Battery chargers.
 

I need a Ni-MH battery charger-anyone got any recommendations? :)



Coggy.

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Been using one of these for years
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2007/09/38.jpg

Charges NiMH/NiCad 4xAA/AAA, or 2x9V batteries :)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Uniross-RC10.../dp/B00008GSXK

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Ive got one of these, very good and quick

http://www.uniross.com/consumer_html...C103150&type=2

However you dont say what sze batteries you want to charge

Re: Battery chargers.
 

I've got this one: http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?...18438&doy=13m9
and this one: http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?...48583&doy=13m9

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Bit of advice, if the batteries you're going to be charging are for a digital camera, don't get a quick charger. They don't properly charge the battery and you'll find the camera won't work for as long as if you put it on a long 12-16 hour charge. Its something called the peukert effect, very technical so I won't go into it.

Re: Battery chargers.
 

There are many different types of NiMh charger so best to make sure you know what you are buying.

The most basic charger just limits the current being supplied to the cells. These are very slow and, if you inadvertantly leave them on, you can overcook the cells.

Next up we have something similar but with a timer to cut off the current after a certain time. Safer but still slow.

Next we have those chargers with some sort of charge termination. These are much faster but can still take 4 hours to completely recharge an AA cell - longer for larger capacity cells. Note that NiCd and NiMh have slightly different charge characteristics so you need to get the appropriate charger or, more commonly, one with a switch.

Then we have the fast chargers that have several charge rates and two methods (temperature and dV/dt) of charge termination. These can take as little as 15 minutes to recharge a high capacity cell. However, note that a 2500mAh cell's lifetime appears to be reduced from about 250 cycles down to 200 when exclusively charged this way.

Finally, we have the very inteligent chargers that can be configured to do whatever you want.

For one of these bells-and-whistles charge try the Maha C9000.
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=maha+c9000

For a 15-minute charger try the Energizer
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=energizer+15-minute

For a 30-minute charger try the U-Smart from GP batteries
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=u-smart

Both these chargers have an external, plug top, power supply. You can get adapters to run them from a cigar lighter socket instead.

For more background information check out this forum. In paticular, look for posts by SilverFox who knows this stuff inside out:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...isplay.php?f=9

And finally, some info about cells. The capacity of a cell is usually given in milliamp hours or mAh. The larger the number the greater the capacity. For example, a 2000mAh cell will source 200mA for 10 hours before it goes flat. These days you can get AA cells up to about 2800mAh but beware - many manufacturers lie! You really need to look at the specs instead of simply reading the number printed on the side. Also note that this increased capacity has been at the expense of longevity. Cells up to around 2000mAh seem to last for around 500 cycles but the highest capacity cells are only half that.

If you're looking for some top-notch rechargable AA cells then I'd thoroughly recommend the Eneloop from Sanyo. Although these 'only' have 2000mAh capacity they have an extremely low self discharge rate. This means that they will still work months after you have charged them - unlike ordinary NiMh cells. They will also provide a whopping output current and seem to be very reliable.
http://www.eneloop.info/

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Well I'm quite prepared for overnight charging..speed is not an issue for me.Reliability and value for money are more important...I can stick with boring old alkaline or use oxyride batteries but I did want to be more environmentally friendly.

Yes I want AA 's for my new Panasonic camera which does seem to be eating up the power..it finished of the oxyride batteries that were supplied in no time for very few photos.Alkaline have lasted longer but at the price they are it's not a good idea...besides if I'm into recycling then rechargeable seem best.

Re: Battery chargers.
 

buy either the sanyo eneloop or the uniross hybrio no self dischage batterys as normal ones will just discharge in the camera and are a waste of time

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eneloop-USB-...9716013&sr=8-3 complete with charger ans 2 batterys

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Uniross-Hybr...716013&sr=8-13 here is a hybrio model

these batterys charge in normal NI Mh chargers

ive got one of these chargers http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...ucts_id=102692

Re: Battery chargers.
 

I use a Fameart/Sanyo EN60 charger with my Eneloop cells:
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=eneloop+en60

It seems to be reliable and has lots of different plugs for travelling.

Also check out Amazon from time to time. Very occasionally they have deals on 8-packs of Eneloops for £9.99

Re: Battery chargers.
 

I have several AA & AAA chargers - I bought an Energizer 15 min charger with 4 2300mah batteries for around £15 (IIRC) from Maplin which has proved excelent when I've needed the job done quickly and I haven't noticed any lack of charge longevity. It does the same as my Fuji and Uniross chargers but much quicker.

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Try www.7dayshop.com

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...ucts_id=100598 - This one is all sizes, all capacities, NiMH and NiCD, 4 channels (independent)

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...ucts_id=101271 - 8 way, AA/AAA

I'm thinking of getting the BC1HU, as I'm fed up with timer chargers, since the batteries either have to be dead flat, or you guess a refresh.

As for channels, the Uniross Plugtop models, at least my 1300mAH model, have one serious problem - the channel charge indicator is on even if only one of the pair is making contact, and it is easy to end up with only 1 of a pair charged, making it most untrustworthy.

Pairs chargers are also a pain if you have anything that uses 3's.

