Li-ion 18650 cylindrical battery charger Xtar VC2

Xtar is a renowned manufacturer of high-quality chargers for Li-ion batteries, flashlights, and Li-ion batteries. Xtar products are sold in over 120 countries, including the USA, Germany, Japan, and Russia. For the production of Xtar chargers, the highest quality materials are used - from the casing material to efficient electronics. All Xtar chargers have the CE certification required in European markets.

VC2 is a professional microprocessor charger with a three-stage charging process TC/CC/CV and an LCD display. It charges 1-2 Li-ion cells 3.6 / 3.7V of any capacity in sizes 10440, 14500, 14650, 16340, 17500, 17670, 18350, 18500, 18650, 18700, 20700, 21700 - only unprotected, 22650, 25500, 26650.

The backlit LCD display of the Xtar VC2 charger continuously shows information about the charger’s operating status: the voltage of the charged batteries, the charging current, the charge used to charge the cells, indicates any errors, and informs about the completion of charging. The information about the used charge can be used to measure the capacity of the batteries. To measure the capacity of a battery, it should be discharged to its appropriate cut-off voltage level (usually 2.5V) and placed in the VC2 charger. After charging is complete, the display can show the value of the charge used to charge the battery. This will always be a value 3-5% higher than the actual capacity of the battery. This is due to the fact that the battery charging process is never 100% efficient, meaning that a slightly larger charge is needed to charge the battery than what results from the actual capacity of the cell.

What is the TC/CC/CV charging method? It is a three-stage charging process for Li-ion cells that ensures the cell is kept in good condition by charging with the appropriate current at each stage and completing the charging process at the right moment.
The individual stages of the TC/CC/CV process are:

• TC Phase: cells discharged below 2.9V are 'woken up' with a lower current.
• CC Phase: after reaching 2.9V, the cell is charged with a constant current of 0.05A to 0.5A (depending on the power source used).
• CV Phase: when the cell is almost fully charged, the charger switches to charging with a decreasing current until the voltage of 4.2V is reached on the cell. After reaching 4.2V, the charging process is complete - the battery is fully charged.

Charged batteries left in the charger will undergo a natural self-discharge process. Charging will resume when the voltage on the battery drops below 3.9V.

The Xtar VC2 charger has a function for reactivating deeply discharged cells and cells with a voltage of 0V. Many chargers on the market are unable to charge such batteries. Here, the Xtar VC2 charger comes to the rescue, which in many cases allows for the 'rescue' of such cells. Simply place the deeply discharged battery into the VC2 charger, just like with normal charging - the charger will detect the discharged cell and attempt to reactivate it. Note! Cells discharged below a certain level can suffer irreversible damage, and their reactivation may be impossible. It is advisable to avoid overly deep discharging of Li-ion batteries - this can lead to a significant reduction in their lifespan and capacity or render them completely inoperable.

Included with the Xtar VC2 charger is a micro USB cable. The power adapter is not included in the set. To power the charger, any charger with a micro USB cable, e.g., from a phone, or a USB socket or a computer with a free USB port will suffice. The recommended power of the charger is 2A (2000mA).