# SheKor Charger for 18650/17670/18500/17500/14500/16340/



## old4570 (Jan 5, 2010)

SheKor Charger for 18650/17670/18500/17500/14500/16340/

I have been looking at this charger for some time , what I found interesting and tempting , was the input voltage range . For some time now I have been thinking of a Solar Powered Charger , and the main stumbling block has been finding a host/charger suitable for such a project .

Im not going there today , but will rather evaluate the charger as is , for anyone contemplating owning this charger . 

To the pictures : 






















Now in all fairness they make a lot of claims on the side of the box , and it would be real nice if it was all true , real nice . 
Im draining a battery as I type this so as to start testing the charger .
:wave:

Ok some results : 

Open current = Bay1 or left side as pictured was 4.13 to 4.14v Bay2 or the right side was 4.16 to 4.18v , voltage for both was the same as open voltage with a 18650 in place .
Current :
Bay1 18650 @ 4v = 0.16A 
Bay2 18650 @ 4v = 0.17A [ Now the second bay did hunt around a little with the amps going up and down but then stabilized at 0.17A ] 

Bay1 18650 @ 4.17v = 0.0A 
Bay2 18650 @ 4.17v = 0.0A - 0.01A , again hunted around a little between 0 and 0.01A and then settled on 0.0A 

18650 @ 3.84v = 0.33A for both bays . 

So looks like constant voltage and variable Amp's , so the closer you get to termination , the less Amps . And it does look like it will shut down when its done .
I will charge some batteries , and test as we go along , I only just fully charged all my batts recently so I have none that are run down unfortunately .
So just waiting for a RCR123A to run down ATM .

RCR123A : [ One bay only being used at a time , I will do dual bay testing shortly ] 
RCR123A @ 3.75v both bays charged at 0.37A
RCR123A @ 3.57v Both bays = 0.44A
[ I would just like to say the over discharge protection works on my Trustfire Red and black RCR123A ]
RCR123A @ 3.22v , both bays are charging at 0.47A

Dual channel Charging [ 2 Batteries ] 

With the 18650 occupying one channel/bay the RCR123A was getting 0.46A in either bay , which means its a true dual channel charger .
With the 18650 @ 3.86v and charging at 0.32A on its own , with the RCR123A occupying the opposite bay it was doing 0.31A to 0.30A , again dare I say true dual channel charger .

I had the RCR123A in Bay1 which had an open voltage of 4.13-4.14v and as I thought it terminated @ 4.13v there was 0 charge at termination [ No trickle charge ] , and it is independent from the other channel . 
The open voltage was higher on Bay2 so I wait to see if the 18650 comes in at 4.16v .
Ok the 18650 has finished charging and came in also at 4.13v , and the charger again shut the charging channel off . 
This could be a safe charger , I say could as you should never leave a charger charging for too long or you just may burn your house down , I guess they just cant be trusted . But this is the first one that I have actually seen that shuts down each charging channel on completion . Its certainly not an expensive charger , and for my intended purpose of hooking it up to some solar panels and just placing it outside to leave it to do its work , it looks like it just might be a good choice .

So in the coming months keep an eye out for a solar charger :


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## alfreddajero (Jan 5, 2010)

Blackrose and I were talking about that charger.....would love to know how well it does as i would love to get it........


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## old4570 (Jan 5, 2010)

I'm only waiting on termination now , Im charging one 18650 and a CR123A , to see how it works , will it try to balance charge or will each channel terminate on completion . :thinking:

Also what sort of voltage will we have when done etc . 
So far its looking interesting .

It does look like each channel is acting independently , but I will have to check for this by using the same batteries at different states of charge . [ Later ]


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## alfreddajero (Jan 5, 2010)

4.15 is my guess......its funny that your doing a review on this charger......when Blackrose and I were talking about it nothing really came up on cpf about the charger or members comments on it as well.


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## old4570 (Jan 5, 2010)

alfreddajero said:


> 4.15 is my guess......its funny that your doing a review on this charger......when Blackrose and I were talking about it nothing really came up on cpf about the charger or members comments on it as well.



Ive been Hoing and a-Humin over this charger for about 3 months . 
Looks like it may be a good host for a solar powered charger project .

Just throw it outside , and the charger turns of the channel when the battery is charged , sounds good to me !


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## old4570 (Jan 5, 2010)

Testing completed : 

I was worried that the power supply [ which looks an awful lot like the DSD one ] was going to get seriously hot , it did warm up though but as the battery charge increases the charge rate diminishes , so it actually may start warm but as the batteries are charged it runs cooler .

The batteries terminated at 4.13v and this is just a little on the low side , but then the charger does actually turn of on completion , which sort of compensates , over all , looks like a safe charger .

This one is for a solar powered project , and I really like the input voltage range which will allow me some lee way with the solar panels . 

In no way is there any buyer remorse with this one , a worth while charger to own , and have as part of my charger collection .

If your really worried about charging batteries over 4.2v then you may wish to give this charger some consideration .


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## alfreddajero (Jan 5, 2010)

I was close on cutoff.....On the positive part of the charging does the contact stick out so one would be able to charge flat top 18650's.


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## old4570 (Jan 5, 2010)

alfreddajero said:


> I was close on cutoff.....On the positive part of the charging does the contact stick out so one would be able to charge flat top 18650's.



Yes both the positive and negative are dimpled , so should work just fine with flat tops .


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## alfreddajero (Jan 6, 2010)

Thanks for that info.......


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## LEDAdd1ct (Jan 6, 2010)

Thank you for the info.


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## mdocod (Apr 7, 2010)

Any updates about this charger? Looks like it might be a good one. 

With relatively low target voltages it can often be hard to detect if the charger is trickling to hold a voltage or truly shutting down.

Based on the chart on the sales page for this over at e-lectronics, I would say that this charger looks excellent and that it terminated properly. The problem is, I have such a bad taste in my mouth about so many chargers that I'll continue to say "guilty until proven innocent." In this case, maybe I'll settle for "Trust, but Verify." -R

The best way to detect trickle charging is to have a cell that likes to settle down to say, 4.10V or lower naturally. This means an older cell or a cell that has been used really heavily and is showing some signs of wear and tear. The older cell will require a higher trickle current to hold a CV in a charger that lacks true termination. With brand new cells, clamped voltage trickle charges ~4.20V will be so slow that it can be hard to detect on the multi-meter. Also, the higher resistance of the low-current test circuit on most DMMs can make it difficult to get a realistic reading. Often, I've found that to get a correct reading I had to use the 10A circuit (non-fused DMM). This of course results in less resolution which creates it's own set of problems. Look for a steady pattern of registering 0.01A in short bursts to identify a trickle charge after the charger has indicated that it is "done."

Eric


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## mfm (Apr 8, 2010)

old4570 said:


> Yes both the positive and negative are dimpled , so should work just fine with flat tops .



Does "18690" cells fit without problems?


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## old4570 (Apr 8, 2010)

Ok , first of , the charger turns off , does not trickle charge ..

I checked again , 10A 200mA and 20mA settings and nothing ...

I could not measure any current ..

18650 fit just fine .


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## mdocod (Apr 8, 2010)

Hello old4570,

Do you have any older "worn out" li-ion cells handy that you could use to do a little test for us with? Or some LiMn cells that like to rest down to ~4.1V like so many of them do?

The first time I tested the YOHO-122 I was confident that it did not trickle charge, it wasn't until I used a different cell chemistry and a different meter that I was able to create a scenario where there would be enough differential between what the battery was trying to settle to and the chargers output to get a reading. 

The charge "terminated" based on the green lights going solid, but sure enough, it was trickling to hold 4.20V. Just took a lot of trickery to find it and prove it. I've since figured out this WAY easier method....

The "easy" way to know for sure, is to use a cell that you know would ordinarily settle down to a lower voltage a few hours after a charge. Compare leaving it on the charger to leaving it off the charger for those few hours and see if it holds the 4.20V if left on the charger, if it does, it's trickling. 



Eric


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## old4570 (Apr 9, 2010)

Bit of a catch 22 if the charger is able to note the voltage drop as the battery settles and starts charging again ... 

I,ll throw in a older battery and see what happens , but I do know there is no charge , as to whether it checks periodically the state of the battery ??????


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## lebox97 (Apr 9, 2010)

the posted info implies that it powers off all together - and has to be unplugged/plugged back into power to reset switch?

Kinda strange that you have to put cells in PRIOR to plugging it into power in order for it to detect cells in order to charge them :thinking:


Tod

from e-electronics site:
*"Operational Notes: Power should be reset by unplugging power to cancel sleep mode at the end of each charge cycle. Batteries should be installed before applying power. If batteries are installed after power is applied the second battery may not be recognized. Simply unplug charger momentarily with batteries installed to reset and begin charging. "*


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## mdocod (Apr 9, 2010)

old4570 said:


> Bit of a catch 22 if the charger is able to note the voltage drop as the battery settles and starts charging again ...
> 
> I,ll throw in a older battery and see what happens , but I do know there is no charge , as to whether it checks periodically the state of the battery ??????



Thank You for trying this!

If it were to resume charging after the cell settled a bit, that would be just about as bad as having the trickle charged clamped to ~4.20V. So lets hope it doesn't. (A proper charger should remain terminated until the circuit is interrupted in some way.)


Eric


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## VidPro (Apr 9, 2010)

lebox97 said:


> the posted info implies that it powers off all together - and has to be unplugged/plugged back into power to reset switch?
> 
> *"Operational Notes: Power should be reset by unplugging power to cancel sleep mode at the end of each charge cycle. "*


 
cool, that goes right along with his testing. now if they would just put a power switch or reset switch on these and other type chargers so you can "boot" them and/or get them out of "hibernation" :laughing: well at least allow you to Log-Off


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## LEDAdd1ct (Apr 9, 2010)

I am guessing "sleep mode" translates to "Okay folks, the battery is all charged now. Nothin' to see here, move right along. We'll be sittin' pretty on this charged cell and [hopefully, pretty please with sugar on top] not touching it at all or tricklin' in the slightest..."

I really hope this charger pans out!


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## old4570 (Apr 10, 2010)

I charged the battery to 4.13v and it turned of ...
Pulling the battery and replacing it did not restart the charge cycle .
But pulling the power cord does restart the charge cycle , and this time the battery was taken to 4.15v ... 

I put in a second battery , and it stopped @ 4.13v , after pulling the plug it was taken to 4.15v , and it will not go past 4.15v .. After restarting the charge cycle it takes a few minutes , but then it shuts of .

Does not look like it restarts unless you pull the cord and re install it to start the charge cycle again . 

I,ll leave it for a while , but looks like a good unit .


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## rollcage (Apr 10, 2010)

Thanks a lot for posting this thread, i was looking something like this, didnt want to buy the sku.13820, so I guess this is the one, I have already placed the order, though KD site is a bit unfriendly than DX one, and customer support & forum is next to nil. I hope I get it in 2 weeks time ince its in packaging state.

Shekor charger looks good since it can charger 16340 from my RC-C6 as well, along with 18650 I use on other lights e.g. SkyRay R5. i dont mind that its cut off little below then 4.2v the higher limit.. to be honest it will prolong the battery life by limiting the capacity a bit. 

and by seeing this graph image it denotes that it goes bak a bit after reaching close to 4.2v.









Regards
roll


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## mdocod (Apr 13, 2010)

rollcage said:


> and by seeing this graph image it denotes that it goes bak a bit after reaching close to 4.2v.
> 
> Regards
> roll



Hi Roll,

The part where the voltage "drops off" after the 4.20V is reached, is suggestive of true termination, as that would be the cell settling down to a lower voltage and finding a happy resting voltage. 

I hope it's true!

Eric


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## PolarBearX (May 1, 2010)

Im liking this charger...I tried it originally after reading this review.....thanks.....it charges my unprotected 18650s to 4.124 and 4.125 consistently as measured on my dmm....if I inplug it a couple of times I can get up around 4.131....its pretty quick overall too.

PBXl


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## Rod911 (May 14, 2010)

Thanks for the review old4570. On the back of this review, I wanted to get a charger that fully terminated once it finished charging the cells. I may have got it with this charger...sort of.

I've only used this charger on two sets of 18650s. The first, SoShine 2800mAh and the second set, TrustFire (red/black) 2400mAh. The SoShines both had a starting voltage of 3.69v. After they've been charged up by the SheKor, the final voltage were 4.14v from bay 1 and 4.17v from bay 2. Next were the TrustFires. They started off at 3.96v and 3.99v. After inserting them in bay 1 and bay 2 respectively, the charge terminated at 4.10v and 4.17v.

I know it's early stages, but the second bay seems to be charging the cell more than the first bay. Oddly enough, if I were to swap a cell from bay 1 to bay 2 after the charger says it is finished charging it, it won't continue the charge. This is a total guess, but it may not charge cells where their starting voltage is more than 4.10v. :thinking: If I need more charge, I top it up with my TrustFire All-in-One-Charger.

Overall, I do like this charger. I may have found a charger to give to the parents to charge up 18650s safely.


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## old4570 (May 14, 2010)

Rod911 said:


> Thanks for the review old4570. On the back of this review, I wanted to get a charger that fully terminated once it finished charging the cells. I may have got it with this charger...sort of.
> 
> I've only used this charger on two sets of 18650s. The first, SoShine 2800mAh and the second set, TrustFire (red/black) 2400mAh. The SoShines both had a starting voltage of 3.69v. After they've been charged up by the SheKor, the final voltage were 4.14v from bay 1 and 4.17v from bay 2. Next were the TrustFires. They started off at 3.96v and 3.99v. After inserting them in bay 1 and bay 2 respectively, the charge terminated at 4.10v and 4.17v.
> 
> ...



Leave the batteries in the charger and pull the power cord , and put the cord back and see if it continues to charge ..

Mine seems to act like a two stage charger , but to restart I need to pull the cord and put it back or it will not continue to charge .


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## mfm (May 14, 2010)

So how long time to charge a TrustFire red/black 2400 mAh from 3.6V until green light?


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## blinkjr (May 14, 2010)

Where are you purchasing this charger? I see it at kaidomain. It was at a site e-lectronics.net, but they have taken it off as an offering.

Anyplace else?


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## Tally-ho (May 14, 2010)

blinkjr said:


> Where are you purchasing this charger?


I bought mine at kaidomain.
1st bay terminate 18650 at 4,18 V, a little less in the 2nd bay.
1st bay terminate 16340 at 4,15 V, 2nd terminate 16340 at 4,13 V.

When I pull and put back the cord, 1 time and 2 times, it went not over 4,185V (1st bay).
A really appreciate that it cuts power once terminated. It is the charger that I could offer to a friend or family without fearing that they return to ashes prematurely with their batteries. 
And no need to offer spacers and voltmeter with the charger.

Thank you old4570 !


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## Rod911 (May 15, 2010)

old4570 said:


> Leave the batteries in the charger and pull the power cord , and put the cord back and see if it continues to charge ..


Tried this whilst charging a single TrustFire (red/black) on bay 1 and it terminated at 4.13v and did not want to continue charging. On the other hand, it did continue charging in bay 2 after it had been reset. But my findings continue to be the same, and the same cell terminated at 4.17v.



mfm said:


> So how long time to charge a TrustFire red/black 2400 mAh from 3.6V until green light?


I was doing a discharge test using the above cell and drained it down to 3.21v. I could probably say it takes around 12 hours to charge it fully*. I say probably because I fell asleep mid-way during the charge and I woke up to find the charger had stopped charging the cell.  At 3.6v, I would have to guesstimate around 7 hours.

Despite my charger not charging both cells at the same voltage, that negative is outweighed by the fact it terminates at the end of the charging cycle.

*Until the charger itself decides to terminate the charge which can be either 4.13v or 4.17v in bay 1 or bay 2 respectively.


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## jcw122 (May 23, 2010)

This sound like a very interesting charger, what kind of loss in runtime will these voltages below 4.20v create?


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## old4570 (May 23, 2010)

jcw122 said:


> This sound like a very interesting charger, what kind of loss in runtime will these voltages below 4.20v create?



Maybe 5 minutes in a 18650 SSC P7 ...


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## mdocod (May 24, 2010)

Don't worry about not charging to 4.20V. The more important question IMO is "what loss of cell cycle life and what increase in safety risk may be associated with charging to 4.20V instead of 4.10V?"


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## jcw122 (May 24, 2010)

Exciting! I might finally have found a charger that will convince me to go Li-Ion.


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## Midnight Oil (Jun 2, 2010)

Old4570

Does the Shekor charger use the recommended charing algorithm? Does it use CV? Thanks.


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## old4570 (Jun 3, 2010)

Midnight Oil said:


> Old4570
> 
> Does the Shekor charger use the recommended charing algorithm? Does it use CV? Thanks.




CV = Constant voltage .. Y


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## Meterman (Jun 5, 2010)

Stimulated by this thread I had ordered this charger - and after weeks of waiting impatiently I at last could do some measurements now.

The graph named "Shekor" clearly shows that the charger _does not_ keep to the CC/CV algorithm _correctly_ - there is only an approximation to it. (At the end, when finishing the charge, current in reality is cut off completely to 0mA. The graph shows a few mA to be left, but that's only due to a forgotten zero adjustment of the adapter. :shrug: _Beg your pardon!_)








The max. voltage reached is 4.203V - that's pretty safe. How much energy is filled in must be checked in additional measurements.

For comparison to a better CC/CV behaviour I've added a graph of the Pila IBC with correct CC and nearly correct CV phase.









Wulf


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## vali (Jun 5, 2010)

Nice graphs.

Even taking in account that the algorithm is not perfect I think this charger is the "best" of budget ones. IIRC is the only one that completely cuts-off after the charge is done, dont overcharge the cells and, as it is a bit slow, can be used to charge the smaller li-ion cells.


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## LEDAdd1ct (Jun 5, 2010)

I tend to agree with vali on this. The biggest factor for me is safe cutoff to prevent "vent with flame." If this charger truly, absolutely, without-a-doubt does indeed stop current flow to the cell, then the fact it does not adhere to the ideal charging process is, to me, immaterial.


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## Meterman (Jun 5, 2010)

vali said:


> Nice graphs.
> 
> Even taking in account that the algorithm is not perfect I think this charger is the "best" of budget ones. IIRC is the only one that *completely cuts-off* after the charge is done, dont overcharge the cells and, as it is a bit slow, can be used to charge the smaller li-ion cells.




Please take into account too, that *only the current is cut off* for the moment. The battery *remains connected further on* and it's voltage is monitored. If that sags below a certain amount (I registered 4.096V), the charger starts a new (minor? not yet checked) cycle to keep the battery in _full condition._

To prove this, I've connected a programmable load - set to 250mA - in parallel to the battery during charge and _started the discharge only when the charging current had stopped_. The result can be seen in the graph.








BTW the Pila IBC shows the same behavior. I came across this when studying the data sheet of the IC employed in the Pila.

Wulf


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## shadowjk (Jun 5, 2010)

The Shekor graph almost looked like a charger input power limited graph, but much more radical than that..


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## Meterman (Jun 5, 2010)

As I've fed the charger off a lab PSU I could see the input voltage and current. There was never any lack of energy. (If you thought of something like that.)

Wulf


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## neverGUP (Jun 6, 2010)

It looks like a nice one. Can I use this on 230V with a power plug converter?


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## mfm (Jun 7, 2010)

neverGUP said:


> It looks like a nice one. Can I use this on 230V with a power plug converter?



Yes.


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## Meterman (Jun 7, 2010)

In the meantime I've done some cycles using Shekor as well as Pila. When discharging at 400mA (~ 0.5C) using a professional electronic load, I was amazed to find both of them to have charged in about the same amount of mAh. The battery used was an UF XSL 18350, discharged to an end voltage of 3.0V. Shekor gave 804mAh and Pila gave 798mAh. The difference might be influenced a bit by differing resting times. This battery had shown a capacity of ~850mAh in a previous test, but then charged by an Orbit Pocketlader and discharged at only 180mA to a lower end voltage of 2.8V.

So the Shekor seems to be a reliable charger providing good results at a very decent price. I just have ordered another one to finally being able to give a charger for LiIon batteries to another person with a clean conscience.

Thanks for the hint at this charger! :thumbsup:

Wulf


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## Markcm (Jun 7, 2010)

blinkjr said:


> Where are you purchasing this charger? I see it at kaidomain. It was at a site e-lectronics.net, but they have taken it off as an offering.
> 
> Anyplace else?



I do still have these shekor chargers at e-lectronics.net, I did not take them off the site although I was out stock for a short period.

I've sold a fair share of these now and had almost no returns or complaints. To be more specifc, there have been one or two come back due to a whining noise during charging which I replaced for them (luckily I'm in USA). 

Someone asked about using a 230v adapter, these have a wide input range on the charger (9-32vdc) so you can even make your own adapter using the correct barrel plug and the charger isn't to picky.


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## jcw122 (Jun 8, 2010)

Meterman said:


> In the meantime I've done some cycles using Shekor as well as Pila. When discharging at 400mA (~ 0.5C) using a professional electronic load, I was amazed to find both of them to have charged in about the same amount of mAh. The battery used was an UF XSL 18350, discharged to an end voltage of 3.0V. Shekor gave 804mAh and Pila gave 798mAh. The difference might be influenced a bit by differing resting times. This battery had shown a capacity of ~850mAh in a previous test, but then charged by an Orbit Pocketlader and discharged at only 180mA to a lower end voltage of 2.8V.
> 
> So the Shekor seems to be a reliable charger providing good results at a very decent price. I just have ordered another one to finally being able to give a charger for LiIon batteries to another person with a clean conscience.
> 
> ...



That's great to hear! This charger is really tempting me to go Li-Ion :shakehead


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## Bullzeyebill (Jun 8, 2010)

Old4570, not being picky here, cause I know what you meant when I read it, but there are those who might misunderstand. In your first post and some subsequent posts you used CR123A as a Li-Ion being charged, and you meant RCR123, or RCR123A. CR123A is a primary Lithium, non rechargeable cell.

Re this charger, it indeed does look interesting. Does it have polarity protection?

Bill


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## Machete God (Jun 8, 2010)

Bullzeyebill said:


> Re this charger, it indeed does look interesting. Does it have polarity protection?
> 
> Bill



The side of the box claims that it does, i.e., 'Lithium battery position and negative polarity protection'. Someone needs to test the claim, though...



Meterman said:


> ... The graph named "Shekor"...
> 
> Wulf



Thank you for your post and those graphs. I am new to this hobby, and that one post has explained to me concisely what CC/CV behaviour is lovecpf

I am considering getting this charger, after having a WF-139 delivered less than 2 weeks ago and reading so much on how unideal its charging behaviour is. I only have two pieces of 14500 li-ion cells now, is it overkill to buy another charger so soon?


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## jcw122 (Jun 8, 2010)

Machete God said:


> The side of the box claims that it does, i.e., 'Lithium battery position and negative polarity protection'. Someone needs to test the claim, though...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Well you have two alternatives, sell the WF-139 or return it if you can! :twothumbs


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## old4570 (Jun 8, 2010)

Bullzeyebill said:


> Old4570, not being picky here, cause I know what you meant when I read it, but there are those who might misunderstand. In your first post and some subsequent posts you used CR123A as a Li-Ion being charged, and you meant RCR123, or RCR123A. CR123A is a primary Lithium, non rechargeable cell.
> 
> Re this charger, it indeed does look interesting. Does it have polarity protection?
> 
> Bill



Its early in the AM once more , 00.24 hours , I hope I got all the CR123A's 
:sleepy:


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## Joe Hone (Jun 8, 2010)

I got my SheKor last week, along with some 18650 batteries. I've been charging up some 14500s and using my simple analog battery tester, the 14500s stopped charging at around 4.1V - definitely below 4.2V. Maybe I'm unduly influenced by the other positive posts about this charger, but the peace of mind it is giving me is worth the money alone. I'm tempted to throw away my WF-139, which is near new and never gave me any problems.


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## Bullzeyebill (Jun 8, 2010)

Joe Hone said:


> I got my SheKor last week, along with some 18650 batteries. I've been charging up some 14500s and using my simple analog battery tester, the 14500s stopped charging at around 4.1V - definitely below 4.2V. Maybe I'm unduly influenced by the other positive posts about this charger, but the peace of mind it is giving me is worth the money alone. I'm tempted to throw away my WF-139, which is near new and never gave me any problems.



Would like to see a another digit added to that 4.1 volts. Do you have access to a DMM. Maybe that number would be 4.15 volts? Makes a lot of difference the closer to 4.2 volts the ending voltage is.


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## old4570 (Jun 8, 2010)

THe WF-139 also shuts down on completion [ Later one ] , well mine does .
Its a great 18650 14500 17670 etc charger as long as it does not over charge .

I find the Shekor just perfect for the little 10440 batteries , it does not try to force 4.2v into such a small cell , esp as the 10440's I have seem to have increased resistance to going 4.2v [ possibly due to there size ] .


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## jcw122 (Jun 8, 2010)

old4570 said:


> THe WF-139 also shuts down on completion [ Later one ] , well mine does .
> Its a great 18650 14500 17670 etc charger as long as it does not over charge .
> 
> I find the Shekor just perfect for the little 10440 batteries , it does not try to force 4.2v into such a small cell , esp as the 10440's I have seem to have increased resistance to going 4.2v [ possibly due to there size ] .



How would the WF-139 overcharge if it shuts down on completion?


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## old4570 (Jun 8, 2010)

jcw122 said:


> How would the WF-139 overcharge if it shuts down on completion?



It would overcharge before completion ! 

Some cheap chargers charge to much , up to 4.25 and even higher .. My Soshine charges up to 4.23v [ one channel ] , and Im currently trying to find a variable resistor to bring it down to 4.2v even , that way I can have both channels on the charger doing 4.2v ...


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## Machete God (Jun 9, 2010)

jcw122 said:


> Well you have two alternatives, sell the WF-139 or return it if you can! :twothumbs



Well, I definitely can't return it, not with a clear conscience. While trying to open up the WF-139 to see if I could wire a buzzer into the thing, I managed to break the blobs of plastic that the screws screw into. Dratted cheap chinese plastics :thumbsdow (There are TWO screws, one is hidden underneath the labelling on the back).

I've saved the SheKor to buy in a month or two's time. That way I'll have amassed more batteries to "justify" another (better) charger


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## Meterman (Jun 9, 2010)

As I have powered the Shekor off a lab PSU anyhow, I thought I could feed some different voltages, as some of you probably will be interested in using alternate power sources to operate the charger.

Starting at 9V (8V is not sufficient) I tested current and wattage at 12 - 15 - 20 - 24 and 30V. There is no need to write down all the particular figures - current reaches from ~ 300mA to ~ 95mA and the wattage lies around 2.7W, only increasing to 2.9W at 30V.

Charge current was pretty stable from 418 to 422mA. Battery inserted was a Samsung ICR 18650-28A not discharged to total emptiness.

May be this is useful to one or two here. 

Wulf


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## Nil Einne (Jun 9, 2010)

Is anyone actually using the included power supply with a 220-240V input? I know these cheap switching PSUs included with chargers have had a tendency to die or blow up when used with 220-240V even though they're supposed to be compatible. Given the wide input voltage of the charger I can probably find a power supply to reuse so is more out of general interest then anything.


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## old4570 (Jun 9, 2010)

Nil Einne said:


> Is anyone actually using the included power supply with a 220-240V input? I know these cheap switching PSUs included with chargers have had a tendency to die or blow up when used with 220-240V even though they're supposed to be compatible. Given the wide input voltage of the charger I can probably find a power supply to reuse so is more out of general interest then anything.



Yes ! so far so good [ 240v ]


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## Stillphoto (Jun 10, 2010)

Mine's on its way. Woo hoo! I've been using the totally crappy dsd charger for years. I've used my lights sparingly recently because the dsd decided to just keep charging and not shut of all the sudden. 

Looking forward to it.


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## Superorb (Jun 10, 2010)

I have one of those cheapy DX Chargers and it lights green at 4.2v, but it continues to trickle charge if left on the charger. 

So, the newer WF-139 should still be avoided even though it terminates after charging is complete in favor of this Shekor charger?

EDIT: Read about this charger on a Google search. Anyone heard of this one?


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## old4570 (Jun 10, 2010)

Superorb said:


> I have one of those cheapy DX Chargers and it lights green at 4.2v, but it continues to trickle charge if left on the charger.
> 
> So, the newer WF-139 should still be avoided even though it terminates after charging is complete in favor of this Shekor charger?
> 
> EDIT: Read about this charger on a Google search. Anyone heard of this one?



Avoided ? I love mine .. Folks have issue with the pulse like charging ..

????? I like mine ..
Shekor VS UF-139 ... My 139 terminates at or near 4.2v Shekor terminates 4.13 / 4.15 ..

For 18650 work , I would pick the WF-139 , for smaller cells , like the 10440 the Shekor seems to be perfect . In fact I now have 4 chargers I use a lot .

Trustfire TR-001 for 16340 14500 and up , Soshine for 18650 , UF-139 for 18650 , and the Shekor for 10440 and up .

It just depends on your personal preference , for smaller cells like the 10440 and up to say 14500 the Shekor is very nice , especially if you want to set and forget . How much you can trust these chargers ? , care should always be exercised , but if I want to go away for a few hours and not monitor the charge , I reach for the Shekor , because I know it will turn of and not overcharge . The WF-139 may overcharge , as may the TR-001 and the Soshine will definitely overcharge if not monitored .

Lots of charger to chose from . To only have one charger , is like only having one flashlight .


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## alfreddajero (Jun 10, 2010)

For 18650 duty i find that the HXY does the job and for my 14500 and 16340's i use the 139.....I do know that the older 139's overcharged the cells but it seems that the newer ones stop at or around 4.17-4.18 which is not bad.


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## Nil Einne (Jun 11, 2010)

Given the cheap/poor quality control there's perhaps no way to expect any cheap brand to always have a good cut off voltage. If we presume +/- 0.05V (completely random made up of course, I don't even know if +/- is likely to be symmetrical) is a normal variation between batches and chargers, if a manufacturer sets their target voltage as 4.2 then they can be up to 4.25V which is a little high even if their average of 4.2V is ideal. If they set it to 4.15V then of course they would on generally be fairly low and can be as low as 4.10V which isn't ideal but is probably better then 4.25V. 

You could of course argue the 4.25V (or close) is defective and try and return it.


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## Stillphoto (Jun 11, 2010)

Got my charger today (boy that was fast) and already charged a few batteries up. A pair of protected Ultrafire 17670's came off at 4.10 each, and an AW 14500 came off measuring 4.16. Fine by me.


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## Lilien (Jun 14, 2010)

neverGUP said:


> Can I use this on 230V with a power plug converter?



It is a 100-240V /50/60Hz power supply, but there is no
"CE" sign on it, so it might be not safe to use it at least in the EU.

But I found that the power supply of my MAHA C-9000
is working perfectly with the Shekor charger.

Regards, Juergen


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## Tally-ho (Jun 14, 2010)

Lilien said:


> It is a 100-240V /50/60Hz power supply, but there is no
> "CE" sign on it, so it might be no safe to use it in the EU.


If this power supply doesn't explode anywhere else in the world, there is no reason that it explodes more in europe.


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## mfm (Jun 14, 2010)

Lilien said:


> It is a 100-240V /50/60Hz power supply, but there is no
> "CE" sign on it, so it might be no safe to use it in the EU.


CE usually means Chinese Export... Most of the CE (and UL) markings are fake, so it doesn't matter that much if they are present or not. The included AC adapter doesn't look that good, so I would probably use another one anyway.

Something funny is the "Clas Ohlson" brand marking on the box, that is a Swedish electronics chain that most certainly never sold this charger in their stores (especially not without CE marking). If I enter the product number on the charger box (above the fake CE mark) into the Clas Ohlson product catalog it gives me a USB hub.


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## linterno (Jun 14, 2010)

Could someone who own one please post a circuit (PCB) picture.


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## Lilien (Jun 14, 2010)

Tally-ho said:


> If this power supply doesn't explode anywhere else in the world, there is no reason that it explodes more in europe.


Not all power supplies are equally well constructed, some are on higher risk with 240V (compared to 110V). But the risk of exploding was not my point, It's mainly a question of the liability. If for example the neighbors TV reception is disturbed and they found the reason is your "no CE" device, you are liable and have to pay. And if the device actually gets on fire, there is the possibility that your insurance will back out.
The CE-label is no seal of quality, it only confirms that the product is
compliant to all relevant EU guidelines.

I especially bought the Shekor charger, because it is elegant possible
to use it with another (quality) 12V power supply, and there is a CE-label on the charger itself.

BTW: I got my Shekor charger a week ago from KD and one of the
charging bays was DOA, so I'm not very confident in the Shekor
quality control at the moment.

Regards, Juergen


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## Tally-ho (Jun 14, 2010)

(Right click >> "open in a new tab" to enlarge)











Lilien said:


> The CE-label is no seal of quality, it only confirms that the product is compliant to all relevant EU guidelines.


You certainly know that there is uncompliant products with appropriate CE logo, compliant products with unappropriate CE logo, etc. The power supply has no CE logo because it is not made for european plugs.
What will do an insurance if an uncompliant product with CE logo gets on fire ?
Anyway, thank you for raising the issue. I live in France and will also try to find a reliable power supply. The problem is that even with a reliable and compliant power supply, I will use it to charge some of my Li-Ions batteries that do not have CE logo. 

Rumor about confusing CE marks
_Some products are said to have a CE mark that stands for China Export, which is not conforming to European specifications. The two letters are close together, not spaced as in the European conformance mark. [3]_





_However, the "China Export" mark does not exist. Some products may be conforming but not displaying the logotype correctly and others may illegally put the correct mark on a non-conforming item.[4]_


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## Lilien (Jun 14, 2010)

linterno said:


> Could someone who own one please post a circuit (PCB) picture.


A lot of information (and pictures) about the charger can be found here:

http://www.kansai-event.com/kinomayoi/chg/Li_CHG_Wp2.html

Unfortunately (at least for me) its all in Japanese language.
Is here somebody who can better translate than Google? :wave:

The charger is based on two LTC4054-4.2 chips (clones) and the low
<4.2V charge voltage seems to be merely a design defect, because the
resistance of the spiral springs is not taken into account, but it's
possible to fix this with wires.

Regards, Juergen


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## Superorb (Jun 15, 2010)

^^ So it's the spring terminals that lead to its <4.2v termination?

EDIT: I just looked at the pics and noticed the spring you're talking about that allows the bottom terminals to slide to accommodate different length cells. So, how to you isolate the spring to use wires instead while still maintaining the spring loaded terminals?


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## Meterman (Jun 15, 2010)

Superorb said:


> So, how to you isolate the spring to use wires instead while still maintaining the spring loaded terminals?



There is no need to isolate the springs - just solder a wire of adequate lenght in parallel. But this is only the electrical aspect - room for the wire in free movement is the spatial one.

Wulf


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## neverGUP (Jun 15, 2010)

The Soshine SC-S2 from DX is it safer choice for 230V? What do you think?

I don't care if the charger is slow, but it should be safe.


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## snoop75 (Jun 15, 2010)

Hi there old457,
May I ask where you bought your Shekor charger from? I am also in Melbourne / Aus, hence the question.

Thanks n cheers.




old4570 said:


> Avoided ? I love mine .. Folks have issue with the pulse like charging ..
> 
> ????? I like mine ..
> Shekor VS UF-139 ... My 139 terminates at or near 4.2v Shekor terminates 4.13 / 4.15 ..
> ...


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## mfm (Jun 16, 2010)

neverGUP said:


> The Soshine SC-S2 from DX is it safer choice for 230V? What do you think?
> 
> I don't care if the charger is slow, but it should be safe.


Soshine chargers are not safe anywhere. If you don't trust the AC adapter included with the Shekor you can just buy a good quality one locally and use.

China and Hong Kong use 220V so I'm sure it has been tested extensively. Around the world, 220-240V is the rule, 100-120V is the exception.


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## Midnight Oil (Jun 16, 2010)

My 2 new AW 18650 2600mAh cells measure 4.15 and 4.16 respectively fresh off of my Shekor charger, according to my $12 Cen-Tech charger from Harbor Freight. 

Most of it was Fedex ground shipping. Totally not worth it in my case because for about only half, in not a quarter of the Fedex shipping cost, USPS would have delivered it one day, if not two days sooner. And get this, Fedex tracking showed that the package was actually passed on to USPS for delivery! What sup with that! But I digress.


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## Bullzeyebill (Jun 16, 2010)

Midnight Oil said:


> My 2 new AW 18650 2600mAh cells measure 4.15 and 4.16 respectively fresh off of my Shekor charger, according to my $12 Cen-Tech charger from Harbor Freight.
> 
> Most of it was Fedex ground shipping. Totally not worth it in my case because for about only half, in not a quarter of the Fedex shipping cost, USPS would have delivered it one day, if not two days sooner. And get this, Fedex tracking showed that the package was actually passed on to USPS for delivery! What sup with that! But I digress.



Are you digressing about your $12.00 DMM or you Shekor charger? If your DMM, then it will be accurate enough for the figures that you quoted, 4.15, and 4.16.

Bill


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## Midnight Oil (Jun 17, 2010)

Bullzeyebill said:


> Are you digressing about your $12.00 DMM or you Shekor charger? If your DMM, then it will be accurate enough for the figures that you quoted, 4.15, and 4.16.
> 
> Bill



It's about Fedex shipping, which in my case was more expensive and slower than regular USPS first class (took about 5 business days, so 7 days total), and the fact that the package was eventually "tendered" to USPS for local delivery anyways. This is all in the context of having been receiving packages sent from the East Coast via USPS first class in 4 business days. I live in Northern CA, and the charger was shipped from LA!


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## old4570 (Jun 17, 2010)

snoop75 said:


> Hi there old457,
> May I ask where you bought your Shekor charger from? I am also in Melbourne / Aus, hence the question.
> 
> Thanks n cheers.



Kaidomain.com  /


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## Teobaldo (Jun 18, 2010)

Thanks for the review, few minutes behind I ordered one and I expect that arrive well to my house. Soon I will buy the EagleTac T20C2 and the 18650 batteries for my mountain bike. I will use it with my flexible solar panel to charge when leave excursion.

I asked in the batteries section of the greater store electronics of my country and had not nothing similar to this. Well, the next time I will ask in this forum only.

Long life to CPF! (and excuse mi bad English)


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## pae77 (Jun 22, 2010)

Based on the good results indicated in this thread, I went ahead and ordered one of these Shekor's from Kaidomain.com. Got no indication from them that they received my order or ever shipped the charger (perhaps b/c I ordered w/o having first set up an account). Anyway, the charger did eventually show up in good condition a few weeks later.

The fit and finish on this charger is quite good, imo. It seems like a much higher quality unit then the extremely low price would lead one to expect. I also like how the power supply has a green LED on it.

So far I've only charged up one pair of batteries with the Shekor. These were a pair of new Trustfire 14500's (blue wrapper) that had both arrived from DX with a voltage of 3.80. Both LED's on the bays of the Shekor lit up properly and went out when the charge was finished. Bay 1 went out a couple of minutes before bay 2. 