Re: Battery chargers.
 

I have the 8 way charger and can't fault it. It has a discharge function and charges each battery independently. It also flashes if any of the batteries have dead/faulty cells

Re: Battery chargers.
 

That does look good I must say.

Re: Battery chargers.
 

which ever charger you decide upon seriously consider the hybrio or eneloop batterys as a replacement for what you use. You will hvae to recharge them a lot less. You will not have to charge them out of the packet as they are ready to use due to the no self discharge which is what makes the camera appear to suck the life out of standard rechargable

Re: Battery chargers.
 

http://www.component-shop.co.uk/html/instant.html

Excellent service, normally items arrive the next morning.

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Well I was in Adsa today a place I visit as seldom as possible.Anyway I though to take a look in the electrical section and found a Uniross X-Press 150 for £8.95 so I bought it.

I will get the batteries you suggest though zingy and try them.The only way to find out is to experiment after all.

Thank you all for your suggestions and I will come back and tell you how it goes.Greenies to follow.:tu:

Re: Battery chargers.
 

ive run a test on the hybrio put them in my camera as soon as I got them and not used the camera. Now normal rechargables would have been dead within a fortnight due to meta data and self drain. The hybrios are still working now some 3 months later

Re: Battery chargers.
 

A round up of low self discharge cells:

Accupower: Acculoop
http://www.acculoop.com/

Amondotech: Titanium Power Enduro
http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?...OD&ProdID=1131

Ansmann: maxE
http://www.ansmann.de/cms/consumroot...able/maxe.html

GP Batteries: Recyko
http://www.gprecyko.com/

NEXCell: EnergyON
http://www.nexcellglobal.com/

Panasonic: R2 Technology
http://www.panasonic.ca/English/batt...eplacement.asp

Rayovac: Hybrid
http://www.rayovac.com/recharge/hybrid_technology.shtml

Sanyo: Eneloop
http://www.eneloop.info/

Uniross: Hybrio
http://www.hybriousa.com/

Vapextech: Instant
http://www.vapextech.com.hk/instant.html

Varta: Ready2use
http://www.en.varta-consumer.com/con...a-consumer.com

Some background reading:
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=8&gl=uk
http://www.gs-yuasa.com/jp/technic/v.../003_2_046.pdf

Note, there seem to be two types. Although we can't be sure, it looks like there are Sanyo Eneloops and 'the rest' which are based on Yuasa/Matsu****a technology. Eneloops have the lowest self discharge but the others offer slightly more capacity - and are cheaper!

As luck would have it, I just got a promotion from CPC for a Uniross X-Press 700:

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/Batteries...questid=408718

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Just ordered some Eneloop from Amazon, got to be worth a look. :D

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Another choice where CR-V3 format is also supported, is a rechargable CR-V3 kit, though it is not price/capacity competetive with NiMH AA.

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Amazon have a deal on Eneloops at the moment - £10.21 for a pack of 8 AAs.

But be warned, these offers don't last for long!

Re: Battery chargers.
 

I found the aldi/lidl batteries seem to work ok... and at £2.50 for a pack of 4
Only 2100Mah they aren't the highest capacity around.
Worth keeping an eye out for.

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I just bought them for £14.99 :(

Re: Battery chargers.
 

If your still looking

http://tinyurl.com/36canb

Re: Battery chargers.
 

I e-mailed Amazon and they are going to refund the difference. :D

"The discounts we offer for items on our website do vary from time to
time. I've checked your order #***-******-******* and found that we
now offer a greater discount on "Eneloop AA 8 Pack Batteries
2000mAh" than at the time you placed your order.

We are only able to adjust the price of an order in instances where
less than thirty days have passed between the date on which an order
was dispatched and the time that an item is reduced in price on our
site.

I have therefore requested a refund of 4.78 GBP to your payment
card. This amount reflects the difference between the price you were
charged and the current discounted price. The refund should appear
as a credit on your next bank statement."

(My Bold text, didn't know they did this as a matter of course)

Re: Battery chargers.
 

That's good news! (Makes mental note to keep a track of Amazon price of stuff I've ordered)

For anyone who is put of by the 'limited' (2000mAh) capacity of Eneloops, try these threads:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=175377
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=149804
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...ad.php?t=79302

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Thanks for the links, good reading there. :)



Just received notification of repayment from Amazon:

"Greetings from Amazon.co.uk.

We're writing to confirm that we have processed your refund for £4.78
for the above-referenced order.

We hope this is a satisfactory solution for you."

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Here's a little more useful bedtime reading from the CandlePowerForums:
Why Eneloops?
A look at slow charging

There's lots of info there about the best way to charge NiMh cells. It seams you either need to charge slowly at about 0.1C for a fixed period or at 1C to 2C with -dV/dt charge termination. It appears that detection of full charge can be problematic with currents below 1C.

FYI: 'C' is a current equal to the capacity of the cell divided by 'hours'. So for 2000mAh Eneloop AAs, 1C is 2000mA (or two amps), 0.1C is 200mA etc.

Re: Battery chargers.
 

Thanks for the links, I've gone over completely to Eneloops now.