Best NiMH charger/batteries

[BrightLight]

What's the best (reasonably-priced) NiMH charger available? Is the Maha C401FS noticeably better than, say, the C204F? (I note that it charges each battery independently, which can't be a bad thing.) If it is the best, where's the best place to buy it? If not, where's the best place to buy whichever is?

 

[dw_1984]

Well, what size batteries are you looking to charge?

If it's only for AA than the Mahas you've listed would be a good place to start.

I use a Rayovac PS3. It's a smart charger and can charge everything from AAs to Ds. And it's pretty reasonably priced at around $25-30CDN so that's probably around 20 bucks US.

For around the 40 bucks USD for the 401FS you could also consider the Vanson BC-1HU. Does the same as the PS3 I mentioned and seems to be pretty popular around here.

Also for around $40, there's the CCrane. I don't have it but some members here do. They'll probably be able to tell you more about it. The one thing I do know is that it charges in parallel and that's one reason I didn't get it. But to each his own.

Good hunting,
Daniel

 

[FalconFX]

Well, I found another problem with the CCrane that has added to me not liking it. Besides it charging in parellel, one of the springs for the negative ends of one of the slots gave out. Now I'm down to essentially 2 slots, since it was the 3rd that broke...

But the end all-be all AA/AAA charger right now is essentially the C401FS from Maha. And their batteries (2200mah) are the best I've seen, along with Panasonics and Sanyos...

The Vanson does quite well, as well as the PS3 (the most foolproof) for Cs and Ds...

 

[paulr]

I wish someone made a charger with a built-in conditioner/analyzer. That means it should discharge all cells, then charge them all (independent channels) and measure the capacity of each cell as it charges. Then, for good measure, optionally discharge again and measure capacity. I have a set of four cells and think one of them might be weak. Analyzer capability would immediately tell me which cell it was, if any. It shouldn't add much to the cost of the charger, just some more controller code and an indicator LED for each channel if there's not one already there.

 

[Floating Spots]

I had my springs break in my CCrane charger. That is the CCrane's greatest weakness, but fairly easy to fix.
I opened the case, drilled through in the right spots (I did all four), tapped, and added some 4-40 machine screws (flat topped). Mine will never break again.

Parallel charging isn't bad (in my opinion). I usually let it discharge down to 1 volts before it charges, but even when I don't, I can cycle them through the quest Q2 and they all (within about a minute) indicate end of charge. The CCrane has a thermal backup on each channel, too.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

FalconFX, what aabout GP 2000's. They rate high in "The Great Battery Shootout". Bill

 

[FalconFX]

I have the 1800mah GPs... Don't have the newer ones, although I do have the 9Ah GP Ds, and those work great as well... The GP1800s perform better than Rayovac's similar 1800mah, in that I usually get a bit more runtime from them...

The "Shootout" is a pretty good model to go with. About the only thing I don't agree with is the IPowerUS cells, because I've put those guys through Mr Bulk's LGI and a 2D->6AA direct drive 5Wer with no short runtime problems...

 

[eluminator]

I have re-anchored all 4 springs in my C Crane. I drilled small holes in the bottom of the tray behind the battery well, and used "nylon thread" looped through the holes to hold the ends of the springs.

It's still my most used charger. Because it can analyze batteries, albeit one at a time, and tell me the state of charge, it's where I put my batteries to see if they need charging.

When I buy new batteries, I put them in the C. Crane to run them through a couple of discharge-charge cycles.

If I was only going to charge AA batteries, and wasn't too curious as to their state of charge, the Maha that charges up to four independently would probably be my choice, though I don't own one yet.

 

[Al]

Question RE: Rayovac PS3 ... I have run into problems charging AA nimh's. Charge indicators remain on (half a day) and batteries get too hot. Batteries fairly new. I have two PS3's and they both have acted the same way.

 

[Blikbok]

I've got the Maha 401. I use it with Maha and Sanyo cells, and I'm very pleased so far. I've used it in the car and on AC power. I like simply putting cells in and coming back when they are done. I also like the two speeds for charging. Most of the time, I don't need a quick charge.

