# Test/Review of Charger NiteCore Intellicharger D4



## HKJ (Oct 26, 2014)

[size=+3]Charger NiteCore Intellicharger D4[/size]















This charger is based on a i4 with a display added and a couple of improvements. This makes it possible to charger more battery types than the i4 and also follow the charging in more details.



 

 

 



The cardboard box lists lot of specifications, battery types and features.






The box contains the charger, a mains cable, a manual and a warranty card.






The charger has two power connectors, one for mains input (100-240VAC 50/60Hz) and one for 12 VDC input.






The charger has two switches combined in one rocker:
SLOT: Used to select slot.
MODE: Used to change value displayed (Volt, mA, time), with longer presseds it can also be used to select low charge current and LiFePO4.






The charger has a large display with background light.













The display looks good, but is a bit on the technical side. The upper part of the display shows the four charge bays, the lower part shows the status for *one* bay. The actual bay is selected with the SLOT switch.
The numbers will automatic switch between volt, mA and time, but can also be switched with quick presses on the MODE switch.
Holding the MODE switch for about one second will select "Low", i.e. 300mA charge current. Average charge current may be halved due to time sharing (Display will show 150mA in that case).
Holding the MODE switch for about two seconds will select "LiFePO4", i.e. 3.6 volt charging. Releasing the button and pressing again will select low current for LiFePO4.
There is a small "Chg. Finished" text on the lower display, this is used on finished channels. When all channels with batteries in are charged the charger will show "ALL" in the numeric display.

Displayed charger currents (They will slowly reduce when entering CV phase of a LiIon charge):
750mA: The charge circuit is only charging one battery.
375mA: The charge circuit time sharing between two batteries.
300mA: The charge circuit is in low current mode and only charging one battery.
150mA: The charge circuit is in low current mode and time sharing between two batteries.









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.









































The charger can handle 69.3 mm long batteries, inclusive flat top cells.
With 26xxx batteries there is only space for one battery.
With C batteries there is a problem with the small button top sliding off the plus pole on the charger.




[size=+2]A look inside the charger[/size]

Nitecore asked me to show the inside of the charger:





Four screws has to be removed to get into the charger.









The display uses a long zebra connector between it and the circuit board. The background light is a separate module.



 



On the circuit board can be seen:
A long isolation slot between the mains and the rest of the circuit.
Mains input has a fuse, NTC, a noise suppression capacitor and uses a IC for controlling the mains switcher.
Safety capacitor between mains and low volt side.
The two inductors marked 101 is for the two charge channels.



 




 





[size=+2]Measurements[/size]



Discharges LiIon with 0.8mA and NiMH with 0.16mA when not connected to power
With a empty battery the charger will try to activate it, then show "Err" after a short time.
At 0.8 volt the charger will assume NiMH and start charging.
The charger will assume NiMH below 1.8 volt and LiIon above 1.8 volt.
Will not restart if battery voltage drops.
Charges with 0.2mA when LiIon battery is full.
Voltmeter readout freezes when charging is finished 
Voltmeter is within 0.03 volt.
Voltmeter has a max. readout of 4.20 volt.
Current readout is not average charge current.
Charge will restart charging after power loss or battery insertion.
The button marked "SLOT" will change the display to the next slot with each press.
The button marked "MODE" will change value displayed (Volt, mA, time), with longer presseds it can also be used to select low charge current and LiFePO4.
C cells has a tendency to slide off the plus pole, i.e. some aluminium foil must used to get a stable connection. It is difficult to fit more than one C battery at a time.
The charger has two charge circuit, one is serving slot #1 and #4, the other is serving slot #2 and #3 using time sharing.
Low current selection is seperate for each slot and is independend of time sharing.
When a charge circuit has batteries in both slots, in will use 7.5 second on each in a 15 second cycle. 
When a slot is finished, the current is *not* redirected to the other slot in the group.


[size=+1]LiIon charging[/size]






The charger does a simulated CC/CV charger with a 50mA termination, this is fine.
I do not know where the jump in current comes from, it does make the charging a bit slower, but does not affect the quality of the charging.














The other channels has the same CC/CV curve.










There is not much variation in charge time for the different capacities.






Selecting low current mode will reduce the peak charge current to 300mA, it does not change the terminaiton current.






The old 16340 cell, does also have a jump in current, here the reason is obvious: The voltage gets too high and the charger has to do a fast adjustment in the current.






The 18350 at 750mA works fine






The 14500 at 300mA is also fine.






With more batteries in the charger it will alternate between (time share) the slots and the effective charge rate is halved. Due to the low charge rate, there is not that much heat.






When using the DC input the charger needs slightly above 0.8A. Notice the temperature is about the same with DC supply as with mains supply, i.e. the build in mains supply do not generate much heat.






M1: 38,4°C, M2: 40,2°C, M3: 38,6°C, M4: 35,6°C, M5: 46,9°C, M6: 51,2°C, HS1: 53,5°C






M1: 36,8°C, M2: 38,3°C, M3: 37,2°C, M4: 34,1°C, M5: 44,4°C, HS1: 69,8°C
Inside the box it get fairly hot and this makes the DC connector hot.






The charger need some time to start a charge, it first does a test, probably to reset any LiIon protection and detect LiIon/NiMH.






The charger measures voltage with current off.






When a charge channel charges two batteries it will use 50% of the time on each slot.






When a battery is put into a slot, all slots will pause for a few seconds.



[size=+1]IFR (LiFePO4) charging[/size]

Holding the MODE button pressed for about 2 second will switch to LiFePO4 mode.






