XTAR VC8 Plus Li-ion & NiMH Battery Charger Review
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- čas přidán 7. 11. 2021
- The XTAR VC8 Plus Lithium Ion, and NiMH Battery Charger gets a Power Upgrade of a Twelve Volt Input at Three Amps, along with its Type C Input of Nine Volts at Two Amps. The Charger now has the ability to charge Eight Batteries at One Amp Each. After Testing, I have found this Device to be perfect for all types of Lithium, and smaller NiMH batteries. The Storage feature is a nice bonus to have as well.
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Features I like about the VC8 Plus:
Can Charge Eight Protected 21700s at Once.
Three Amp Fast Charge if Needed.
Storage Mode.
Grading Mode.
Type C Input for Portability.
Simple to Use.
Decent Build Quality.
Ability to Turn Display Light Off.
250mAh Charge Mode for Smaller Batteries.
Compact Size.
Features that could be Added or Improved on:
High Charge Rates for NiMH batteries, My Unit defaults to .150mAh after starting at .500mAh.
Independent Control for Each Bay, instead of Four Bay Section Settings.
Storage/Grading Mode for All Eight Bays, instead of just the First Four Bays.
Overall, this charger gets a "Maybe" recommendation from me. It is perfect for those needing a mass charging system for Lithium Batteries of Similar Capacity. If you need a dedicated NiMH charger for batteries larger than a AA, you may want to shop for a different model. I will personally use the Storage Feature, and for keeping my 18650s charged up.
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▶ The XTAR VC8 Plus at Amazon USA: amzn.to/3GQM5WK
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The problem you have is that you are not aware that when inserting NiMH, the charger warm them up the first 10 minutes with trickle charge only hence the NiMH is flashing. Once they are warmed out, the sign NiMH will become solid (not flashing) and it will revert to the desired Current you have set via the button or if you did not set any manual current value it will charge with current considered best as per the internal resistance and the temperature of the individual cell.
By removing the cell from the slot and inserting it back you actually restarted the 10 minutes warming out and basically you are going in circle.
So the charger is doing pretty good job with NiMH, no matter the size - you just need to wait for the 10 minutes which is actually better in terms for the health of the battery.
I have owned an (more expensive) XTAR Dragon VP4 for nearly three years, and it does a phenomenal job. It is capable of charging larger, "D" cells prevalent in classic, larger radios. I charge all of my batteries (including 18650's) at .5A only, for longer life - some of my 18650's are approaching 5 years in age and are still going strong after hundreds of cycles. The key is having backup batteries for immediate replacement in your devices. Thanks for the demonstration, Pete.
Thanks for the great review
Nice Video, thx for this clear informations!
Nice charger for heavy users.. I use XTAR dual charger for almost 3yrs and still working normal. I might buy the new usb type C.
Esse carregador é um sonho. 73!
I have a couple of the XTAR VC4 chargers it charges my EBL AA OR C cells at either a half Amp or one Amp. The XTAR brand seem to be a well made product.
Hej Todderbert Wow nice charger this one takes a little more batteries than my new smart charger. I might buy this one too and nice to be able to charge more batteries take care and have a nice week.
Good review. However, I kept waiting for you to realize that the EBLs were in the constant voltage part of the charge cycle and that is why the current was lower than your setting.
I've got the 6 bay charger for my 18650 batteries.
Used 18650 batteries end charging at 4.2V (by XTAR display) but my multimeter show anything from 4.18 to 4.23... I am puzzled on why it is happening. Perhaps different batteries conditions... but why the voltage goes above 4.2?
Other than that I absolutely love the device.
Thanks for the review, I found an answer to the issue of not being able to set charging current individually to each cell. You tried to set a higher amperage then the default one, but what happens if you set the charging current to say 250 mA under default amperage of 460 mA? Will the charger accept the lower value? Thanks!
This should work with many folding portable solar panels with a type C port. I wonder if the 18 volt "12 volt" ports on these panels would be ok to use with this?
Has anyone tried this?
is the xtar vc8 plus able to run off of QC3.0 3A Fast Charging? OR are you required to run off the included a/c adapter?
i want to charge and test my 18650's using free electricity from the sun with the usb QC3.0 3A Fast Charging
Hi, great video. So, do I need to set up by myself the charging power or this device recognizes and charge automatically the batteries at the most appropriate power? Otherwise, if I need to set it up by myself, what is the best way to do it? Thanks !
The VC8 selects charging voltage itself
Does anybody know how to make a homemade antenna for a Sea crane cc skywave radio?
thanks for the review.....really disappointed in the nimh performance
I have XTAR WP6 for my 18650s and Voltcraft IPC-1 for AA/AAA but need a charger for 21700. XTAR is the only one I found that will do protected 21700. Which would be nice to have even though I can't use protected cells in my RC transmitter which I am converting from 6xAA to 2x21700
Was hoping the VC8+ would replace both my WP6 and IPC1 but I don't want to charge my NIMHs that slow. Was willing to forgive the not-so-great Li-ion charge speeds compared to Lii-600 to have a replacement for those two.
