Maha C9000 dying, anything better out there?

Eugene · Oct 16, 2017

My C9000 has one slot that always thinks there is a battery installed and will only run a creak-in cycle on one slot at a time, it skips the menu when I put in a second battery and goes straight to selecting charge current.
I was just going to order another but wondered if anyone has one upped it yet.

terjee · Oct 16, 2017

SkyRc MC3000 is probably something you'd want to take a look at.

kreisl · Oct 16, 2017

Try OPUS C3100 first.

It costs less and is as easy to use as maha

fmc1 · Oct 16, 2017

Welcome to the dead c9000 club, I have been a member for about 5 years since my first one became a 3 slot then later a 2 slot charger. When I bought my first one all I had was NiCd's and later non LSD NiMH's so they served me well through those years. Now since I have almost all LSD NiMh's and lots of LiIon's my go to chargers are the mc3000's. I have two a will buy another soon. I know it's pricy but everything is adjustable and it can handle all cylindrical cell chemistries. I still have an older v2.1 Opus BT-C3100 and a newer Opus BT-C3400 that I use as my travel charger, it's smaller that a c9000 and can do a lot more. If all you need is NiMH chemistry Opus has a lot of offerings cheaper than the BT-C3400 also.

TinderBox (UK) · Oct 16, 2017

My First Maha C9000 had slot 2 die, It would discharge but not charge, I bought a replacement i have been using it today, I have an SkyRC MC3000 but the Maha C9000 is so much easier to use if you are just charging NiMh battery`s

The Maha C9000 is like an 10 year old charger and they still make them today.

John.

Wrongway · Oct 17, 2017

My C9000 has been acting up for a while now. I bought it a good few years ago. I also have a MC3000 but mainly use that for analysing and rejuvenating cells. I don't find it as useful for quickly dropping some NiMh cells in to charge as the C9000 was. For my 18650's etc. I have a VP2 as a reliable quick to use charger, but still can't decide on a replacement for the C9000.

terjee · Oct 17, 2017

Just to clarify, since I was first out in mentioning the MC3000... I was focusing on the "if anyone has one upped it yet"-part of the questions, and the MC3000 is definitively one up. For actual purchasing though, I agree with kreisl and others that it might be overkill for most, and the Opus would probably do just fine, at under half the price.

If anyone has either a hardcore tech/nerdy interest in batteries, a growing collection of 18650s sitting in storage for a while, or "I'm 110% in and want the best!", that's when it makes sense to grab the MC3000. For "normal use", it's fine to go cheaper.

Eugene · Oct 17, 2017

Does the OPUS C3100 do a break-in cycle?

david57strat · Oct 17, 2017

I am pretty much a charging fanatic. I use a lot of lights, and charge a lot of batteries, daily.

All these years, I had been wanting a C9000 charger, but it just never happened.

I'm a huge 18650 battery fan, but also use RCR123 LiFePO4s, 14500, 16340, 17650, 26650, AA and D NiMhs, for other lights; so, I found myself in need of multiple chargers, to do the job quickly, since I'm also a stickler for always having charged EDC batteries, and regular maintaining all of my rechargeable batteries, regardless of chemistry.

Around Mid-2012, I started to find myself falling down the rabbit hole in Flashlight Land, and over the next five years, I've ended up with these chargers (Mostly XTAR units), starting with a pair of the modest Nitecore i4 V2, which were replaced, by D4s, then replaced by SC4s).

I find myself using analyzing and conditioning features very rarely. For that, I use the Dragon, and it seems to have fit the bill, for now.

As of today, I've pretty much scratched the C9000 off of my list of wanted chargers (not that I'm actually in need of any more chargers, at this time lol).

I appreciate the comments you guys have made. Thanks for sharing!

david57strat · Oct 17, 2017

terjee said:
Just to clarify, since I was first out in mentioning the MC3000... I was focusing on the "if anyone has one upped it yet"-part of the questions, and the MC3000 is definitively one up. For actual purchasing though, I agree with kreisl and others that it might be overkill for most, and the Opus would probably do just fine, at under half the price.

If anyone has either a hardcore tech/nerdy interest in batteries, a growing collection of 18650s sitting in storage for a while, or "I'm 110% in and want the best!", that's when it makes sense to grab the MC3000. For "normal use", it's fine to go cheaper.

That MC3000 looks pretty amazing, in its many abilities, not the least of which is the Bluetooth feature. I really like that a lot.

Unfortunately, I'm not a big proponent of fan-cooled devices, though. I abhor fan noise, especially when it's in such close proximity to my desk and bed (which all of my chargers are, currently). Never have been crazy about fan-cooled equipment, and have always preferred units that were passively cooled (heat sinking).

How quiet/noisy is that fan, in regular use, with high capacity batteries in all four slots (18650, 26650)?

I may end up breaking down and purchasing one of those, in the future (since I am a battery nerd); but it's probably not likely to happen until next year.

Can someone tell me a little more about the type of power supply the MC3000 uses? I imagine, it's pretty substantial in size, and heavy in amperage needs, to feed it properly.

david57strat · Oct 17, 2017

Wrongway said:
My C9000 has been acting up for a while now. I bought it a good few years ago. I also have a MC3000 but mainly use that for analysing and rejuvenating cells. I don't find it as useful for quickly dropping some NiMh cells in to charge as the C9000 was. For my 18650's etc. I have a VP2 as a reliable quick to use charger, but still can't decide on a replacement for the C9000.

The VP2s were the very first XTAR chargers I ever purchased, and they have been extremely reliable. The charger collection kind of multiplied exponentially, from there (See post #9).

terjee · Oct 17, 2017

david57strat said:
That MC3000 looks pretty amazing, in its many abilities, not the least of which is the Bluetooth feature. I really like that a lot.

