Maha MH-C9000 SUPPORT / FAQ - continuation

[TakeTheActive]

SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW For the Maha MH-C9000: Custom C/D Adapters!

• You can buy ready made adapters for C & D cells that fit the C9000.
  
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Pack-Batt...07480?pt=Battery_Chargers&hash=item4d0ca1bab8
  
  

  

  .

• No worries, when I said aftermarket I just meant they are not made by powerex, however they are made by the company that makes the BM200 and in-fact they come with that charger/analyzer as standard accessories and are also sold separately; they fit the C9000 perfectly and are advertised by the seller as such too.
  
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/BM200-Batte...473?pt=US_Battery_Testers&hash=item4d0c4d16b9

  .

• Using the C9000, do you charge your high-capacity D cell (8500mah+) 2.5X for it to be 'filled it to the brim', so to speak?

  .

• Yes. Technically, it would be three times, assuming the batteries are fully discharged. Break in mode doesn't have that limitation, but isn't the best way to charge the cells on a daily basis.

Wow Russel!!!

I always thought that YOUR setup: Re: Testing C/D cells in Maha C9000
.

.
was the "Cats Meow" for C / D cells. Unable to duplicate it, I bought 16 magnets from the web site you recommended (sorry folks, I can't remember the name ) and soldered up 4 ~6" wires with eyelets to Test / Charge my C / D cells on my C9000.

BUT, even @ $13 US for 2, these C / D Adapters look neat! (Considering the MAN-HOURS it took to build your setup!!! :wow: )

Something NEW, after SOOOO LOOONG, to add to my FAQ.

Thanks picrthis for finding this!

______________________________​

.
Now, regarding a "high-capacity D cell (8500mah+)", I'm confused with the 2.5X vs 3.0X discussion regarding the C9000. AFAIK, the optimum Charge Rate would be 0.5C (4250mA) and we want to Charge to ~120% Capacity (~10,200mAh). Whether we Charge @ the MAX of 2000mA, or Break-In @ the MAX of 20A x 0.1 (2.0A / 2000mA), how do we achieve 4250mA /0.5C, or Charge @ over 2000mA?

[Maybe I've been away from the forum too long and have forgotten something?!? ]

UPDATE: Looking again at the eBay photos, this new BM200 looks so much like the offspring of a C9000 and a BC-900/9009/1000. :huh:

 

[Russel]

Re: SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW For the Maha MH-C9000: Custom C/D Adapters!

• [...]Now, regarding a "high-capacity D cell (8500mah+)", I'm confused with the 2.5X vs 3.0X discussion regarding the C9000. AFAIK, the optimum Charge Rate would be 0.5C (4250mA) and we want to Charge to ~120% Capacity (~10,200mAh). Whether we Charge @ the MAX of 2000mA, or Break-In @ the MAX of 20A x 0.1 (2.0A / 2000mA), how do we achieve 4250mA /0.5C, or Charge @ over 2000mA?
  
  [Maybe I've been away from the forum too long and have forgotten something?!? ][...]

Haven't seen you post in a while TakeTheActive! It's good to see you active!

The 2.5 and 3X is referring to the number of regular charge cycles needed to fully charge a completely depleted D cell. During the normal charge cycle, the MH-C9000 has a charge capacity limit of something like 4000 mAh. So, the charger would have to be restarted a couple or three times to completely charge an 8000 mAh to 10000 mAh D cell. Of course, that is not the case when using the break in mode. I only use the MH-C9000 for testing and running D cell through a break in cycle. I use a MH-C808M to charge them. The MH-C808M charges at a pulsed 2000 mA charge current, and the Accuevolution D cell that I have recommend charging at 2000 mA. So far my old D cells have been working very well.

 

[picrthis]

Re: SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW For the Maha MH-C9000: Custom C/D Adapters!

.
was the "Cats Meow" for C / D cells. Unable to duplicate it, I bought 16 magnets from the web site you recommended (sorry folks, I can't remember the name ) and soldered up 4 ~6" wires with eyelets to Test / Charge my C / D cells on my C9000.

