Rechargable batteries and LED light

I ride my bicycle at 3:30 in the morning, so naturally I have to have lights. Presently I have a 5 LED headlight that uses 4 AA batteries. I also have flashing tail-lights that use a couple AAA batteries.

In an effort to save money, I need to look at rechargable batteries, but haven't a clue as to which would last the longest between recharges while giving the maximum power for the lights.

Some, but not all, batteries give mA ratings. Does a higher number mean it will do a given job longer?

I certainly wouldn't mind having a charger that was quick, but that is not as important as the batteries themselves. It would certainly be nice if the charge actually turned off when proper recharging was done - not just charge for a specific length of time.

So, what are the recommendations for my usage?

If you are looking for a charger that will just do AA's, then I don't really know any good ones. I have an AccuManager 20 which charges AAA, AA, C, D and 9V batteries very well.

I would recommend some Sanyo 2300mAh rechargeables to you. The mAh ratings are supposed to mean something, but they really don't mean all that much. Going with a good brand is better than getting a higher mAh.

A general rule of thumb, the higher the mAH, the longer the runtime.

[ QUOTE ]
Hallis said:
A general rule of thumb, the higher the mAH, the longer the runtime.

[/ QUOTE ]

That matches my guess, but I still run into one and possibly two problems. The one is that some batteries just don't seem to list the numbers - at least some regular batteries I've looked at, such as DuraCell.

The other possible problem is how well a battery lets you actually access whatever power it has. That might not be an issue, but I can see that it MIGHT be.

[ QUOTE ]
IlluminatingBikr said:
If you are looking for a charger that will just do AA's, then I don't really know any good ones. I have an AccuManager 20 which charges AAA, AA, C, D and 9V batteries very well.

I would recommend some Sanyo 2300mAh rechargeables to you. The mAh ratings are supposed to mean something, but they really don't mean all that much. Going with a good brand is better than getting a higher mAh.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I certainly need to be able to change both AA and AAA. The others are less important, but having flexibily is always good!

What does an AccuManager cost?

The Energizer set at walmart is probably a good deal. What are they, 2300 mAh now?

2300 mAh is near the top-end for a NiMH AA, and 750-800 for an AAA. NiMHs appear to have lower capacity than Alkalines, but are better for high-drain use (your 5LED doesn't count, but a Lux3 does).

[ QUOTE ]
dabigkahuna said:
That matches my guess, but I still run into one and possibly two problems. The one is that some batteries just don't seem to list the numbers - at least some regular batteries I've looked at, such as DuraCell.

The other possible problem is how well a battery lets you actually access whatever power it has. That might not be an issue, but I can see that it MIGHT be.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, Mallory AA spec does list this data, and in a way that reflects the problem you bring up second, that with alkalines, the declining voltage is an important matter. So they give you curves to show the profiles at various rates.

Doug Owen

[ QUOTE ]
dabigkahuna said:
Well, I certainly need to be able to change both AA and AAA. The others are less important, but having flexibily is always good!



[/ QUOTE ]

Probably the most recommended AA/AAA charger is the MAHA 401, at about $40. Fast, safe, small, cool running, well respected, can be run on 12 Volts DC.

I've owned one for several years now, and can recommend it highly. I bought mine from Thomas Distributing . There are some attractive package deals with 2300 mAh cells that might interest you, they too are to be recommended.

Doug Owen

Doug Owen

I got my Accumanager 20 here for $53.95 with free shipping.

Why is going the maximum time between charges important to you? With a smart charger, you can top off your batteries whenever you feel like it. Also, you can keep a spare set fully charged.

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:
Why is going the maximum time between charges important to you? With a smart charger, you can top off your batteries whenever you feel like it. Also, you can keep a spare set fully charged.

[/ QUOTE ]

And keep yourself a few spares in the nifty little Maha carrying cases. Available Here

[ QUOTE ]
Doug Owen said:
Actually, Mallory AA spec does list this data, and in a way that reflects the problem you bring up second, that with alkalines, the declining voltage is an important matter. So they give you curves to show the profiles at various rates.

