1. Introduction
There are 3 things certain in life: Death, Taxes and flat batteries.
Today we will be reviewing, the low cost Yonii DN4 Ni-Mh AA/AAA Battery Charger from the beaches of Thailand, after I forgot to pack my trusty XTAR VC2SL.
The Yonii DN4 is an entry level USB charger which can be delivered to your door for 139 Thai Baht (~ USD$4) on Lazada, bargain!
There isn’t much known about the Yonii Brand, however it appears the company is selling a wholesale device under their own name for the Thai market. Nearly identical chargers can be found as the FB DN4 on Alibaba and the POWERKAN DN4 on AliExpress.
The chargers key features are:
- USB-C (5V, 2A) Input
- 4 Independent Charging Channels
- LCD Display to indicate charging status
- Compatible with Rechargeable 1.2v Ni-Mh/Ni-Cd batteries
- Intelligent Charging with Protections
2. What’s in The Box
The chargers arrives in a high quality box with an illustration of the charger inside.
Inside you find:
- 1x DN4 Battery Charger
- 1x ~1.5M USB-A to USB-C cable
- 1x Multi language Manual
3. Design and Build Quality
The build quality of the DN4 charger is excellent for the size and feels sturdy with no rattling inside when shaken. According to the manual it weighs ~65g without the cable and has the dimensions is 92mm x 65mm x 30 mm.
4. Ease of Use
Using the charger is extremely easy, plug in the charger into a high quality USB power supply and stick in a battery. The status of the charge is displayed on screen on the 3 segment battery display. When the battery is full, the battery indicator will be solid.
Unfortunately no internal pictures today as the case has been plastic welded shut and cannot be opened without destroying the device.
5. Performance
The claimed charging speed of the charger is 450mA x 4 for each of the battery channels. This is an ideal ‘safe’ charging speed for NIMH batteries and take ~4 hours to fully charge a standard AA charger.
During charging the battery was warm to the touch, but not hot and cooled down once fully charged
Faster chargers do exist, however it can significantly shorten the battery lifespan and lead to poorer charge.
6. Safety Features
The charger claims to be ‘intelligent’ and offer a range of safety features including
- Flame-retardant plastic shell
- Protections: Overcharge, Overvoltage, Overcurrent, Over-discharge, Short Circuit Protection
- Certifications (claimed): CE, FCC, UL PSE
While testing the charger I attempted to short the contacts and insert the battery backwards (reverse polarity) with no effect
7. Price and Value for Money
For less than price of a coffee ($4), the mystery DN4 charger offers incredible value and performance as a general purpose charger.
More expensive options do exist such as the XTAR VC2SL, but at 4-5 times the price is a hard to recommend unless you need to charge Lithium Batteries.
8. Conclusion
Overall the Yonni (or whatever it’s branded as) DN4 USB-C Battery Charger is an exceptional charger for the price. It is the perfect blend of practicality and offers essential safety features.
It makes an excellent travel charger for those who still rely on rechargeable NiNh batteries such as in wireless mice and cameras. It’s small enough it can fit perfectly in a backpack if traveling or sit in a draw, best of all it does not need any special power plugs.
Price: ~USD$4.00
Date of Review: December/ 2024
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)
9. FAQ
- Q: Can this charger charge Lithium 18650 batteries?
A: No, consider the XTAR VC2SL instead - Q: Is it safe to leave the battery on the charger?
A: The charger is designed to prevent overcharging once the battery is full and ‘pulse charge’ (trickle charge) to keep it full. It may be safe to leave it on charge for several hours, however unsupervised it should be unplugged - Q: What brand of Batteries should I use?
A: I personally recommend the Panasonic Eneloop AA and AAA batteries which are affordable, hold a good charge, has low self-discharge and has a great lifespan.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below