BUT, even @ $13 US for 2, these C / D Adapters look neat! (Considering the MAN-HOURS it took to build your setup!!! :wow: )

Something NEW, after SOOOO LOOONG, to add to my FAQ.

Thanks picrthis for finding this!

______________________________​

.
Now, regarding a "high-capacity D cell (8500mah+)", I'm confused with the 2.5X vs 3.0X discussion regarding the C9000. AFAIK, the optimum Charge Rate would be 0.5C (4250mA) and we want to Charge to ~120% Capacity (~10,200mAh). Whether we Charge @ the MAX of 2000mA, or Break-In @ the MAX of 20A x 0.1 (2.0A / 2000mA), how do we achieve 4250mA /0.5C, or Charge @ over 2000mA?

[Maybe I've been away from the forum too long and have forgotten something?!? ]

UPDATE: Looking again at the eBay photos, this new BM200 looks so much like the offspring of a C9000 and a BC-900/9009/1000. :huh:

Yes the BM200 is a really nice charger, it has a back-light that turns itself off, all you need to do is to touch any of the buttons and the back-light comes back on again. It's default charge rate is 200ma and of-course you can change that on each of the 4 cells individually OR you can also easily select to have all 4 cells the same charge rate such as 1000mA without having to manually set each channel and yet you can still set each channel to be different if you wish. The charger also contains 6 sensors for overheating, one for each of the 4 battery slots and 2 additional sensors for the controller board. The charger can also dynamically Test the internal resistance of each battery, thus one of the reasons they included the C & D cell adapters with the Charger.

It looks to me that Yes they have been paying attention to the Marketplace and blended together the features of the C9000 & BC1000 with desired features such as the back-light times outs, etc. I Own the BC1000, C9000, IQ-328 and the BM200 and I simply love the BM200; it's my go to charger now.

 

[Rexlion]

Re: SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW For the Maha MH-C9000: Custom C/D Adapters!

My adapters came today and I tried them in bays 1 and 4 of the Maha... nada, zilch, nothing happened. Took them out and put them back in several times, tried having the D cell in the adapter when it's inserted, tried adding the D afterward. Then I tried bay 2 and voila, it's working. But I can only do one D at a time that way. I could not see anything that could have been preventing contact in bays 1 and 4, but there must be something.

 

[Viking]

Re: SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW For the Maha MH-C9000: Custom C/D Adapters!

Maybe you need to cut some plastic off. I read the following in a review about the BM200 , and the adapters placed onto the MH-C9000:

By the way, those adapters can also fit onto the MH-C9000, but I need to shave off 1-2mm of plastic from the charger's positive terminal, in order to make electric contact.

http://searchproductreviews.com/nle...r-analyzer-tester-nimh-nicd-aaa-aa-c-d-cells/

 

[TakeTheActive]

Re: SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW For the Maha MH-C9000: Custom C/D Adapters!

You can buy ready made adapters for C & D cells that fit the C9000.

picrthis,

Based on the following comments from Rexlion and Viking, would you please add 3 more photos to your original post (QUOTEd above):
.

1. The POSITIVE end of the adapter, head on, with the adapter upright, as positioned in the C9000.
   .
2. The NEGATIVE end of the adapter, head on, with the adapter upright, as positioned in the C9000.
   .
3. The BOTTOM of the adapter, with the adapter upside down, to gauge the distance the metal contacts extend beyond the plastic housing.

My guess is that these adapters may be similar to the RadioShack 'N-to-AA' adapters I have. I needed to use a tiny screwdriver to slightly bow the contacts away from the plastic so that they would reach the contacts on my chargers *BEFORE* the plastic shoulders surrounding them contacted the plastic shoulders on the chargers.

Just a thought. :thinking:

Thanks!

My adapters came today and I tried them in bays 1 and 4 of the Maha... nada, zilch, nothing happened...

