Decent 18650 battery charger?

[JOEPRO]

Im looking for am 18650 battery charger which can take 4x at a time and charge + test the capacity. Without breaking the bank either.

Thinking something like this

https://amzn.eu/d/1ovGJPR

Does that look OK or what is recommended please? I already have one of the knock off bmax ones its not that type im after but a 4x holder version thats easier to use and can confirm capacity.

 

[voipio]

I've had one of these chargers for about 5 years, and it has worked OK. I've not felt the need to buy a different type. It will only charge a single cell at the maximum 2A rate, or two cells at the 1A rate, and three or four cells at the 0.5A rate, which is limited by the supply rating. Having said that, most of my charging has been of one or two cells, usually at 0.5A. It doesn't perform an automatic discharge test, as far as I know, but does give the amount of charge that has gone into each of the cells that are being charged. Once the cell is removed, the charging information is reset for that cell, which is fine, but a pain if you forget to check before removing the cell. The Ah display value alternates with the time that cell has been on charge, over about a sixteen seconds cycle, which can seem a bit tedious. The cell for which the info is being displayed, needs to be manually cycled using the "C" button. The "A" button sets the charging rate. The button labels are quite difficult to see in anything but good light, so I've put some black lettering on white labels over the buttons.

 

[JOEPRO]

I've had one of these chargers for about 5 years, and it has worked OK. I've not felt the need to buy a different type. It will only charge a single cell at the maximum 2A rate, or two cells at the 1A rate, and three or four cells at the 0.5A rate, which is limited by the supply rating. Having said that, most of my charging has been of one or two cells, usually at 0.5A. It doesn't perform an automatic discharge test, as far as I know, but does give the amount of charge that has gone into each of the cells that are being charged. Once the cell is removed, the charging information is reset for that cell, which is fine, but a pain if you forget to check before removing the cell. The Ah display value alternates with the time that cell has been on charge, over about a sixteen seconds cycle, which can seem a bit tedious. The cell for which the info is being displayed, needs to be manually cycled using the "C" button. The "A" button sets the charging rate. The button labels are quite difficult to see in anything but good light, so I've put some black lettering on white labels over the buttons.

Thank you for that. Sounds like that one won't properly capacity test so not what im looking for.

Maybe this type would be better? @Turbo Thoughts?

I just found this on AliExpress:
￡42.90 | Battery Tester LCD Display Universal Battery Checker Analyzer Charger for 18650 Batteries 4 Channel Internal Resistance Tester

Battery Tester LCD Display Universal Battery Checker Analyzer Charger for 18650 Batteries 4 Channel Internal Resistance Tester - AliExpress 502

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

a.aliexpress.com

 

[Turbo]

I asked for the same advice here and i was recommended the Opus BT-C3100. It consistently comes out in the top 3 in online tests.

Never been disappointed by its performance and I've used it a lot to test batteries and revive drill batteries.

To test its accuracy I've used it on new power tool batteries to test capacity and it is spot on.

Problem is finding a genuine one. There are a few listed on UK retailers sites but they are out of stock.
The ones on aliexpress and temu may be genuine but you take your chances.

Do a board search for opus.

I'll add some pics later of my charger extension test leads.

 

[Turbo]

My charger lives in this ammo box I've lined in fire retardant plastic sheeting to insulate it electrically.

To test and charge batteries outside the charger I made a fake battery test lead.

Solder stripped 1.5mm2 wire onto copper slating nails and hammer them into the end of a piece of dowel. Cut the nails down so that they don't touch inside the dowel.

Crimp a ring terminal on the other end and bolt them onto neodymium magnets. Leave the bolts long, makes them easier to grip and gives you somewhere to clip a voltmeter on.

The fake battery fits into the charger and you connect the leads onto whatever you want to test.
In this case its a Makita battery. I charge and discharge each pair of cells in the battery to assess their condition.
Often I have found that a faulty battery has only one pair of bad cells and by using this method I can cycle them a few times and get the bad cells back in spec and the whole battery working again.

Don't try and use more than one fake battery at a time. It confuses the charger!

I've another fake battery with crocodile clips for situations where the magnets won't stick.

 

[ahebron]

Do you charge batteries inside the box?
If so how do you cope with cooling needed for the fan in the charger?
Admittedly it is a small fan.