.

Got a better SIMPLE/REPRODUCIBLE way? What other ways are there to discharge accurately?

I assume you mean, “not all that good” at discharging? The charging is NOT in question?

molitar · 2019-05-17T02:02:21.000Z

flydiver:

BlueSwordM:

See, the problem is that almost all analyzing chargers aren’t actually all that good.

They use resistor based dischargers, meaning current drawn goes down as voltage goes down, meaning capacity can easily be overread.

Got a better SIMPLE/REPRODUCIBLE way? What other ways are there to discharge accurately?

I assume you mean, “not all that good” at discharging? The charging is NOT in question?

That is a good question there. OK comparing the LiitoKala Lii-500 and the Opus BT 3100 v2.2 I have opted for the Opus and ordering it from Amazon. It is the same price as on BangGood but I get it delivered in 2 days Opus supports more types and the larger battery sizes so that will be the charger I order. I appreciate the advice and assistance and the explanation of what an Analyzer/Charger is.

BlueSwordM · 2019-05-17T01:57:43.000Z

No, charging isn’t in question. They charge fine.

Get something like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-Battery-Capacity-Tester-Battery-Life-Internal-Resistance-Analyzer/263358206343

And a battery holder like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Plastic-Battery-Holder-Storage-Box-Case-for-1x-2x-3x-4x-18650-Batteries-Wire/332855641026

These work quite well, and you can test capacity very accurately, along with internal resistance.

flydiver · 2019-05-17T02:31:26.000Z

? Looks like a resistor to me.
One * rating. Not encouraging.

BlueSwordM · 2019-05-17T02:38:10.000Z

Not a resistor.
Uses a linear FET to draw constant current.
It’s like an LED4Power driver, but wastes as much power as possible.

And don’t look at the review. I wouldn’t worry. Just lacks clear instructions.
Bought mine from the same seller.

Was easy to test internal resistance that way.

Right on spec! Actually, better than most 30Qs.

molitar · 2019-05-17T22:51:02.000Z

Ok my new Opus arrived today and I have Eneloop Pro Double AA batteries. These are brand new batteries so I want to verify them. Would I set mode to Test and just insert battery? Also should I change the current discharge rate from default 500mAh to say 700mAh and charge to something like 1000mAh? I’m a newb to an Analyzer charger.

flydiver · 2019-05-17T23:09:05.000Z

Be aware that one of the limitations of ALL the analyzing chargers is the limited ability to do high amp discharge, if you want to test for that. They use resistors, resistors get hot, so they have to shed the heat. Opus will give you a few more options than many of the others.

That said: pop them all in. Plug in. In a moment all bays will start blinking with [500] displayed. I’d leave it there for now. Press [Mode] until [charge test] come up. Leave it, it’ll stop blinking, and start working. Walk away, it’ll be done tomorrow.
It has to charge them up, then discharge-the part where you get the capacity-then charge back up. When finished you can hit [display] and it’ll cycle through the settings/results. You can hit [display] at any time to see what it is doing.

molitar · 2019-05-17T23:17:31.000Z

flydiver:

Be aware that one of the limitations of ALL the analyzing chargers is the limited ability to do high amp discharge, if you want to test for that. They use resistors, resistors get hot, so they have to shed the heat. Opus will give you a few more options than many of the others.

That said: pop them all in. Plug in. In a moment all bays will start blinking with [500] displayed. I’d leave it there for now. Press [Mode] until [charge test] come up. Leave it, it’ll stop blinking, and start working. Walk away, it’ll be done tomorrow.
It has to charge them up, then discharge-the part where you get the capacity-then charge back up. When finished you can hit [display] and it’ll cycle through the settings/results. You can hit [display] at any time to see what it is doing.

Ok great and thanks for the assist.

HelloHazel · 2019-05-18T09:17:17.000Z

molitar:

Ok MC3000 is out my mother is 82 years old and to press more then one button to start charging is too much… Especially if it’s so expensive and they have not improved on the UI or set default battery charging.

So focusing on the main 3 of my requirements the others were just a plus and not absolutely necessary.