The charge voltage is too high, but this is not as critical with LiFePO4 as with ordinary LiIon batteries. The charge is a CC/CV charge with termination at about 50mA and no trickle charge.
The voltage is no accident, the charger is marked 3.7 volt for LiFePO4 charge.



[size=+1]NiMH charging[/size]






The NiMH charging stops on -dv/dt and do not use trickle charge.














All channels works the same.






The eneloop XX needs a bit more time.











I did the AAA cell at the low setting and it also terminated on -dv/dt.






With -dv/dt termination it takes some time to detect a full battery, but this charger is very slow at it with 28 minutes.






With four cells, the charge current is halved.






Charging NiMH uses less current on the DC input, compared to LiIon cells, only about 0.5A.






M1: 40,8°C, M2: 42,1°C, M3: 39,8°C, M4: 36,8°C, M5: 45,1°C, M6: 46,5°C, HS1: 54,3°C






The charger also uses a lower test current here, before it switches to the full charge current.






Voltage is measured with current turned off.






When a charge channel charges two batteries it will use 50% of the time on each slot.



[size=+1]LiIon+NiMH charging[/size]






With one NiMH battery and 3 LiIon batteries, the charger has no problem with charging the NiMH (Temps sensor is on LiIon battery).






With one LiIon and 3 NiMH batteries, the LiIon is also charged fine (Temp sensor is on NiMH battery).




Testing the mains input with 2500 volt and 5000 volt between mains and low volt side, did not show any safety problems.



[size=+2]Conclusion[/size]

The charger does a good charging on both LiIon, LiFePO4 and NiMH. 
The charge can be used for 26650 cells, but are not ideal for it, I would have liked the slots 2 mm longer, some protected 26650 are rather long.
I like the display, but it is a bit technical to look at and it only shows data for one channel at a time.

The D4 is a good universal charger and the low mode makes it better for small cells than the i4. Charging two batteries is reasonable fast, but four batteries requires some patience.



[size=+2]Notes[/size]

The grouping of slots is not the same as in the i4 series chargers.

The charger was supplied by a Nitecore for review.

Review of old i4 (V2)

Here is an explanation on how I did the above charge curves: How do I test a charger


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## kreisl (Oct 26, 2014)

Awesome charger, thank you for the great review!!


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## iamthelight (Oct 27, 2014)

Excellent review ! I purchased the D4 a short time ago and so far I'm very satisfied . The only draw back that I can see is the fact that it's a bit slow on the charging time with multiple batteries ,but I'm not in a hurry anyway so that doesn't bother me in the least.  Thanks again for the review !! 

John


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## Labrador72 (Oct 27, 2014)

Thanks a mil HJK, very helpful review as always!

If I understood correctly, if you need to charge 2 cells and don't want to halve the charge you need to use slots #1 and #2 or #1 and #3 or 2# and #4 or #3 and #4. If for example I put 2 18650 into two slots using the same charge circuit like 1# and #4 it will use time share and roughly double the charging time or did I get it wrong?


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## HKJ (Oct 28, 2014)

Labrador72 said:


> Thanks a mil HJK, very helpful review as always!
> 
> If I understood correctly, if you need to charge 2 cells and don't want to halve the charge you need to use slots #1 and #2 or #1 and #3 or 2# and #4 or #3 and #4. If for example I put 2 18650 into two slots using the same charge circuit like 1# and #4 it will use time share and roughly double the charging time or did I get it wrong?



That is correct.


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## candle lamp (Oct 28, 2014)

Excellent review as always. HKJ! :thumbsup:

The new D4 looks nice charger.


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## Labrador72 (Oct 28, 2014)

HKJ said:


> That is correct.


Thank you HJK! : )


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## svhunter (Nov 20, 2014)

My 18650's come off the D4 at 4.16 according to my tester. Is this worth sending back for, or is 4.16 vs 4.2 fine or even maybe better? Its just the mindset that it isn't getting them topped off I guess. My Fenix ARE-C2 gets them to 4.21 or 4.22 normally.


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## HKJ (Nov 20, 2014)

svhunter said:


> My 18650's come off the D4 at 4.16 according to my tester. Is this worth sending back for, or is 4.16 vs 4.2 fine or even maybe better? Its just the mindset that it isn't getting them topped off I guess. My Fenix ARE-C2 gets them to 4.21 or 4.22 normally.



It looks like you D4 is the most precise charger and ARE-C2 is slightly overcharging the batteries.





Look at the yellow line in the above chart, it is exactly where the charger stops charging. The battery voltage is 4.20 volt, but a second later it is down to maybe 4.18 volt. How much the voltage drops depends on a lot of factors.


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## svhunter (Nov 20, 2014)

Thanks for the reply.


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## kreisl (Nov 20, 2014)

svhunter said:


> My 18650's come off the D4 at 4.16 according to my tester. Is this worth sending back for, or is 4.16 vs 4.2 fine or even maybe better


It is common agreement that it is healthier for a cell to come off at 4.16 than at exact stable 4.20. So if you don't want your heavily used cells to turn bad fast, for example cells in a multi-cell arrangement (rechargeable 4x18650 daily flashright, e-bike peloton), then 4.16 is better than 4.20

I don't buy the D4, so i cannot confirm your 4.16 measurement. Personally i certainly would not be happy with confirmed 4.16 but that's just me. I don't buy e-bike peloton.


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## HKJ (Nov 20, 2014)

kreisl said:


> However, for serious battery and charger testers like me, i need the expensive cell to come off at 4.20 to get a valid reference test run when determining the DISCHARGE capacity and comparing it against an official Panasonic or LG pdf datasheet.



