18650 Charger/Capacity Tester Recommendations Please

[Turbo]

I'm increasingly starting to work with 18650 li-ion cells, re-celling power tools & using old cells to power other stuff. The only way I have of testing the capacity of the old cells is with my Imax B6 clone charger, which takes ages & to get accurate results you can only do 1 cell at a time.

I also have an unbranded 4 cell charger that will charge a set ovenight but quite frankly I don't trust it to not go on fire.

There are loads of chargers out there that charge/discharge from 4 to 8 cells at a time, can anyone recommend something from experience?

The facility to charge & test AA & AAA cells would be very useful too,

 

[Lazurus]

Try Overlander batteries they are pretty good for all things battery

 

[carbon]

The only way I have of testing the capacity of the old cells is with my Imax B6 clone charger, which takes ages & to get accurate results you can only do 1 cell at a time.

If it has a balance port then you should be able to check multiple cells at the same time with a suitable holder. You may have to add the balance leads to make it suitable

I’ve not had any experience with 18650’s but I use ‘toolkit rc’ chargers for my rc lipo’s

 

[Robertthegreat]

I've got one that would be ideal for you .. I'll put the name up when I get home can't remember the name at the moment it charges and sort of reconditions them and gives the mili amp hrs voltage i get alot of batteries out of the supermarket bins when people put the batteries . Pickup the laptop ones open them and use the batteries.

 

[Ross365]

For Li-ion batteries, you need to go and learn about "Battery Management Systems" which charge each different cell under controlled conditions.
Li batteries can start serious fires if mistreated!

 

[Turbo]

If it has a balance port then you should be able to check multiple cells at the same time with a suitable holder. You may have to add the balance leads to make it suitable

It has a balance port & I use it to give my drill batteries a balance charge/discharge when they're rebuilt or repaired. Unfortunately it will only give you the mAh of the whole pack, not of each cell. To get that figure you have to test each cell in the pack one at a time.

 

[Turbo]

I've got one that would be ideal for you .. I'll put the name up when I get home can't remember the name at the moment it charges and sort of reconditions them and gives the mili amp hrs voltage i get alot of batteries out of the supermarket bins when people put the batteries . Pickup the laptop ones open them and use the batteries.

I've been reading some reviews & 2 that are rated well are the opus BT-C3100 and the Vapcell S4+ so your input will be appreciated.

 

[Turbo]

For Li-ion batteries, you need to go and learn about "Battery Management Systems" which charge each different cell under controlled conditions.
Li batteries can start serious fires if mistreated!

That's a fancy name for exactly the type of charger I'm after!

 

[julianf]

I have a litokala (spelling). It's ok, but if I were to buy again I'd probably get the opus (that looks almost identical)

I doubt there's much in it, but things like the internal resistance dont seem to work on the litokala. Who knows, might not work on the opus either!

Other than that the litokala is ok. I just feel that spending a tenner more on the opus may be a better plan.

(this is from watching a load of YouTube on power walls etc - the opus seems to be used more than the litokala)

 

[Robertthegreat]

I've been reading some reviews & 2 that are rated well are the opus BT-C3100 and the Vapcell S4+ so your input will be appreciated.

Yes I have the Opus BT-C3100 good bit of kit does .any types of batteries would be ideal for you

 

[J1nx]

I use the MiBoxer but for charging, this provides an indication of the internal impedance but it’s very sensitive to the contact points making a decent connection.

I have one of the original ISDT chargers, this is better, more like the IMAX hobby type so it needs a rig setting up. I’ve not kept up with progress but there seems to be a few models now and I’d definitely look at these if buying now.

Just for discharge I did pick up a dedicated small load bank with various settings, it worked well but it needed a fluke setting up if you wanted the data.

 

[Turbo]

My Imax charger has now gone tits up , so I need to replace it too! I left overnight it doing a balanced discharge test on a drill battery but it didn't cut out at the set min voltage & drained the battery completely! Luckily the battery was done & needed re celled anyway.
Never mind, the charger was a cheap clone to begin with & it has more than paid for itself in recovering old tool batteries. The genuine chargers are now as cheap as the clones so I'll buy one of them this time.