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skyrc mc3000?

susieqz

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anyone using this?
i've seen some reviews but i'd like to hear from a normal human
/
ever since mooch said that you could triple battery life by only charging to 4.0 or 4.1
i've been looking for a charger that i could set to do that.
this seems the only one on the market that will do that.

it's pricey n looks hard to use tho.

so, if anyone has tried this i'd like to hear about it, please.
 

gsmit1

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I've never touched one, but I was looking at them a good while back.

THIS guy KNOWS what he is talkin about. That may be one of the reviews you've read.

That would be my dream charger, but I just cannot afford it. Can't justify the cost to myself.

And yes, you are right. It is VERY technical and requires a PC interface and programming to get it to do nonstandard operations. It can also be manually calibrated.

In short, it is not super easy if you do anything beyond what many other chargers will do, although it does do those better too. At a higher level of precision.

It's also a chunk north of a hundred bucks at the best price I could find.
 

susieqz

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amazon has it for $89.
if you triple battery life you knock something off that.

but, if it's too hard to use, i won't use it much.

the xstar dragon is $2 cheaper but easier to use,
probably better for testing batteries but i'd only check batteries yearly, if that.

i realy just wanna charge to less than full.
 

5150sick

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The Opus BT-C3100 v2.2 can charge to 3.7 volts but you have to take it apart and flip a switch.

it's only about 1/3 of the price though.


Edit: skip to around 1:30 to see the switch.
 

Carambrda

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It takes less effort to just buy new batteries more frequently. By not charging the batteries fully, you sacrifice on vaping time so you need to change out the batteries more often and charge them more often. Putting batteries in the mod and pulling them out again, as well as putting batteries on the charger and taking them off again, all causes wear and tear on the mod, on the charger, and also on the contacts of the batteries... IMO the cons of getting such an expensive charger outweigh the pros, and, because Mooch recommends to stay, for the duration of the charging, in reach of the charger and awake (for your own safety), you could also decide to simply just take the batteries off of the charger before they're fully charged. That said, despite that lygte-info.dk gave it a rating of just "good", I prefer the Nitecore UMS4 over all the other 4 bay chargers for a number of technical/design decisions in addition to the acceptable price tag. (As for "the guy" who does these "testings", his temperature measurements are solid proof that he really does not know what he is talking about, as the reality is that the UMS4 charger barely even gets lukewarm.)
 

susieqz

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since batteries are my hobby, i need little reason to mess with them.
extending life would be fun.
@5150sick, flipping a switch would be great, but how much capacity do you lose?
is there a formula?
 

gsmit1

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The Opus BT-C3100 v2.2 can charge to 3.7 volts but you have to take it apart and flip a switch.

it's only about 1/3 of the price though.


Edit: skip to around 1:30 to see the switch.
I have an Opus actually. Unbelievably great for it's price point. The switch brings the termination point down to 3.7 as you say. That's not a usable starting voltage though it's great for storage as I'm sure you know. She's looking for a slight undercharge each cycle which the Opus does by default. It won't charge right up to 4.2, but more like 4.16-8. Unless you open one of the hard jumpers on the PCB which governs that function. Which I did because I wanted a full 4.2.

@susieqz would love this charger/analyzer. Pretty easy to use too.
 

susieqz

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i dopn't know what hard jumpers are, but can you use them to get that charge down to 4.1?
that wouldn't even cost me run time.
right now i only use them down to 50%, which is probably around 3.7 but i could drain them lower if i charged less.
if i triple the life of my batteries, i have a lifetime supply.

besides, i;d be so smug if i got batteries that last longer than you guys.
 

Carambrda

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Unbelievably great for it's price point.
I disagree. For starters, the Nitecore UMS4 can bring the termination point down to 3.7 also, and, in addition, it can do so without the need to jump through burning hoops... in fact I could give you several more reasons why the UMS4 is simply a better choice for those looking to a buy a new charger right now.
 

