Costco's Eneloop Power Packs - Picturing the Difference

The image on the left is from the Costco pack containing the model MQN06 charger which lacks independent charging channels. It has a visible battery compartment and two green LED's below the compartment.

The adjacent image is from the pack containing the more desirable model MQN05 charger which has fully independent charging channels. It also has a (sliding) closure over the battery compartment and, although not visible here, a single green LED centered below the battery compartment.

It should be noted that the MQN05 can also be found in a bundle with 4 AA Eneloops. In these bundles the sliding closure is stored behind the charger, so it may be not immediately evident during a casual glance.

Thanks for outlining the difference. I unfortunately already bought that pack, and got the MQN06. :shakehead

On the other hand, the MQN05 is limited to 120 V input, so even though it is an ideal size and design for traveling you can't travel round the world with it.

I think the MQN06 does have worldwide voltage input, so you win some, you lose some. Neither charger is perfect and there might be a reason to feel happier about getting the MQN06. Especially if you use batteries in sets of 2 or 4.

Bones, thanks for the information. Btw, it appears that there is another version as well... I just picked up an eneloop kit from costco here in Canada and it comes with the following:

- 1xMQH03U Charger (100-240v)
- 4xAA
- 2xAAA

The charger doesn't have a sliding cover and it only has one green LED at the bottom. The instructions indicate that it can charge from 1-4 batteries and, when charging two batteries, they should be inserted into the end positions. So, are these independent charge channels?

2 channels.
The instructions are for the highest charging rate to use outside bays.
Using inner bays would still charge at the normal rate (1A I think).

I got the enellop pack with he MQN05, can I charge other nimh cells such as titanium 1800 or powerex 2700?

Wierd, my pack came with:

- 1xMQH01U Charger (100-240v)
- 4xAA
- 2xAAA
- 4 adapters (2C, 2D)

This is a nice 4 channel smart charger. Outer channels charge faster (1C) otherwise charges areound 1/2C.

Also has a pulse battery checker function, nice.

$32 in Canada, so not super cheap.

gunga said:

Wierd, my pack came with:

- 1xMQH01U Charger (100-240v)
- 4xAA
- 2xAAA
- 4 adapters (2C, 2D)

This is a nice 4 channel smart charger. Outer channels charge faster (1C) otherwise charges areound 1/2C.

Also has a pulse battery checker function, nice.

$32 in Canada, so not super cheap.

Click to expand...

I also bought this pack. The entire pack is a little expensive BUT this charger is just great! I had a 15 minutes charger but I ended up selling it and just using this one.

RGB_LED said:

Bones, thanks for the information. Btw, it appears that there is another version as well... I just picked up an eneloop kit from costco here in Canada and it comes with the following:

- 1xMQH03U Charger (100-240v)
- 4xAA
- 2xAAA

The charger doesn't have a sliding cover and it only has one green LED at the bottom. The instructions indicate that it can charge from 1-4 batteries and, when charging two batteries, they should be inserted into the end positions. So, are these independent charge channels?

Click to expand...

I couldn't find any relevant information whatsoever on a model MQH03U charger RGB_LED, but to the best of my knowledge it must have independent channels if it can charge a single cell.

As bob_ninja noted in his post, it could also have two charging rates depending on the number of cells inserted, with the higher rate applied to the end positions. I'm curious as to whether this is the case, and if so, what those rates are.

It would therefore be appreciated if you could provide the input rates and any other information that would help reveal this chargers capabilities. The output rates, for example, will let us know if it has a world-wide capability.

I think "(100-240v)" tells us that it does indeed have world-wide capability.

Maybe the charger is like this one?

http://www.overseas.sanyo.com/products_catalog/products/batteries/battery_chargers/nc_mqr03.html

scottaw said:

I got the enellop pack with he MQN05, can I charge other nimh cells such as titanium 1800 or powerex 2700?

Click to expand...

The MQN05 can charge any combination of NiMH AA or AAA cells scottaw, but there have been indications that a safety timer may activate before it has time to fully charge high capacity cells like the Powerex 2700mAh. While this is a desirable feature when charging the Eneloop, it could cause it to require second go to fully charge your Powerex cells. Accordingly, if you're finding that they don't seem to last as long as they should, just give them two back-to-back charges and, if your up for it, perhaps even share your observations when charging 2700mAh cells in the MQN05.

Duplicate post, deleted ...

gunga said:

Wierd, my pack came with:

- 1xMQH01U Charger (100-240v)
- 4xAA
- 2xAAA
- 4 adapters (2C, 2D)

This is a nice 4 channel smart charger. Outer channels charge faster (1C) otherwise charges areound 1/2C.

Also has a pulse battery checker function, nice.

$32 in Canada, so not super cheap.

Click to expand...

There appears to be a plethora of packs available at Costco.ca.

I also found what appears to be yet another version of the Eneloop pack at eneloop.ca:



You will note it's labelled 'Family Pack' instead of 'Power Pack'.

Incidentally, there are some high quality images of a dismantled MQH01U at PCHome.net.

Mr Happy said:

I think "(100-240v)" tells us that it does indeed have world-wide capability.