 

[eluminator]

I've only used my PS3 (old style) a few times. Mostly for D cells. It seemed okay. With AA cells it can hold 8, two in each slot. But if you do that, you don't have independent charging for each cell. So I just put one in each slot, for a total of 4 at the maximum.

Half a day for AA seems like too much time. Of course if you double them up, it will probably take twice as long. I believe the PS3 is a fairly fast charger. Sounds like another bleepin' bad charger.

 

[FalconFX]

I would only use my PS3 for Cs and Ds... I absolutely hate using it for AA/AAAs because it seems to me it never provides a full charge to them.

If you're experiencing problems charging (charge indicator stays on forever), either one of the banks is dead or the IC isn't cutting off voltage/current as it should.

 

[eluminator]

paulr, that's my dream machine. Some dream of owning a Surefire, I just want a charger that will measure a cell's capacity. It would certainly answer lots of questions. And like you said, some chargers have 90 percent of what it would take to do it, already in place.

Of course I could build something to measure capacity. I have a multimeter with a PC connection, and a Labjack too. But I guess I don't want one bad enough to spend the time.

 

[FalconFX]

eluminator, sounds like you're describing the CCrane Quick-charger...

http://www.ccrane.com/chargers.asp

 

[eluminator]

No, I wasn't clear enough. The CCrane will show the state of charge (50% or 75% etc.) but not how much energy is stored in the cell.

To do that, it would have to discharge the cell and measure what energy or milliamp-hours or whatever, that came out. It does discharge cells but it doesn't measure and display anything. Well it shows the voltage as it's being discharged but that's not useful. If it would measure current and integrate over time, you would have milliamp hours (mAh). If it would multiply current by voltage and integrate over time you would have energy.

Perhaps the integrate part was too much for the programmer.

I realize that the energy produced by a battery depends on the rate, i.e. the loading, (darn internal resistance) and I realize that sometimes milliamp-hours isn't as useful as energy measured in watt-hours, or calories or joules, or whatever, but any such measurement would be useful. It would allow comparision between two different cells. It would allow comparing cells charged in two different chargers, and it would allow seeing how a cell deteriorates over months and years of use.

Why doesn't one of you enterprising modders give me a microcode download so I can re-flash my CCrane?

 

[FalconFX]

eluminator,
Have you checked out the Maha C777PlusII?

http://www.thomasdistributing.com/mh-c777plus.htm

 

[Floating Spots]

That's the only one that I know that gives a readout.
Doesn't it only do it on discharge cycles?
Or was it that its only accurately on discarge cycles?

 

[FalconFX]

I thought it gives capacity readings on both charge/discharge cycles...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I'll have to fish it out of the closet and read its manual again...

 

[Floating Spots]

I don't have one.
I read about the original (and its problems) and seem to recall something about it. I think the deal was that you should charge the battery (ignoring the charge current), discharge it (use this reading, but it doesn't hold this one for viewing, you have to babysit it?), and then charge it again.

 

[eluminator]

FalconFX I looked at the c777 plus 2 briefly once, and I'm looking at it again now that you reminded me. Well, it's gonna cost me $85, with separate holders for D and AA cells, and a bunch of wires running to them.

It seems it will measure cell capacity, which is what I want. The latest model will hold the mAh reading so you don't have to babysit it.

Unfortunately the reports from users don't seem too encouraging. Someone says the temperature sensor doesn't work. Another says the thing uses a delta voltage of .065 instead of the .007 stated in the manual. Judging from the CCrane which apparently uses .030, I'd say .065 will cook the batteries.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2515?ehamsid=2d1eee513ec9c3d9334c4bb1fec4580e

If they fix these problems, or if they are already fixed, I'd get one. Otherwise I'd just use it to measure capacity and do the charging in other chargers.

Once again I have to ask myself just how badly I want to measure the actual capacity of my batteries.