large capacity battery charger with display and auto-shutoff

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Benoire

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#262004 29-Dec-2019 13:12

Its hit the time where my kids are starting to consume more and more batteries and the little 4 bay dumb charger is starting to struggle with the load required! I'm going to replace my basic energiser rechargeables with eneloops as I need new batteries to replace some of the disposable ones but ideally need a charger that can do about 12 at once, with individual monitoring so I can see the charge load with the standard extras such as polarity detection etc.

What do geekzoners recommend? I've got a spare plug in a cupboard so it can be permanently plugged in and if wall mountable can be done so too.

I saw a varta super fast charger that can take a battery from empy to 70% in about 15 minutes which could be useful but not sure how viable they are for battery life? Open for any suggestions at this stage!

Chris

neb

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#2382496 29-Dec-2019 14:34

Do you really need a 12-bay charger? That implies a massive current drain on existing batteries if you need to recharge that many at once, and you're going to have problems finding quality chargers with that capacity. The standard is four bays, for which, if you can afford it, the MC3000 is still pretty much the ne plus ultra of chargers, beyond that you'll need one with a high-current power supply, fan cooling, and a bunch of other stuff that won't be included in an Aliexpress 12-bay special. See also older threads on here that discuss chargers.

Unless you're really running down a dozen batteries at once and need that sort of recharge capacity, just buy n+1 packs of Eneloops and have one set spare/on charge while the others are being used.

I'd avoid the fast chargers, they kill battery life.

Benoire

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#2382504 29-Dec-2019 15:26

So I'd say that the massive drain is because kids. They now have things like NERF Laser Ops that take 4 AA each, basic remote control cars (~16 AA between them) etc, let alone xbox controllers... The idea was that I could have a decent chunk of batteries on charge, or charged and waiting and they could simply grab and swap out. I wasn't thinking of a cheap aliexpress charger but something of decent quality brand that would last for a long time and treat the batteries well; I'm open to options but the kids are already chewing through AAs with all of the toys and games and just want to ensure that I can keep the complaining down to a minimum while reducing long term expense.

RunningMan

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#2382506 29-Dec-2019 15:45

Haven't use one, but what about this sort of thing?

https://mahaenergy.com/powerex-mh-c800s-charger-with-8-pro-aa-nimh-batteries/

clicknz

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#2382520 29-Dec-2019 16:14

Hi - I’ve been using one of the linked Powerex chargers for the past 5 years or so with Eneloop batteries and have no complaints at all. I’m using AA’s in photographic gear (mostly flashes) and generally use the ‘soft’ charge method to extend battery life. It’s good to be able to keep an eye on the individual cells charging, which should give an indication of faulty batts.

Cheers,
Mike

Photographer/Videographer clickmedia.nz

richms

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#2382571 29-Dec-2019 16:27

I have a pair of cheap aliexpress 16 slot chargers which seem to just be 8 slot ones in the same case for my bulk charging needs, they are quite slow and will stop when full, and 4 slot decentish ones when I want to do a capacity check to see if the cells are worth keeping or not. They are a lacross something and the one in the house is an accupower iq-328.

AA cells are cheap enough that its not worth babysitting them or trying the refresh cycles on them to get them back if they are low. I havent had much luck with that and TBH the hassle of having a half stuffed battery around is worse than the cost of just buying more of them. Really the only things I have that use AAs now are remotes, and they dont like rechargables as much as alkalines so I dont use many compared to when things like cameras etc took them.

Richard rich.ms

neb

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#2382579 29-Dec-2019 16:59

Benoire:
So I'd say that the massive drain is because kids. They now have things like NERF Laser Ops that take 4 AA each, basic remote control cars (~16 AA between them) etc, let alone xbox controllers...

Ah, OK, that extra info helps. In that case you could go for the hi-cap Maha that @RunningMan recommended, but there are other options as well. I think the biggest problem is that some of those things, in particular RC cars, require D batteries, not AAs. I assume they've gone to those because you can buy whole blocks of them for relatively little money compared to a pack of two Ds, however they're completely the wrong battery. So some other options:

* Replace the most battery-guzzling toys with ones that take more appropriate batteries. Depends on the cost of the toy, but you could spend less than the cost of the batteries + charger just on getting a replacement toy with the right battery type.

* Replace the battery with a more appropriate one. If you're using 4 x AA at a nominal 6 volts or whatever the RC cars take, can you wire in a 7.4V LiPo instead? Those are designed for high-capacity, high-drain applications, while the AAs aren't.

* Replace the kids. When I was a kid we didn't need Nerf laser smart bluetooth ops whatever, we had wooden guns we'd made ourselves and made machine-gun noises for.

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PolicyGuy

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#2382600 29-Dec-2019 17:50

neb:
Benoire:

So I'd say that the massive drain is because kids. They now have things like NERF Laser Ops that take 4 AA each, basic remote control cars (~16 AA between them) etc, let alone xbox controllers...

Replace the kids. When I was a kid we didn't need Nerf laser smart bluetooth ops whatever, we had wooden guns we'd made ourselves and made machine-gun noises for.

This is indubitably the most cost-effective approach, however it does have a few practical shortcomings.
These may include objections from their mother, who tends to frequently have an opinion on this topic.
Also, replacing them with adequately house trained alternatives may prove to be a non-trivial problem.
Good luck!

LOLOLOL

ashtonaut

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#2382606 29-Dec-2019 18:08

I have a similar quandry and I am looking for an 8 bay charger for our growing collection of AA and AAA eneloops.

Does anyone have any experience or opinions on the Panasonic BQ-CC63 8 bay charger?

https://www.panasonic-eneloop.eu/en/chargers/bq-cc63-charger

Only available overseas but they can be had on eBay for about $75, just need a NZ figure 8 plug to make them work.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F122869014196

I’m struggling to find any English reviews.

ashtonaut

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#2389938 10-Jan-2020 21:56

I ended up purchasing the Panasonic BQ-CC63 from eBay. Fast shipping from Europe, arrived today. Just needs a NZ power lead to work. The unit works really well, can charge individual cells if required, and the charger stops and turns off the associated light when each cell has charged. The only thing it doesn’t have is variable led colours to show the charge level while charging. Highly recommended if anyone is in the market.