Maybe the charger is like this one?

http://www.overseas.sanyo.com/products_catalog/products/batteries/battery_chargers/nc_mqr03.html

Click to expand...

Thanks for drawing my attention to my oversight Mr Happy (he mumbles through gritted teeth).

If RGB_LED's pack does contain a version of the MCR03 charger, it could be a real bonus if it also has the same refresh function; especially considering the actual MCR03 is currently selling in a bundle with four Sanyo 2700mAh NiMH cells at dealextreme.com for 47.16 USD.

Bones said:

I couldn't find any relevant information whatsoever on a model MQH03U charger RGB_LED, but to the best of my knowledge it must have independent channels if it can charge a single cell.

As bob_ninja noted in his post, it could also have two charging rates depending on the number of cells inserted, with the higher rate applied to the end positions. I'm curious as to whether this is the case, and if so, what those rates are.

It would therefore be appreciated if you could provide the input rates and any other information that would help reveal this chargers capabilities. The output rates, for example, will let us know if it has a world-wide capability.

Click to expand...

Hi Bones, thanks for the additional info... I also did a search as well and couldn't find any info. Btw, I should mention that this charger pack is similar to gunga's in that it has the 2C and 2D adapters and also cost $32.

Here is the info as listed on both the instruction booklet as well as the reverse side of the charger:

Input AC-IN: AC 100-240v, 50/60Hz, 12W
Input DC-IN: DC 12V 1A
Output:
DC 1.2v 2000mA (2AA)
DC 1.2V 1000mA (4AA)
DC 1.2V 800mA (2AAA)
DC 1.2V 400mA (4AAA)

This charger physically doesn't quite resemble the MCR03: mine has 4 separate contacts for AAA and AA (instead of what appears to be 2 on the MCR03?) and only has 1 green LED instead of what appears to be separate LED's on the MCR03... There's no mention either of a refresh function.

Mr Happy said:

Neither charger is perfect and there might be a reason to feel happier about getting the MQN06. Especially if you use batteries in sets of 2 or 4.

Click to expand...

Until your two or four cells become less than perfectly balanced in capacity, and you have a way to determine this. Any pairs charger will eventually instigate a downhill death-spiral in the cells, in my opinion.

Regarding the MQN05U... it may be independent channels, but has anybody confirmed that if you put in two AA and two AAA cells, in any order, that the AA cells will still charge at the AA rate of around 350 mA, and the AAA cells will still charge at the standard AAA rate of around 150 mA? Just curious how this independent channel charger would handle this... if it is 100% truly independent. I had an Ansmann charger once that claimed fully independent channels, but there were certain scenarios/cell combinations that definitely yielded charge patterns not indicative of truly 100% independent channels.

Mr Happy said:

On the other hand, the MQN05 is limited to 120 V input, so even though it is an ideal size and design for traveling you can't travel round the world with it.

Click to expand...

So, you spend a couple of bucks on a converter..

Sanyo claims that these 2000mA AAs have the power of conventional 2500mA AA rechargeables, but that makes no sense and I see that in a test, the results of which are posted here, the Eneloops last as long as other 2000mA AAs.

So do the batteries have any advantage other than the slow discharge rates? Do they maintain better voltage under strong current draw?

RGB_LED said:

Hi Bones, thanks for the additional info... I also did a search as well and couldn't find any info. Btw, I should mention that this charger pack is similar to gunga's in that it has the 2C and 2D adapters and also cost $32.

Here is the info as listed on both the instruction booklet as well as the reverse side of the charger:

Input AC-IN: AC 100-240v, 50/60Hz, 12W
Input DC-IN: DC 12V 1A
Output:
DC 1.2v 2000mA (2AA)
DC 1.2V 1000mA (4AA)
DC 1.2V 800mA (2AAA)
DC 1.2V 400mA (4AAA)

This charger physically doesn't quite resemble the MCR03: mine has 4 separate contacts for AAA and AA (instead of what appears to be 2 on the MCR03?) and only has 1 green LED instead of what appears to be separate LED's on the MCR03... There's no mention either of a refresh function.

Click to expand...

Many thanks for the additional information REG_LED.

Based on the outputs, one could speculate that the MQH03U was purpose built for the Eneloop.

The AA cell's capacity is typically rated at 2000mAh, which makes the higher rate of charge exactly 1C, and the lower exactly .5C.

Following on, the AAA cell's capacity is typically rated at 800mAh, which again makes the higher rate of charge exactly 1C, and the lower exactly .5C.

These two rates are the most commonly recommended to foster an optimum charge termination signal for an NiMH charger.

As has been previously noted, it also supports world-wide AC input voltage.

Perhaps even better though, it appears to support 12 volt DC input voltage as well, which means of course that it could be used with a standard 12 volt adapter such as those provided for a cigarette lighter receptacle.

I can't recall this feature on any other charger bundled with the Eneloop or, for that matter, any other Sanyo cell.

Considering its 12 volt DC support, I'm now curious as to whether it connects with a folding plug or line cord and, since it may be a brand new product, when it was built.

The build date is usually determined by three letters (heat) stamped on the back of the charger as set out in this post authored by Mr Happy.

A cool find...