Carambrda

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, but how much capacity do you lose?
You lose more than half of it, which is why this is just a terrible idea excepting only maybe your hobby also includes having terrible ideas about batteries.
 

gsmit1

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I disagree. For starters, the Nitecore UMS4 can bring the termination point down to 3.7 also, and, in addition, it can do so without the need to jump through burning hoops... in fact I could give you several more reasons why the UMS4 is simply a better choice for those looking to a buy a new charger right now.
I can't comment intelligently on the Nitecore UM4 because I've never used it. Maybe it's better. I don't know.

I do know that the Opus has been great for me. It allows the independent selection by slot of charging currents at 200, 300, 500, 700, 1000, 1500 and 2000.

It has a capacity test that is also current adjustable.

It displays realtime charging current, time on the charger, returned usable capacity and voltage.

The internal resistance test, while not surgically accurate, is accurate enough for my purposes. It will tell me about large changes in a battery and large disparity between batteries in pairs.

The termination switch is not too many hoops away. 4 screws and there it is. They did it that way to prevent people from accidentally selecting 4.35 volts for cells which are not capable of that voltage. The three position slider switch gives 3.7, 4.2 and 4.35. If it's something somebody uses regularly, it's a five minute operation to make an opening to make it permanently accessible without removing the back cover. I've never changed it. I just use the discharge function which it also has and is also adjustable by current, to discharge harvested 18650's for flashlights down to storage voltage.

Outta the box it undercharges a hair to conserve battery life like Susie is talking about.

None of this is to say it's better than your favorite charger, I'm just saying what makes it very useful to me and authentics can be had on Ebay for 30 bucks. That's where I got mine over a year ago.
 

gsmit1

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i don't know what hard jumpers are,
What I was talking about isn't technically a jumper, but it functions the same way. There's a (very small) bridge on the pcb which when closed restricts the termination voltage to a hair under 4.2 when that voltage is selected with the switch. Either de-soldering or in some other way opening that bridge, removes that restriction and allows the charger to bring the batteries all the way up to 4.2.

Everybody likes to be considered brilliant, but I did not figure this out. Somebody else did. I just followed his lead. I charge for mechs alot. I want all the voltage I can safely get. Does it make much difference? Nah, but I love fiddling with stuff anyway :)
but can you use them to get that charge down to 4.1?
that wouldn't even cost me run time.
No, see above. The Opus charges to like 4.16 to 4.18 by default.
triple the life of my batteries,
Where has Mooch said you can do this? Maybe if living at one extreme or the other ALL the time. Meaning maybe from the very most stressful to the very least use of the batteries there might be something like that, but I don't remember Mooch saying somebody could triple the longevity of their batteries easily by minor adjustments in normal usage and maintenance. Of course I could have missed it too.
...i have a lifetime supply.
Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it.
besides, i;d be so smug if i got batteries that last longer than you guys.
A goal I would encourage you to abandon forthwith. :D
 

susieqz

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Member For 1 Year
mooch said that on episode 6,
but today he told me he doesn't remember that.. today he's saying ''greatly extended''.
i guess he exagerated.
in any event., i need a charger that gives me some info, now that i can use it.
my nitecore tells me nothing.
 
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susieqz

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5 months ago, my $20 charger seemed fine. it told me
when it was charging n when it was done.
but you got me involved in ohms law n stuff.
now i gotta know everything.
i think it would be interesting to track internal resistance, over time.
this is just a whim.
mooch said that capacity goes first n i need no machine to tell me when
that drops off.
 

gsmit1

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It might be a good idea to write down a list of the things that are important to you and find some thing that does those things reasonably well within the price range you're willing to spend.

