TheIntruder
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2015
- Messages
- 108
Just received a new charger, the Allmaybe TC2, an English-language version of the XTAR ET1 Polaris.
For reasons unknown, the ET1 is marketed only in China, and I had resigned myself to a VC2 Plus, despite some minor reservations about it, before making an inquiry to XTAR directly.
Unbeknownst to me, and maybe most, XTAR has an alternate brand called Allmaybe, and I was informed that they do sell an English-language version of the ET1, as the TC2. It's available directly from their Aliexpress and eBay stores, so I ordered one from the latter.
The specs are pretty typical for a USB-input charger, but what makes it unusual for XTAR is that it doesn't have a sparse display like their more recent models do, nor does it require the special USB-to-barrel connector input cable that the VC series uses. The display indicates voltage, mAh input, current (albeit as a mode and not instantaneous measure), status, and cell type, for one channel at a time. It will also provide up to 2.0A, for one slot, or 1.0A for both, given the limitations of USB.
Additionally, it is also capable of measuring capacity, using a charge-discharge-charge cycle. It remains to be seen how well this function actually works, but aside from the VP4 Plus Dragon, I don't recall any other XTAR charger having this feature. This wasn't originally known to me, or an initial selling point, but is nice to have as a bonus.
All in all, I think this is what the VC2 Plus should have been, but at least a facsimile finally arrived. Being housed in a slightly longer version of the SV2 form factor, it's not quite as compact, but still quite manageable.
Without being put through the rigors of an HKJ test procedure, I can only surmise how the TC2 actually performs. But I think XTAR chargers generally get the fundamentals of the charging process right, which is a big part of their appeal (despite compromises like the sparse displays), and I expect this one to follow suit.
I'll try to add more as I gain some experience with it, but here are some pictures:
For reasons unknown, the ET1 is marketed only in China, and I had resigned myself to a VC2 Plus, despite some minor reservations about it, before making an inquiry to XTAR directly.
Unbeknownst to me, and maybe most, XTAR has an alternate brand called Allmaybe, and I was informed that they do sell an English-language version of the ET1, as the TC2. It's available directly from their Aliexpress and eBay stores, so I ordered one from the latter.
The specs are pretty typical for a USB-input charger, but what makes it unusual for XTAR is that it doesn't have a sparse display like their more recent models do, nor does it require the special USB-to-barrel connector input cable that the VC series uses. The display indicates voltage, mAh input, current (albeit as a mode and not instantaneous measure), status, and cell type, for one channel at a time. It will also provide up to 2.0A, for one slot, or 1.0A for both, given the limitations of USB.
Additionally, it is also capable of measuring capacity, using a charge-discharge-charge cycle. It remains to be seen how well this function actually works, but aside from the VP4 Plus Dragon, I don't recall any other XTAR charger having this feature. This wasn't originally known to me, or an initial selling point, but is nice to have as a bonus.
All in all, I think this is what the VC2 Plus should have been, but at least a facsimile finally arrived. Being housed in a slightly longer version of the SV2 form factor, it's not quite as compact, but still quite manageable.
Without being put through the rigors of an HKJ test procedure, I can only surmise how the TC2 actually performs. But I think XTAR chargers generally get the fundamentals of the charging process right, which is a big part of their appeal (despite compromises like the sparse displays), and I expect this one to follow suit.
I'll try to add more as I gain some experience with it, but here are some pictures: