PowerOwl 8-Bay Smart Battery Charger: An Investigation into its Oddness.

Рет қаралды 16,709

4 жыл бұрын

So, last video I looked at the PowerOwl 2800 mAh batteries and found that they didn't live up to their marketing claims, but did work marginally well as regular Ni-MH batteries (not Low Self Discharge).
This video I take a look at the charger I used to attempt to get better performance out of the batteries. It did not help. Additionally, it has a strange way of charging batteries, which I find will at minimum significantly reduce the life of whatever batteries are charged in it, and perhaps even result in some batteries failing when charged (especially AAA batteries). As I said in the video: I do not recommend this charger.
Still looking for a solid, inexpensive battery charger? Perhaps check out this video with a review of a UGREEN Ni-MH AA/AAA battery charger for about $10:
• Solid, Inexpensive AA ...
Identified Components in Teardown:
1. Dual N-Channel MOSFET (Q5-Q8): 9926A CL660U.1 (media.digikey.com/pdf/Data%20...) [It is not a Fairchild though!; just an example of that part reference]
// Microcontroller drives these MOSFETs to switch on and off individual channels charging.
2. P-Channel Enhancement Mode MOSFET (Q1): NCE9435 1XLL3 (www.ncepower.com/Upload/MOSFET...) [Just an example of this part]
// Microcontroller drives this MOSFET to operate the buck-converter to create the ~1.5 V rail for charging.
3. General Purpose 8-bit Microcontroller: ABOV MC96F64320 (www.abov.co.kr/e_sub02/sub01_...)

Пікірлер: 47

@MrHardPressed 4 жыл бұрын

I bought one from Amazon and it didn't even charge my batteries after leaving them in overnight. 1st time I used it, it didn't work.

@XGARBAGExBO2 Жыл бұрын

Extremely interesting video that addresses something I've been very curious about. I've had this charger for a few years and have noticed a lot of these things but never had the tools to check what was going on. The batteries do get hot and some of my older AmazonBasics high capacity AAs have bits of bubbling under the wrapping/label of the battery which is concerning me and I will be replacing them. My charger seems to even have a tick on and off when it is blasting the batteries with the 2 amps for a moment and then dropping back off. I've used original Amazon AA, the refresh model, and these Powerowl batteries themselves. They definitely do not last as long as they should, all of them are allegedly over 2000mAh but this charger is clearly doing something to them with the inconsistent charging and excessive heat. It's never mattered because I have maybe 20 AA rechargeables so it's simply a quick swap and when I get low pop them back on the charger. I'm probably going to get a handful of Eneloop/Pros and a better quality charger because my experience plus your findings are definitely concerning me. Especially since mishandled and mistreated batteries can basically be little bombs. I appreciate this video a lot and found the entire thing super interesting. Thanks.

@jeffsloane8628 3 жыл бұрын

Proves hypothesis in less than 2 min, continues the experiment for 14 more min. Must be a scientist.

@kennethknowlton9565 8 ай бұрын

The PowerOwl charger has a trickle charge feature. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time this has been used in low priced charger. Some of the weird behavior you are speculating about has to do with how it trickle charges. It does not use the standard trickle charge method used by slow chargers that plug directly into a wall socket. Instead, it uses the fast charger micro USB, with the associated electronics. What is different about it, is that it then continuously tests the battery voltage, and switches the fast charge current on, and cuts the current off, to deliver to the battery no more power than it can handle without being damaged. Hence, it provides a cost-effective fast charger that allows you to leave the battery in the charger, without damaging the battery. Another aspect of this that may seem peculiar, is that a battery can be fully charged green and then, at later time, it will turn red for a while. That is because it is detecting a drop in voltage and topping off the battery.

@DrStich 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for posting this. I was just about to order some PowerOwl batteries and charger. They sounded good on paper and were affordable, but you changed my mind just in time.

@twirlspin7143 2 жыл бұрын

I just got one of these and it came with 4 aa and 4 aaa. After finding your video I am glad I can send it back and find something that is actually a good product!

@shadowpapito 8 ай бұрын

Thank you great video. I have this unit and I will look up and see if I should charge the PowerOwl AAA 1000Mah in my Panasonic BQ-CC17

@tomcat3266 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tear down. I am wondering if this charger will reduce the charging power as the battery is being charged up. Thanks again.

