First...I race Mini Z and Kyosho F1 cars. I use alot of AAA NiMh batteries. I have 3 different chargers I use regularly...a LaC***** Bc700...a Tene***TN160 and a no name 4 bay charger.
I got the opportunity to test and review a new charger, so I jumped at it.
It's a 4 bay charger that does NOT have a large cumbersome wall wart. It uses a short ac plug that is removable...very nice. Upon unpacking, I was pleasantly surprised at how neat it was packed..simple. I decided to try it as if I didn't read the manual. I simply grabbed 4 used batteries and popped them in...I did NOT touch anything...I just let it take over. The first thing I noticed was....AAA batteries don't fit very well....it would seem this was designed more for larger batteries...AA sized and larger. The company includes a small cradle to support only 2 AAA batteries at a time ..??? The cradle works very well, but for racers, this is a problem.
I emailed the man who sent me the test unit. I was told that they can start including 2 of the cradles with future units..Nice!
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the charger took over and began charging without any input from me. The unit never got hot...barely warm at all. When it had finished charging, I pulled the batteries out and let them rest for about an hour. I then did a simple voltage test with a voltmeter...I got 1.47 volts....impressive.
This new charger can handle NiCd, NiMh and LiPo cells...all without having to touch any buttons...very cool.
Now...this impressed me for a newbie starting out...but....this unit has a number of other features as well. As you become more familiar with the unit, you can adjust charge voltage settings, and charge current settings. It can even check the internal resistance of batteries...HOWEVER...at this time, it can only do that on the 4 charging slot. It can also check battery capacity, but again...only one battery at a time...in the 4th charging slot.
As I said, this was an new unit for the company and they are looking for constructive criticism and ideas. I have been reading other reviews as well and have learned that they are discussing adding a small cooling fan, including a 2nd battery cradle for AAAs and increasing charging current options.
Overall, I am very impressed with this unit. It feels more solid than my other 2 ...4 slot chargers...it sits truly flat on a table...both my other chargers seem warped and wobble when pressing function buttons.
Now..the best part....I emailed them asking what these units will be selling for in the US...they told me the unit should be about $30 !!! For that money, this charger should be a very big hit.
I have now been using these chargers for awhile...I wanted to update AFTER real world usage. After I started using these chargers, I began to notice that I was losing a bit of time every night...every race. My laptimes were falling every week since using these exclusively. A week ago, I put them away and went back to my old charging routine....ie: discharge with separate discharger...wait a day, then use my Ternegy 12 bay charger. Last night my laptimes improved..DRAMATICALLY!
The MiBoxer chargers shut off when the batteries are fully charged. The Tenergy charger charges at 250ma, then shifts to trickle at .025ma. I start charging the night before a race and just leave the batteries in the charger for approximately 18 hours. I ran 3 sets of Duracell 1000mah batteries last night and with each set I ran faster than I have for any night in the last month.
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