I would not call that serious. If you want to compare against datasheet capacity, you have to follow the procedure described in the datasheet and it will not finish at 4.200 volt, but somewhere lower.


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## curlysir (Jan 18, 2015)

The biggest downside to me on this charger is the maximum 750mA charging rate. I bought this charger when I first started using 18650 batteries a few months ago. At that time I was new to the game. During the sales around Christmas I picked up a Xtar VP2 and quickly noticed that would charge the batteries quicker. Did some research and discovered the lower max charging rate. Other then the slower charging rate for all battery types it is a very good charger. If I hadn't bought the VP2 I wouldn't have known the difference.

My charger charges batteries to 4.2 volts consistently.


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## gopajti (Jan 23, 2015)

Thank you for your work HKJ


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## hammerjoe (Feb 3, 2015)

Anyone knows what the differences are between the 2014 and 2015 nitecore D4?


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## HKJ (Feb 3, 2015)

hammerjoe said:


> Anyone knows what the differences are between the 2014 and 2015 nitecore D4?



One obvious difference is the metal rails in the sliders.


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## mpett1 (Feb 4, 2015)

Does this charger measure MAH of the batteries?


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## HKJ (Feb 4, 2015)

mpett1 said:


> Does this charger measure MAH of the batteries?



No


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## G. Scott H. (Feb 4, 2015)

HKJ, just wanted to say thanks for this excellent review.  I ran across it a couple weeks ago and ordered a D2 as a result. Just got my D2 the other day, and it's awesome. I'm especially loving the metal slider channels, as opposed to the plastic ones on the old i2 I was using before. No more binding! Woot! :twothumbs


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## brightsteve (Mar 7, 2015)

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


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## G. Scott H. (Mar 10, 2015)

brightsteve said:


> 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?


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## SoundWorx (Mar 12, 2015)

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


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## HKJ (Mar 12, 2015)

SoundWorx said:


> 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.


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## SoundWorx (Mar 14, 2015)

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


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## davidkoleda (Mar 25, 2015)

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?


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## thedoc007 (Mar 25, 2015)

davidkoleda said:


> 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.


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## davidkoleda (Mar 26, 2015)

thedoc007 said:


> 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.


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## Dogdare (Mar 26, 2015)

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


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## Dogdare (Mar 27, 2015)

Dogdare said:


> 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.
> 
> ...



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


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## velvetant (Apr 4, 2015)

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??


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## HKJ (Apr 4, 2015)

velvetant said:


> 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.


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## Timothybil (Apr 4, 2015)

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.


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## thedoc007 (Apr 4, 2015)

Timothybil said:


> 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.


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## Leonidimus (Apr 17, 2015)

HKJ said:


> 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.


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## Timothybil (Apr 17, 2015)

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.


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## thedoc007 (Apr 17, 2015)

Timothybil said:


> 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.


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## HKJ (Apr 18, 2015)

Leonidimus said:


> 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.



Timothybil said:


> 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.


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## Timothybil (Apr 18, 2015)

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.


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## Leonidimus (Apr 18, 2015)

HKJ said:


> 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.


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## HKJ (Apr 18, 2015)

Leonidimus said:


> 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.


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## StudFreeman (Jul 18, 2015)

Hey HKJ,
I noticed your NiMH plots for the D4 show that Eneloops received just a bit more than than their rated typical capacity. NiMH cells typically require charging with ~1.5x the rated capacity to actually deliver that rated capacity. What's your opinion on this? Thanks.


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## HKJ (Jul 19, 2015)

StudFreeman said:


> I noticed your NiMH plots for the D4 show that Eneloops received just a bit more than than their rated typical capacity. NiMH cells typically require charging with ~1.5x the rated capacity to actually deliver that rated capacity. What's your opinion on this? Thanks.



The old standardized way to measure capacity on NiMH is to charge them with 0.1C for 15 hours capacity, this will get the most capacity from the batteries, but will also wear them down a bit faster. The reason you get most capacity this way is because the algorithm is guaranteed to overcharge the battery significantly and rely on the battery's ability to handle overcharge (This ability is not very good in LSD batteries). I.e. the battery will be as fully charged as possible. This method was invented for NiCd cells.
Most modern chargers looks at the voltage raise/drop at the end of charge and uses this for termination instead, this means faster charging and much less overcharge. This method might also give slightly less charge, especially if you uses the batteries immediately after removing them from the charger. To compensate for this some chargers gives a top-off charge or uses a high trickle charge. 

Because I always used LSD cells (Usual eneloop), I prefer chargers that do not overcharge, but stops as precisely as possible when the battery is full.


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## StudFreeman (Jul 21, 2015)

Interesting background. Makes sense in light of modern Eneloops and other LSD cells. Thanks!


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## HEDP (Jul 21, 2015)

I don't know if it was posted but how long does it take to charge two 18650's vs. four 18650's?


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## HKJ (Jul 22, 2015)

HEDP said:


> I don't know if it was posted but how long does it take to charge two 18650's vs. four 18650's?



One and two is the same time, as long as you use the correct slots. For actual time check the curves, the scale is in minutes and the yellow line shows when the charger says full.


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## HEDP (Jul 22, 2015)

HKJ said:


> One and two is the same time, as long as you use the correct slots. For actual time check the curves, the scale is in minutes and the yellow line shows when the charger says full.




Thanks.


I was wondering how long it took you in testing?


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## HKJ (Jul 22, 2015)

HEDP said:


> I was wondering how long it took you in testing?