Maybe you need to cut some plastic off. I read the following in a review about the BM200 , and the adapters placed onto the MH-C9000:

 

[TakeTheActive]

Charging At Below 0.5C...

Haven't seen you post in a while TakeTheActive! It's good to see you active!

Thanks! :wave:

As I probably said here (DEFINITELY said on other forums where I've created lengthy FAQs), I usually immerse myself in a topic for several months at a time. Then, when I feel that I've learned, and shared, as much as I can, I move onto my next topic of interest. I'll LURK for a while, but, all you see are the same old asked-and-answered questions being asked and answered once again by the patient gurus. So, eventually daily drops to weekly drops to monthly, etc...

Currently I'm learning about HTPCs. Since my ReplayTV 5XXXs with NTSC/Analog tuners are now relying on Magnavox DVDRs feeding them through their Line Inputs (one DVDR currently dedicated to one RTV - CBS, NBC, ABC), when the HDD in my WinXP Home PC died, I started using my 'Backup' (i.e. bought ON SALE waiting for the need to put into service) Vista Home Premium PC with Windows Media Center and SiliconDust HDHomeRun HDHR3-US Dual Tuners. Even had to buy a couple of HDTVs! But, since WMC records in a proprietary format (.dvr-ms for Vista; .wtv for Win7), I can't view the recordings on a 'Plain Vanilla' Media Streamer. Thus, now I'm learning about third party 'WMC-replacement' software that records in .TS format.

...The 2.5 and 3X is referring to the number of regular charge cycles needed to fully charge a completely depleted D cell. During the normal charge cycle, the MH-C9000 has a charge capacity limit of something like 4000 mAh. So, the charger would have to be restarted a couple or three times to completely charge an 8000 mAh to 10000 mAh D cell...

The first time I read this, I immediately thought of jtr1962's entry in my FAQ. Total mAh INPUT is dependent on the Charge Rate - i.e. the lower the rate, the longer the time / percent overcharge required. For simplicity, using a 10,000mAh cell, charging @ 0.5C / 5,000mA takes about 1.2 x 10,000mAh, or 12,000mAh. But if you lower the Charge Rate to 0.2C / 2,000mA may take ~15,000mAh or more. Or you could charge @ the Break-In Rate of 0.1C / 1,000mA for 16 hours, again still limited by the 4,000mAh per session. Now we're at 4X.

...Of course, that is not the case when using the break in mode. I only use the MH-C9000 for testing and running D cell through a break in cycle. I use a MH-C808M to charge them. The MH-C808M charges at a pulsed 2000 mA charge current, and the Accuevolution D cell that I have recommend charging at 2000 mA. So far my old D cells have been working very well.

That's why I bought the magnets - Break-In! :twothumbs For charging, I use an old RadioShack @ 2500mA.

BTW, today I learned that:
.

• Panasonic bought Sanyo
  .
• There is now a 3rd generation Eneloop
  .
• Japanese girls don't like the color of the new Eneloops

 

[Viking]

Re: Charging At Below 0.5C...

personally I use these magnet based adapters , produced by forum member Martin White. They fit the MH-C9000 perfectly. And because they are magnet based , they will fit any battery as well. But I admit those adapters picrthis posted really look nice



http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sh...ion-into-an-18650-charger-(Pila-IBC-or-other)


http://www.martinwhite.name/images/July_10_2011/IMG_6650.JPG

Your images are oversize, when you post an image please remember Rule #3

Rule #3 If you post an image in your post, please downsize the image to no larger than 800 x 800 pixels.

Please resize and repost. - Thanks Norm

 

[picrthis]

Re: SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW For the Maha MH-C9000: Custom C/D Adapters!

picrthis,

Based on the following comments from Rexlion and Viking, would you please add 3 more photos to your original post (QUOTEd above):
.

1. The POSITIVE end of the adapter, head on, with the adapter upright, as positioned in the C9000.
   .
2. The NEGATIVE end of the adapter, head on, with the adapter upright, as positioned in the C9000.
   .
3. The BOTTOM of the adapter, with the adapter upside down, to gauge the distance the metal contacts extend beyond the plastic housing.

