Test/Review of Charger NiteCore Intellicharger D4

[G. Scott H.]

I'm sure my digicharger used to move along the bays showing the status of each bay in turn, now I have to use button to advance. Was I imagining the first ? ? Or is there a way to restore that

I believe the charger will switch to show each bay as a cell is initially inserted into it. Example (consider the farthest left bay as "bay 1"): You insert a cell into bay 1, the display shows info for that cell. You then insert another cell into bay 2, and the display changes accordingly. Rinse and repeat with the other two bays. Once the charger is full, I think the info for the last bay into which a cell was inserted is shown until you manually switch over to another bay to get the info for it. The bays will show the overall charge level progress as the cells charge (the little bars above each bay), but to get the specifics, like charge rate, etc., I think you have to manually select the particular bay you're interested in via the SLOT button. This is how my D2's work, so I'm assuming the 4 is the same.

edit: Just another thought. When the charger is showing info for a given slot, it switches every couple seconds between showing votage, charge rate in mA, and charge time. Perhaps you're confusing this in your memory with it switching automatically between bays?

 

[SoundWorx]

Would you say that the d4 is much better than the i4? Does the i4 support longer cells than the d4?

 

[HKJ]

Would you say that the d4 is much better than the i4? Does the i4 support longer cells than the d4?

The two chargers supports the same cell length. They are about equal as charger, except the D4 also has a low current setting.
Physically I prefer the D4, it fells more solid.

 

[SoundWorx]

Thank you HKJ, now I need to get the d4 and a dmm .

 

[davidkoleda]

Hi HKJ, this is my first post in the forum but I have read it since a long time, and I really appreciate your reviews!
I was wondering, is it possible to "revive" dead discharged Li-Ion or NiMh batteries with this charger?
The information provided on the user manual isn't so clear.

"Battery Activation
For every installed battery, the D4 will activate the battery by
charging it for 6 seconds at a low current. If zero voltage is
detected,
"Err" will be displayed on the LCD screen. If activation fails
the first
time, please remove and reinstall the battery once again and
activate for the second time.
Note:
The D4 is not recommended for use with over-discharged
(zero volt) UNPROTECTED Li-ion batteries. Li-ion batteries with
out
a protection circuit can potentially cause a fire or explosion."

Does it mean that it's possible to reactivate only protected cells or that its not recommended to do that in general?

 

[thedoc007]

Does it mean that it's possible to reactivate only protected cells or that its not recommended to do that in general?

If you discharge a lithium-ion cell below two volts or so, you are asking for trouble. The 2.5 volt minimum specified by Panasonic (Samsung, LG, Sony, etc. all have similar voltage ranges, with minor variations) is not just a suggestion. Over-discharging lithium-ion cells can cause permanent, irreversible damage, and indeed make cells more likely to vent or otherwise fail in spectacular ways.

The charger doesn't even know the difference...it is a general recommendation.

 

[davidkoleda]

If you discharge a lithium-ion cell below two volts or so, you are asking for trouble. The 2.5 volt minimum specified by Panasonic (Samsung, LG, Sony, etc. all have similar voltage ranges, with minor variations) is not just a suggestion. Over-discharging lithium-ion cells can cause permanent, irreversible damage, and indeed make cells more likely to vent or otherwise fail in spectacular ways.

The charger doesn't even know the difference...it is a general recommendation.

Many thanks, I was asking that because some chargers like the Xtar MC1 have the features to recharge dead batteries.

 

[Dogdare]

I'm new to 26650's, and I was planning on purchasing this charger for them, but I was going to buy the Fenix brand 26650's (protected) to go along with the charger, but I see in your review that the D4 will only accommodate a cell length of 69.3mm

Are there any protected 26650's that you know will fit? I'm looking one-by-one at the specs, but that might take a while.


thanks,
Herb

 

[Dogdare]

I'm new to 26650's, and I was planning on purchasing this charger for them, but I was going to buy the Fenix brand 26650's (protected) to go along with the charger, but I see in your review that the D4 will only accommodate a cell length of 69.3mm

Are there any protected 26650's that you know will fit? I'm looking one-by-one at the specs, but that might take a while.


thanks,
Herb

OK, going back and forth over many battery reviews and battery specifications, I ordered a pair of TrustFire 5000mAh batteries. According to the reviews, they are decent, protected batteries, and according to the specs, they should fit into the Nitecore D4 charger.


Herb

 

[velvetant]

I need a battery charger strictly for AA/AAA batteries. The cheap dumb charger I have now will only charge in pairs. I'm looking for a 4 bay that can charge a single AAA cell at a time or 3 at a time if need be. Looking at the Nitecore Digicharger D4. It has a "low" 300mA charge current setting so it would be good for a single AAA. Is this the one I'm looking for??