I recommend the Opus because it's been good to me and does the things I care about well enough for the price I paid. That's doesn't mean I think it's the only good one out there.
 

susieqz

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when i write down a list of what i want, i just give up
after the first 2 entries, because such a machine does not exist.
see:
1 i wanna be able to set not just speed, but also total charge.
that sounds like the mc3000, but
2 i want a machine that i can understand n use easily.

no such animal.
 

gsmit1

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i wanna be able to set not just speed, but also total charge.
I think I saw that the UM4 does both of those, but how low do you want to be able to set it? Also the Opus undercharges by a couple few hundredths too like I say.
 

susieqz

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4.1 in a pinch, but what i really want is 4.0.
i didn't see that the um4 could do that.

i don't know what a multimeter is, but it translates as measure lots.
 

Rooster Cogburn

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I like all this charger talk and since you probably won’t find a charger with everything you want I’ll suggest my favorite. The Miboxer C4-12 would make an excellent charger for you. The best thing about it (to me) is the bays are roomy making insertion and removal of the cells a breeze, even with 21700’s. It can charge 4 bays at 3 amps, which will reduce the life of your batteries, the exact opposite feature you were looking for but it comes in handy if you’re in a hurry. Of course you can charge at a variety of lesser rates as well. It cycles through internal resistance, temperature, and mah on the screen while charging and also gives you a charge time when it’s finished. It’s really a great charger and it’s around the $30 range.
The Opus charger is an excellent choice also if you want an analyzing charger along with its other features. Anyway I thought I’d just muddy the waters and make sure you know of another great charger option albeit without the features you want. Good luck and happy hunting, I hope you enjoy whatever charger you end up with.
 

susieqz

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those are both great chargers.
they offer some testing, which is nice.
i'll probably get something like those if i can't get one that will charge like i want.
i'll be disappointed tho, if i can't limit the charge.
i just wanna ch arge at half an amp, up to 4.0.




looks like no one else wants to do that or that feature would be offered.
i guess everyone wants super fast charging to max capacity.
have enow batteries so i'm in no hurry n need just a little capacity.

what are you testing with the multimeter?
looks like charge?
 

susieqz

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Member For 1 Year
mooch has the skyrc scheduled for his second round of charger testing.
i'm real interested in what he has to say.

you know, for sheer fun testing, the xstar dragon has to be the best.
i'd love one but not for $88.
 

gsmit1

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The multimeter is reading the voltage from a 20S.

Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you may be putting too many eggs in the undercharging basket.
 

Carambrda

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charging to 4'0 is a smart idea.
That depends. Like I tried to point out previously, more frequently changing out the batteries in the mod causes additional wear and tear on the mod, specifically, the battery door and battery contacts thereof, and, depending on the design, possibly the whole battery compartment as well. The same also applies to the terminals of the batteries themselves. In addition, by more frequently charging the batteries, batteries will be put on and taken off of the charger more frequently, thereby causing additional wear and tear on the charger. For most vapers stopping the charging at 4.0 volts is nowhere nearly worth the extra hassle anyway in the first place. When you decide to buy a new charger, choosing one that will stop the charging a few tens of milli-volts below 4.2 volts generally is a MUCH smarter idea. On top of that, going for one that at the same time also keeps the battery temperature down low enough is factual wisdom.
the charger would pay for itself.
Batteries are dirt cheap. Like I tried to point out previously, I could give you several more reasons why the UMS4 is simply a better choice for those looking to a buy a new charger right now... the low temperature being only one example. Another example would be the fact that the power signal that gets sent to the batteries during battery charging is both more user adjustable and less spiky when compared to the Opus. Yet another would be that the cooling fan of the Opus would drive most people inanimately insane. I could go on like this. But I really hate to ruin your fun hobby. :D
 

Carambrda

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I do know that the Opus has been great for me.
That's just because you've never held a better charger in your hands. The length of the slots alone was reason enough for me to buy the UMS4... when coming from a charger the slot length of which is similar to that of the Opus, taking a 2x700 battery off of the UMS4 feels like you just walked into the 21st century. The UMS4 also lets you adjust BOTH the charging speed AND the termination voltage, both separately for each slot and lets you do so within 5 seconds via the push buttons instead of taking a classical old MacGyver approach... lol it also displays way more than enough info BTW... including time charging, amps, volts, and how many mAhs have gone into each battery, etc. etc..
to prevent people from accidentally selecting
One of my biggest hobbies is to never accidentally select stuff.... my batteries love me for this fact. :p

Finally, I should add that he DC internal resistance measurement of neither the Opus nor the Nitecore nor any other cheap/affordable charger is anywhere close to being accurate enough to detect any kind of changes that may occur in any battery whatsoever. That is, according to Mooch.
 

