Popular Post thendless Posted October 24, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted October 24, 2023 (edited) Many thanks to @FreeMotionShop for giving me the opportunity to review their new VersaVolt charger. I received the charger on October 13th and have been itching to give it a test. What's in the package? -VersaVolt Charger -XT90 to C13 adapter cable -GX16-3 (67.4V), GX16-4 (84V), GX16-5 (100.8V), GX12-6 (126V), GX20-4 (134.4V) to C13 cables. -Voltage Potentiometer Screwdriver Dimensions: 295 x 133 x 75mm Name Plate: HD1500W, AC Input: 100-120VAC 47-63Hz, DC Output: 40-132V (?) 2-12A Front Side: Voltage Potentiometer, Current Dial, Power Indicator, Intake Fan and XT-90 Male Connector. Rear Side: On/Off switch, AC input Side 1: Voltage and Current displays Side 2: Chinese text that translates to: "Adjustable Voltage and Current Flagship Model" and "Built in smart fan starts to rotate after internal heat is generated". I find the second line funny and I'll get into this later in the review. Regarding my background with Variable chargers, I have had 2 variable chargers to date. A 0-90V 5A charger and a 0-140V 15A charger purchased months before it ultimately became popularized as the "Roger charger". The 0-90V charger would only output 5A at lower voltages and I ended up getting only 2-3A at 84V. The Roger charger has been my go to charger for 100.8 and 134.4V wheels when doing long distance riding in the 120-300KM ranges and I have used it heavily over the past year and a half. I use it primarily at Level 2 charging stations (230V) at 15-20A. When 120V is only available I limit it to 8A due to the limitations of the charger. When I first saw a picture of the VersaVolt charger I could have sworn I have seen it before and sure enough I found it from another seller in China. That being said the seller only offered 84V 25A and 88.2 23A models versus the higher voltage rating of the @FreeMotionShop model. It should also be noted that these charger variants offer 120-230V options and state they allow 2000W peak. Before i started using the charger I wanted to check 2 things: First does case acts as a heat sink like most chargers and second if it can accept 230V input since the China variants have this option. After examination I found that the case is not used as a heatsink which explains the larger size of the charger. In addition it looks like 230V is a no go as the input capacitors are only rated for 200V. There is also an additional sticker on the heatsink that states SKL-2000-134V AC-110 which alludes to 120V only and 2000W power. Connectors: I inspected the connectors and all (Except GX16-3) have 2 pairs, total of 4 pins wired which means you are theoretically allowed a maximum of 2 times the max pin ampacity. GX12 = 5A, GX16 = 7A and GX20 = 10A per pin, this yields a maximum of 10A for GX12-6 (126V), 14A for GX16-4 (134.4V), GX16-5 (100.8V) and 20A for GX20-4 (134.4V). This is assuming the male connector at the charge controller is soldered at all 4 pins. I can only confirm this is true on Begode 134V wheels. This is important to be aware of if you are charging at higher ampacities and don't want to risk melting the connectors. Tests: I will be testing the charger at 134.4V and comparing it to the Stock Begode 3A charger, Roger Charger and Houning HUAWEI R4830G1 mini charger. Voltage Adjustment: I was able to adjust from 1V all the way to 136V using the voltage pot and included screwdriver. Its nice that i was able to get so low however I was not able to dial it up to 140V as @FreeMotionShop mentioned the original post. Noise: The first thing you will notice when you power on is the noise. Unfortunately the fan goes full speed regardless of load and as a result it is quite audible when compared to the stock 134V Charger. I measured an average of 58dB versus 48dB on stock. The roger charger was slightly louder at 59dB average. Temperature: For this test I testing different loads for a minimum of 10 minutes then measured the temperature at 2 points. The first at the hottest point of the heatsink and the second where the air was being exhausted. The following were done at 120V, 23C Ambient: VersaVolt: 5A - Heatsink 28C, Exhaust 31C 10A - Heatsink 36C, Exhaust 54C 12A - Heatsink 37.5C, Exhaust 61C 14A - Heatsink 39C, Exhaust 70C 15A - Heatsink 41C, Exhaust 74C Stock 134V charger: 3A - Heatsink 33C, Exhaust 47C Roger Charger (285mm 125mm 41mm): 5A - Heatsink 37C, Exhaust 54.5C 8A (Maximum that can be safely done at 120V for this charger) - Heatsink 40C, Exhaust 56C The following were done at 230V (L2 Charger), 13C Ambient during a ride with some friends: Roger Charger: 15A - Heatsink 35C, Exhaust 70C Houning HUAWEI R4830G1 mini charger (215mm 95mm 40mm, smallest ~2500W charger available): 18A - Heatsink 51C, Exhaust, 73C As you can see the VersaVolt runs cool in comparison to the other chargers at 120V. I felt confident in testing out 14 and 15A and it performed well at those loads. Conclusion: +Only 120V charger on the market that can do 12A safely (AFAIK), 14-15A is possible but I advise you to exercise caution and monitor temperatures . The chinese variants are marketed as 2000W chargers and this is further confirmed with the label I found inside. 14 or 15A @ 134V is within that 2000W range. When charging 12A+ at 126 or 134.4V users will need to be aware that as their voltage starts to creep up beyond 120V they will risk tripping a circuit breaker as most receptacles are 15A. You will need to use a 20A receptacle to avoid this. +Cables are thick and robust. The heatshrink is very thick. During my tests with 14/15A I could not feel any heat from any cables except for the AC input cable which was slightly warm to the touch. +GX16-4 (84V), GX16-5 (100.8V), GX20-4 (134.4V) cables can support the full 12A (Also 14/15A) assuming the charge boards have all 4 pins soldered. -Fan goes full speed regardless of load. Based on my temperature measurements it should not be necessary at 5A and lower. I find it funny the label stated "smart fan" but the fan is on 100% all the time. I hope this can be addressed in future revisions as users will be charging their wheels mostly at 5A and lower and I think it should match or be quieter than the stock charger. My test results show that this is achievable given how cool it runs at 5A. -GX12-6 (126V) and GX16-3 (67.2V) cannot use the full 12A. GX12-6 only allows a max 10A assuming all 4 pins are used on the charge board. Otherwise 5A max. GX16-3 can only use 7A max. -Case is not utilized as a heatsink like other chargers. This results in a larger power supply compared with others. -When charging at 12A you risk tripping the breaker when your voltage goes above 120V. Most breakers are 15A only. Please be aware of the potential limitations of your charge board and the connectors as outlined above when charging at high currents. You may risk melting the connectors, I have seen it happen to friends before. Hope this review was useful to some of you. Thanks again to @FreeMotionShop for sending me out the tester for review. Edited October 24, 2023 by thendless 6 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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