 

[HKJ]

I need a battery charger strictly for AA/AAA batteries. The cheap dumb charger I have now will only charge in pairs. I'm looking for a 4 bay that can charge a single AAA cell at a time or 3 at a time if need be. Looking at the Nitecore Digicharger D4. It has a "low" 300mA charge current setting so it would be good for a single AAA Is this the one I'm looking for??

This charger is fine for AA and AAA cells.
For AAA cells you do not need that low current, NiMH cells are usual rated for up to 1C charge, i.e. for a 750mAh cell you can use a 750mA charger.

 

[Timothybil]

Keep in mind that the D4, like the i4, will charge from 1-4 cells, but splits the charging current into 'pairs'. Two slots will share one charging channel. Check the reviews to see which slots are paired. So if you are charging one or two cells, by using the right slots they will each get a full charge independently. When doing 3 cells, two cells will share one charging channel, and the third cell will have the other channel to itself. That means that one cell will finish charging before the other two will, but they will all be fully charged. When doing 4 cells at once, they will share the two channels between them, two cells to each channel, and charging should finish at roughly the same time for all four cells.

Short version: Yes, the D4, like the i4, can charge from one to four cells at the same time, but there are timing implications involved. If the timing causes problems for you, just buy two D2s, since the D2 also has two charging channels. That way you can handle any combination and they will always finish at the same time.

I love my i4 charger, and this doesn't impact me since I always charge either two or four cells at the same time.

 

[thedoc007]

Keep in mind that the D4, like the i4, will charge from 1-4 cells, but splits the charging current into 'pairs'.

That was true with the I4...but the D4 works a bit differently. If you have only one cell, and don't use special modes, you will always get 750 milli-amps (during CC phase, anyway). If you have two cells, you can either charge them both at 750mA, or both at 375mA, depending on which slots you use. If you put in three or more cells, all of them will charge at 375mA. There is no significant time differential when charging cells of similar capacity/state of charge, regardless of which/how many bays you use.

The only reason I know this is because the D4 has a nice digital readout. It makes it very easy to see the charge current that is actually being used. No reading of the manual required...everything you need to know is right there on the screen.

 

[Leonidimus]

The slots uses the usual construction and works well. They can handle batteries from 30mm to 69.3 mm long.
That excludes some of the longest batteries, especially some protected 26650.

Has it changed for 2015 edition? The reason I ask is one of buyers on Amazon commented that "Yes, it will take protected 18650s. I use several of them even the button top."
I have an XTAR VP2 charger for 18650's and La Crosse BC900 for AA's but want something simple and universal as a backup for both Lithiums and NiMH.

 

[Timothybil]

I have noticed that the D4, the i4, and the UM10 & UM20 all exclude the 16650 cell format from the list of compatible cells. Is this just because they didn't have a lot of room and the 16650 is not a common cell format these days, or is there some intrinsic reason why the 16650 is not included. I am asking because I have two Efest unprotected ICR 16650 cells I purchased for my G2 and 6P, with the assumption that I could recharge them in my i4 v2. If this is not the case I need to know soon, because it will be time to recharge in a little while.

Thanks for any info you guys can share.

 

[thedoc007]

I have noticed that the D4, the i4, and the UM10 & UM20 all exclude the 16650 cell format from the list of compatible cells. Is this just because they didn't have a lot of room and the 16650 is not a common cell format these days, or is there some intrinsic reason why the 16650 is not included. I am asking because I have two Efest unprotected ICR 16650 cells I purchased for my G2 and 6P, with the assumption that I could recharge them in my i4 v2. If this is not the case I need to know soon, because it will be time to recharge in a little while.

Thanks for any info you guys can share.

The 16650 is not unique, and it will work just fine in any of those chargers. It is not a complete list, by any means...as you suggest, they just list some of the most common types.

 

[HKJ]

Has it changed for 2015 edition? The reason I ask is one of buyers on Amazon commented that "Yes, it will take protected 18650s. I use several of them even the button top.

Ii do not know if they have change the 2015 edition, but the 2014 edition takes most protected 18650 cells.

I have noticed that the D4, the i4, and the UM10 & UM20 all exclude the 16650 cell format from the list of compatible cells.

Just about any charger that can charge 18650 can also charger 17650, 17670, 16650 and 16670, main requirements is that they fit in the charger and current stays below 1A. It takes a lot of space to list all LiIon sizes, there are many.

 

[Timothybil]

Thanks for the reassurance guys. I was pretty sure that was the way it was, but didn't want to start Armageddon in my living room if I was wrong.

 

[Leonidimus]

I do not know if they have change the 2015 edition, but the 2014 edition takes most protected 18650 cells.

But is it long enough for protected Panasonic NCR18650B? They are almost 70 mm long.

 

[HKJ]

But is it long enough for protected Panasonic NCR18650B? They are almost 70 mm long.

You are talking about the unknown brand battery with a clear wrapper and a Panasonic cell inside. I do not know if it will fit, but you can easily get protected NCR18650B from other brands that will fit.