The 14500 in Bay 1 of the Shekor came off the charger with a voltage of 4.08, the one in Bay 2 came off at 4.11 volts. Would have preferred it if the Shekor has brought them up a little higher to about 4.15-4.18, but I'd rather have it err on the low side than on the high side. Seems like a great value at about $10 including shipping and it is really nice not to have to worry about the batteries continuing to trickle charge after termination.

One question I had is whether it really would be OK to charge 10440's in the Shekor? Because the box does not include those in the listing of batteries that are approved for charging in the Shekor.


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## old4570 (Jun 22, 2010)

pae77 said:


> Based on the good results indicated in this thread, I went ahead and ordered one of these Shekor's from Kaidomain.com. Got no indication from them that they received my order or ever shipped the charger (perhaps b/c I ordered w/o having first set up an account). Anyway, the charger did eventually show up in good condition a few weeks later.
> 
> The fit and finish on this charger is quite good, imo. It seems like a much higher quality unit then the extremely low price would lead one to expect. I also like how the power supply has a green LED on it.
> 
> ...


:twothumbs Yep , and the little 10440 have higher internal resistance once you go over 4.1v so not charging them to 4.2v is great , they should hopefully give more cycles when you stress them less .


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## pae77 (Jun 22, 2010)

But is the Shekor's charging current sufficiently low to be good for 10440's?


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## old4570 (Jun 23, 2010)

pae77 said:


> But is the Shekor's charging current sufficiently low to be good for 10440's?



The highest charge current recorded was 470mA @ around 3.2v or so , give or take .. 10440 are ?? mA capacity [ Claimed 500 ] reality = 300mA ?? 

The charger is rated 450mA , but as the battery charges the current tapers of , putting less stress on the battery .

So depending on the true capacity , the initial charge rate will be over the batt capacity [ 1C ] but as it charges it will drop to 0.5C and lower [ end ] .

Most chargers are rated 450mA [ initial charge rate ] , I only know of two slower ones ....

This one  and this one 

Both are rated 350mA charge current , but I have no idea how the chargers behave . Personally Im happy to charge my 10440 in the Shekor and Im happy with the charge method . Can I say its the best charger for them , no I cant do that , thats something you will have to decide . 

Im new to 10440 , and I am testing 1 battery ATM , a Unprotected Trustfire , which came in a 4 pack [ cheap enough ] . Im using it in my Maratac AAA 3 mode , and just love the power in such a small package . Time will tell how it goes , but its still on its first charge as I only use it for a few seconds at a time , maybe 2 minutes is the longest run time so far [ medium ] .

I need a cheap battery vampire to test capacity etc , but for now , if your looking for AAA replacement in Li-ion , unprotected cells are the closest match [ protected cells tend to be a little to long and many lights simply wont work with the extra length ]


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## pae77 (Jun 23, 2010)

I'm using unprotected 10440's in my Liteflux LF2XT. Love the extra brightness they provide in that small light. 

I've got some blue one's sold by Lighthound as AW's that are rated at 350 or 360 (can't tell whether it's a 5 or 6 in there), but I don't know the true capacity. They have been performing pretty well so far.

I also have a few other no name blue unprotected ones that came bundled with a Nano clone charger that are also rated the same, but these don't seem to perform as well as the AW's so they must have lower capacity or just be lower quality cells.

Anyway, assuming they all have around 300 mA true capacity, they ideally shouldn't be charged above 300 mA or 1 C.

My Nano clone charger's label says it puts out 200 mA but assuming I measured it correctly, it appeared to be charging at about 70 mA stepping down gradually to 40 mA during the time I measured it for a period of about 15 minutes while charging a 10440 when the battery's voltage was already slightly above 4.00. (Unfortunately, I believe it trickle charges after termination.) I haven't tried to measure the Shekor yet but I would rather charge the 10440's with that if it's not charging them above 1 C for very long. But 470 sounds a bit high for a 10440, imo. I guess I'll have to attempt to measure it and see how long it stays above 300 mA while charging a 10440 before I can decide.


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## Tally-ho (Jun 23, 2010)

pae77 said:


> The 14500 in Bay 1 of the Shekor came off the charger with a voltage of 4.08, the one in Bay 2 came off at 4.11 volts. Would have preferred it if the Shekor has brought them up a little higher to about 4.15-4.18



Remenber that if you want to charge your batteries a little bit higher, you have to pull out the cord from the "craddle" or the power supply from the plug, then putting the cord or PS back will generally activate a shorter charging cycle.


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## Nil Einne (Jun 23, 2010)

mfm said:


> Soshine chargers are not safe anywhere. If you don't trust the AC adapter included with the Shekor you can just buy a good quality one locally and use.
> 
> China and Hong Kong use 220V so I'm sure it has been tested extensively. Around the world, 220-240V is the rule, 100-120V is the exception.



I wouldn't be so sure about. Well the adapter with this charger may be fine, I'm not commenting on that in particular but there are plenty of chargers with built in adapters that have a tendency to die at 220-240V. While it's true that most of the world including China uses 220-240V, if the product isn't used much in China it's a moot point and perhaps more importantly there may be some acceptance of this happening (either buy a new one or send it back for a replacement). Generally speaking I would expect a 100-240V adapter to be more likely to die at the high end then the low end so it isn't really that surprising. 

However I do agree as I mentioned before the good thing about this one is you can easily use a different adapter.


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## pae77 (Jun 23, 2010)

Is it likely that the Shekor would charge to a higher final voltage at termination if a higher quality and more powerful power supply was used in place of the stock power supply?


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## old4570 (Jun 23, 2010)

pae77 said:


> Is it likely that the Shekor would charge to a higher final voltage at termination if a higher quality and more powerful power supply was used in place of the stock power supply?



Termination is via the charge circuit , ?? so what effect a more powerful - power supply would have ? 

Hmm I might see what I have in better adapters


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## pae77 (Jun 23, 2010)

I think I will try the adapter from my Maha C9000. Someone else earlier in this thread mentioned that power supply worked well with his Shekor but I don't know if it will make any difference in the final voltage at termination. I also have a somewhat more powerful (12V 4.5 Amp) laptop power supply I could try.


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## Nil Einne (Jun 23, 2010)

Looking again at the Japanese review, am I right that the spring resistance problem is not only the cause of the low termination voltage but also partially the cause of the failure to observe a proper CC at the beginning? From the automatic translation I'm reading that seems to be what they're saying although there's a part about an electrolytic capacitor that confuses me. Definitely the graph at the end appears to obey a CC/CV far more closely then the initial one. 

Is there anyone who understands Japanese here?


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## Lilien (Jun 24, 2010)

pae77 said:


> I think I will try the adapter from my Maha C9000. Someone else earlier in this thread mentioned that power supply worked well with his Shekor but I don't know if it will make any difference in the final voltage at termination. I also have a somewhat more powerful (12V 4.5 Amp) laptop power supply I could try.


As I mentioned before, the low termination voltage seems to be a
product of the spring resistance and tolerances of the used chip.

Using the 2A Maha power supply you have a safety margin of four,
over the 0,5A Shekor PS, which is more than enough. I like that
the under strained Maha PS stays cool, but there is really no benefit
to use an even more powerful PS. Actually I think this would imply a
higher risk to roast (burn fire!) the charger, in the occurrence of a
charger (circuit) defect. Best solution would be to use a higher load
PS (e.g. the Maha C9000 PS) and an adapter cable with an inserted
0,5A safety fuse.

Regards, Juergen


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## pae77 (Jun 24, 2010)

I see what you mean. Thanks.


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## Lilien (Jun 24, 2010)

Nil Einne said:


> Looking again at the Japanese review, am I right that the spring resistance problem is not only the cause of the low termination voltage but also partially the cause of the failure to observe a proper CC at the beginning?


Yes, that's what I understand too, based on the same crappy
computer translation. 


> ...there's a part about an electrolytic capacitor that confuses me.


I think the part about the additionally inserted resistor (in the printed
circuit board track to the charge circuit) seems to have more relevance.
As far as I understand the chip is getting to hot (the white material
is there to help cool it, but more copper on the board and a better
layout would have been better). There is a temperature protection
in the chip that reduces the charge current (mainly in the CC phase)
Supplying the chip with lower voltage (->resistor) reduces its temperature,
because the chip needs only 4,3-4,5V (actual voltage without resistor
is 5V).



> Definitely the graph at the end appears to obey a CC/CV far more closely then the initial one.


Yes, with the modifications there seems to be a better CC/CV characteristic.
If you want to see a nearly perfect CC/CV look at the data sheet of the
used LTC4054-4.2, so at least the chip is meant to use CC/CV.

Regards, Juergen


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## Nokoff (Jun 24, 2010)

I just ordered one, sounds like it'll work out great for the price. good review, ty!


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## Nil Einne (Jun 26, 2010)

BTW, I agree with lilien and would personally recommend against using a too high voltage PSU. Yes it's supposed to support up to 32V. But just as some universal PSUs and builtin PSU chargers supporting 100-240V have a tendency to die at 240V there's a possibility this one too may have problems handling a higher voltage. In addition meterman found it uses slighly more power at 30V. Only a small amount but still I suspect it's all going to heat rather then doing anything useful. Particularly a bad idea IMHO to do something like a 32V 1amp power supply which considering the Shekor would be pulling under 100 mA would potentially be putting out more then 32V.


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## pae77 (Jun 26, 2010)

I'm taking the advice and not using anything more powerful than the Maha 12v 2 amp power supply with the Shekor. As was suggested, it had no effect on the termination voltage. At least it's consistent.

I wish I understood exactly how to modify it to increase the termination voltage slightly, from its current 4.08-4.11 to ~4.15-4.18.


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## Nil Einne (Jun 27, 2010)

pae77 said:


> I'm taking the advice and not using anything more powerful than the Maha 12v 2 amp power supply with the Shekor. As was suggested, it had no effect on the termination voltage. At least it's consistent.
> 
> I wish I understood exactly how to modify it to increase the termination voltage slightly, from its current 4.08-4.11 to ~4.15-4.18.



