Rayovac PS3 --I got one one time when I needed a charger in a hurry for a lot of AAs for a group camp. I don't know how it decides when cells are charged but I suspect it uses temperature; it seems to terminate faster when I keep the cover closed, and run on much longer and heat the batteries up more when the cover is kept open but the compartment has air circulating. Anyone willing to correct me, please do.
Also, for AA and AAA cells, the PS3 can take two cells in each of its four slots. I think it just splits the charging current, and while that's slower, the cells aren't as hot when removed. So I'll usually put a pair of cells in one slot. Again, just guessing about this. No real documentation with the thing. But it was cheap and there when I needed it right away.
On the CCrane, I'm still using one bought a long long time ago. One trick --- after a few years, you hear a 'sproing' and one of the sliders loses its springiness. It's happened to 2 out of 4 of mine, each time when I tried to put a D cell in, which I'd never done before.
No sweat.
You can fix this easily. Open it up, and you'll see each slider has a simple "ball point pen" type spring, and one end of that was just pushed over a little plastic nub that was then melted down to hold it. And after a while the plastic 'mushroom' pops off.
The other end of the spring is tack-soldered to a bump on to the metal slider; if it comes off you can solder it back on.
NOTE, there's a small electrical wire that goes right through the spring, to connect to the slider -- it's not hard to work it around when you put in a metal screw to replace the little plastic bump, but be careful that it's moving okay.
Taking a tiny little drill to the 'mushroom' base (careful to center it) to create a hole then threading a tiny little short screw from your computer/electronics scrap bin through the hole in the spring and then into the hole you've drilled in the plastic.
Use a short one so the end just comes up flush with the inside of the battery compartment; if it sticks up slightly it's OK; if it sticks up too much back it off because it will interfere with AA and AAA batteries staying in position. And if it sticks up too much on the inside it might short out and will let the end of the spring move up and down on it.
As always, if anyone does this and has problems, I hereby deny all responsibility.
But I got this advice from Ccrane when I called them up and asked them if I would be able to fix the thing, the first time it happened.
Probably talked to the janitor, but hey, it worked.