Usual I can do two to 3 curves in a normal day, this means that a charger can take from a few days (Single cell charger, one chemistry) up to about 3 weeks (Analyzing charger with many modes and chemistries).
My test setup looks something like this:





And I do sometimes have more than one setup running.


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## HaileStorm (Jul 22, 2015)

Hi guys, this might seem like a pretty stupid question but how do I charge a Nitecore 14500 IMR cell? I've been using a cheapo ultrafire charger for my 18650s and 16340s but the person who sold it to me says i should charge it only with a Nitecore charger since IMRs aren't protected. Can't i use my ultrafire charger for IMRs?


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## HEDP (Jul 22, 2015)

HKJ said:


> Usual I can do two to 3 curves in a normal day, this means that a charger can take from a few days (Single cell charger, one chemistry) up to about 3 weeks (Analyzing charger with many modes and chemistries).
> My test setup looks something like this:
> 
> 
> ...







Thx. 




I guess guess I was looking more for a 'Two 18650 fully discharged batteries charge in apprx 5 hours and four fully discharged batteries take apprx 10 hours to charge' type answer. 



Have anything like that?


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## HKJ (Jul 22, 2015)

HEDP said:


> Have anything like that?



As I said before, it is in the curves:
One (and two in the correct slots) 3100mAh cell charges in about 300 minutes, that is 5 hours
Four 3100mAh cells needs 550 minutes, that is a bit more than 9 hours.


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## HKJ (Jul 22, 2015)

HaileStorm said:


> Hi guys, this might seem like a pretty stupid question but how do I charge a Nitecore 14500 IMR cell? I've been using a cheapo ultrafire charger for my 18650s and 16340s but the person who sold it to me says i should charge it only with a Nitecore charger since IMRs aren't protected. Can't i use my ultrafire charger for IMRs?



Generally Ultrafire chargers are not very good, but they charge protect/unproteced IMR and ICR batteries just the same.
I will recommend getting a better charger, not due to the Nitecore cell, but due to the Ultrafire charger.


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## HEDP (Jul 22, 2015)

HKJ said:


> Generally Ultrafire chargers are not very good, but they charge protect/unproteced IMR and ICR batteries just the same.
> I will recommend getting a better charger, not due to the Nitecore cell, but due to the Ultrafire charger.





Is there a higher risk of Ultrafire chargers starting fires?


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## HEDP (Jul 22, 2015)

HKJ said:


> As I said before, it is in the curves:
> One (and two in the correct slots) 3100mAh cell charges in about 300 minutes, that is 5 hours
> Four 3100mAh cells needs 550 minutes, that is a bit more than 9 hours.




Cool. Thanks. That's what I was looking for.




Sorry, I don't know what a curves is.


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## HaileStorm (Jul 22, 2015)

Thanks for the prompt reply, hkj. I've put a Nitecore UM10 charger on order, hopefully this will suffice. Until then, while charging the imr 14500 in my ultrafire, how would i know when it's done charging since it's not protected? I've never charged an imr before so I'm kinda scared to toss it in the charger and just leave it there


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## HKJ (Jul 22, 2015)

HEDP said:


> Is there a higher risk of Ultrafire chargers starting fires?



I would expect the answer to be yes.



HaileStorm said:


> Thanks for the prompt reply, hkj. I've put a Nitecore UM10 charger on order, hopefully this will suffice. Until then, while charging the imr 14500 in my ultrafire, how would i know when it's done charging since it's not protected? I've never charged an imr before so I'm kinda scared to toss it in the charger and just leave it there



The charger is supposed to have a led that shows when the battery is full.
LiIon batteries will only be serious overcharged if the charger is using too high voltage. If they stay on a non terminating charger for many hours, it will add some wear to the battery, but not really overcharge it.


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## HaileStorm (Jul 22, 2015)

Okay, great thank you hkj! Sorry for the off-topic question, just wanted to be sure 😊


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## farnell1000 (Oct 29, 2015)

I dont know, the more I read about this charger the less I like it


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## djdawg (Nov 28, 2015)

I just bought one .......lol


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## LiteTheWay (Nov 30, 2015)

Not sure why. HKJ's review is good, others like it. I have one - it works fine and I like it too. But I will likely be replacing it and a few others I have with the SKYRC MC3000.



farnell1000 said:


> I dont know, the more I read about this charger the less I like it


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## planet (Dec 8, 2015)

Received my D4 yesterdy. Charged my AA/AAA &18650 so far o good as no problem. Thanks for the review.


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## djdawg (Dec 8, 2015)

planet said:


> Received my D4 yesterdy. Charged my AA/AAA &18650 so far o good as no problem. Thanks for the review.



How long did it take to charge those ......... I have a D-4 and it seems to take a Loooong time to charge a batt , as into comparison to my Pila charger.


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## Mr. LED (Dec 9, 2015)

I just got a D2 and it charges my 18650 Olight 3400mAh to just 4.13V, although it displays 4.2V on its own meter.

Should I send it back? Thanks.


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## NoNotAgain (Dec 9, 2015)

Mr. LED said:


> I just got a D2 and it charges my 18650 Olight 3400mAh to just 4.13V, although it displays 4.2V on its own meter.
> 
> Should I send it back? Thanks.



Put the battery back in the charger and see if it charges a second time. How long after charging are you testing voltage?

Also, what are you using to measure the voltage and how does this meter compare to measurement on other batteries?


