Hi all,
Just wondering if anyone can recommend the best bang for buck charger/ tester for Li ion etc cells.
Ideally will be able to charge and test the capacity of 18650/ 26550 down to 10440's.
Does both Li ion / LiFePO4
Even better if it has a charger / zapper to rejuvenate NiCd/ NiMh as well
2 or 4 cells at a time will be fine
Online suggests the LiitoKala Lii 500 - But that was in 2018.
Guessing something better/ cheaper has come along since?
Any recommendations?
Cheers
Cheers Scrimshaw. Much appreciated.
So looks like you can do a full discharge/ charge cycle with yours. But you have to do it manually. Can check internal resistance. Does have a battery recovery function. But no FePo support.
The VX4 does the FePo. Can provide a capacity figure But doesn't let you measure internal resistance and no zap/ recovery function.
Lii 500s similar functions, but no FePo support.
@scrimshaw
Do you know if any of these 4 bay chargers can do 4 26650's at the same time ?
Just realised the Liito will do 4 x 18650's, but only 2 x 26650's due to the width.
Got 2 packs of 50 to put through it!
I don't really know the entire product line. That may be a question you would ask the manufacturer themselves. maybe email xtar or even [email protected]
Both VC4 and VC8 (https://www.amazon.com.au/Charger-XTAR-VC8-Intelligent-Unive…) were prime specials recently - e.g. last one was $47.52. Wait for the next sale around Black Friday.
Online suggests the LiitoKala Lii 500 - But that was in 2018.
Guessing something better/ cheaper has come along since?
Not really, batteries haven't changed that much. Its a solid charger that'll do what you want.
Do you know if the Lii500 measures internal resistance?
Also, going to attempt to make the Youtube battery spot welder special (basically two copper nails in a piece of dowel..wires with clips coming from it).
What do you think the ideal voltage would be? In the clip they use an AGM battery.
Lastly, any tips on buying 22650 cells (for a 200w Ebike with a 10S5P pack - 2100mAh)?
Liitokala cells are about $5 each for 10 from Ali Express.
I can recommend the Xtar VX4.
Bought it a few days ago and its a good charger.
Charges every type of battery 3.6V Lithium ion, LiFePO4, Ni-Mh and also the latest tech 1.5V Lithium ion rechargeables.
It also has a nifty grading function to test the capacity of all those baterries.
It does not have a storage mode though.
Has a type C port and is supplied with a 20w PD charger and c to c cable..
However it is geared more towards the everyday user rather than an enthusiast.
Does it show internal resistance?
No
The https://www.xtar.cc/product/xtar-dragon-vp4-plus-charger-26.… VP4 can test internal resistance but it gives up the ability to charge LiFePO4 cells.
Pretty expensive charger and retailers sell for $109/139
Strange isn't it. Only a few less volts. Thought they would all do LiFePO4 now. I think I will grab the Lii500s
Anyway…
I ended up just charging each pack of this "Dead" Ebike battery with a variable power supply. Not the greatest. But it worked for now. Now each pack is holding 4.1v after 12hrs.
But the BMS was outputting just 1.5V. I plugged the charger into the port for 1 second, and the BMS then passed full voltage. So it appears the BMS is "iffy".
Any tips on BMS's to avoid? Possible common points of failure (that are fixed by briefly inserting a charger)?
Any BMS should work, as the battery only has the two output terminals (+/-). But don't want to burn my house down by using a bad quality BMS.
Also, the battery level indicator on top is dead (on both batteries I have). But can't find anything remotely around the battery level indicator fix. Any ideas?
Lastly, as above. Best place to buy replacement 22650 cells (if needed in the future).
Cheers
I went with the Ali Express 4 channel charger / analyser for $20.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005873449439.html?
It measures capacity, voltage, cell resistance. Basically everything you need.
Seems a great price compared to alternatives.
It also has an auto loop mode to perform a few charge/ discharge cycles (selectable number of loops) if you like. Then provides the capacity at the end .
Does 4 at a time.
Downside is it's only got 18650 holders. But I bought a couple of alternate cell holders to use with it. Also 1 amp max charge / discharge.
*Update - I was using alligator clips to test an Ebike pack (just disconnected one side of alternate cells..making my way through 50.
Must have accidentally hit one clip in series…the magic smoke came out of a channel 1. Now doesn't charge bank 1 (voltage is a mess - maybe a transistor went short). Other 3 channels still work.
Guess that means it doesn't have much built in "idiot protection".
Could try the Xtar series
https://www.xtar.cc/visible-smart-charger.html
I have the VC4 which is pretty old and does not have discharge/ repair or capacity test features, it only charges (and quite slowly, I might add). It does not play nice with certain smart USB power supplies, such as my Ugreen Nexode, for whatever reason.
This charger is superseded by the XTAR VX4.
The LiitoKala Lii-500 Charger has a faster version, LiitoKala Lii-500S. Feature wise they are about the same. Reviews of this charge is mediocre, I had to replace the power supply unit once when the plastic housing cracked making it unsafe to use.
The LiitoKala Lii 600 is even faster still but it has heat dissipation problems, and not recommended.