Rechargeable Batteries

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#1208209 4-Jan-2015 22:53

1.2v in remotes is noticeable with a reduction in the ability to aim the remote just anywhere in the room compared to a new alkaline.

I did try some ni-zn cells in remotes but they seem to have high self discharge so annoy.

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#1208214 4-Jan-2015 23:07

What hasn't been mentioned is that it depends on how sensitive the device is to the voltage difference.

Most of my devices like remotes have run of the mill rechargeables as I don't care how often I change them as there are always charged batteries about. I have a couple of devices tho' that don't work so well as they need the 3V that 2 x Alkaline AAs provide where, 2 x NiMH is only 2.4V. I was going to give you examples of what exactly, but I appear to be having a senior moment.

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#1208294 5-Jan-2015 08:48

On the 1.2V vs 1.5V question, I tried rechargables in my Wii Balance Board (4 batteries) and it wouldn't even power on. But the same batteries work fine in my Wii Remotes. I assume is was because of they were 1.2V.

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#1208308 5-Jan-2015 09:12

MurrayM: On the 1.2V vs 1.5V question, I tried rechargables in my Wii Balance Board (4 batteries) and it wouldn't even power on. But the same batteries work fine in my Wii Remotes. I assume is was because of they were 1.2V.

Interesting insight on why rechargeable batteries are 1.2v here.

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#1208369 5-Jan-2015 10:48

Which Charger?

I see several people mention chargers I use a changer I got from somewhere ages ago digitor it says.

I wont pretend to understand why a charger would make a difference I will trust that it does

So how does one tell a good charger over a bad one? and of course recommendations please

If I get the chance I will co-ordinate this thread into a summary of Rechargeable

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#1208376 5-Jan-2015 10:54

Good chargers will charge quickly and then stop when done. And offer options to discharge and test capacity so you can bin the bad cell of a bunch that isn't lasting as it should.

Crap chargers just time how long they run or never shut off and take forever to charge. Like 8 to 16 hours. Noone got time for that crap.

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#1208403 5-Jan-2015 11:07

A cheap charger will just apply a certain current for X hours until it cuts out, or in the more common case, X hours until you disconnect it. This results in cells being cooked.

A smart charger will analyze the NiMh cell condition and charge at an appropriate rate, normally fast charging the battery to a certain point around 90% and then trickle charging it to 100% to avoid overcharging.

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#1208413 5-Jan-2015 11:22

how do you know how smart it is? i got the standard energizer 4 battery charger that came with the batteries (that have all been misplaced and re-bought twice over)

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#1208435 5-Jan-2015 11:50

Good chargers prolong the life of your batteries. I had NiMH batteries work for 5 years in flashes before failing. The good chargers to refresh cycles (discharge/charge) and the really good ones also do break in and tell you capacity. Maha C801D is good, Maha C9000 charger/analyser is great. I have both.

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#1208476 5-Jan-2015 12:44

The energizer ones are not smart I take it

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#1208482 5-Jan-2015 12:48

Given their price, probably not. Decent chargers are usually $50 up. Energiser ones will just throw current into it.

Battery University's an interesting website.

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#1208574 5-Jan-2015 14:22

Also, the battery voltages referred to are the spent voltages! A new alakaline is 1.64ish and a charged NiMh is 1.35ish.

But I am in the 'use alkalines' group for low discharge devices. They are cheap enough in bulk. I usually get the DSE ones.

And, if you expect batteries to last a long time in a low discharge device, DON'T use re-chargeables that have a high self-discharge rate. That way leads to a lot of frustration you don't need. Eneloop technology is one of the low self-discharge ones.

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#1208595 5-Jan-2015 14:32

I have two Energizer four bay AA/AAA NiMH chargers, and a DSE four bay AA/AAA NiCd/NiMH. The DSE has a switch to select battery type that I had to tape in the NiMH position to avoid cock-ups. I never use it nowadays.

Both chargers show a red LED while charging, which turns off when charged. I don't know if they continue to trickle charge after the LED goes out. The same LED flashes if you put a bad cell in, but that's where the problem lies, because I find that the same cell will show bad in one location, but OK inanother. The DSE charger was particularly bad in this respect.

The problem is if the charger thinks the cell is naff, it just doesn't charge it, so you are buggered. I have never thought about paying more for a charger, but I'd be interested in hearing opinions on high end units. Especially eight bay units. There are several on TradeMe, but it often happens that cost is not directly related to quality.

[EDIT]

This looks interesting. One thing I did not know was the difference between Sanyo and Panasonic Eneloop batteries. I thought they were all the same, except that Panasonic has a Pro version.

http://www.metaefficient.com/rechargeable-batteries/best-rechargeable-batteries-battery-chargers.html

Trevor Dennis
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#1208603 5-Jan-2015 14:40

Maha C801D is an 8 cell unit and works well. It has slow and fast charge, trickle mode, temperature detection, etc.

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#1208608 5-Jan-2015 14:49

I can't find a local supplier for the LaCrosse charger, but Amazon has them for US$60. I just ordered two of them — NZ$160 with shipping.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

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