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## Mr. LED (Dec 10, 2015)

If I put it back, it charges for a minute and displays finished. I measure using a digital multimeter, and it reads 4.13 again. I'm measuring immediatly after removing from the charger.

My 16340 battery is also measuring 4.13V, charged in a different channel.

The multimeter is accurate and measures other cells fine, like CR123 and etc.


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## ChrisGarrett (Dec 10, 2015)

Mr. LED said:


> If I put it back, it charges for a minute and displays finished. I measure using a digital multimeter, and it reads 4.13 again. I'm measuring immediatly after removing from the charger.
> 
> My 16340 battery is also measuring 4.13V, charged in a different channel.
> 
> The multimeter is accurate and measures other cells fine, like CR123 and etc.



Specs are +/- .05v, so between 4.15v-4.25v.

It's slightly undercharging, but that's better for your cells than overcharging.

That being said, I still want my cells to come off at ~4.19v-4.20v. When they wear out, I'll buy new ones.

I have an Xtar MP1S USB charger that's all over the map and undercharging. It bugs the crap out of me.

Chris


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## HKJ (Dec 10, 2015)

ChrisGarrett said:


> Specs are +/- .05v, so between 4.15v-4.25v.
> 
> It's slightly undercharging, but that's better for your cells than overcharging.



Specifications says the *charge* voltage must be between 4.15V and 4.25V, measuring the voltage on the battery after the charge has stopped will always give a lower voltage.


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## Mr. LED (Dec 10, 2015)

HKJ, what would you do if you had a Nitecore D2 and your cells measured 4.13V after charge. Keep it or return it?


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## HKJ (Dec 10, 2015)

Mr. LED said:


> HKJ, what would you do if you had a Nitecore D2 and your cells measured 4.13V after charge. Keep it or return it?



Keep it or give it away. For my own usage I prefer another kind of chargers (I want a non-pulsing current and a couple of easy selectable charger currents).


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## Mr. LED (Dec 10, 2015)

Mine arrived yesterday from the seller, so I can return it. I'm thinking about a Xtar VC4. What do you think? Thanks in advance.


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## HKJ (Dec 10, 2015)

Mr. LED said:


> Mine arrived yesterday from the seller, so I can return it. I'm thinking about a Xtar VC4. What do you think? Thanks in advance.



The VC4 is a good charger, but it is rather critical to have a good usb power supply.
It also shows charged capacity, the D2 is missing that (It can be very useful).


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## Mr. LED (Dec 10, 2015)

Would an Apple 10W USB adapter work? I might use a AC adapter as well.


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## gyzmo2002 (Dec 10, 2015)

Mr. LED said:


> Mine arrived yesterday from the seller, so I can return it. I'm thinking about a Xtar VC4. What do you think? Thanks in advance.



Why not the Opus BT-3100 v2.2? It charges at 4.22v and has and a testing function for the capacity of your cells . I first buy a D4, but I prefer the Opus.


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## Mr. LED (Dec 10, 2015)

I would have to import this one and the costs would go way up. I don't have this one available in my country. My options now are the Nitecore D2, Fenix ARE-C2 or Xtar VC4. I have to pick one.


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## gyzmo2002 (Dec 10, 2015)

Where do you live? I'm in Canada and ordered mine from Gearbest. Free shipping and no duties. Until now, I never pay duties when I order from Asia.


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## Mr. LED (Dec 10, 2015)

I live in Brazil.


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## HKJ (Dec 10, 2015)

Mr. LED said:


> Would an Apple 10W USB adapter work? I might use a AC adapter as well.



It need an usb adapter, the Apple is probably fine it has current enough, only problem is if you get one with low output voltage and that is a problem will just about any usb adapter.


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## Mr. LED (Dec 10, 2015)

I'm thinking about using a walwart adapter.


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## HKJ (Dec 10, 2015)

Mr. LED said:


> I'm thinking about using a walwart adapter.



As long as it delivers 5 volt (maybe 5.2 volt) and above 2A it is fine.


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## Mr. LED (Dec 10, 2015)

Exactly. Thank you for the patience.


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## Bretcoe (Dec 10, 2015)

You guys may think this is silly question, but I want to know. 

I have a Nitecore Digicharger D4, which I think is what you tested though the title says Intellicharger which would be an I4 I believe, but... how do would you feel about leaving cells on the charger after they are charged, say overnight for example?

The D4 cuts off the charging circuit when the 4.2V capacity is reached, so it should be safe. Also, the charger has appropriate over/under charging protections in place, so am I crazy for thinking it should be ok to leave cells in the charger for an extended period of time (going to work or overnight)?

I know its bad form to leave cells on chargers, but are these new chargers friendly enough to allow it?


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## HKJ (Dec 10, 2015)

Bretcoe said:


> I have a Nitecore Digicharger D4, which I think is what you tested though the title says Intellicharger which would be an I4 I believe, but... how do would you feel about leaving cells on the charger after they are charged, say overnight for example?



It is the Digicharger as the photos clearly shows.
It is not a problem leaving batteries overnight in the charger, but both the charger and the batteries have a slightly higher risk when in the charger (The risk is fairly low, I usual charge overnight).


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## Bretcoe (Dec 10, 2015)

HKJ said:


> It is the Digicharger as the photos clearly shows.
> It is not a problem leaving batteries overnight in the charger, but both the charger and the batteries have a slightly higher risk when in the charger (The risk is fairly low, I usual charge overnight).




First off, fantastic review! Some very good data you collected.


I didn't mean any to insult you, just wanted to eliminate any confusion with the title of the thread. 


Thank you for reassuring me that leaving cells on the charger isn't the end of the world too.


