XTAR VP1 Two Bay LCD Charger

[neutralwhite]

new to 18650's and charging them, in particular, AW's 3100's .
what do I select on the new VP1 charger to charge them ?.
how does that work?.

thank you.

 

[HKJ]

new to 18650's and charging them, in particular, AW's 3100's .
what do I select on the new VP1 charger to charge them ?.
how does that work?.

You select 1A, if you select 0.25A or 0.5A it will go slower, but also be safe.

 

[Kick]

Take it easy, I need a couple more days to measure and write. I hope to publish something during the coming weekend.
The charge curves I have done until now looks very good, the only "problem" I have seen until now is a minor cosmetic detail (The white around the display), this can also be seen on the photo by Ualnosaj.

I am patiently waiting for you review. I am not sure If I will go with this charger for ease or buy a hobby charger for the versatility of charging any cell or combination of cells. Thank you in advance for all your hard work and excellent reviews. :thumbsup:

 

[neutralwhite]

thanks always kind HKJ.
look forward to your review, and it surely has to better results than what the Fenix ARE-C1 came back with. lol.

You select 1A, if you select 0.25A or 0.5A it will go slower, but also be safe.

 

[arjay]

Is the charging algorithim as good or better than the SP2? I'm trying to decide weather to get this or the SP2.

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

Wait for HKJ's review to come out...he has detailed, clear charging graphs.

 

[madecov]

Take it easy, I need a couple more days to measure and write. I hope to publish something during the coming weekend.
The charge curves I have done until now looks very good, the only "problem" I have seen until now is a minor cosmetic detail (The white around the display), this can also be seen on the photo by Ualnosaj.

Hint, Hint.............

 

[neutralwhite]

deleted.

 

[shelm]

the charger does not recognize defective cells according to this youtuber:



the cosmetic issue with the white line is present too lol.

 

[neutralwhite]

thanks for that. well HKJ's review will tell us even more.

the charger does not recognize defective cells according to this youtuber:



the cosmetic issue with the white line is present too lol.

 

[verge]

Using google translate, it appears that the commenters of the video are talking about a battery that is broke or had turned-on its protection circuit, and been through an unsuccessful recharge by Pila, but successfully recharged by Xtar VP2.

 

[HKJ]

This is the usual problem with LiIon chargers:
1) do you disable charging at low voltage, meaning it cannot reset a tripped protection and will not try to charge a overdischarged battery.
2) or do you let the charger charge with a small current, that will reset protect and might charge a overdischarged battery.
3) Don't give a dam and always charge with full current.

When working with protected batteries 2) is much preferred, the protection will not reset if the battery is overdischarged. For unprotected batteries 1) is better.

Edit:

4) I forgot one: refuses to reset protection and charges overdischarged batteries with full current (See Fenix ARE-C1)

 

[Husker]

If I run a flashlight (TN31MB) till the batteries go dead, does this mean I have ruined the batteries and charging them is a waste of time?

Is there a tutorial in simple/easy to understand on the in & outs of batteries & chargers and especially charging.

 

[HKJ]

If I run a flashlight (TN31MB) till the batteries go dead, does this mean I have ruined the batteries and charging them is a waste of time?

For unprotected batteries: yes. Charging them may make them exploded (It depends on the light, some will turn off before damaging the batteries).
For protected batteries: no. The protection just have to be reset and some protections will do that automatic, other needs a little bit of help, either from a charger (Like VP1) or from another battery.

 

[Husker]

For unprotected batteries: yes. Charging them may make them exploded (It depends on the light, some will turn off before damaging the batteries).
For protected batteries: no. The protection just have to be reset and some protections will do that automatic, other needs a little bit of help, either from a charger (Like VP1) or from another battery.

Good...I was getting nervous/worried, so, I can run it down and this charger will still be able to recharge the battery as long as it's protected.

I've seen graphs & charts on this site, where can I find instructions on how to understand them (101)?

 

[HKJ]

I've seen graphs & charts on this site, where can I find instructions on how to understand them (101)?

I have explained a little bit about that in "How do I test a charger", it is something I hope to improve one day.

A perfect LiIon charge curve looks something like this:

Note: There are two charge curves on top of each other.
The yellow line is where the charger says full and hopefully stops charging.
Notice the cross over at 174 minutes, the optimal is if green line starts to drop at the same time the red goes to horizontal. Most chargers has a more soft change, this will make them slower, and will not damage the battery.
The part where the green line is horizontal is called constant current (CC) and the part where the red line is horizontal is called constant voltage (CV), hence the label CC/CV charger.

 

[Husker]

I have explained a little bit about that in "How do I test a charger", it is something I hope to improve one day.

A perfect LiIon charge curve looks something like this:

Note: There are two charge curves on top of each other.
The yellow line is where the charger says full and hopefully stops charging.
Notice the cross over at 174 minutes, the optimal is if green line starts to drop at the same time the red goes to horizontal. Most chargers has a more soft change, this will make them slower, and will not damage the battery.
The part where the green line is horizontal is called constant current (CC) and the part where the red line is horizontal is called constant voltage (CV), hence the label CC/CV charger.

This is without a doubt the best information for a newb like myself, I now feel like I know something-->Yes, I still have alot to learn, now I'm going in the right direction-->Thank-U HKJ!

EDIT: Duh--> I just discovered the links at the bottom of your post's!!!

 

[tallyram]

the charger does not recognize defective cells according to this youtuber:



the cosmetic issue with the white line is present too lol.

The display isn't mounted to the window on the body of the charger. There is some space between them. So, if you look at the display at severe angle you will see a white outline. Not a big deal. It's not an issue with the display itself.

 

[EatingPie]

I googled, but came up pretty light. Can someone recommend a good place to get it? I found lots on ebay, but that's basically it. I'm still a newb, and given all the caveats on batteries, I'd rather avoid ebay until I'm more experienced!

-Pie

 

[Bullzeyebill]

EatingPie, go to CPFMP and check out dealers there, using a search tool such as "google, CPFMP, at the top of every page. This thread is a discussion thread only. Thanks,

Bill