XTAR L4 Pro Smart Battery Charger And XTAR AA Ni-MH 2600 mAh REVIEW
The XTAR L4 Pro Smart Battery Charger and 4 rechargeable 2600 mAh Ni-MH batteries were provided unsolicited by the company for my review — and I thank them for that. You find their products at xtardirect.com.
Independent tests of the XTAR L4 Pro charger and four XTAR AA Ni-MH 2600 mAh cells were conducted. The batteries overperformed, holding an average charge of 2682 mAh, which is 103% of their nominal (=rated) capacity. The XTAR L4 Pro charger was tested using IKEA Ladda 2450 mAh Ni-MH AA cells, which yielded essentially the same results as my IKEA Stenkol reference charger.
Table of Contents
Introduction
I recently analyzed a smart charger with rechargeable AA cells, which turned out to be a disaster for the providing company. The charger didn’t fully charge my Ni-MH batteries, and the 2800 mAh rated batteries could only hold a charge of 2000-2100 mAh. To add insult to injury, the low-discharge batteries discharged completely after a short time.
XTAR marketers must have read my article and contacted me to test their L4 Pro smart charger and 4 of their 2600 mAh Ni-MH AA batteries.
I have been interested in rechargeable batteries since I purchased my first Mac notebook computer (“iBook”) in 2001. It has always been inconsequential to me to load landfills up with disposible batteries: so much metal and so many environmentally questionable chemicals in the ground after such a short usage time. Hence it is not surprising that I have accumulated a few good-quality battery chargers in the last 20+ years.
I have the tools for charging, breaking in, and analyzing AAAs, AAs, C-cells, D-cells, and 9V blocks. Analyzing, in this context means I can charge, discharge, cycle, and break in Ni-MH batteries. In the following I report my tests of both the XTAR charger and XTAR Ni-MH batteries:
- First the battery capacity test: I broke the batteries in and measured their actual capacity using the Maha Powerex MH-C9000 charger/analyzer.
- Second, I tested the L4 Pro’s charging ability by charging four IKEA Ladda AA-cells with the XTAR L4 Pro and IKEA Stenkol (my reference) chargers and discharged them with the Maha Powerex MH-C9000 at a rate of 500 mA (the industry standard). This showed how much charge these chargers can squeeze into the batteries.
- I did not test the self-discharge, as this would involve a time-frame far exceeding my publication deadline.
| Specifications XTAR 2600 mAh Ni-MH Batteries | |
|---|---|
| Nominal Capacity | 2600mAh |
| Nominal Voltage | 1.2V |
| Quick Discharge Current | 1.3A |
| Operating Temperature | -20 ~ 55℃ |
| Cycle Life | 500＋ |
| Dimensions [mm] | Φ14.5±0.7 x H50.5±1.5 |
| Net Weight [g] | 30 |
| Tested at | $12.90 USD |
| Purchase Link | xtardirectcom |
XTAR Battery Forming and Capacity Testing
The XTAR AA cells [product page] are ultra-low self-discharge, laid out for 500 charges. It is claimed that they preserve 85% of their charge after one year. They are rated at 2600 mAh by the company, the question is whether this is their actual capacity.
New batteries become somewhat chemically de-activated and need a break in. Battery forming is a charge-discharge cycle which forces a full charge into the battery at a very slow rate, needed for activation. This needs to be repeated two or three times.
Using the MH-C9000, I applied a 16h charge cycle at 0.1 times of the battery’s 2600 mAh nominal capacity (260 mA), let it rest for 1 hour, and then discharged at 0.2 times (520 mA), rest again, then charged again for 16 h. This break-in process took about 40 hours. The results are reported in the table below.
In a nutshell, the batteries performed better than their 2600 mAh nominal capacity, averaging 82 additional mAh, which translated to 103% of their nominal capacity.
| XTAR AA NiMH 2600 mAh | Cell 1 | Cell 2 | Cell 1] | Cell 1 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measured Capacity [mAh] | 2700 | 2699 | 2673 | 2654 | 2682 |
| Percentage of Rated Capacity [%] | 104 | 104 | 103 | 102 | 103 |
The XTAR L4 Pro Smart Charger – Features and Testing
The XTAR L4 Pro is a very compact 4-slot charger that lets the user cycle through three modes: Charge-Discharge-Refresh. When adding batteries, the default is charging. The Discharge mode constitutes one discharge-charge cycle. This serves to maximize the charge capacity and to extend battery life. In the Refresh mode, the charger runs up to four discharge-charge cycles, depending on the state of the battery. This aims to revitalize old batteries.
Although not explicitly stated in the manual, all four battery slots run independently. No need to add four batteries simultaneously for the charger to work. Charging speed is 500 mA, it therefore takes a bit over 5 hours to charge the 2600 mAh XTAR batteries.
| Specifications XTAR L4 Pro | |
|---|---|
| Input | 1 |
| Compatible Batteries | 1.5 V Li-ion / 1.2 V NiMH (AAA/AA) |
| Constant Charging Current | 0.5 A * 1 / 0.5 A * 4 |
| Charging Cutoff Voltage | NA / 1.45 ± 01 V |
| Charging Cutoff Current | ≦ 100 mA / N/A |
| Operating Temperature | 0 – 40°C |
| Tested at | $15.90 USD |
| Purchase Link | xtardirect.com |
In order to determine the charging capability of the XTAR LP4 Pro, I charged four 2450 mAh rated IKEA Ladda cells, discharged them with the Maha MH-C9000, then repeated this workflow using my IKEA Stankol reference charger.
Both chargers yielded essentially the same results (within error).
| IKEA Ladda 2450 mAh | Cell 1 | Cell 2 | Cell 3 | Cell 4 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measured Capacity with XTAR LP4 Pro Charger [mAh] | 2399 | 2461 | 2473 | 2424 | 2424 |
| Measured Capacity with IKEA Stenkol Charger [mAh] | 2414 | 2463 | 2462 | 2431 | 2443 |
Concluding Remarks
My analyses of the XTAR LP4 Pro charger and the XTAR 2600 mAh Ni-MH batteries indicate that both perform perfectly well and as claimed by the company. Well done!
As we speak, the XTAR batteries are living in my computer keyboard and mouse, simply because they hold the largest charge of all cells I own.
Until next time…keep on listening!