As I understand it, the most basic mod would be to solder a wire to both ends of the springs. However the wire may break or cause other problems if you aren't carefull in how you design it. At a minimum I would put it inside the spring rather then outside, if this is possible although even then it could still get caught in the spring. However I don't yet own one of these chargers. It'll surely be easier for you to open up the charger and work out how you can reliably negate the spring resistance.


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## pae77 (Jun 27, 2010)

Yeah, I will eventually play around with that. Have to purchase some wire and soldering equipment first. Stuff I will eventually need anyway if, as seems likely, I someday decide to step up to a hobby charger.


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## jcw122 (Jul 6, 2010)

I'd be interested in seeing someone do the mod for the spring. If you do, let us know how it ends up going!


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## Superorb (Jul 6, 2010)

jcw122 said:


> I'd be interested in seeing someone do the mod for the spring. If you do, let us know how it ends up going!


+1. If the wire/spring mod allows the charger to terminate closer to 4.2v I'd get one in a heartbeat.


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## jcw122 (Jul 6, 2010)

Superorb said:


> +1. If the wire/spring mod allows the charger to terminate closer to 4.2v I'd get one in a heartbeat.



I ordered one anyway  I don't mind losing a few mins runtime.


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## old4570 (Jul 7, 2010)

jcw122 said:


> This sound like a very interesting charger, what kind of loss in runtime will these voltages below 4.20v create?









A graph like this might help , R2 starting at 1.25A . 18650 ..


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## Superorb (Jul 7, 2010)

Looks like you'll lose slightly less than 10 minutes runtime if I'm reading that correctly.


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## 325addict (Jul 7, 2010)

You'll loose around 10% of the capacity when charged to 4.10V instead of 4.20V
(Source: www.batteryuniversity.com)

Timmo.


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## Canuke (Jul 8, 2010)

I'm about to expand my Li-Ion "presence", and this looks like a good charger to examine.

I'm especially interested in the solar charger idea also. Has anyone tried this config yet?

Something that could be verified by experiment by one of you using a PSU is the behaviour of this charger when running from a 12V supply that occasionally droops (to simulate clouds passing in front of the sun, or leaving the setup out too long and the sun goes down)...

I'd like to find a NiMH charger that can go solar as well...


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## Canuke (Jul 8, 2010)

Meterman said:


> Starting at 9V (8V is not sufficient) I tested current and wattage at 12 - 15 - 20 - 24 and 30V. There is no need to write down all the particular figures - current reaches from ~ 300mA to ~ 95mA and the wattage lies around 2.7W, only increasing to 2.9W at 30V.
> 
> Charge current was pretty stable from 418 to 422mA. Battery inserted was a Samsung ICR 18650-28A not discharged to total emptiness.
> 
> ...



Ah, this answers most of my questions. Solar panels seem to be easier to find at higher voltages than higher current; since this charger seems to "buck/boost" properly with variable input voltage (instead of just dumping off excess voltage as heat somewhere), something like this might be just enough for off-grid/camping use.


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## Nil Einne (Jul 21, 2010)

BTW anyone bought one recently and if so how long did KD take to ship it? My one is still order packaging-pending since ordering late Friday, I know less then 5 working days is hardly unusual but all my other stuff have shipped by Tuesday so I'm going to end up with a flashlight, batteries, bike mount (actually two of them, long story), battery cases but no charger  

I live in NZ so once they actually ship it should only take 1-2 weeks to arrive. Actually the flashlight and batteries should arrive soonest since they were shipped with tracking.


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## pae77 (Jul 21, 2010)

When I bought mine from KD, I had not signed up for an account and I received no notice of anything, no confirmations, and could not find anything about my order on their website. Nevertheless, the charger was eventually delivered about 2 to 3 weeks after I placed the order.


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## Tido (Jul 22, 2010)

I ordered one from KD on June 26th and received shipping notification on July 6th. It then took another week to arrive in Germany.


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## Superorb (Jul 22, 2010)

Tido said:


> I ordered one from KD on June 26th and received shipping notification on July 6th. It then took another week to arrive in Germany.


They do not provide tracking under a certain value. It took slightly under 4 weeks for me to receive my stuff on the east coast of USA.


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## Dances with Flashlight (Jul 22, 2010)

Got shipping confirmation... but still waiting after four weeks.


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## Nil Einne (Jul 24, 2010)

As a personal update I ordered (& paid) mine late Friday, 5:06 PM HKT according to KD. I got the order shipped notice on the next Friday (10:07 AM HKT) so about 1 week or 5 working days between ordering & shipping. Should be about 1 week. 

I do have my torch already arrived today (Saturday) but I'm making do without my 18650 for now...


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## Nil Einne (Jul 30, 2010)

So my SheKor arrived today (Friday) a week after being sent. In testing now. My first ever charging of 18650 and no fires so far. My Trustfire black/red flame 2400mAh 18650 are a fairly tight fit. I had to use insulation tape rather then cardboard to seperate the aluminiums foil I'm using for measuring current and I had to use a much thinner layer then I was hoping to :-(


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## Dances with Flashlight (Jul 30, 2010)

Still waiting after five weeks.


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## pae77 (Jul 30, 2010)

I just used regular paper to separate the foil and found that worked fine. My first Shekor is charging my red/black Trustfire 18650's to 4.11/4.12 volts very reliably (as measured by my cheap DMM) although it takes quite a while for the charge to complete and the LEDs to go out. Very satisfied with the charger. So satisfied I ordered a second unit last week (which hasn't been shipped yet).


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## Nil Einne (Jul 30, 2010)

Dances with Flashlight said:


> Still waiting after five weeks.



Is that normal for where you live? Or don't have enough experience to say? 

I live in Auckland and probably all airmail arrives here so generally 1-2 weeks from when it's actually shipped is the norm for items sent from HK probably closer to 1 week. I did have an item take 2 months! which was sent from Germany bought from eBay just before the first volcanic disruptions. I filed an item not received with eBay on the 44 day, the seller quickly escalated it (I'd planned to wait the 3 weeks before I had to escalate) and about 2 weeks later they lost so I got a refund. Then the next day it was delivered! I repaid them the money of course even if I did lose out because of the currency conversion fees (and rather annoyingly nearly the entire item cost was the shipping fees!)


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## jcw122 (Jul 30, 2010)

Just got my charger! Charged my 2x AW 17670s from 4.0v to 4.13v. It took about 2 and a half hours to get the light to go out. I'll add that I'm using a $30 charger from Lowe's so voltages could be off a bit. Nevertheless, pretty happy.


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## Dances with Flashlight (Jul 30, 2010)

Nil Einne said:


> Is that normal for where you live? Or don't have enough experience to say?



Have no experience with this company, but would note that AW seldom takes more than a week to get batteries here from HK.


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## pae77 (Jul 30, 2010)

Dances with Flashlight said:


> Have no experience with this company, but would note that AW seldom takes more than a week to get batteries here from HK.


KD is slow but after 5 weeks of no delivery, I would certainly send them an email advising them that the product has not been received. Perhaps they would ship a replacement. Couldn't hurt to ask.


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## pae77 (Aug 1, 2010)

I thought this thread could use a photo of the SheKor in action. Note how the LED for the bay with the blue 14500 has gone out indicating fully charged (and no trickle current being applied), while the 18650 is still charging. I've found that when only charging one cell, it's a good practice to keep a fully charged cell in the other bay rather than leave it empty otherwise the LED in the empty bay will continue to blink which I think indicates that the charger is continuing to power that empty bay probably checking for status. But with a charged cell in there, it almost immediately just turns off. 

(The stock power adapter that comes with the SheKor is shown in this photo although the unit is being powered by another adapter that is not shown in this picture.)


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## jcw122 (Aug 1, 2010)

I don't think it's possible for the charger to give power to an empty bay. There is no electrical connection, so there's no power.

According to my SheKor box, it says: "Saving Warning: If no battery condition, LED light circularly flash .5-2 seconds, please take off the power dapter[sic] for power saving".

I have no idea what that means hahaha


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## pae77 (Aug 1, 2010)

I take it to mean that power is being wasted on the empty bay by the chargers continually checking for and finding the "no battery condition." That's why I think when charging only one battery at a time (i.e., using only one bay), it's better for the empty bay to be effectively shut off by having a full battery in there. Jmo.


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## Midnight Oil (Aug 9, 2010)

Dances with Flashlight said:


> Still waiting after five weeks.


 
I ordered mine from e-lectronics.net. I think it shipped from the Pacific Northwest.


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## Stillphoto (Aug 9, 2010)

Midnight Oil said:


> I ordered mine from e-lectronics.net. I think it shipped from the Pacific Northwest.



Likewise. Fast, reliable shipping. Nice to order from within the states as well.


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## OCD (Aug 9, 2010)

I also ordered mine from e-lectronics in mid April. I got 4 AW protected RCR123's at the same time that have been charged 3 times each for a total of 12 batteries being charged. They have ranged from 4.12 - 4.16V with an average voltage of 4.14 volts.

It appears they either come off at 4.12 volts or 4.15/4.16 volts. I haven't paid attention to what bay they are coming out of, but one bay may be charging slightly higher than the other. IIRC, my second charging of all 4, I restarted the cycle several times after completion and got [email protected] 4.15 and the other [email protected] 4.16 volts.

I got this charger instead of the WF-139 after some of the initial good press I read in this very thread. lovecpf

All in all, I am more than happy to sacrifice small amount of run time in favor of less chance of fire and less stress on my batteries. :thumbsup:


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## kosPap (Aug 12, 2010)

guys, I recieved mine today....

Noticed that the power unit says an output of 12V, 500mA.

Am i correct that the chrager can be pluged in a car 12V socket with the proper wire/jack used?

thanks...