@joesimpson9998 3 жыл бұрын

I was looking for an online Manuel for this and found your video thanks for the investigation on this im gonna use a different charger from now on since this one seems unhealthy for the battery life

@RobertJory10 4 жыл бұрын

It's pulse charging which does happen on others. A cheap way of charging keeps the heat down.

@vBDKv 2 жыл бұрын

Not to mention, it's much easier for the charger to detect delta v when pulsing at high currents.

@AndrewBell 2 жыл бұрын

Great video! What's the best 8 battery charger in your opinion?

@swingstylez 3 ай бұрын

Great review, thanks! I thought this would solve the problem I have to recharge single batteries. Some of my devices require 3 batteries but my "Energizer" charger only charges in pairs...

@minga5930 4 жыл бұрын

Are they good enough for a Nintendo switch controller?

@rke1987 2 жыл бұрын

It's applying 2 amps to each battery in sequential pattern. It goes down the line and does each one after the other till it gets back around.

@delorneyaugustin6325 Жыл бұрын

thats how it works i see

@furkatsadykov1219 2 жыл бұрын

Hello, What charger would you suggest as reliable, fast, and good quality for AA? Thank you.

@theprophetez1357 3 жыл бұрын

I got an inexpensive two bank charger that works great so far. It charges pretty quickly, and works with different types and sizes of batteries, and what is great is that I can also plug in two solar chargers to power it. It is a BTY V202 Smart Universal Battery Charger. It states designed to be portable, flexible, and charges multiple types of batteries. It even charges 9Volt batteries.

@obliviousmode575 8 ай бұрын

Are these batteries able to charge in other types of chargers? Would they not charge properly in another type of charger?

@chrissinclair8705 2 жыл бұрын

I have a new EBL individual battery 4 cell charger and it does it properly at 250Ma per channel from my portable power station whether you plug one in or all 4. When the batteries get close to full it will cycle back the Ma slowly until when fully charged it's just doing a trickle battery maintenance charge. That powerowl is just crazy, and frankly potentially dangerous if you have a bad cell in there.

@bryanbahling2877 6 ай бұрын

What is the best intelligent charger you have tested thus far?

@nicksargent2021 3 жыл бұрын

Is there any rechargeable AA batteries that you would recommend or a better charger for these batteries? I use these for my camera flashes, which only work better with a lower voltage AA battery compared to a standard 1.5v non rechargeable battery, but I'm having charging issues. Thanks!!

@TheCuriousEngineerChannel 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, many! I have a playlist for other batteries and chargers I've tested. I'll add it in the description. Thanks for watching!

@alessandroserrao9422 Жыл бұрын

Pulse charging and 2.16A duty cycle?

@PEye2000 4 жыл бұрын

How about looking into the PowerOWL more..? I understand when it finds a bad/shorted battery the light blinks red, is that a real sign of dispose the battery.. What about the EBL will it point out bad battery short or end of life I do own both, I just don't know what to trust...

@TheCuriousEngineerChannel 4 жыл бұрын

Good point. I'll post a video on this in the near future!

@antlu65 2 жыл бұрын

Welp, looks like I'm gonna be returning my PowerOwl charger and AAA batteries that I just received. Great info and video, will look through your videos for better replacements! =)

@alalal123421 2 жыл бұрын

what do you get instead? all the smart charger things seem like $200 or something ridiculous

@antlu65 2 жыл бұрын

@@alalal123421(I'll preface this by saying i rly dont know much about batteries and chargers.) I have a Panasonic BQ-CC17 (about $20 on Amazon) that i bought few years ago with Eneloop Pro AA's and AAA's - they have served well. When i recently bought a set of PowerOwl AAA's because of so many good reviews on Amazon, i became suspicious because i charged them in the Panasonic charger and they seemed to take too long to charge. As in, i left them charging overnight, and the next morning they were still charging. Checked the voltage on the PowerOwl batteries and they were too low. Repeated this with a different set of PowerOwls and had same issue. Tried the same process with the Eneloops and they worked perfectly - charge finished after few hours, voltage was good on the multimeter. So i knew the PowerOwl batteries were suspect. This video confirms their charger is suspect as well. I cant give much in concrete recommendations for you, except to say I would personally avoid the PowerOwls, and the Panasonic charger has worked well for my simple needs. As for a new charger, ill have to peruse more videos on this channel to get some ideas. As a Chinese person, i can confirm that a lot of the stuff coming out of China is... suspect, to put it mildly. Like some batteries that are advertised as having outlandishly high capacities but end up being abysmal. Good luck! :)

