Posted: 12/27/2007 6:07:26 AM EDT
|
I have been thinking about getting rechargeable batteries for my digital camera and my wireless controllers for my playstation. I would need a AA and a AAA combo charger. I was just wondering if you guys knew what the best brand is to get and what the worst is. Thank You, SterlingF |
|
Look for the energizer brand batteries... they should work well. Most rechargeable AA and AAA batteries will have their energy storage rating in mAh (milliamp hours). A larger number is better, of course. Most will do the job, some will last longer than others, and some can be recharged more times than others... |
|
Can anyone tell me why more than half of the batteries (AA, AAA) put the charger into "ERROR" mode when they are placed on the charger? It is really annoying since I have at least a dozen in a baggie that simply won't charge. I place them on the charger and the little light starts flashing, rather than staying steadily lit. WHY?!? Is there a simple solution to this? Can you get a better charger unit that fixes the problem? I have WAY too many NiMH batteries that are almost new, and won't take a charge.  ETA: Energizer NiMH batteries, and Energizer charger The ones that I have that work, work great! They have lower voltage than a regular alkaline cell, so some items don't work well with them, but things like my camera flash and other electronics, and motor driven toys, work well. These are the BEST for my Nikon SB-600 speedlight! Fast recovery and long life! |
Energizers don't last. And it wouldn't surprise me that their charger is a bit abusive to them. I don't have their charger but have an advanced charger for my hobby use, it records the mA*H capacity of the charge. There is nothing that will restore the bum cells. NiMH and NiCd have lower internal resistance so in high drain applications, like your flash, they have less voltage depression than alkaline cells. If you were to measure the voltage of the cells during use, you would see alkaline voltage drop below 1.2 volts where the Ni cells drop only to about 1.22 volts. |
I would happily buy a better charger if it would mean fewer bad batteries! Where do I sign up? Since this is an important part of photography, I would be willing to spend a little more than the $10 that the charger costed! Positive they are dead? The instruction mentions something about channels, and they suggest switching them around to get them to work. *SOMETIMES* that works, but I usually give up after monkeying around for 15 minutes. If a better charger worked better or was smarter, MAYBE they would recover? I suppose I have nothing to lose by trying... Where did you get your charger? |
If I try to charge 4 batteries in my Energizer charger (built for 4) I get the error message. If I charge 2 at a time they go through just fine. I have the AA/AAA combo charger. |
|
You need "low discharge" cells... like the Sanyo Eneloop. They actually stay charged, which has been a long-time problem for NiMH cells (standard NiMH cells self-discharge at a significant rate, and will not have nearly a full charge when you actually go to use them... unless you take them straight off the charger). Try these guys... they're one of the best places on the 'net to get batteries. |
Hobby shop. Astroflight 110 DX. There are other models and brands. You need a multi-cell holder (Radio Shack). Once you go Astroflight, you will NEVER use any other charger. They are MADE IN THE USA and are built like a tank. They are a government contractor so their stuff is built tougher than any other brand. And it WORKS! Well, it should at $130 retail  Hey, some reloaders spend 3X that on a case trimmer! MADE IN THE USA! |
|
NiMH with the highest mAh you can get. Quit thinking brands but performance. The largest battery company in the world is in China, Universal Battery, and they supply most brands under private label. Here's a good battery site with high ratings and low prices. Batteries Tj |
Thank you for that link! Would that fit the needs of a guy who occasionally charges NiMH AA and AAA batteries? I don't need R/C utility. What do you think of this charger? It is less, but holds a more reasonable number of batteries for my needs. There is another one that is $155 but holds a good number of batteries as well. Are these similar to yours? |
Those are good chargers as they monitor individual cells. The Astroflight models can also do that but they are single channel, you charge multiple cells in series. This requires matched cells so if you don't want the trouble of matching cells, get the consumer models. I don't know the charge rate on those but the Astroflight will charge as fast as 30 minutes with safety. NiMH can be damaged with fast charging as they tend to heat rapidly. NiCd's initial charging process is endothermic and they actually get cool when charging, NiMH get hot as soon as they are being charged (at sufficent rate) and just continue to get hotter. |
Thank you Keith! That made my decision easy! |
|
I would go with Thomas Dist and MAHA batteries, I've been using them in my cameras for years, they are hard to beat! Here's an advanced charger and analyzer from MAHA for $59.97. www.thomas-distributing.com/maha-mh-c9000-battery-charger.php |