Nitecore Digicharger D4

[kamil99]

Well I've got the nitecore i2 and xtar vp2. Both work well but like the xtar a little better because of the display. No guessing on charge status or voltage with the screen. Ability to charge at .25 amps vs .5 with the I2 This should help increase battery life

Neither of those are a D4. The d4 can probably rival the vp2, but 4total charging bays.

 

[beckdg]

Welp, I picked one up. I was thinking about an XTAR but I decided on this one for the extra bays and capability of charging AA batteries. I also got it from illumination supply. I'll report back with my findings.

i'll be keeping my i4 for the same purpose. NiMh household rechargeables.

Neither of those are a D4. The d4 can probably rival the vp2, but 4total charging bays.

if i recall correctly, D4 charging amp specs and algorithm are the exact same as the i4. 0.75A on one or two batteries at a time, or 0.375A on even or odd bays that are both occupied. this gives the D4 a total of 1.5A capability and no way except filling the bays correctly to choose charging current.

vp2 can charge as little as 0.25A on one bay and as much as 2.0A total.

only real benefit to the D4 over the vp2 (for lithium chemistries) would be if you had more than 2 cells to charge and couldn't stare at the charger to determine when to switch cells.

 

[vNistelrooy]

i'll be keeping my i4 for the same purpose. NiMh household rechargeables.


if i recall correctly, D4 charging amp specs and algorithm are the exact same as the i4. 0.75A on one or two batteries at a time, or 0.375A on even or odd bays that are both occupied. this gives the D4 a total of 1.5A capability and no way except filling the bays correctly to choose charging current.

vp2 can charge as little as 0.25A on one bay and as much as 2.0A total.

only real benefit to the D4 over the vp2 (for lithium chemistries) would be if you had more than 2 cells to charge and couldn't stare at the charger to determine when to switch cells.

Yes i remembered my friend told me about this as well for nitecores..he suggested to me an xtar because of this.

I thought this limitation has gone..


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[HilseeJ]

I'll try not to sound stupid here, but to be honest I'm a bit lost when it comes to the realm of chargers and their features. Never really did much reading about them in my year of vaping until now...

if i recall correctly, D4 charging amp specs and algorithm are the exact same as the i4. 0.75A on one or two batteries at a time, or 0.375A on even or odd bays that are both occupied. this gives the D4 a total of 1.5A capability and no way except filling the bays correctly to choose charging current.

What exactly does this mean and why does it matter? If I put 2 batteries on the charger (in the first two slots, IE), then it will pump .75A through both to charge them? Why is this a weakness?

And if I charge only one batt, the first and third slots charge differently than the second and fourth?

vp2 can charge as little as 0.25A on one bay and as much as 2.0A total.

And what does the d4 do?

only real benefit to the D4 over the vp2 (for lithium chemistries) would be if you had more than 2 cells to charge and couldn't stare at the charger to determine when to switch cells.

You mean as in the D4 has overcharge protection and the Xtar doesn't?

 

[WattWick]

On the i4, bays 1 and 3 share charge current. Same for bays 2 and 4. If you, i.e, put a battery in (just) bay 1 and 2, they will charge faster than if you put them in bays 1 and 3. If you charge only one battery, it doesn't matter where you put it. It will get maximum output current anyway.

I may be mistaken, but if I recall correctly it is advised to charge certain batteries in the linked bays as to not push them too hard. At least I do this for any AA / AAA batteries.

Not quite sure how the D4 handles things.

 

[beckdg]

Yes i remembered my friend told me about this as well for nitecores..he suggested to me an xtar because of this.

I thought this limitation has gone..

seems like it's still there...

Specifications
Input: AC 100-240V 50/60Hz 0.35A(MAX), DC 12V 1A
Output voltage: 4.2V ±1% / 3.7V ±1% / 1.48V ±1%
Output current: 375mA x 4 / 750mA x 2
Compatible with:
Li-ion / IMR / LiFePO4: 26650, 22650, 18650, 17670, 18490, 17500, 18350, 16340 (RCR123), 14500, 10440
Ni-MH / Ni-Cd: AA, AAA, AAAA, C
Dimensions: 143mm× 99mm×36mm
Weight: 239g (without batteries and power cord)

source; http://www.nitecore.com/productDetail.aspx?id=114 (click on specifications tab)

I'll try not to sound stupid here, but to be honest I'm a bit lost when it comes to the realm of chargers and their features. Never really did much reading about them in my year of vaping until now...

it's all good. as long as you choose one of the better chargers, it gets the job done. though some are truly better than others. right now, i believe (in order) the best chargers on the market are the VP2, the VP1 and the efest LUC 4-bay. i could be mistaken, but that's how i interpret the available information and testing.

What exactly does this mean and why does it matter? If I put 2 batteries on the charger (in the first two slots, IE), then it will pump .75A through both to charge them? Why is this a weakness?

1) other chargers will charge @ 1 or 2 amps on each bay.
2) if you fill bays 1 and 3 or 2 and 4 (as suggested by nitecore) your charging current halves. this results in the CC (constant current) phase of the lithium cell charging algorithm taking twice as long to complete.

probably takes a hair longer on the CV (constant voltage) phase also since most lithium chargers adjust their termination current in the CV phase in accordance with the charge current setting for the CC phase. though, this is mere speculation on my part. i'm just rambling.

And if I charge only one batt, the first and third slots charge differently than the second and fourth?

no. even pairs and odd pairs react the same, 0.375A. it's when you're only charging one cell or one in an odd bay and one in an even bay that you get 0.75A.

And what does the d4 do?

.75 amps on any bay that isn't paired. .375 amps on any paired bay. period. there's no soft start, no ramping, no way to choose current other than add another battery to lower it.

You mean as in the D4 has overcharge protection and the Xtar doesn't?

no. meaning that if you're available yet preoccupied you can fill 4 bays (because it has 4 bays) and 4 batteries will charge. with a 2 bay charger, to charge 4 cells you have to load it, empty it and load it again. the Xtar has all the safety features of the other chargers and more.

On the i4, bays 1 and 3 share charge current. Same for bays 2 and 4. If you, i.e, put a battery in (just) bay 1 and 2, they will charge faster than if you put them in bays 1 and 3. If you charge only one battery, it doesn't matter where you put it. It will get maximum output current anyway.

exactly

I may be mistaken, but if I recall correctly it is advised to charge certain batteries in the linked bays as to not push them too hard. At least I do this for any AA / AAA batteries.

meh... the charger's cheap enough and todays' nimh cells can all pretty much take a 1 amp charge without so much as a hiccup. i split the bays to get max current as often as i can. i figure if it was truly an intelligent charger and there was a necessity to limit the charge current, it would throw an error code if you simply filled an even and an odd bay.

Not quite sure how the D4 handles things.

looking up the specs, it seems exactly as the i4. time will tell.

 

[vNistelrooy]

beckdg, thanks a lot. That basically answers my question. Looks like sticking with xp4 for now..


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[beckdg]

More than welcome. Good choice.