XTAR VC2 Plus MASTER is available now!

[Wattnot]

I know this thread is old but I have this exact charger and didn't feel a new thread was warranted.

I have the XTAR VC2 Plus Master. It does okay with lion 18650s (at least I believe it does) but not so much with the AAA Eneloop NIMH batteries I try to charge with it. Even if the battery is 25 to 50% full it starts out showing ZERO or 1% for the first several minutes (I'm never in a hurry so it's always set to .5a charge rate). Then way too soon it will show somewhere around 40-60% for the next few minutes. Today I stepped out of the room for a few more minutes when it was around that 1/2 way mark. When I came back it was reporting both batteries at 100% again way too soon. I knew there was no way they were full so I put them on the Eneloop 4 independent channel charger I have and it's been 2 hours now and they're STILL charging. That Eneloop charger is great but it is slow and only has ONE light that is ON when ANY of the 4 slots area charging and off only when all four are done so I'm not getting any good stats from it.

The XTAR has always done this. It seems a little more consistent with LIPOs where the climbing percentage is concerned but I know it's rushing and guessing when it comes to the NIMHs. I'm considering a new charger and people seem to like the SkyRC MC3000 and the LiitoKala models but the price difference is so massive I feel like if I don't just bite the bullet and get the SkyRC I'm looking at more disappointments down the road. The older Lii 500 got good reviews but several models came out after including the Lii-PD4 but that one is under 20 bucks which really makes me wonder.

Could something be wrong with my XTAR or is this just how it acts with Eneloop AAAs (can't remember if it's any better with the AAs)?

Anybody here know if those LiitaKalas are any better than the XTARs or is it just more of the same with a different name slapped on?

Thanks!

 

[XTAR Light]

I know this thread is old but I have this exact charger and didn't feel a new thread was warranted.

I have the XTAR VC2 Plus Master. It does okay with lion 18650s (at least I believe it does) but not so much with the AAA Eneloop NIMH batteries I try to charge with it. Even if the battery is 25 to 50% full it starts out showing ZERO or 1% for the first several minutes (I'm never in a hurry so it's always set to .5a charge rate). Then way too soon it will show somewhere around 40-60% for the next few minutes. Today I stepped out of the room for a few more minutes when it was around that 1/2 way mark. When I came back it was reporting both batteries at 100% again way too soon. I knew there was no way they were full so I put them on the Eneloop 4 independent channel charger I have and it's been 2 hours now and they're STILL charging. That Eneloop charger is great but it is slow and only has ONE light that is ON when ANY of the 4 slots area charging and off only when all four are done so I'm not getting any good stats from it.

The XTAR has always done this. It seems a little more consistent with LIPOs where the climbing percentage is concerned but I know it's rushing and guessing when it comes to the NIMHs. I'm considering a new charger and people seem to like the SkyRC MC3000 and the LiitoKala models but the price difference is so massive I feel like if I don't just bite the bullet and get the SkyRC I'm looking at more disappointments down the road. The older Lii 500 got good reviews but several models came out after including the Lii-PD4 but that one is under 20 bucks which really makes me wonder.

Could something be wrong with my XTAR or is this just how it acts with Eneloop AAAs (can't remember if it's any better with the AAs)?

Anybody here know if those LiitaKalas are any better than the XTARs or is it just more of the same with a different name slapped on?

Thanks!

Hi Wattnot, by your description, pls let me explain more. Based on characteristics of Ni-MH/Ni-CD battery, as it doesn't have a specific full-charged voltage, it couldn't use a fixed voltage to judge whether the battery is charged fully or not. When you charge Ni-MH batteries on the VC2 Plus (or other chargers with data LCD display), the percentage display on screen is a reference value based on the voltage, not the actual battery capacity. More accurate method is that the charger ceases charging through 0ΔV and -ΔV method, because the voltage of a Ni-MH/Ni-CD battery will drop after being fully charged. Generally, the Ni-MH/Ni-CD battery will be charged fully once it shows "FULL" on the screen. Could you check your VC2 Plus Master again for "FULL" status?