Carambrda

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i guess everyone wants super fast charging to max capacity.
Not me. I am a pragmatist so I want (read: already have) a near-optimum tradeoff between charging speed, cycle life, vaping time, convenience, compatibility, and cost plus durability plus safety.
 

susieqz

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you guys don't get the point.
charging to 4.0 would be fun.
i'm doing this for fun, not to save money.
i could care less about wear n tear on mods.
my mods are basically throw aways'
[$25 for mod n tank.]
right now, i recharge when batteries drop to 50 %. so i'll be dealing with the same run time if i let them go to 40%.
plus, you miss the economic value..
if the machine lasts a long time, it pays for itself.
i have 18 batteries, at $5= $90..

if i double battery life, i save $90. n the 3000 costs $91
i won't even mention how i prove the innate superiority of females.

um, i don't understand the ''too many eggs in the undercharging basket.''
please explain.
 

Rooster Cogburn

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That's just because you've never held a better charger in your hands. The length of the slots alone was reason enough for me to buy the UMS4... when coming from a charger the slot length of which is similar to that of the Opus, taking a 2x700 battery off of the UMS4 feels like you just walked into the 21st century. The UMS4 also lets you adjust BOTH the charging speed AND the termination voltage, both separately for each slot and lets you do so within 5 seconds via the push buttons instead of taking a classical old MacGyver approach... lol it also displays way more than enough info BTW... including time charging, amps, volts, and how many mAhs have gone into each battery, etc. etc..

One of my biggest hobbies is to never accidentally select stuff.... my batteries love me for this fact. :p

Finally, I should add that he DC internal resistance measurement of neither the Opus nor the Nitecore nor any other cheap/affordable charger is anywhere close to being accurate enough to detect any kind of changes that may occur in any battery whatsoever. That is, according to Mooch.
Nitecore is kinda the Smok of the Charger world. They throw a ton of crap at the wall, try to make them fancy looking for the “ooo that’s shiny crowd”, and see what sticks aka what the masses will buy. They aren’t really known for making a quality product, they are more about quantity. If you want a roomy charger that keeps the cells cool the Miboxer C4-12 checks both boxes. It’s got the biggest slots of any of these chargers and when I let it pick a charge rate based on internal resistance and temperature it can charge my 18650’s from 3.3 to 4.2 in about an hour never exceeding mid 40’s. I’m not sure how it stays so cool but I’m almost convinced it’s magic.
Oh and Susieqz I get wanting your charger to under-charge your cells. Sometimes you just want what you want. I don’t get folks who try to talk people out of something just because they don’t want it. I see it often and don’t understand the motivation. Anyway having said that undercharged cells don’t last that much longer. Batteries are cheap, so just buy more. Think of you battery doors. How are they gonna feel constantly being opened and batteries removed? Not to mention your mod having cells shoved inside them which aren’t holding as many volts as they are capable of. Just thought I’d let you know you are doing it wrong. If you don’t do it like me, guess what.....it’s wrong. Ok gotta go tell some others what they are doing wrong but I’ll be close by just in case anyone misunderstands anything.
 
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gsmit1

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um, i don't understand the ''too many eggs in the undercharging basket.''
please explain.
Well, there was somebody here using your account who started this thread by saying:
ever since mooch said that you could triple battery life by only charging to 4.0 or 4.1
i've been looking for a charger that i could set to do that.
That person's then continued references to undercharging and "lifetime supply" n stuff like that, led someone using my account to believe that the extraordinary extension of the life of your batteries was a goal :rolleyes:
 

Carambrda

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you guys don't get the point.
I thought I made it frabjously clear the fact I did get your point... when I made the suggestion that maybe your hobby also includes having terrible ideas about batteries. :p
 

susieqz

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car, i'll trust mooch before before someone like you who buys rewraps.
i do what i want.

you guys have convinced me. you all think it's a bad idea, so i just ordered my skyrc mc3000.
 