My guess is that these adapters may be similar to the RadioShack 'N-to-AA' adapters I have. I needed to use a tiny screwdriver to slightly bow the contacts away from the plastic so that they would reach the contacts on my chargers *BEFORE* the plastic shoulders surrounding them contacted the plastic shoulders on the chargers.

Just a thought. :thinking:

Thanks!

I'm not having the issue, but I understand some might have a slight issue which is easily resolved with no cutting on the plastic on your Charger which I would never do. The positive contact can be 20 mil too high, crimp the rounded top off of that and all is well.

 

[Viking]

Re: SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW For the Maha MH-C9000: Custom C/D Adapters!

I must admit I never had heard about the BM200 charger before now. It seems to have some advances , as well as some disadvantages compared to the MH-9000. The advances are the very high 20.000 MAh charging limit , and the internal resistance test ( I especially like this feature ).


Maybe I will add this charger to my MH-9000.

 

[Rexlion]

Re: SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW For the Maha MH-C9000: Custom C/D Adapters!

Maybe you need to cut some plastic off. I read the following in a review about the BM200 , and the adapters placed onto the MH-C9000:

Thanks, Viking. I could not visually see any problem, and the positive contact seemed to click into place nicely. But tonight I used a jackknife to shave a small amount of plastic off the Maha just above the contacts on bays 1 and 4, and now both adapters are activating the charger. Which is great, because doing just one D cell at a time was getting tedious... they can take a while on refresh/analyze mode.

Sorry I did not see the later posts about crimping the contact on the adapter, I can see how that would work too. But the amount I had to remove from the charger was so tiny, I don't feel bad about it.

BTW, my first D cells through the Maha were 4 old, crappy "CTA" 12,000 mAh that I got with a used MP light maybe 3 years ago. I was curious to see just how bad they were, and now I know. Readings were 7370, 3773, 1362, and (believe it or not) 564!

 

[Mr Floppy]

are advertised by the seller as such too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BM200-Batte...473?pt=US_Battery_Testers&hash=item4d0c4d16b9

Hmm, they may have also ripped off the information datalucis perhaps?
http://web.archive.org/web/20130526062721/http://datalucis.com/

 

[picrthis]

Hmm, they may have also ripped off the information datalucis perhaps?
http://web.archive.org/web/20130526062721/http://datalucis.com/

No they didn't they are in-fact the same person.

 

[N8N]

I got mine the other day but still was breaking in some AAs... finally got my old "CTA" brand C-cells out, had to shave a little plastic off one of the adapters to get it to fit into the charger deep enough but other than that no probs... now just need to wait another day and find out if I need to order larger cells as well as more AAAs... anyway, good find, this allows me to get rid of my crappy Energizer charger and use my C9000 until I pop for larger good charger

Edit: apparently my old "5500 mAh" cells are actually around 2800 mAh... but then again even though I charged them in my old Energizer charger they only gave me about 1100 mAh before I ran them through the break in cycle so they must have been consistently undercharged the whole time I was using them... no wonder I was suspicious of their runtime.

 

[Mr Floppy]

No they didn't they are in-fact the same person.

I see the customer support statement now. I was wondering what happened to that company.

It also mentions that the charger is the only one that has the internal resistance function, but doesn't the C9000 have something that you can use to work out the internal resistance?

 

[Paweł]

Could you help me answer if my MH-C9000 is broken?
When I put discharged aku, set "charge", next I set e.g. 500mA and Enter. But it not start charge but ask me for select "mode".
I repeat steps and after 2 seconds is exactly the same: select mode "screen" and so on.

When I put really good aku (super new eneloop) everything is OK.
One of my problem acu is one of the just finished "BreakIn Mode". Problem acus are GP, Energizer, Tronic and other.

When I put any of these problem acu to BC-700 it starts with no problem.