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## Mr. LED (Dec 11, 2015)

The Xtar VC4 has just arrived. It's already charging a couple of batteries at 1A! The Apple 10W iPad adapter did the trick.
I'll keep posted when the charge ends.

Later I'll go to a few stores and look for a walwart with the right plug.


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## djdawg (Dec 20, 2015)

I have another question please ........I have a Pila charger because when I first started it was highly recommended at that time .........I recently got a Nitecore D-2 charger because it came with the light I bought (Malkoff HoundDog) ......I also needed a charger that would charge enloop batts and the D-2 seems to fit that bill according to post on this forum.
What I want to know is why isnt the Pila talked about no more ......is it obsolete these days ?? Is the D-2 better than the Pila ??
Someone that knows , will you please respond ...........thanks dj


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## SilverFox (Dec 20, 2015)

Hello Djdawg,

I use my Pila charger frequently and am very satisfied with its performance.

Tom


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## djdawg (Dec 20, 2015)

Thanks .........I only wanna use the safest and best that I can get ...... I rely on post from this forum


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## sdr (Jan 6, 2016)

I recently bought the D4 Digicharger thinking that it might be an improvement over the D4 Intellicharger that I had been using? I was wrong. After using the Digicharger for just a couple of weeks I have now returned to using the Intellicharger. The reason being that I was experiencing the same result as others in this thread have posted about -- a less than full charge.

I would charge my 18650 batteries on the Digicharger and they would reach what the charger was telling me was a full 4.2v charge. But when I would test those batteries that had just come off of the charger each and every one of them would read 4.15v on my multimeter. Every time with every battery the result was always the same...they were undercharged by .05v. Now I know that's not the end of the world. But it really ticks me off, nonetheless. 

I recently charged 4 batteries on the Digicharger to what read 4.2v for each one. Took them off and checked each one on the multimeter, where each one tested at 4.15v. Then put all 4 on my Intellicharger where they continued to charge for nearly another hour before the 3 lights over each charging bay quit flashing, indicating a full charge. I then checked each of those batteries again with my multimeter and each one tested at 4.2v - Now, finally, fully charged! Two of these batteries were NCR18650GA and two were NCR18650B in case anyone was wondering.

I can only conclude that the Intellicharger does a superior job at charging my 18650 batteries. And, I will henceforth return to using the Intellicharger. Do both versions work? The answer is yes, absolutely. Either charger will sufficiently charge batteries. But I prefer to use the product that does the best job. In this case my experience indicates that the Intellicharger does the better job of the two. And, if anyone happens to ask which Nitecore charger I would personally recommend? Well, it would have to be the Intellicharger ~ obviously!


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## gyzmo2002 (Jan 6, 2016)

sdr said:


> I recently bought the D4 Digicharger thinking that it might be an improvement over the D4 Intellicharger that I had been using? I was wrong. )



I did not use the D4 since I have the Opus. I just did a charge on a set of ncr18650b and I have the same result as yours...4.15v. I will continue to use the Opus....until receiving the mc3000.


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## thedoc007 (Jan 6, 2016)

sdr said:


> I recently bought the D4 Digicharger thinking that it might be an improvement over the D4 Intellicharger that I had been using? I was wrong. After using the Digicharger for just a couple of weeks I have now returned to using the Intellicharger. The reason being that I was experiencing the same result as others in this thread have posted about -- a less than full charge.



Both of my D4 chargers charge to about 4.15 volts too...but I consider that ideal or close to it. It would certainly be better if the readout was more accurate, but I prefer a slight undercharge, rather than a slight overcharge which shortens the life (and hastens capacity loss) of cells.



sdr said:


> I then checked each of those batteries again with my multimeter and each one tested at 4.2v - Now, finally, fully charged.
> 
> nd, if anyone happens to ask which Nitecore charger I would personally recommend? Well, it would have to be the Intellicharger ~ obviously!



Not obvious to me. If your cells read exactly 4.2 volts off the charger (and your meter is accurate) then your charger is slightly OVERCHARGING the cells. Many cheap chargers (to get a full reading) deliberately overcharge, say to 4.25 volts, so that when you remove the cells and measure them, you get a reading of 4.2 volts. This is not a good thing.

To summarize, I certainly agree that the readout of the D4 should be more accurate. Other manufacturers and even other Nitecore offerings do a better job of giving you accurate information. But that is not the same thing as saying the charging algorithm of the D4 is empirically worse...I would argue just the opposite. The difference in capacity is negligible in any case, and the D4 should at least slightly extend the life of your cells, especially if you top off often.


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## Timothybil (Jan 7, 2016)

Wrong device. Please ignore.


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## sdr (Jan 7, 2016)

thedoc007 said:


> Both of my D4 chargers charge to about 4.15 volts too...but I consider that ideal or close to it. It would certainly be better if the readout was more accurate, but I prefer a slight undercharge, rather than a slight overcharge which shortens the life (and hastens capacity loss) of cells.
> 
> Not obvious to me. If your cells read exactly 4.2 volts off the charger (and your meter is accurate) then your charger is slightly OVERCHARGING the cells. Many cheap chargers (to get a full reading) deliberately overcharge, say to 4.25 volts, so that when you remove the cells and measure them, you get a reading of 4.2 volts. This is not a good thing.
> 
> To summarize, I certainly agree that the readout of the D4 should be more accurate. Other manufacturers and even other Nitecore offerings do a better job of giving you accurate information. But that is not the same thing as saying the charging algorithm of the D4 is empirically worse...I would argue just the opposite. The difference in capacity is negligible in any case, and the D4 should at least slightly extend the life of your cells, especially if you top off often.



