I recently got this (http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-GEMINI-2100-ACDC-280W-Dual-Balance-Charger-Discharger-3-6S-for-NiCd-NiMH-Lilo-LiPo-LiFe-PB-p-1039395.html?utm_content=huangguocan&utm_source=rcgroups&utm_m%20edium=rcgs&utm_campaign=SK1701) charger from banggood to review. It is a dual channel charger (80W charge; 5W discharge per channel) that supports all common battery chemistries, accepts AC and DC input and has a nice, portable form factor. Here are the technical specs:
- Dual channel; 80W charging per channel
- 5W Discharge (per channel)
- Supported Battery Chemistries: Lipo, Lilo, LiFe, NiCd, NiMH, Pb
- Input: 100-240V AC / 11-18VDC
- Temperature probes supported (not included)
- Weight: 930g
- Size: 96x138x192mm
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll36/siddharth_kumanduri1/Screen%20Shot%202016-04-10%20at%203.59.06%20PM_zpsgoprat3z.png)
After using it for a bit, I have found the following to be the pros and cons of this charger.
Pros:
- Twice as much power as a standard 4-button charger.
- Very simple interface. Anyone who has used a 4-button charger before will have no trouble with this.
- Nice form factor making this charger compact and portable.
- 2 independent charging circuits letting you simultaneously charge different battery chemistries, cell counts etc.
- AC + DC input for easy charging at home or at the flying field
Cons:
- Mediocre build quality. The sticky buttons seem to be a common issue and the misalignment of the case halves doesn’t make this charger look very good.My charger also came with two internal connectors unplugged.
- The biggest letdown for me – no LiHV support. I’ve been wanting to pick up some LiHV packs for a while now but neither of my chargers support it. A small tweak in the firmware to allow charging up to 4.35V per cell would really make this charger a winner (if the build/ QC issues are sorted).
- No extra adapters included (such as JST or even a servo plug for my Tx pack).
- No internal resistance checker (would have been a nice feature but is not a strict necessity)
I have posted the complete review as well as details of how I repaired the buttons on this charger on my blog (http://www.fluxfpv.com/eachine-gemini-2100-charger-review/). I will also be testing it with the LM35 temperature sensor and will update this post with my results.