Most of active BLFers know about capacious 26800 batteries. There are some new flashlights that support this ultra-long cells. And some old ones which can do it with conversion tube. Unfortunately no regular chargers can fit 26800. I mean, couldnt until recently. Now there is Xtar SC1 plus. Let me show you what it is capable of
Package and appearance
The same white and blue packaging, quite decent in appearance.
The kit includes a charger, a silicone strap and a type-c charging cable
In addition to the charger itself, you can buy a kit with an 18w power supply
Basically, Xtar SC1 PLUS this is the same Xtar SC1
The main change is a cardinal increase in length. Now it cannot store only car battery -)
I do not have 26800 flashlights, but I can say that even the longest batteries I have, namely the 21700 modification by Nitecore, fit into the Xtar SC1 plus with a margin. Well, the same ones, with + - on each side and the price of a flashlight
No problem with usual unprotected 21700 and 26650 batteries, of course
and 18650…
I note that charger can technically also charge Ni-MH batteries, but the limitation on the minimum size of the battery does not allow you (and this is good) to charge anything shorter than extremely rare D-sized cells. Good because 2-3A current will be extremely harmful for AA or AAA battery, they will literally boil.
In addition to a large increase in length and a small in width, this charger for lithium-ion batteries also got a usb-A output, as well as taht the usual micro-USB input was replaced with Type-C along the way. Xtar like to stop halfway, not doing the obvious thing. And so is here, USB-C only works for charging. Well, at least this time it even supports USB-C cables…
The indicator remained the same, the simplest 4-segment.
Charging test
I do not have the opportunity to build a graph that would show the charging current-voltage *on *the charging contacts. However, though I criticize Xtar for something, but the algorithm and charging process have never caused me any complaints and I use the Xtar VC8 plus as my standard charger.
Xtar SC1 plus consumes about 12 watts, which means it is quite capable of delivering 3A to a battery that is being charged. The application from screenshot does not show correct numbers, showing the current and voltage by 1 order less, but the power here shows the real one.
The charging process is generally quick and you won’t have to wait. If you are charging a 21700 or 26650 battery, let alone a 26800 battery, then the charging speed will be quite decent. It is worth noting that the Xtar SC1 plus slightly undercharges the batteries, the voltage in my case was about 4.17-4.18v. But this is an insignificant difference that can be neglected - overcharging is way worse.
The rubber strap firmly holds the battery and you can charge it on the go from a power bank or even a solar panel
The power bank mode did not impress me. Yes, I got 2A output current, but in this mode Xtar SC1 plus stopped working at 3.7v. However, if you use a capacious 21700, 26500 or 26800 battery, it will help to at least half charge your phone.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS!
Xtar SC1 plus is a good solution for those who need really fast and compact charging for capacious large Li-Ion batteries.
It took specific slow models with extended wires with contacts before. Or you had to solder such “mustaches” with magnets on the terminals of a conventional charge by yourself.
Now the issue is closed and that’s good. As before, the batteries charge quickly and correctly.
It’s also good that charging finally supports USB-C input. But the functionality of the power bank is cut down here by a cut-off of 3.7v, and by the fact that USB-C only works for input.
Another thing is that again Xtar stopped halfway. This is the mentioned halfness of USB-C and the fact that there is no technical limitation to make a choice of current between 0.5-1-2-3A. The latter is in the same Xtar F1, there really is nothing complicated. But such a setting + an extra couple of centimeters of contact pad travel would allow charging all Ni-MH batteries, which would make the Xtar SC1 Plus an extremely interesting compact charger in terms of versatility. though, i understand…if you make perfect single charger that charges everything, does it fast and costs around 10-15USD, who will by any other model? No brand will sacrifice sales of other it`s own chargers by releasing perfect one.
Now it makes no sense to talk about some kind of universality, it’s just a good charger for long and capacious Li-Ion batteries. However, I believe that Xtar SC1plus will be warmly welcomed by flashaholics community as 26800 batteries become popular and lots of you guys already have long 21700 cells.