Well, perhaps you're right? 

But, given that the acceptable range for the batteries in question is 4.2 ±0.05 volts per cell, I believe I'll stick with the Intellicharger over the Digicharger based upon the voltage readings that I have observed and a personal desire to attain an optimum charge. 

That's what works for me. And, again, the Nitecore I4 is what I would recommend over the Nitecore D4 to anyone who might ask for my .02₵ on the subject. 






Cheers, mate!


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## bella-headlight (Jan 7, 2016)

My D4 also shows my 18650"s to be at 4.2v when charging has finished.
My Amprobe 550 DMM shows that they are 4.18-4.19v when tested immediately off the charger, within .02-.01v so close enough for me.
Cells are Efest, Keeppower & some Samsung lap top pulls
My D4 is about 6-8 months old & so far I am very happy with it.
It was my first proper charger capable of charging 18650"s other than some cheap no brand chinese 18650 chargers I had.
I went for the D4 over the i4 due to the fact it shows volts, mA & charge time as opposed to the i4 just having flashing bars.
I have now just ordered a *LiitoKala Engineer Lii-500** for it"s analysing capablities.*


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## HKJ (Jan 7, 2016)

On most chargers the meter stops updating when charging is finished, i.e. they will show 4.20 volt on most correctly working chargers.
When somebody shows up with a DMM later (1 second or 1 week does not matter) and measures the battery the DMM will *ALWAYS* (As long as the chargers meter is correct) show less than 4.20 volt (As can be seen in all my charger test and all my battery test).


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## uofaengr (Jan 7, 2016)

Mine straight off the D4 always measure at 4.16 or 4.17 which I'm fine with. And when I've just measured a battery on a DMM and then put it on the charger it always reads a few hundredths higher on the D4. So maybe Nitecore calibrated these a couple hundredths higher so that they don't overcharge?


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## SCEMan (Jan 7, 2016)

Mine shows 4.14 right off charger... going back. My I4 was always at 4.19.


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## light-wolff (Jan 8, 2016)

Simple consumer chargers don't get calibrated. 1% variation between examples is to be expected, that is 40mV.
Then, add the effect HKJ has explained above (not for the 1st time...). The effect also depends on charging current, battery temperature, chemistry, health, etc.


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## TA_ls1 (Mar 16, 2016)

Hi all, I've been looking at the d4 but after reading this, I'm torn between the d4 and i4. I currently have a um10, which works well for my 18650s and rcr123a, but I am switching my aa and aaas from alkaline to eneloops. So the d4 or i4 seem like the way to go. 

My biggest worry now is that d4 owners experience 18650s only charging to 4.14-4.17 ish vs 4.2 with the i4. Yet I really like the features and readout from the d4. So, how much of a difference in runtime would the 4.15 vs 4.20 charge make? 

Would either d4 or i4 be that big of an improvement over the um10 other than charging more batteries. My um10 seems to bring 18650s to a full charge, but I have no way to measure that other than the readout on the charger saying battery is at 98% or what not.

Also, what would handle the eneloops best?

Sorry for all the questions, but I am not very experienced with chargers. I guess I COULD go with a aa aaa specific charger, but then I can only use the um10 for one cell at a time. I only have single cell lights now but if I decide to get a multi 18650 light I'll regret not getting the d4/i4...decisions...

I appreciate the help, thanks.


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## NoNotAgain (Mar 16, 2016)

TA_ls1 said:


> My biggest worry now is that d4 owners experience 18650s only charging to 4.14-4.17 ish vs 4.2 with the i4. Yet I really like the features and readout from the d4. So, how much of a difference in runtime would the 4.15 vs 4.20 charge make?
> 
> Would either d4 or i4 be that big of an improvement over the um10 other than charging more batteries. My um10 seems to bring 18650s to a full charge, but I have no way to measure that other than the readout on the charger saying battery is at 98% or what not.
> 
> ...



I've got the Nitecore D2 and D4 chargers as well as the Xtar VC4 and VP4 chargers. They all show termination voltage at 4.2 volts. When the batteries are checked with a multimeter they're down a bit from the 4.2 volts displayed on the charger. 

The difference is only .03 volts maximum. Unless you have a good meter, your meter has more variation than the .03 volts difference. 

The D2 and D4 chargers both handle NiMH Eneloop batteries well.


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## thedoc007 (Mar 17, 2016)

TA_ls1 said:


> My biggest worry now is that d4 owners experience 18650s only charging to 4.14-4.17 ish vs 4.2 with the i4. Yet I really like the features and readout from the d4. So, how much of a difference in runtime would the 4.15 vs 4.20 charge make?



Not much. Maybe a five percent difference in runtime, at most. You would be very unlikely to notice a difference in real world use.



TA_ls1 said:


> Would either d4 or i4 be that big of an improvement over the um10 other than charging more batteries. My um10 seems to bring 18650s to a full charge, but I have no way to measure that other than the readout on the charger saying battery is at 98% or what not.



Personally I really like the readout, and the sliders are much smoother on the D4, and it has better options for small cells (a low current mode). If someone already has an I4, I would not call the D4 a compelling upgrade unless you need a specific feature, but if you don't have either, I think it is a no-brainer. The D4 also does a better job with Eneloops, if I remember HKJ's reviews correctly.

I would also suggest you obtain a cheap multi-meter, especially if you go the multi-cell li-ion route. It makes it easy to spot potential issues, and you can get a decent one for under $10 if you shop around. And even VERY cheap meters are usually quite accurate for simple voltage checks.