Doug Owen

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks. I don't understand all the data in there, but it is good to have! What about lithium cells (for giving more constant power)? Are any of those rechargable?

[ QUOTE ]
Doug Owen said:
Probably the most recommended AA/AAA charger is the MAHA 401, at about $40. Fast, safe, small, cool running, well respected, can be run on 12 Volts DC.

I've owned one for several years now, and can recommend it highly. I bought mine from Thomas Distributing . There are some attractive package deals with 2300 mAh cells that might interest you, they too are to be recommended.

Doug Owen

[/ QUOTE ]

This would be the MH-C401FS?

One thing about any charger. I have found info about one or another only being able to charge to a given level which, I assume, would mean if you had one that would charge to 2000, then you wouldn't get the full benefit of a 2300 mAh.

Do any of these charges measure the capacity and adjust accordingly so that if later we get, say, a 2500 mAh battery, it would still fully charge it?

Second vote for Thomas Disistributing. Ordered my MH401 from there as well as some Maha batteries. Best money I ever spent on rechargables.

I've also heard many goof things about battery www.batteryspace.com. They have GREAT PRICES and you can get a 5% off using the coupon "batteryspace"

[ QUOTE ]
IlluminatingBikr said:
I got my Accumanager 20 here for $53.95 with free shipping.

[/ QUOTE ]

That one looks good too. Decisons, decisions.

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:
Why is going the maximum time between charges important to you? With a smart charger, you can top off your batteries whenever you feel like it. Also, you can keep a spare set fully charged.

[/ QUOTE ]

True, but it is just about cutting down hassles. The less I have to take unmount the various lights, open them up, etc, the better.

[ QUOTE ]
dabigkahuna said:

Thanks. I don't understand all the data in there, but it is good to have! What about lithium cells (for giving more constant power)? Are any of those rechargable?

[/ QUOTE ]
Lithium batteries are NOT rechargeable, such as the Panasonic L91 Lithium AA.
The rechargeables are Li-Ion, which run 3.6V, so probably wouldn't work in your application.
[ QUOTE ]

This would be the MH-C401FS?

One thing about any charger. I have found info about one or another only being able to charge to a given level which, I assume, would mean if you had one that would charge to 2000, then you wouldn't get the full benefit of a 2300 mAh.

Do any of these charges measure the capacity and adjust accordingly so that if later we get, say, a 2500 mAh battery, it would still fully charge it?

[/ QUOTE ]

It is the MH-C401FS. And for AA and AAA, it is a smart charger and will stop when the cell determines it's full, based upon how much juice the battery wants to pull. So, it should fully charge a 1700 mAh cell as well as a 2300 mAh cell.

I too put in a vote for Thomas-distributing. Quick shipping, and good prices. And the other thing I did was look at the price/mAh breakdown. At the time I bought, it was more economical to buy 2000 mAh cells, instead of 2200 mAh. Just my $0.02

PS. For my riding, I use a 5W Luxeon V flashlight powered by 2 Li-Ion cells, running at 8V or so. For my helmet light, I will be using a 3W Luxeon-3 running off of one Li-Ion cell @ 4V or so.
And my tail light is a Cateye LD-600, using 2 AAA NiMH.

Thanks, Mark.

If the charger works based on how much the battery will pull, then it seems to me it should work for future, new, higher capacity batteries later.

What about the rechargable batteries HOLDING a charge even when not being used? Do some types do this better than others?

[ QUOTE ]
dabigkahuna said:
What about the rechargable batteries HOLDING a charge even when not being used? Do some types do this better than others?

[/ QUOTE ]

What you are looking for is the "self discharge" rate for the given type of chemistry a cell is made from. Li-Ion and Lithium primary have the lowest self-discharge rate. Ni-Cd has the highest self discharge rate. Ni-MH is not quite as high as Ni-Cd, but still pretty severe. Alkaline is between Lithium and Nickel. If you do a search for self discharge, you should be able to find other posts that will give you more specific information with values such as %/week & %/month.