Unfortunately, I'm not a big proponent of fan-cooled devices, though. I abhor fan noise, especially when it's in such close proximity to my desk and bed (which all of my chargers are, currently). Never have been crazy about fan-cooled equipment, and have always preferred units that were passively cooled (heat sinking).

How quiet/noisy is that fan, in regular use, with high capacity batteries in all four slots (18650, 26650)?

I may end up breaking down and purchasing one of those, in the future (since I am a battery nerd); but it's probably not likely to happen until next year.

Can someone tell me a little more about the type of power supply the MC3000 uses? I imagine, it's pretty substantial in size, and heavy in amperage needs, to feed it properly.

It does have a fan, but keep in mind that this unit can discharge, which is basically done by dumping the charge as heat, and that heat needs to be moved to air. Would have to be a massive heatsink unless it has the aid of forced convection using the fan. Pretty much any charger with a discharge function will come with a fan for this reason, but that doesn't always mean it has to be used during charge.

I haven't paid too close attention, but I haven't been bothered by noise during charging. It can be a bit annoying during heavy discharge though.

It might come on if I charge 4 batteries at 2A or more, but certainly not a "full speed"-type of sound. If I do that though, charging would only take about an hour, so not as bad as it could be.

PSU-wise, it's wide range and accepting 11-18 volt. Included is 15V 4A brick, and at 232 grams with one of two cables included in the weight, it's lighter than I'd expect.

Eugene · Oct 17, 2017

david57strat said:
I am pretty much a charging fanatic. I use a lot of lights, and charge a lot of batteries, daily.

All these years, I had been wanting a C9000 charger, but it just never happened.

I'm a huge 18650 battery fan, but also use RCR123 LiFePO4s, 14500, 16340, 17650, 26650, AA and D NiMhs, for other lights; so, I found myself in need of multiple chargers, to do the job quickly, since I'm also a stickler for always having charged EDC batteries, and regular maintaining all of my rechargeable batteries, regardless of chemistry.

Around Mid-2012, I started to find myself falling down the rabbit hole in Flashlight Land, and over the next five years, I've ended up with these chargers (Mostly XTAR units), starting with a pair of the modest Nitecore i4 V2, which were replaced, by D4s, then replaced by SC4s).

I find myself using analyzing and conditioning features very rarely. For that, I use the Dragon, and it seems to have fit the bill, for now.

As of today, I've pretty much scratched the C9000 off of my list of wanted chargers (not that I'm actually in need of any more chargers, at this time lol).

I appreciate the comments you guys have made. Thanks for sharing!

What is the "dragon".

I'm looking for the break in cycle, I test my eneloops about once a year and have 4 of them which are below 1600mAh I want to try and get back up.

terjee · Oct 17, 2017

Eugene said:
What is the "dragon".

I'm positive he means the XTAR VP4 Plus Dragon, excellent review can be found here:
http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Xtar VP4 Plus Dragon UK.html

david57strat · Oct 17, 2017

Sorry for the lack of clarification. Yes - it is the XTAR VP4 Plus Dragon.

Thanks for the clarification, terjee!

david57strat · Oct 17, 2017

terjee said:
It does have a fan, but keep in mind that this unit can discharge, which is basically done by dumping the charge as heat, and that heat needs to be moved to air. Would have to be a massive heatsink unless it has the aid of forced convection using the fan. Pretty much any charger with a discharge function will come with a fan for this reason, but that doesn't always mean it has to be used during charge.

I haven't paid too close attention, but I haven't been bothered by noise during charging. It can be a bit annoying during heavy discharge though.

It might come on if I charge 4 batteries at 2A or more, but certainly not a "full speed"-type of sound. If I do that though, charging would only take about an hour, so not as bad as it could be.

PSU-wise, it's wide range and accepting 11-18 volt. Included is 15V 4A brick, and at 232 grams with one of two cables included in the weight, it's lighter than I'd expect.

The use of the fan, make sense. Thanks for the info, man!

Eugene · Oct 17, 2017

Can that Dragon do a 'break-in' cycle like the c9000, I think its just multiple refresh cycles. Thats what I'm using now but its a pain because I can only get one cell at a time to work.

fmc1 · Oct 18, 2017

Eugene said:
Can that Dragon do a 'break-in' cycle like the c9000, I think its just multiple refresh cycles. Thats what I'm using now but its a pain because I can only get one cell at a time to work.

The Xtar vp4 plus does not have a break in mode like the c9000. It has a refresh mode which is C>D>C one cycle.

The Opus BT-C3100 also does not have a break in mode. It has a test mode which is C>D>C one cycle and a refresh mode which is C>D>C 3 cycles.

The skyrc mc3000 has a break in mode it also has a refresh mode which is C>D>C one cycle. It also has a very flexible cycle mode which can be set for C>D>C, D>C>D, C>D or D>C. The cycle count can be set for anything between 1 and 99.

david57strat · Oct 18, 2017

fmc1 said:
The Xtar vp4 plus does not have a break in mode like the c9000. It has a refresh mode which is C>D>C one cycle.

The Opus BT-C3100 also does not have a break in mode. It has a test mode which is C>D>C one cycle and a refresh mode which is C>D>C 3 cycles.

The skyrc mc3000 has a break in mode it also has a refresh mode which is C>D>C one cycle. It also has a very flexible cycle mode which can be set for C>D>C, D>C>D, C>D or D>C. The cycle count can be set for anything between 1 and 99.

Interesting. I wasn't aware of that, but I am now.

Thanks for the info, fmc1!

Maha C9000 dying, anything better out there?

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Enlightened

Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Enlightened

Similar threads