Carambrda

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car, i'll trust mooch before before someone like you who buys rewraps.
i do what i want.

you guys have convinced me. you all think it's a bad idea, so i just ordered my skyrc mc3000.
You are just very confused. All the rewraps that I ever bought were rewraps that were tested by Mooch and were sold by a trusted vendor around the time when Mooch tested these cells... you are now criticizing me by pointing arrows at the same trusted vendors that are trusted by none other than Mooch himself, and, a rewrapped genuine Samsung 30T is still a genuine Samsung 30T no matter how hard you want to continue believing in old fantasy tales about rewraps. When I told you in another thread that availability is why people buy rewraps, it was because that is exactly how Mooch himself also has explained it so if what you say is true and you really want to trust Mooch more, maybe you should try reading more what Mooch writes instead of resorting to these kinds of useless pointscoring remarks to try and win a debate. Good luck.
 

Rooster Cogburn

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Rewraps are bad idea because they usually cost more than the originals. Also trusting a rewrap is genuine because you got it around the same time Mooch tested his to be genuine is seriously flawed thinking. I’m sure most rewraps are probably decent cells but the fact you can never be sure what cell you are getting and on top of that you are paying a premium for this uncertainty makes them a poor choice. Good luck with your new charger @susieqz, I’ll be interested in hearing what you think of it.
 

Carambrda

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Rewraps are bad idea because they usually cost more than the originals. Also trusting a rewrap is genuine because you got it around the same time Mooch tested his to be genuine is seriously flawed thinking. I’m sure most rewraps are probably decent cells but the fact you can never be sure what cell you are getting and on top of that you are paying a premium for this uncertainty makes them a poor choice. Good luck with your new charger @susieqz, I’ll be interested in hearing what you think of it.
Rewraps are USUALLY a bad idea because they usually cost more. But each time when the OEM version is available to me, that's when I don't buy the rewrapped version so your argument is still moot. Further, I never said I trust a rewrap is genuine because I got it around the same time Mooch tested his to be genuine so not sure what you must be getting at here, and, just in case you didn't already know, Mooch said avoiding rewraps to avoid fakes is seriously flawed thinking so your argument about genuine vs fake is equally as moot, as each time when you buy an OEM cell you can never be sure what cell you are getting either, albeit it is a good starting point... just that if you can't buy the OEM cell simply because it's unavailable, then logically there can be no starting point in this regard. That is where the rewraps come in, which is exactly what Mooch also said. Yes it is true the rewrap companies can change the cell under the wrap at any time and without warning. That also is why, if wanting to decide on going for rewraps, buying from a trusted vendor whilst at the same time also communicating with this same trusted vendor about the subject of what cell you are getting can be yet another reasonably good starting point. That plus the fact no-one is preventing you from doing your own additional research on this same subject of what cell you are getting. The bottom line is that the more you try to discredit me in this manner, the more you are making it clear the fact you are just a fool who wants to talk about Mooch for the mere purpose of useless pointscoring instead of having been spending the time to actually listen carefully to what the guy says. Have a nice day.
 

susieqz

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i started this thread to get some ideas aboout a charger.
car, you have used it as a platform to belittle my ideas because they disagree with your half baked theories.
now, you attach rooster by misinterpreting what mooch said.
yeah, i know EXACTLY what he said.
please stop being so unpleasant.
 

Rooster Cogburn

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Wow, try to help the guy out because he’s obviously confused and it goes in one ear and out the other. Seems to be a petty little guy just looking for conflict. No need to reply cara, you seem to have all the answers and no one is asking questions so I’m sure your knowledge will be more helpful elsewhere.
 

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