Best regards
Paweł.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Pawel,

Welcome to CPF.

It sounds like you may have a connection problem. This is most often seen with AAA size batteries.

Tom

 

[Paweł]

Hello Pawel,
Welcome to CPF.
It sounds like you may have a connection problem. This is most often seen with AAA size batteries.
Tom

Thank you for your answer.
I have this problem with some AA and AAA.
And I have some AA and AAA this problem dosn't exist.

What is strange, o few of them, just passed brake-in process and was full charged.
I expect "done" after a moment of charging such akus rather then "select mode dead cycle", am I right?

Best regards
Paweł

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Pawel,

If the connection is broken the charger will start over. This will show up as if you just put a cell in to charge rather than showing Done.

I have modified my chargers by adjusting the contacts to make better contact. You have to be careful not to break anything but the results limit this problem.

Tom

 

[mactavish]

Re: Maha MH-C9000 SUPPORT - BM200 Charger Info

Hello CPF members. I've been a long time lurker, learning about various flashlights, etc. I finally decided to become a member, as I thought I would share my recent experience with a new NiMh battery charger that I see mentioned in this thread. Since it poses a potential for overheating and therefore what I see as a possible danger, I just joined the CPF forums.


I'm posting this here, in this thread, since the "BM200" has been mentioned in above posts. While I have some experience with my Pila LiMN charger, last week I decided to get into buying and charging MiMH batteries. Some for use in my flashlights, but mostly for all my other devices, many of which are simple remote controls, for TV's etc. I was tired of finding leaky Duracells, and the cleanup of those remotes, switching to Energizers was not confidence inspiring either. Some of these batteries were new, less then a year old, with expiration dates, years from now. Even though I was pretty sure they were not "knock-offs", it's hard to tell these days. I invested in a bunch of the latest Eneloop 1800's, AA/AAA's as well as 4 Tenergy "Centura" 8000 mAh D-Batteries.


So I began my "charger" research here, and found very little information on the fairly new BM200 charger, this should have been a tip off. I did find years worth of posts on the Maha-Powerex MH-C9000 charger. I read an "originally" very positive 5 star review, from a "top 10 reviewer" on Amazon for the BM200, saying it combined the best features of the C9000, and the "La Crosse BC100".


Last line of the review sold me: "Over all, I consider the BM200 a superior advanced charger compared to BC1000 and MH-C9000."


So I bought the BM200, and began charging batteries on it, noticing the batteries felt very HOT to the touch. After a few more days of reading, I determined that while not scientific, a finger touch of a charging battery, could of course be "warm", but should not be hot. This was alarming.


I continued a conversation, in the user "comments" section for the BM200, and in a few days, the original reviewer returned, and did more testing on this charger, and in the end discovered with his temperature reading equipment, that indeed there was an overheating problem with this unit, he decided to reduce his original rating from 5 stars to 3, and update his review (not mentioning me at all, not that I care), and after finishing my own "comments" postings, I put up my final review for others, with a 1 star rating. There was another new buyer that returned his BM200 for the same overheating issue. Amazon was good and quick with my refund, and I purchased the MH-C9000, which I should have in the first place, simply because of it's long track record, and it's large presence in the CPF forums. I took a gamble that perhaps a newer device might have some new technology and be an upgrade, but after having both here at the same time, running side by side tests, the build quality alone between the two, was very apparent, as well as seeing an actual company behind the Maha unit. Not just another no-name chinese import. So I learned a lot in the process, and thought I would share it here, for anyone considering this newer charger, as well as a "heads-up", for anyone that bought and owns one. The quality control from unit to unit could be an issue to be aware of.


If you want learn more, with detail, the link below will take you to the Amazon BM200 product page, and from there, just click on the "comments", below the original review, (NOT the "customer reviews"), there are over 100 comments now, my posts in the "comments" section, beginning on page #4, will be obvious as it relates to this post, as well as my username "mactavish". Hope someone finds this useful.


LINK: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CWRU1QC/?tag=cpf0b6-20