Will probably have to also buy the Voltcraft IPC-8 for decent NIMH charging (was looking at it anyway since it also support LiHV and I could use high voltage AA/AAA for some devices where rechargable batteries don't work very well)
Might even ditch the VC8+ idea completely and instead get the 4slot LiitoKala Lii-600 which is 12A and can charge 4x3A.....that will charge all 4 of my planned 21700 5000mah in 2 hours instead of 6 hours in VC8+
I will probably only use protected 21700 in some flashlights I am considering upgrading to from 18650 and there are USB-C 21700 cells and most decent flashlights have the USB-C port as well
I don't understand why they cheaped out on the VC8 design and basically just glued VC4S and VC4 inside one body and why the NiMH speed is so bad
it could have been an awesome all-in-one charger
They are working on a new VC8, will try to get one for review.
@@todderbert An updated version of the vc8 plus??? Looks like I will have to hold my purchase on it
@@danielbrianhong6385 Look at my previous comment. The charger is working absolutely fine with NiMH.
Just got mine. My old Nitecore pooped out and my Zanflare which was less than 2 years old was over charging and doing other odd things…pos.
The littoKala lil engineer I still have works well. I’d recommend that also but it’s a 4 bay only
Hey Todderbert.
It's been a couple of years since you posted this video on the XTAR VC8 Plus charger. Are you still diggin' it? Have you had any issues with the charger misidentifying NiMH batteries as lithium? I have read several reviews where the charger attempted to charge NiMH batteries up to 4.2V (thinking they were lithium cells) with dangerous results.
I have not had that happen, though I mainly use it for my 18650s
@@todderbert Thanks for the quick reply and for all your awesome videos. Your channel is my go-to resource for radios and other fun gadgetry. 👍👍
What is the best charger for type c batteries? I bought some for my devices but they don't fit in my Nitecore D4, do you recommend this one? Thank you
I actually use my Lii-500 with good results. czcams.com/video/c_l6-jw2U3A/video.html
that's like two XTAR VC4SL welded together , ive got that but gets confused on older NiMH Battery's that are fine and a good brand as it says there Lithium Ion, not an issue in the Dragon v2 i have and another charger
I use mine for lithium only.
@@todderbert me also its just the overflow charger for them most are ok just odd few weird
Thanks for the video! Can I get some advice? I don't know a ton about batteries, but I have a few high power flashlights that use 18650 cells, and I have a lot of random AA and AAA devices like most people. I just want a quality device that can tell me the health of all my batteries (I have lots of random batteries lying around, some rechargeable, some not, and I would like to know if they are useable and how much life they have, etc), and a device that will do a great job of charging the rechargeables of all sizes and chemistries. This doesn't NECESSARILY have to be the same device, if say, there is one device that is terrific at testing, and one that is terrific at charging NiMH, and another that is terrific at charging li-ion, or whatever. My research is kind of leading me all over the place. So any suggestions would be very helpful! Thanks!
I would say to start with the Opus BT C3100 V2.2 at Amazon: amzn.to/3IH6KNX , I have it and love it. Still need to get it reviewed for the channel.
Can you charge 1.5V AA lion batteries with this? I have the charger but I dont have the aa lion batteries yet, so I wonder If I buy them can I charge them with this?
You cannot. For the 1.5V AA or AAA li-ion you need Xtar BC8 which is about $20. BC8 also works with NiMH. If you do not need standard Li-ion 3.7/4.2, then BC8 is enough for your needs.
I bought this and I wish I could control each battery's current separately as 4 slot versions, if did know this i would not have bought the vc8 version. if you are reading this know that you wont be able to control the charge for individual slots, settings are for all slots.
mine is setup up as two, four Battery banks. So you control four batteries at once. I hoping for a future version where you can control each cell individually. I think they are working on one.
the higher the current the faster it charges and if im charging 21700 whats the highest current i should use?
Depends on the cell rating. Typically lower Capacity Cells can be charged at a higher amperage. I would charge them around one Amp, unless they say Two Amps is recommended. The battery will have more charge cycles when charged at a slower rate.
@@todderbert OK but how do you change the amp on here
Charging an AAA battery is problematic. They don't sit well. You need to place them hanging, and should they move they will not charge. I contacted the supplier and they sent new pins. But not sure how to open the unit to replace them. Now they are unreachable. Anyone was able to open the case?
Word to the wise: Ensure your Li-Ion batteries say that they are RECHARGEABLE!!!!
Just sayin' ...
Smart Advice.
Li-ion batteries are always rechargable. Lithium bateries are different and they are not.
First