Despite some flaws, a very good universal charger

Preliminary note: I had bought this charger already in November 2014 for the first time but unfortunately had quite unlucky because only the display is partially failed, and then smoked the power supply. The delivered December 2014 exchange unit also had a faulty screen.

After I had again ventured a try with the smaller sister model Foxnovo F-2 in spring 2015 and am very happy with it, I have now again bought an F-4S and adapted my original review accordingly. The new device performed so far without problems his ministry, it should again be problems, I'll report it.

If the supply of Li-ion chargers you look at with LCD display and 4 bays, there is not much choice. You end up more or less quickly in this Foxnovo F-4S. On the part of its technical specifications, the device is very interesting and sometimes even unique. Here the positive and negative features in brief:

+ Invites all common Li-ion batteries
+ Invites additional conventional NiMH batteries
+ Discharge function (test or analysis function)
+ Backlit LCD display
+ Up to 1A load current for all 4 slots
+ 18650 battery quite easily removed
+ Fan
o imprecise capacity determination
- Sensitive behavior to terminate a charging contact
- Annoying Pieper

The charger is supplied in a cardboard box in which a self-power supply and a 12V car charger adapter are next to the charger. A manual is not on, it is only on the packaging a Quick Start Guide in English. The operation is very simple. The batteries are inserted and the device immediately begins charging. With a short keystroke you can switch the charging current of 0.5A to 1A. With a long keypress you switch to capacity determination, ie the batteries are first fully charged, then discharged and fully charged again in connection.

The discharged capacity will be displayed according to per shaft. On the part of the charge termination Foxnovo F-4S is very reliable, both NiMH batteries as well as Li-ion batteries.

The charging compartments are designed so that you can insert the batteries without any major problems and remove. In contrast to the small sister model, which can be problematic in terms of battery length, here is a bit more "air" available, see also the uploaded image for comparison.

The display is quite informative, rich in contrast and easy to read. A blue backlight completes the comfort from, but this is lit only for a very short time and then switches off again. Personally, I would like better, if the display would be illuminated permanently, because then you could recognize in passing at a glance how far the charging process has progressed. At least the unit the night's sleep does not disturb, if you should use it in the bedroom.

In relevant forums this charger and the same design in wide ranges 2-slot version of the loader, the Foxnovo F-2 by electronics professionals were taken were examined in detail and found some less nice features. So fall in these models very like the power supplies from. This is not so much on the power supplies themselves, but because the Foxnovo F-2 and F-4S are very sensitive to it when the charging contact breaks off to a battery, which indeed happened very fast when loading and positioning. You can prevent this quite effectively, however, by only inserts the battery and then infects the power supply. Normally, you do it but vice versa. Furthermore, it was found that the capacitance detection works very imprecisely. But since most relative values ​​are sufficient to compare and select to batteries that discharge function is nevertheless very useful.

Very worthy of criticism is a really useful feature: A loud beeper, which indicates the completion of charging. However, this can degenerate into a pure inferno because the charger will beep not only when all batteries are fully loaded, but for each individual battery 3x. This means multiple extremely loud and unpleasant beeping if 4 batteries were charged simultaneously completed in about 12 in the worst case. My dog ​​had been looking into the distance, when I got the charger out of the closet and my wife had already threatened me to sit down together with charger to the door. I have taken care of this situation by I disassembled the device and gives me access to the board. With a small watchmaker's screwdriver I gently pried the authorities responsible for the Pieper resistance (see uploaded), after which the charger from then silently performs his duties.

Conclusion: The Foxnovo F-4S heard in spite of one or two early mistake of the good quality Combined chargers on the market. Who heeded the advice, and the battery inserts before the power supply is connected, has a reliable and precise loader, compared to other models in this price range offers maximum ease of use and features.