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Electronics enthusiast who ended up losing his eBay account. (Lost access to the associated e-mail address.) Sigh. Keep your contacts up to date people!
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- tvtech_parts (7521)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseThank you for an easy, pleasant transaction. Excellent buyer. A++++++.
- dans-electronics-etc-inc (26403)- Feedback left by buyer.More than a year agoVerified purchaseGreat communication. A pleasure to do business with.
- magnaroute (4164)- Feedback left by buyer.More than a year agoVerified purchaseSuper customer, fast payment, flawless transaction!
- vintagetek (1323)- Feedback left by buyer.More than a year agoVerified purchaseGood customer, quick payment. Thanks for supporting the vintageTEK Museum!
- ky-tradingcompany (144732)- Feedback left by buyer.More than a year agoVerified purchaseQuick response and fast payment. Perfect! THANKS!!
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Reviews (4)
Feb 16, 2019
Amazing machine.
6 of 6 found this helpful This isn’t your average discount store charger. This particular model has selectable charging, test and refresh modes, where one can also select the current in milliamp-hours (mAh). These can be selected on a per-slot basis, or across all four slots. Discharge runs to 0.9v on NiMH-type cells, and 3.0v on LiIon-type cells. Charge runs to 1.5v on NiMH-type cells, and 4.2v on LiIon-type cells. The charger will auto detect the cell type when the battery is inserted into the spring clip. Those clips handily accommodate a range of sizes.
I’ve been using the NiMH-range “Discharge Refresh” (DR) mode for a couple solid days now, attempting to restore a 4-pack of (potentially-sacrificial) AAA cells. These were Panasonic-branded, with a 750 mAh advertised rating. Initial DR cycle yielded an actual capacity of ~20 mAh (yikes!). Repeating the DR cycle at increasing mA ranges (200-700 mAh) over the span of a couple days eventually restored two batteries to a 600 mAh capacity, and two to 700 mAh capacity (!). Running them down in a test flashlight and measuring the time to discharge seems to verify the charger’s measurements.
I was also able to resuscitate some ~8-year-old 18650 cells from a laptop battery I had lying around. They aren't storing anything like their rated current (rated 2600 mAh, tested 1000 mAh with this charger), but are good enough to repurpose in DIY battery housings.
I only really see two “cons” with this unit. First, the user interface is a bit clunky. It doesn’t always respond on the first button push. And, while it does a good job indicating which slot is selected, it’s not really apparent what options can be changed at a given time. Some options seem locked out while a cycle is in progress.
The second issue is the single folded-page instruction sheet. While it makes a valiant effort for what it is, it does assume a degree of familiarity with battery chargers. Coupled with the clunky interface, this could be bad news for non-technical sorts (or technical sorts who aren’t familiar with battery technology).
I would also note that charging and discharging can take a long time. My AAA cells took days to complete this refresh, for example, and they’re relatively small cells. I expect it will only take longer as the capacity goes up. Even the instruction sheet warns DR can take “tens of hours.” Having said this, I personally consider this a “pro” more than a “con”... one will get better service life out of a trickle-charged battery than a fast-charged one. However, if you do need that fast charging capability, it may be better to look at a different model.
Obviously none of these is a show-stopper for me. If one likes pressing buttons, and can be patient while it works, this is a fantastic value. I intend to get another and migrate back to regular use of my rechargeable cells. Amazing machine.
Dec 10, 2018
Excellent bang for buck
1 of 1 found this helpful Solidly-built, with shockingly reliable software. Handles all manner of ICs, including RAM, (EE)PROM, microcontrollers, etc. So many devices, so little time!!
Do watch out for clones. Auto Electric, the Chinese company that makes these, says the older versions (TL866A and CS) are long out of production and not supported by current software. That means those devices won’t be able to use any ICs introduced in the last several years, assuming the old version of the software runs at all.
If you’re a home hobbyist needing an EEPROM programmer/boot loader burner, this is for you. It’s probably OK for low-volume commercial use as well (Auto Electric certainly thinks so). Buy it, from a reputable seller, at a fair price. As with anything else, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t.
Apr 08, 2018
Must-have for the electronics bench.
Simple design, quality components, and a good brand make this a must-have. This model has a useful range of up to 30 volts at one amp, which is plenty to cover for most wall warts.