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Thread ID: 88593 2008-04-01 22:29:00 NiMH Battery Charger B.M. (505) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
655096 2008-04-02 16:32:00 I've been having troubles with these type batteries too .


WARNING: A PRODUCT TESTIMONIAL FOLLOWS
AS WELL AS A SERIOUS COMPLAINT TO A WELL-KNOWN
NAME IN THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY# . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER .

I finally addressed the whole problem by buying the charger WITH batteries in them off the shelf in the store . They pack them in child/theft-proof packages (read about packaging and inspection of packages in another post here on F1 ( . pcworld . co . nz/showthread . php?t=88561" target="_blank">forums . pcworld . co . nz)) and as a unit I assume they are at least matched to each other .

Recently got a Kodak fast charger with 4 batteries in the same package ( . kodak . com/eknec/PageQuerier . jhtml?pq-locale=en_US&pq-path=11761" target="_blank">www . kodak . com) . . . and it by far outshines any other combination of batteries/chargers that can be bought separately .

The Kodaks DO just what they are intended to do . They are great and I get lots of heavy use outta them in my camera .

Maybe . . . . just maybe staying with a same name-brand charger/battery combo is the right answer .

And yes . . the batteries get warm, but not so hot that they are hard to handle .

I have not been using one-off batteries either, (OK . . ONE exception . . we'll discuss that in a moment); they are all good name brands (Eveready, Sony, Duracell and others that one would ASSUME were good) . . . but somehow died a quick death and never really would perform up to decent standards .

Somehow, the Eveready batteries are not even AMP/HRS rated . . . there's NO posting on the battery to tell the capacity . Hmmmm? Maybe it's in µF .

Some . . . no, make that all but a few :mad: . . . are label-rated for the applicable charge rate and the time needed . :mad: Do ya hear me Eveready? :mad:

F'r instance: I have a set of Chinese . . No-Name El-Cheepos that for some reason in 3 years have not failed, and I have treated them very badly .


They state right on the label that they are 2500 m/Ah, and require a "standard" charge at 220mA for 14-16 hours; a "Fast" charge of 440 mA for 4-6 hours . . . but I have been hitting them at a much faster rate for 15 minutes and then the charger indicates they are done . These get HOT . . . but them seem to take a lickin' and keep on tickin' . One point for the Little Red Book .


Right now . . I stay away from the Eveready brand like the plague . They are not up to snuff and they aren't worth the $$ . Too bad . . they were such a good name too . :crying

One thing I do is to charge the batteries and use them until they need a re-charge, and let them sit for a day or so . . . and then read the voltage in them .

I match them into pairs by color coding the top around the + post with a colored Sharpie® marker to keep them as a working pair from that point . I believe that keeps matched pairs and they don't fight each other for charge or use if they weren't paired with a same capacity battery .


-Oo0oO-

# EVEREADY
SurferJoe46 (51)
655097 2008-04-02 19:28:00 Cool the charger with a fan. In hot summer weather I have used a small fan that we use in the kitchen. Jaycar has a charger with an inbuilt fan - I pointed this out to the sales guy and he was amazed. Strommer (42)
655098 2008-04-02 22:48:00 Tradeoff between convenience and quality. How fast do you want it vs prolong life.

If you were say traveling you may want a 15min charger ..

I got this one for travel, its about 3hr charger I think.
ripvan100.com

Also don't buy more batteries than you require .. as they can go off .. if you don't use them ..

Big correction. Mine takes 3hr and its not too hot to touch. If your one is a 3hr charger then :confused: I would expected the hot ones are the 15/30min chargers. They are about the same temperate as my digital camera battery which is proprietary lithium..
Nomad (952)
655099 2008-04-02 22:50:00 Cool the charger with a fan. In hot summer weather I have used a small fan that we use in the kitchen. Jaycar has a charger with an inbuilt fan - I pointed this out to the sales guy and he was amazed.

If you leave the batteries there but unplugged from the wall, take out when its cool .. you would get longer battery life from that set.
Nomad (952)
655100 2008-04-03 02:21:00 Also don't buy more batteries than you require .. as they can go off .. if you don't use them NiMh batteries have an excellent shelf life. Their downside is they leak the charge rather quickly; probably holding a charge for no more than a month. Greg (193)
655101 2008-04-03 05:02:00 The only NiMh batteries to use these days are the Sanyo eneloop ones.
Jaycar sell them with a similat sounding name.

They use different chemistry, are sold fully charged and will retain 85% of their charge after a year on the shelf.

I use them in a lot of gear now, seem to last forever in my digicam.
godfather (25)
655102 2008-04-03 07:15:00 The only NiMh batteries to use these days are the Sanyo eneloop ones.
Jaycar sell them with a similar sounding name.


:thumbs: I second that. Enloops are the way to go. I'll never buy regular NiMH's again.
Strommer (42)
655103 2008-04-03 07:44:00 :thumbs: I second that. Enloops are the way to go. I'll never buy regular NiMH's again.Nothing like telling us after we have baught the others,well done lads. Cicero (40)
655104 2008-04-03 19:01:00 The only NiMh batteries to use these days are the Sanyo eneloop ones .
Jaycar sell them with a similat sounding name .

They use different chemistry, are sold fully charged and will retain 85% of their charge after a year on the shelf .

I use them in a lot of gear now, seem to last forever in my digicam .


Thanks for that GF . :thumbs:

However, I'm having trouble sourcing genuine Sanyo's .

Can anyone advise on the Camilion brand which I've seen claimed a Sanyo's re-branded?

Also, what price should we be looking at per cell?
B.M. (505)
655105 2008-04-03 19:21:00 Nothing like telling us after we have baught the others,well done lads.

I learned about Enloops last year here on PF1, probably from Godfather.
Strommer (42)
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