TA_ls1 said:


> Also, what would handle the eneloops best?



Arguably a standalone Eneloop charger would be ideal (the LaCrosse BC700 or the Maha C9000 being a couple high-end examples)...but hardly necessary. Eneloops are fairly tolerant of abuse, so to me it doesn't make sense to pay more (and take up more space, and complicate things) when the D4 does a very respectable job for Eneloops. As long as you aren't in a hurry, the D4 will do what you need for both li-ion and Eneloops, at low cost.


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## TA_ls1 (Mar 18, 2016)

I've ordered a d4, thanks for your advice guys!


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## amdaxiom (Jun 11, 2016)

Very nice review, thanks, I picked myself up a D4 instead of the i4 now.


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## Cajarana (Aug 2, 2016)

Great info. I was looking for a new charger for my RCR123s and that´s my choice.


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## 111qqq (Dec 20, 2016)

Hi all. Thanks for the great review and lots of info on this charger!

I have one concern - is it generally better for the battery if it's charged at a lower current mode? Should I always activate it, or only on lower capacity batteries (AAA)?


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## HKJ (Dec 20, 2016)

111qqq said:


> Hi all. Thanks for the great review and lots of info on this charger!
> 
> I have one concern - is it generally better for the battery if it's charged at a lower current mode? Should I always activate it, or only on lower capacity batteries (AAA)?



With smaller LiIon cells it is a good idea to use low current, but there is no reason to do it with NiMH cells (Check my table in the review).


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## 111qqq (Dec 20, 2016)

HKJ said:


> With smaller LiIon cells it is a good idea to use low current, but there is no reason to do it with NiMH cells (Check my table in the review).



Thanks a lot, sir!


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## tohtorizorro (May 21, 2017)

Just to make this clear..

is there any point in always going with the low mode ,say, with 18650's?

would this extend the cells lifecycle? I bought plenty of cells and prefer long life over max capacity or fast charge times.

I just got the D4 up and running with 4 Sony vtc6 18650 cells and set all slots low. I get that the current is already split as all slots are in use. So, am I just being silly? If so, where would you draw the line when to use the low setting and when not to?


Second thing: 
I bought the charger for my vape hobby, but decided to go all rechargeable from now on. As the Eneloops seem to be the way to go, is there something I should know before charging them with the d4?


and thanks for the marvelous indepth attitude in your work, awesome stuff.


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## archimedes (May 21, 2017)

tohtorizorro said:


> Just to make this clear..
> 
> is there any point in always going with the low mode ,say, with 18650's?
> 
> ...



What capacity are your cells ?


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## tohtorizorro (May 21, 2017)

The 18650's are 3000mAh. I'm probably going with the Eneloop pro cells ie. 2550mAh per AA and 950mAh per AAA. As I understood the low setting is specifically for AAA NiMH cells of low capacity (<700 I recall reading somewhere). BUT, would there be any advantage (namely battery lifespanwise) of using the low setting with any cell of type of any capacity?


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## archimedes (May 29, 2017)

tohtorizorro said:


> The 18650's are 3000mAh....



Those would have no need for the "Low" charge current setting.

Even the 750mA ( "High" ) setting would only be 0.25C ....


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## tripplec (May 30, 2017)

Been a while since I read a thread on the D4 which was essentially the same as the I4 but with a display. Not a 4 channel charger which I only just used recently to see if the topped my new 18650's any higher then my Soshine SH4 which will do 1A on each channel. 750 split over two cells is too low for 18650's (yeah they charge but you have long wait). Too bad they've not upgraded it further.

I noticed some of my cells which I metered after the had finish after a while. I got 4.17-4.18 on them. I did some others while I popped the charged 18650's into the I4 which started charging them further (4 cells at once so its, 375mA) and popped another set into the SH4 which sat there a lot longer after finished FULL displayed. They resulted in 4.18-4.19, hmm maybe as slight trickle going on. The I4 topped cells came up a tad varying 4.18-4.19V so the difference is quite small talking a hundredth of a volt here.


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## hmjgriffon (Jun 18, 2017)

Hey guys, new here, I read through this thread, and looked at the reviews for some of the chargers I am looking at on http://lygte-info.dk/. I am just now getting in to "real" battery chargers etc. I'm looking for a charger mainly for 18650 batteries and also RCR123A. It looks like everyone here is loving the Nitecore D4, I've also seen great reviews for the XTAR VP series and theXTAR VC series. Which of these would you guys say is currently "the best"? I'd prefer to be able to charge about 4 batteries instead of 2. Also, I had a multi meter a long time ago but I can't find it and I know it was old anyways, is there a decent cheap one for checking voltage of batteries? A link to amazon maybe? Thanks for any advice, I've been learning and researching battery stuff lately and have learned a pretty good amount. Oh and one more thing, this may need to go into it's own thread and if so that's fine but I'm wondering if there is a good solution for rechargeable CR123A 3v? I've got a flashlight that uses 3.7v, but I've got some weapon lights that only take the 3v and it seems like there are no good rechargeable batteries for that with decent reviews.

To give some background I've currently got an xtar mc1 plus that came with an olite, and I've got some 3.7v olite cr123a batteries and I just got a Tenergy TN438 16-Bay charger for doing lots of AA and AAA, is that a good charger? Seems to be working well, though all of my AA and AAA batteries are old and I think about end of life, another reason I'd like a multi meter so I can start checking them after they are finished "charging". Anyways, thanks again guys and sorry for the long post.


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