LiitoKala Lii-500
Miboxer C8 or C4-12
Opus BT - C3100 V2.2
Xtar Dragon VP4 Plus

These are all chargers I can purchase in US either from BangGood or Amazon. I want to purchase from US either Amazon or a site that uses Paypal for payment. So if the MC3000 or Dragon did not exist what charger would you order that has the most of the features for the money?

you can purchase a XTAR Dragon VP4 Plus from ebay with Paypal

flydiver · 2019-05-23T02:22:41.000Z

First capacity test should have finished. How did things go?

molitar · 2019-05-23T06:50:48.000Z

flydiver:

? Looks like a resistor to me.
One * rating. Not encouraging.

Test went great… Really like the Opus. Though batteries were fake and I have requested refund so now just waiting for return instructions. I do not plan to buy anymore Eneloop I have read about fakes being found by purchasers even on Amazon from reviews. I think there is so many fake ones that even buyers are getting scammed as some of them are getting to really look like the regular packages… I’ll buy the Amazon or Lada batteries they are rebadged Eneloop’s.

Batteries were from 1878-1898 for all of them… they were suppose to be 2500mAh.

flydiver · 2019-05-23T15:36:45.000Z

Don’t recommend the 2450 unless you really need the extra mAh. They don’t hold up in the long run as well as the 2000.
I have both and the internal resistance on the 2450 goes up significantly faster than the 2000. More is not always better. They are fine cells, just not as long lived.

The Amazon Basics ‘can’ be re-branded Eneloops, they can also be Chinese instead of Japanese. That’s not necessarily a reliable source anymore.
These guys are reliable, but expensive: https://www.thomasdistributing.com/Panasonic-Eneloop-Batteries_c_1207.html

Your Eneloop Pros were obvious fakes. You didn’t need an analyzing charger.

Pete7874 · 2019-05-23T15:46:21.000Z

flydiver:

Your Eneloop Pros were obvious fakes. You didn’t need an analyzing charger.

How else would he verify that they were fake?

flydiver · 2019-05-23T16:19:02.000Z

In this case you would have to be familiar with the packaging of Eneloops.
1st - they are 2450, not 2500.
2nd - the packaging is obviously not Eneloop….but, you would have to know that.
3rd - [ I paid $24 for 12 batteries] That statement alone is proof for me, but again, you would have to know that.

Several people have jumped into the ‘fake’ thread with good suggestions.

Pete7874 · 2019-05-23T17:13:51.000Z

flydiver:

In this case you would have to be familiar with the packaging of Eneloops.
1st - they are 2450, not 2500.

Actually, the latest official packaging does state 2500. See page 12 of this Eneloop catalog:

eneloop101.com

2017-2018-eneloop-catalog.pdf

6.22 MB

Several people have jumped into the ‘fake’ thread with good suggestions.

I didn’t realize he had another thread going on this. I see it now. Thanks.

flydiver · 2019-05-23T17:17:09.000Z

You are right. I’m not familiar with the new packaging.

molitar · 2019-05-23T21:12:09.000Z

Well either way I am happy with the charger you helped recommend to me. Going to order the Amazon Basics that specifically say made in Japan. Amazon sells ones that specifically state that and the others are the crap China. The other option is to drive an hour to the Ikea store and pick up some Ladda 2500. I was going to pick up some 2500 for things like camera’s and the others for items like remote controls and such.

flydiver · 2019-05-23T21:31:29.000Z

I have people give me NiMh that they think are bad. Sometimes they are. Sometimes it’s because they have a lousy charger, or don’t understand what they are doing. I’m amazed how stubborn people can be about not wanting to learn, but being frustrated because they don’t know.

The [Quick Test] function can test internal resistance. It’s not ‘great’ but it does get you in the ballpark. You have to have clean contacts on both the battery and the charger, the cell well inserted and straight for maximum contact. Sometimes I find I have to check several times. It’s pretty easy to tell the difference between [Good - OK - Poor]. Those will have big differences in IR, like 50-100 for good, 100-200 for OK and 300-1000+ for poor. Small cells will always be higher than larger cells. Cells should be charged and at ambient temp to get a decent reading. Sometimes cycling can significantly improve a NiMh, but that seems to be somewhat temporary unless you continue to use it a lot.