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## kosPap (Aug 14, 2010)

sort off found the answer to my question today.....

pluged a wall power supply I do not recall if it outputs 350 or 300mA at 12V.

My reservations are on powering teh charger with a cable straight from the car 12V jack....will its electronics determine current drawn from teh abtt, or will ti max out and POOF?

I also measured the SHekkor power supply....13.95V and 150mA with one batt at the charger.

Boy that charger requires patience! from 4.1V on current fed to the batt was 70mA ONLY....just before finishing I took a reading, and the charger was pushing 30mA!


Did not had the chance to measure termination volateg cos I had the DMM rigged on the batt in A mode...


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## Quension (Aug 14, 2010)

The electronics determine how much current is drawn from the power supply, so you don't have to worry about that.

What I'd be more concerned about is the fact that car power tends to be very dirty -- it's not a flat 12V, and can be noisy. If the input electronics aren't set up to deal with that, it'll cause problems. It might power ok, but get confused in the middle of a charge cycle, or something equally strange.

It should be safe to run with the car off, nothing else running (don't turn the heater/AC on, etc). I'd wait for comments from others before trying with the car running.


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## kosPap (Aug 15, 2010)

thanks quension....I sort of expected all thsi but I needed a confirmation...


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## iqwozpoom (Aug 15, 2010)

I just ordered this charger from e-lectronics. Fast shipping from the US of A. This charger(and favorable cpf reviews) is the reason I decided to make the plunge into li ion. Well I was eyeing the pila. And still am. I haven't tested it out yet as I've only just ordered my first aw cells. I just want to go on record as saying that the availability of safer charging options has sold a few more lights in this camp. Frankly li ion gets a healthy bit of concern from me, even though I plug in my phone and toss it in drawer every day:shrug:.


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## pae77 (Aug 16, 2010)

A healthy bit of concern is a good thing. :thumbsup: Just check that it terminates below 4.20 and shuts off the way it's supposed to when finished charging. If your sample works as it should, I think you will probably like and become quite comfortable with it.


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## LEDAdd1ct (Aug 29, 2010)

kosPap said:


> Boy that charger requires patience! from 4.1V on current fed to the batt was 70mA ONLY....just before finishing I took a reading, and the charger was pushing 30mA!



I thought the idea of CC/CV was that first the charger pushes a fixed current until the cell reaches a certain voltage, then it applies a fixed voltage at an ever decreasing current until it reaches zero (or very close to it). If so, at 4.1 volts, shouldn't the current be very low?

EDIT: I just went back in this thread, and saw that it does not adhere 100% to the ideal CC/CV charging algorithm, but, that it is close. And, at the end of the charge, it is supposed to decline in current output to a negligible amount...right?


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## Nil Einne (Aug 29, 2010)

LEDAdd1ct said:


> I thought the idea of CC/CV was that first the charger pushes a fixed current until the cell reaches a certain voltage, then it applies a fixed voltage at an ever decreasing current until it reaches zero (or very close to it). If so, at 4.1 volts, shouldn't the current be very low?
> 
> EDIT: I just went back in this thread, and saw that it does not adhere 100% to the ideal CC/CV charging algorithm, but, that it is close. And, at the end of the charge, it is supposed to decline in current output to a negligible amount...right?



If you look a bit further in, you'll see it mentioned a big problem with the charger is the spring resistance. In my case I reduced charging time by about an hour IIRC by semi fixing the problem. I still didn't get a proper CC/CV although the current doesn't go as low so fast. I'm planning to do a writeup, but wasn't happy with how my mod went so want to try it again but haven't got around to it.


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## LEDAdd1ct (Aug 29, 2010)

Thank you. I will look again.


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## pae77 (Aug 29, 2010)

Nil Einne said:


> If you look a bit further in, you'll see it mentioned a big problem with the charger is the spring resistance. In my case I reduced charging time by about an hour IIRC by semi fixing the problem. I still didn't get a proper CC/CV although the current doesn't go as low so fast. I'm planning to do a writeup, but wasn't happy with how my mod went so want to try it again but haven't got around to it.


When you get around to it, if possible, I would like to see some photos showing the precise solder points, (although my motivation for doing this mod has diminished since I got an inexpensive hobby charger that does employ a true CC/CV algorithm (and provides real time display of charging currents and voltage while it's at it). But I still want to lower spring resistance as I may eventually mod one of my Shekors to act as a dumb cradle for the hobby charger.


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## kosPap (Aug 29, 2010)

LEDAdd1ct said:


> I thought the idea of CC/CV was that first the charger pushes a fixed current until the cell reaches a certain voltage, then it applies a fixed voltage at an ever decreasing current until it reaches zero (or very close to it). If so, at 4.1 volts, shouldn't the current be very low?
> 
> EDIT: I just went back in this thread, and saw that it does not adhere 100% to the ideal CC/CV charging algorithm, but, that it is close. And, at the end of the charge, it is supposed to decline in current output to a negligible amount...right?


 
there is a cinese thread with shekkor tests....the graphs there are indicative of the chraging.....level current pushed and then slowly declining from 4.1 on....

got to dig up the link...


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## LEDAdd1ct (Aug 29, 2010)

I'd love to see it when you find it.


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## Lilien (Aug 30, 2010)

kosPap said:


> there is a cinese thread with shekkor tests....the graphs there are indicative of the chraging....



Do you refer to the Japanese site I mentioned (with link) in post 72 of this thread?

Regards, Juergen


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## Dances with Flashlight (Aug 31, 2010)

After my Shekor charger failed to arrive, KD kindly mailed another which I received about eight days after mailing. 

As others have reported, it appears nicely constructed, is simple to operate (although the printed info on the box is not quite as informative or understandable as it could be), and seems to work well without any problems at all. It looks like this is going to be a good performer and a very good value.


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## Superorb (Aug 31, 2010)

Nil Einne said:


> If you look a bit further in, you'll see it mentioned a big problem with the charger is the spring resistance. In my case I reduced charging time by about an hour IIRC by semi fixing the problem. I still didn't get a proper CC/CV although the current doesn't go as low so fast. I'm planning to do a writeup, but wasn't happy with how my mod went so want to try it again but haven't got around to it.


Keeping an eye out for the mod to decrease resistance.


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## Monocrom (Sep 1, 2010)

Looks like a nice, decent, budget charger.


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## kosPap (Sep 1, 2010)

Lilien said:


> Do you refer to the Japanese site I mentioned (with link) in post 72 of this thread?
> 
> Regards, Juergen


 

yes that was the one...


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## wacbzz (Sep 8, 2010)

Has anybody tried the new Redilast 18650's in this charger? Will they fit?


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## OCD (Sep 8, 2010)

wacbzz said:


> Has anybody tried the new Redilast 18650's in this charger? Will they fit?



I can't speak for the Redilast, but I have a xxxfire that measures about 65.2mm that fits easily. Pulling the battery back as far as the charger will allow yields about 2mm of clearance between the battery and charger terminal. I would dare to say MY charger would handle a 67mm long cell. YMMV.


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## Teobaldo (Sep 8, 2010)

This charger works fine with the AC adapter and with mi Brunton Solaris 6 solar panel (5 hours of solar charge for my 18650 battery give me 1 hour of Turbo Mode in my Fenix TA21). It's the charger that needed for the house and to leave camping. Thanks to old4570 for the thread, perhaps buy another to have it as replacement (the price is very good too).


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## wacbzz (Sep 8, 2010)

OCD said:


> I can't speak for the Redilast, but I have a xxxfire that measures about 65.2mm that fits easily. Pulling the battery back as far as the charger will allow yields about 2mm of clearance between the battery and charger terminal. I would dare to say MY charger would handle a 67mm long cell. YMMV.



This is post 15 from the above referenced thread for the Redilast cell sizes:



tactical_hid said:


> Cell sizes:
> 
> 
> 2200: I'll measure it later.
> ...



Hmm...:shrug:


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## kosPap (Sep 9, 2010)

Teobaldo said:


> This charger works fine with the AC adapter and with mi Brunton Solaris 6 solar panel (5 hours of solar charge for my 18650 battery give me 1 hour of Turbo Mode in my Fenix TA21). It's the charger that needed for the house and to leave camping. Thanks to old4570 for the thread, perhaps buy another to have it as replacement (the price is very good too).


 

hmm do I understand correctly that you just hooked the charger at the slar panel? what does your panel output?
any pecularities? 

that is very worthwhile find! thanks...though you made me want buy an one more!


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## Teobaldo (Sep 9, 2010)

kosPap said:


> hmm do I understand correctly that you just hooked the charger at the slar panel? what does your panel output?
> any pecularities?
> 
> that is very worthwhile find! thanks...though you made me want buy an one more!



The Brunton Solaris 6 solar panel output is 15,4 volts / 430 mA, only was thing to read the specifications of the charger (input of 9V-32V / 500 mA). Simply I connected the cable that comes with the panel to the entrance of the charger. A bigger panel will not function, will burn the apparatus.

I am happy to have been of aid, colleague, and long life to this magnificent forum.


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## rollcage (Sep 12, 2010)

jcw122 said:


> I don't think it's possible for the charger to give power to an empty bay. There is no electrical connection, so there's no power.
> 
> According to my SheKor box, it says: "Saving Warning: If no battery condition, LED light circularly flash .5-2 seconds, please take off the power dapter[sic] for power saving".
> 
> I have no idea what that means hahaha



I was wondering the same thing but now i know.. when its not charging it says please unplug the charger. It also useful when you have not plugged the battery properly and its not touching the elements from both side. (i got to know this when my battery didnt charge bcoz i didnt put it rightly).

Its the same thing in Nokia phones now when the battery is full they say unplug the charger to save electricity.

In this charger it also helps you find out if you are a bit lazy in placing the batteries 

i like this charger man.. too Good. 

thanks lovecpf


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## biker1 (Sep 12, 2010)

I purchased the Shekor charger for $10.99, and
I just purchased some AW 2900mAh protected batteries at $18.75 a piece.
From what I have read, this Charger seems to be pretty good. It's just that I'll have $40 worth of batteries in a $10 charger, and want to be sure this is the right set up.
Originally, I was going to purchase a PILA charger, but it was recommended to purchase the Shekor charger, and the reviews seem to 2nd that opinion.



