18650 and others battery issue (not charging)

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The Opus gets a lot of grief about the little fan. It's easy to lube, and you can change it out for better if you want. I've had one for years, probably overall my best charger, and I have a mess of them. The fan helps cool the charge allowing higher charge and discharge settings than similar chargers, most of which don't have a fan, so are limited to 0.5A discharge.
Even so, when working hard I point a small fan at ANY charger I have. Heat is the enemy of batteries.
There is a small switch inside the Opus allowing various setting that can be quite useful, like for storage of Li-on. I cut a hole in the bottom of mine so I could access it with a small screwdriver.
You can do the same with the charger you have by charging Li-on as LiFe.

For steel round cells I don't bother with a lipo bag. The probability of catastrophic fire with GOOD cells, is extremely low. So, knowing with some reliability that your cells ARE good is one of the main functions of an analyzing charger. The bag would also trap heat, which you do not want. Lipo bags were designed for lipoly cells which you charge externally on a wire lead, not in the charger itself. I do have a smoke alarm close by

The Xtar Dragon is an excellent charger, but expensive. Internal resistance check is superior.
LitoKala Li-500 is a bit more limited but fine. I have a couple. The newer 500S is not quite as good. Unfortunately the internal resistance function is faulty, but otherwise a good charger.
Zanflare C4 is essentially identical to the Li-500 but the internal resistance works better than most. Possibly my 2nd favorite charger. It's harder to get though. Amazon has been out of stock for a long time.
Review - Review of Charger Zanflare C4
https://lygte-info.dk/review/Review%20Charger%20LiitoKala%20Lii-500%20UK.html


(Note - ANY charger testing internal resistance using slide holders is subject to the resistance of the holding circuit and readings that are not completely reliable, but they are way better than nothing.)
 
Thanks, I ordered the opus today and it'll be here tomorrow. Thank you all for the input and helping straighten me out lol



The Opus gets a lot of grief about the little fan. It's easy to lube, and you can change it out for better if you want. I've had one for years, probably overall my best charger, and I have a mess of them. The fan helps cool the charge allowing higher charge and discharge settings than similar chargers, most of which don't have a fan, so are limited to 0.5A discharge.
Even so, when working hard I point a small fat at ANY charger I have. Heat is the enemy of batteries.
There is a small switch inside the Opus allowing various setting that can be quite useful, like for storage of Li-on. I cut a hole in the bottom of mine so I could access it with a small screwdriver.
You can do the same with the charger you have by charging Li-on as LiFe.

For steel round cells I don't bother with a lipo bag. The probability of catastrophic fire with GOOD cells, is extremely low. So, knowing with some reliability that your cells ARE good is one of the main functions of an analyzing charger. The bag would also trap heat, which you do not want. Lipo bags were designed for lipoly cells which you charge externally on a wire lead, not in the charger itself. I do have a smoke alarm close by

The Xtar Dragon is an excellent charger, but expensive. Internal resistance check is superior.
LitoKala Li-500 is a bit more limited but fine. I have a couple. The newer 500S is not quite as good. Unfortunately the internal resistance function is faulty, but otherwise a good charger.
Zanflare C4 is essentially identical to the Li-500 but the internal resistance works better than most. Possibly my 2nd favorite charger. It's harder to get though. Amazon has been out of stock for a long time.
Review - Review of Charger Zanflare C4
https://lygte-info.dk/review/Review%20Charger%20LiitoKala%20Lii-500%20UK.html


(Note - ANY charger testing internal resistance using slide holders is subject to the resistance of the holding circuit and readings that are not completely reliable, but they are way better than nothing.)
 
I can vouch for LiitoKala chargers. Get something that shows numbers for voltage and how many milliamp-hours you've put into a battery. You'll quickly find which batteries are duds.
 
Ok so I got the new opus charger and my three 18650 flashlight batteries are 110, 122, and 187 on the quick test. Are they still ok to use and charge?
 
Ok so I got the new opus charger and my three 18650 flashlight batteries are 110, 122, and 187 on the quick test. Are they still ok to use and charge?

I assume that's milliohms of resistance? The one at 187 is basically done. What was the measured capacity compared to what's on the wrapper?
 
Idk. I just did the quick test when I got the new charger. Is it ok to do the test mode and do I need to fully charge the batteries first? They are all at like 3.8 volts
 
Idk. I just did the quick test when I got the new charger. Is it ok to do the test mode and do I need to fully charge the batteries first? They are all at like 3.8 volts

test mode will fully charge, discharge, then fully charge again on its own. It's going to take a while so put it somewhere where the fan won't bother you over night.
 
Thanks again for the help. I’ll do it tomorrow am since I won’t be around tonight and would rather not do it while I’m asleep. Can I do it on all three batteries at once safely?
 
Thanks again for the help. I’ll do it tomorrow am since I won’t be around tonight and would rather not do it while I’m asleep. Can I do it on all three batteries at once safely?

yes, I do all of mine at the same time. I let mine go while I'm asleep. There are temperature sensors in the Opus to keep it from doing anything weird, but the whole process is probably going to take about 6-7 hours as an FYI
 

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