@ajwn1303 4 жыл бұрын

thank you

@zizouchannelis 6 ай бұрын

so briefly to summarize, this charger is weird and not recommended, So please, which charger and rechargeable batteries do you recommend as an experienced person? because sincerlly i dont know what to buy

@vincentalonzo9252 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this video, I bought this charger, my old batteries did not work. I tossed them. Bought brand new ones from EBL because i thought it was just the batteries being 5 years old. But its the charger. Guess I'll return it.

@snausages43 2 жыл бұрын

I think mine is broken. It does the green “animation” then the lights turn red for a few seconds then it does the “animation” again and they turn red again and it repeats that over and over. They don’t stay red or green like they’re supposed to.

@TheCuriousEngineerChannel 2 жыл бұрын

Perhaps the power supply it is plugged into is overloading? If I remember correctly it needed a supply with at least 2A current rating. It seems like it might just be resetting based on power supply cut out....or a something (likely a capacitor) has failed inside the charger. Let us know if it works out! Thanks for watching!

@RobbieTheK 2 жыл бұрын

I am having this issue as well it seems to happen when multiple batteries no longer charge and you mix good and bad batteries. This is literally the definition of junk. The batteries themselves seem to die and no longer charge after several months. Is this an Amazon sku? I don't even see a customer service for them. Also the cable is very sensitive and has a very specific sweet spot.

@israelbarrera1281 2 жыл бұрын

I just bought this type of batteries and they work great

@HobbyNut-sy3lo 6 ай бұрын

I was just about to buy this charger on an Amazon sale when I decided to do a bit of research. Happy I did. I have a La Crosse BC-700(now branded under Technoline) charger for Eneloop AA batteries I bought years ago for my digital camera flash. I wanted something that would charge 8 batteries at a time. I guess I need to do some research. Both the batteries and charger have been great. I like your analysis - data driven, analytical, concise to the point of being @n@l Kudos from a retired engineer.

@tlhais5914 3 жыл бұрын

I just tried it first time outside USA . and LED didnt stay red nor green. only appears red then OFF . Can you help on That?

@TheCuriousEngineerChannel 3 жыл бұрын

Sorry to hear that. I don't have that charger anymore but sounds like perhaps the battery somehow is appearing as open-circuit to it? Perhaps it's not making a connection externally or internally? If you feel inclined, take it apart, and see if there are any obvious signs of broken connections or bad solder joints. Thanks for watching!

@ultimaonithien1422 3 жыл бұрын

attention ça ne marche pas si on le branche sur un pc

@TheCuriousEngineerChannel 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, good point! The charger requires at least 5 Volts at 2 Amps. So yes, it will likely not work on many PC USB ports. Thank you for watching!

@olhesty2196 3 жыл бұрын

What the? Dang, I got ripped off!

@MrBobWareham 2 ай бұрын

So it's a pulse charger, normally used for lead acid batteries but not for Ni-MH batteries, I think this is done to cut cost on the power supply? The best way to charge Ni-MH batteries is slow and gentle for long life, like 8 on charge and 8 in use, I charge my batteries at 50Ma, but they take a long time to charge, a good video stay away from this charger!!

@gretacavallinarchitetto5855 2 жыл бұрын

I do not recommend this charger either!

@lena8028 Жыл бұрын

I have buyed this charger 🫠

@TheCuriousEngineerChannel Жыл бұрын

It's fine. It will still charge batteries.🙃

@lena8028 Жыл бұрын

@@TheCuriousEngineerChannel Yeah I need to charge and verify and it's good not the best but it's make the job with simple amazon basics batterys lol. Thx for your video 😅. Maybe I would change if I see it getting worse.