dual 18650 car charger vp2 vc2 vc2plus ?! didn't think I had to ask.

[vapesmooth1234]

I have this headlamp for a few years.

Only problem is the plastic clips to snap the battery cover closed are thin plastic "hinges" and eventually 2 of the 4 snapped, but oh well for $7 shipped, and it still stays closed. I may search for something with a better snap but that'll take 8 hours probably, if they even make it.

anyway, I have a nitecore i2 that I charge 2 18650s with when I bought this a few years ago. I charge my triple 18650 DNA200 mod via USB because it's DNA and not some cheap Chinese mod that may explode with series battery charging.. all I need are two dual bay chargers, please don't recommend a 4 bay etc.
The headlamp batteries I've been using the same pair a lot for ~3 years and still going strong. I asked on a flashlight forum and was recommended what says "KeepPower 18650 2900mAh 3.6V Protection Circuit built in" . I think they said something like 'good e cig batts" had more amperage than the headlamp needed in exchange for less mah or something.

I've been using these in the headlamp (these are 3400mAh though, mine are 2900mAh):

The nitecore i2 broke in like 13 months (month after warranty). One bay only charges ~%50 according to the light meter so I have to switch it to the other bay. I want nothing to do with nitecore anymore. I think Xtar might be better. The headlamp has a built in charger but I was told not to trust it and I never once used it nor the $2 "999999mAh" (yea ok) 18650s the headlamp came with, I threw them out or told the seller not to include them I think.

so anyway, I keep forgetting my headlamp in the garage when I need it in the truck so I want to get a second headlamp to keep in the truck, and two more 2 bay chargers. One for the truck (usb or 12V car cigarette adapter) and one for the garage (wall adapter).


As in the title, there are a lot of choices I didn't think I was going to make a thread but basically my outlines are:
-I don't need a powerbank.

-Which charger will give me full 1Amp quick charging for each cell, if even possible?

-I don't need to charge any other battery type besides lit-ion 18650s (i'll probably get the keep powers I linked on ebay [I trust that seller for whatever reason]).

-I have two 12v cigarette ports in my dash, one already has a dual USB adapter that supplies 1A to each USB, one port I use for my phone and the other for e cig sometimes. Can I just plug the 1A USB from that into the charger and get full quick 1Amp charge for each of the two cells? I don't mind buying a dedicated car charger for the Xtar. I already have the authentic nitecore one that I only used maybe once if it will fit the xtar.

-Can I charge two 3400mAh batteries overnight and not worry about the truck's battery dying? I'm okay with charging them while driving but just wondering.


All I would really like out of the charger is to maybe see how much time left it needs to full charge and what % it's at. Other than that, I hope it's simple and can just set it for 3.6 volt and never have to change settings on it.

 

[Rickajho]

Can I just plug the 1A USB from that into the charger and get full quick 1Amp charge for each of the two cells?

I depends on the charger. But generally a 1A USB supply is not sufficient to provide 1A charge current for two batteries.

Can I charge two 3400mAh batteries overnight and not worry about the truck's battery dying?

Probably not, and definitely not. Any fairly recent car I have been familiar with shuts off power to the 12v convenience outlets and USB ports when the ignition is off. For the very reason you want to do overnight charging: It would a bad idea to keep pulling power off a car battery overnight while the car isn't running. Unless you don't mind a dead car battery.

All I would really like out of the charger is to maybe see how much time left it needs to full charge and what % it's at. Other than that, I hope it's simple and can just set it for 3.6 volt and never have to change settings on it.

Unless you are going to shoot for a true analyzing charger - which is far from simple - the best any of these chargers will show while charging is the current battery voltage or how much "current" has been applied to the battery. Both will give you estimates of what is going on that are easy to work with, but neither represents a true "% done" or "remaining time to charge".

http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Xtar VP2 UK.html

The VP2 is AC powered (supplied) or by it's own 12v car cord (supplied) - car convenience outlet required. It will show the battery voltage while charging.

You can eliminate the confusion of multiple voltage selections (unless you are actually using batteries that require non-standard charge voltages) by getting the VP1 instead of the VP2. Either one will charge two batteries at 1 amp with the 12v car cord.

http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Xtar VC2 UK.html

The VC2 is USB powered only. It requires a USB supply with a solid 1A output to work at it's highest charge current. But it is limited to a max charge current of 500 mA per battery - so not the fast charger you are looking for here.

http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Xtar VC2 Plus Master UK.html

The VC2 Plus is USB powered only. It requires a 2.1A USB power supply to work at it's highest charge current. (not included) Your existing 1A supply will work without damaging the charger - but the VC2 Plus will dumb down to lower charge currents to adapt to a lower current power supply.

It can charge two batteries at 1A at the same time. It can also charge all sorts of things - including NiMh batteries.

This charger will show an estimate of the remaining charge time that's based on feedback about the current CC/CV status of the batteries. Consequently it will be more accurate toward the end of the charge cycle, and grossly overstated at the beginning of the charge cycle. It will also show the % completed - with the same caveat.

Either the VP1, VP2 or VC2 Plus will do the 1A per battery charging you are looking for. But like all non-analyzing chargers in this class the % done, amount charged, remaining time etc. displays are only rough guidelines. But once you know your batteries and the charger you should have a good feel for where things are at during the charge cycle.

If you get Xtar chargers from authorized dealers they are backed with a 2 year warranty.

 

[vapesmooth1234]

Thanks for such a detailed response : )

I bought the 2nd headlamp and the keeppower protected cells (the ones in my wismec realoux dna200 are LG browns unprotected).

Then I'm getting either two vc2 plusses or vp1s or one of each.

Basically I chose either VP1 or VC2 plus for full 1Amp (VC2 non plus won't give full 1A to charge both slots), I would rather get two VC2s because they are newer and probably less bugs and last longer but the VP1s can be had for ~$9 shipped sometimes vs VC2 plsu for around $18. The VP1 also shows the actual voltage but the vc2plus doesn't. I like the 'charging %' and count down timer on the VC2 plus but it's nice to see the voltage on the VP1 I guess so I can know maybe if a cell's going bad or something without breaking out the multimeter.

the VC2 plus with its ability to charge different types of batteries etc seemed a bit confusing to me at first but after seeing some youtube videos, there's not much if any menu diving or toggle switches on it. I think it might even auto detect the types of batteries. Just saying, and the manual shouldn't be too difficult, so I don't mind if I get one or both as VC2 plus and need to configure it a bit more than the VP1.

 

[Rickajho]

I know those reviews are long and technical but everything you need to know is there. The Plus auto senses the battery type - no switches or menu button presses required. The display will confirm that and tell you what battery chemistry type is inserted in each slot.

There are no problems here. Xtar makes good stuff and the VP1 is a well designed charger even though it's an older model. It's just that the VP2 model adds some confusing battery voltage selection features that are for batteries over 99% of us will never use in vaping.