Some eneloops fluorescing under UV?

[Closet_Flashaholic]

Do you know how old the batteries are? Maybe new cells are consistent to within 25 mAh, but I wouldn't expect cells that are years old to be that consistent, even Eneloops. I am certainly no expert, though, I could be wrong.

I picked 4 random eneloops from that same vintage and they all test between 1925 and 1955 maH. My gut is telling me that these other batteries are not eneloops.

 

[Closet_Flashaholic]

On rare occasions manufacturers have had their distributors run out of their products and had to quickly procure supplies from another vendor so it is possible that at one time they made for awhile batteries with different top washers on them. I have some old duraloops and none of them fluoresce at all they are I'm guessing gen 1 eneloops I think I got them in 2008 or 2009 I don't really remember it could have been 2010 even.

I purchased these years ago. I just discovered this fluorescing characteristic a couple of days ago. Since I have many eneloops, I thought that 8 with this oddity required further investigation. Hence where we are today. I am not going to disclose the source of where I purchased them except to say they're a well know distributor here in the USA and to this forum. Since I purchased them so long ago, I am not seeking recourse from them, although I may inform them, but what would I tell them, I "think" these are counterfeit? No, this is just more an informational thread at this time.

 

[Closet_Flashaholic]

You still haven't told us when you purchased these. The wrappers you describe indicate they are generation 1 Eneloops, which haven't been produced in years. If you bought these recently, you probably have a complaint that you're purchasing old stock, but I wouldn't assume these are fakes. I don't think those capacity numbers are all that bad for 8 year old cells.

I don't have any eneloops that are under 1850 maH (using my charge/discharge numbers on a C9000), except for these and that includes ones that I purchased many years ago. I would have to look and see what my earliest date codes are, but they're at least as far back as 2006 era, I think.

I have always treated eneloops with care and never abuse them. Even Gen I numbers are typically above 1900. When I see 1755 maH numbers, that's a problem for me.

Like I said, life goes on I guess. We just get a little smarter along the way. I am not going to lose any sleep over 8 batteries, but I am going to be more leary with new eneloop purchases going forward.

 

[Closet_Flashaholic]

I am going out this afternoon to buy Eneloop,but first I need a UV light to put into my jacket pocket.:shakehead This hobby is becoming laughable.

I wish I could buy eneloops locally, at any price. There just not anywhere near where I live (closest is probably 100 miles away).

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I don't have any eneloops that are under 1850 maH (using my charge/discharge numbers on a C9000), except for these and that includes ones that I purchased many years ago. I would have to look and see what my earliest date codes are, but they're at least as far back as 2006 era, I think.

I have always treated eneloops with care and never abuse them. Even Gen I numbers are typically above 1900. When I see 1755 maH numbers, that's a problem for me.

Check the date stamps on them. I suspect the florescent ones are 2006, and the others perhaps 2008 or 2009. Your poorer capacity numbers from the florescent ones may simply be due to the fact that they're the oldest.

Again, I see no reason yet to suspect they are fakes. You purchased them years ago, when gen1 were in production, and there was at least two different wrappers during the production runs of gen1 Eneloops, the oldest being the ones with big AA letters.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I wish I could buy eneloops locally, at any price. There just not anywhere near where I live (closest is probably 100 miles away).

There is no place around here that has them either, I opted to buy a bunch of duraloops they can be acquired in many stores but you have to know which ones are duraloops.

 

[UserName]

I have always treated eneloops with care and never abuse them. Even Gen I numbers are typically above 1900. When I see 1755 maH numbers, that's a problem for me.

I have been able to take eneloops testing in the 1700's, and have a very high success rate bringing them back above 1900 by running a few cycles (3 or more), a discharge at 100mAh, and a break-in/forming charge. It's always produced an improvement, and almost always gotten them back to 1900+

 

[mcnair55]

I wish I could buy eneloops locally, at any price. There just not anywhere near where I live (closest is probably 100 miles away).

There is no place around here that has them either, I opted to buy a bunch of duraloops they can be acquired in many stores but you have to know which ones are duraloops.

Perhaps both of you should try Panasonic Evolta if they are available,personally I prefer them to Eneloop and cost wise roughly the same.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Perhaps both of you should try Panasonic Evolta if they are available,personally I prefer them to Eneloop and cost wise roughly the same.

Never seen them here either. Duraloops are the only eneloop substitute around here locally, the alternative is the "brids" or chinese Rayovac Hybrid clones.

 

[n3eg]

I just pointed my UV LED light at my entire box of NiMH cells - hybrids, eneloops, duraloops, and whatever - and nothing lit up.
UV leds are cool though.

 

[Closet_Flashaholic]

I just pointed my UV LED light at my entire box of NiMH cells - hybrids, eneloops, duraloops, and whatever - and nothing lit up.
UV leds are cool though.

Thanks for testing. I was really hoping someone else in the community would have found some in their stash. I think it is really strange that I am the only one that has these. I thought that if any others like this existed, somebody in this forum would have found them. I wonder if it's possible that these were exposed to something that would make them fluoresce like that? It's a mystery.

 

[tandem]

I'd like to check my collection of 100's of Eneloop/Duraloops out but am too cheap to buy a UV LED light, and too old (and too hip) to go to clubs with an armful of cells.

The capacity differences aren't definitive enough on their own. Still... it wouldn't surprise me if you stumbled on to something.

Counterfeit cells are a problem but I've not concerned myself with looking for counterfeit NiMH cells when fakes of bad Chinese cells are so much more entertaining (see sig).

 

[UserName]

I'd like to check my collection of 100's of Eneloop/Duraloops out but am too cheap to buy a UV LED light.

I made one, by accident, once.

I had a AA Maglite LED. It went to giving flaky output, cutting out a lot. I thought it was a poor connection, screwed the cap off, and sprayed some brake/electronic parts cleaner on it. It must have stripped something off the surface of the LED, because now all I get from it is a faint blue glow, and it causes UV sensitive substances to fluoresce. Now I use it for finding refrigerant leaks using UV dye.

 

[tandem]

UserName - cool! I'm going to look for a cheap LED to butcher. There must be one around here somewhere...

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I made one, by accident, once.

I had a AA Maglite LED. It went to giving flaky output, cutting out a lot. I thought it was a poor connection, screwed the cap off, and sprayed some brake/electronic parts cleaner on it. It must have stripped something off the surface of the LED, because now all I get from it is a faint blue glow, and it causes UV sensitive substances to fluoresce. Now I use it for finding refrigerant leaks using UV dye.

You must have taken off the phosphors from the LED. What you're left with is a blue LED. I doubt you're getting much UV spectrum from it, but it might cause some stuff that is sensitive to near-UV to fluoresce.

 

[UserName]

You must have taken off the phosphors from the LED. What you're left with is a blue LED. I doubt you're getting much UV spectrum from it, but it might cause some stuff that is sensitive to near-UV to fluoresce.

The only thing I know is that it makes the dye in a can of R134a UV glow charge light up as bright or brighter than a UV light in my toolbox that was purpose-designed to do that.