Best "Smart" Charger

[dw_1984]

Best \"Smart\" Charger

I'm looking for a new smart charger that will charge all sorts of batteries from AAAs to Ds and 9V. I'd prefer something with individual channels, auto shut off (dV), trickle, etc.

I've heard good things about the Vanson BC-1HU Universal Charger. Are there any other chargers out there that I should consider?
I've heard that the Maha C777/Plus ones are good and I've seen them but haven't figured out how they work. Do they only charge one at a time or is there some weird way to connect more than one cell?
The CCrane (not sure which model) has been pretty popular but they charge in parallel and I don't like that.

Are there any other suggestions for a good, all around smart charger for a range of cells? It doesn't matter whether they're fast or slow chargers.

Thanks,
Daniel

 

[FalconFX]

Re: Best

The Vanson and it's Accupower equivalent use independant channels. So does the Rayovac PS3. These 3 fit your description...

The Maha charges similar to the CCrane (in that you can still do any combination of numbers of cells), but in series, and can charge battery packs as well as lithium ions. You'll have to get battery holders to place your AA/AAA/C/D batts in (which you can get from thomas-distributing.com).

 

[dw_1984]

Re: Best

Thanks Falcon!

I'm leaning towards the Vanson at the moment because onlybatteries.com has a pretty good deal on them. Are there any downsides to this charger? I've heard that with the really high-capacity Ds they don't charge all the way because the shut-off timer kicks in. Are there any other kinks?

And I can't seem to find more detailed info on the Rayovac PS3. Maybe someone on the board has this and can provide a little more insight.

 

[FalconFX]

Re: Best

The higher capacity 9Ah Ds will timer out before they're fully charged. The timer's set at, I believe 11.5 hours. You'd then want to take the batteries out of the charger and then reput them back in sometime between that 9 hour gap. That's all. It'll charge normally after that. It really isn't a biggie for me, and it's an added safety bonus provided the charge needs to terminate because of a runaway battery.

The only other thing I've noticed about the Vanson is that "specifically" with Energizer 2200mah Ds, the contacts at the top (positive contact) is a bit short of the charge contacts. It's not really a problem, as I just slide in a thin piece of tin-foil to get it to contact...

Other than that, there really isn't anything out of the ordinary I've noticed with my Vanson...

 

[dw_1984]

Re: Best

Thanks again Falcon.

I think I'm going to place an order for the Vanson soon. Probably next week or so. It sounds like a pretty good charger overall. Soon I'll be able to charge batteries and not worry about overcharging them.

Daniel

 

[FalconFX]

Re: Best

No prob!