I just realized that I may not get the charger for 4 weeks. I will be receiving my batteries and lights within a few days.
I need to purchase another charger. I have seen this Pila charger. Any thoughts >
*
Pila IBCT 4-stage Charger, AC Adapter 
*
But is has a 4th stage, a trickle charge, which I thought was not good for Lithiums? But I assume there is a reason Pila has incorporated this feature. I am unclear regarding this. I am getting protected batteries.


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## pae77 (Sep 13, 2010)

The Shekor is very nice for a "cheap" charger. It will work for your cells however it's a little slow for 18650's. It only charges at about 470 ma max and I think it only charges at that max rate for a short part of the charge cycle. So you are looking at perhaps about 5 to 7 hours or so to charge up your 18650 cells with the Shekor. But if that's OK, it should work fine. 

Those 18650 cells would charge up a bit faster with a charger that can charge at a higher starting charge current and that uses a true CC/CV algorithm. And with such expensive cells, you might want to consider using a charger that uses a true CC/CV algorithm as well as a more appropriate charge current as that would be best for extended cell life.

If you ever decide to upgrade to a better charger at some point, imo, the best option is to get one of the inexpensive hobby chargers, plus a few small rare earth magnets that let you stick the charge cables that come with the charger directly to the positive and negative ends of a battery cell. 

Most hobby chargers also require a separate power supply, however, although there are some models that cost a bit more that can be plugged directly into an AC outlet.

Do a search here on "Accucell 6" to find out more about an inexpensive hobby charger that imo is a better option than a Pila. Cost is about $39 shipped from a US vendor. You will also need a few rare earth magnets and a power supply. An old laptop power brick works for me.


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## biker1 (Sep 13, 2010)

Thanks.

I would appreciate your thoughts regarding my  edit above, as they relate to the Pila charger. It is $45.00.
Thanks.

edit:
I just saw that you think the hobby charger is a better option than the pila. I will not be using the hobby charger for anything else, if that is the reason it is a better choice re: versatility.


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## pae77 (Sep 13, 2010)

I'm sure someone else who is more familiar and knowledgeable about the Pila than me will chime in and answer that for you.


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## biker1 (Sep 13, 2010)

I found this thread >


CandlePowerForums > Flashlights > Flashlight Reviews 

 * Pila IBC Charger Review *
and post #9, in addition to other posts, clarified the 'incorrect' trickle charge description Pila uses.

The thread is from 2008, and I believe there is a newer version of the Pila charger available. But I will presume that most, if not all the features remain unchanged.

I will look further into that.


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## pae77 (Sep 13, 2010)

The Pila IBC has a good reputation here. I haven't used one myself so have no personal knowledge about them. According to that review thread, it charges at 600 ma and uses a CC/CV algorithm. That would be fine for your cells.

I still think a hobby charger is a better way to go, and yes, versatility is a big part of it. Being able to select different charge rates for different capacity li-ion cells is very important to me. Also, hobby chargers are just plain smarter and have a lot of cool features in addition to more informative LCD displays. For example, they can do a "storage charge" whereby they charge (or discharge, if necessary) your Li-ion cell to the optimum level for storage, which is one of many features I find useful. But not for everyone I guess.


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## biker1 (Sep 13, 2010)

I am new to the rechargeable cells, so for now, I'll adhere to the K.I.S.S. Principle  as it pertains to myself.

A question >
They say to remove the lithiums after they are charged. If I am sleeping, etc. or not in, is it ok to leave the cells in for a while? The charger shuts off, but there must be a reason you should remove charged cells.


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## pae77 (Sep 13, 2010)

biker1 said:


> I am new to the rechargeable cells, so for now, I'll adhere to the K.I.S.S. Principle  as it pertains to myself.
> 
> A question >
> They say to remove the lithiums after they are charged. If I am sleeping, etc. or not in, is it ok to leave the cells in for a while? The charger shuts off, but there must be a reason you should remove charged cells.



With the Shekor, I think it is OK to leave the cells on the charger since it shuts off when the charge is finished, but as a general practice, it is recommended to remove li-ion batteries once the charge process has completed. In many cases this is because the charger will continue to trickle charge (not applicable to the Shekor) which is not good for the batteries, but it is also a good practice to observe just in case the charger ever malfunctions in some way. But the good thing about the Shekor is that it does shut down and won't trickle charge after charge completion so it is not critical to remove the batteries. It's just a good general practice to remove the batteries as soon as practicable after completion of the charge.


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## biker1 (Sep 13, 2010)

Thanks for the explanation.
The Pila, which I ordered, also does not have a trickle charge, as per the previous link, but as mentioned, better safe than sorry.
Btw, I always keep my cell phone plugged in for charging, and many times I fall asleep, way after the charging has completed, while it is still plugged in.
I guess I'm lucky it hasn't gone Boom yet! Unless cell phone Lithiums are a different animal altogether.


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## learner-gr (Sep 17, 2010)

After reading all of these i'm close to buy one shekor for myself. For rcr123 it can charge only 3.7v? Is that right?

If i need to charge lifepo4 3v i must try to buy another charger? Which one you recommend?


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## old4570 (Sep 17, 2010)

learner-gr said:


> After reading all of these i'm close to buy one shekor for myself. For rcr123 it can charge only 3.7v? Is that right?
> 
> If i need to charge lifepo4 3v i must try to buy another charger? Which one you recommend?



There are a few multi Voltage chargers ...
WF-188 
WF-138 
HG-1210W 

There may be a few more ?


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## pae77 (Sep 17, 2010)

Also there are various budget "hobby chargers" (many for <$40) that can handle cells of various sizes, chemistries, and voltage.


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## Teobaldo (Oct 17, 2010)

This is the Brunton panel with the Shekor charger:








It suffices with connecting the cable that comes with the panel to the entrance of the charger. A very simple combination and that has served me to charge the batteries now that we have the sun of the summer. I will use him in my following trip to the desert in bicycle in November.


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## kosPap (Oct 19, 2010)

wow! thanks!


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## Joe Hone (Oct 20, 2010)

*SheKor and 10440 batteries*

Has anyone charged a 10440 with the SheKor? 10440 isn't listed with the charger, but the volts are right. Any issues if I use it to charge them?


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## pae77 (Oct 20, 2010)

Technically it's a little more powerful than optimal for 10440's. They should be charged at a starting charge current of ~100 mA to 250 mA, imo. The Shekor starts charging (if the battery is fully discharged) at ~400 or 450 mA, iirc, although apparently it doesn't stay up at such a high charge current for very long.

So, it will work, but may result in the batteries not lasting as long as they might if charged at a lower starting charge current.

And of course the algorithm the Shekor uses isn't a true CC/CV so that's not optimal either, but that's the case with all the cheap cradle chargers as far as I know (except for the Pila, which is not cheap of course). (So that's why I switched to a hobby charger that allows one to select the starting charge current and has a true CC/CV algorithm, but that's another subject beyond the scope of your question.)


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## Gunny (Oct 22, 2010)

anyplace in the US to get this charger? I currently have the Trustfire T-001 and looking for another charger. cant locate any.


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## pae77 (Oct 22, 2010)

Gunny said:


> anyplace in the US to get this charger? I currently have the Trustfire T-001 and looking for another charger. cant locate any.


If you simply google the word "shekor" the very first result is a US based store that sells them. :shakehead


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## Gunny (Oct 22, 2010)

pae77 said:


> If you simply google the word "shekor" the very first result is a US based store that sells them. :shakehead



and if you went to that link, you would see that its out of stock and has been for some time.:shakehead


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## pae77 (Oct 22, 2010)

It's still a (probably the only) place in the US to get them, which is the original question that was asked.

But . . , I have an extra new in box unit I purchased as a backup but no longer need that I might be willing to part with. PM me if interested.


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## Gunny (Oct 23, 2010)

pae77 said:


> It's still a (probably the only) place in the US to get them, which is the original question that was asked.
> 
> But . . , I have an extra new in box unit I purchased as a backup but no longer need that I might be willing to part with. PM me if interested.



Seems to be the only place. I was just looking for a second charger, but I may go the route of the Turnigy Accucel-6. Just don't know how logical it would be to get it. Your write up on it was pretty sweet:thumbsup:, and it seems to be alot safer than the chicom stuff. Seems simple enough to do, just don't know if its worth the money just for a few lights. But if I can find one cheap enough I may take the plunge.


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## pae77 (Oct 24, 2010)

Gunny said:


> Seems to be the only place. I was just looking for a second charger, but I may go the route of the Turnigy Accucel-6. Just don't know how logical it would be to get it. Your write up on it was pretty sweet:thumbsup:, and it seems to be alot safer than the chicom stuff. Seems simple enough to do, just don't know if its worth the money just for a few lights. But if I can find one cheap enough I may take the plunge.


The Accucell 6, is, of course, also a Chinese made product, (not that there's anything wrong with that, imo, especially since it is the primary reason we are able to purchase a fairly high quality product at a very reasonable price).

Whether it is worth the investment or not is a personal decision each person has to make for themselves. For me it was/is well worth it even for just a few lights/cells, especially over the longer term going forward. I just wish I hadn't wasted ~$36 or so on various cheaper cradle units before I decided to invest in the Accucell. I do, however, eventually plan to turn at least one of those cradle units into a dumb battery holder for use with the Accucell. So at least one of them may end up not being a total waste of money.


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## korona (Aug 4, 2011)

old4570 said:


> ...
> To the pictures :


 
picturegood.com domain is not working (nameservers don't give the wanted answer), do you have the pictures elsewhere?


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## old4570 (Aug 5, 2011)

Pictures were lost ... Sorry + KD sais the Shekor charger is no more [ Will no longer be made ]


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