charging eneloops

[gailt]

I have a BC900,but was hoping someone could tell the best setting to charge the enloops at.It has 200,350,500 setting.Which is the best to charge eneloops at?Thanks in advance to any and,all that reply.

 

[rockz4532]

200 or 350 is what is safe, 500 may be bad for the batteries

 

[Unforgiven]

Are the numbers you posted for the charging current? (mA) The best charge rate would depend on the capacity of the cells. .5C to 1.0C is generally considered the best to charge NiMh cells.

C = the capacity of the cells.

If the Eneloops you are referring to are AAA then 400mA to 800mA would be an acceptable current range to charge them at.

If AA, then 1 or 2 amps would generally work well. (1,000 - 2,000mA)

 

[Mr Happy]

200 or 350 is what is safe, 500 may be bad for the batteries

On the contrary, Eneloop AA cells may be safely charged with any current up to 2000 mA, with higher charging currents (closer to 2000 mA) recommended. Details can be found in the data sheet here.

 

[coppertrail]

200 or 350 is what is safe, 500 may be bad for the batteries

I disagree with your statement that 500 mA (.25C) may be bad for the batteries?

As another member mentioned, the rule of thumb is to charge between .5 and 1C., which for eneloop cells would be between 1A and 2A. I've charging my eneloop cells at 1A and have great results every time.

 

[gailt]

Thanks everone for the replys.

 

[Yoda4561]

I like the .5 C charge rate(for eneloops that's 1amp). A reasonable 2 hour charge time from empty, and very easy on the cells. I wouldn't hesitate to do a full 2amp charge rate on eneloops though, but I would keep a fan on them to make sure they stay cool (heat kills, though eneloops can handle high currents better than many batteries, after the 2500 debacle I'd rather stack the odds in my favor). If 500ma is the fastest that your charger will go, use that. Lower charge rates could cause the charger to miss the -deltaV signal which I think yours uses.

 

[gregoryh]

I have a BC900,but was hoping someone could tell the best setting to charge the enloops at.It has 200,350,500 setting.Which is the best to charge eneloops at?Thanks in advance to any and,all that reply.

Looking at the info on their website they recommend a charge that would terminate in about 2 hours for some reason. That equates to a 1 a charge onthe 2000mah Eneloops. They do talk about faster rates but due to potential heat issues, .5 C would seem to be safer and adhere to their specific recommendations.
Greg

 

[Mr Happy]

Looking at the info on their website

Could you clarify whose website...LaCrosse or Sanyo? Maybe a link?

 

[crofty]

I remember reading something like that a while ago. It may of been answer 12 in the eneloop Q & A.

 

[igoman]

I am just testing my Fenix E21 with eneloops in it. After 8 hours the brightness dropped considerably (no more turbo mode and looks like 10 lumens now). Fenix E21 is suppose to go for 11 hours on 48 lumens. I have a cheap charger called SBS power box A480. Could this be the problem?
Are the original eneloop chargers better? I am looking this Sanyo Eneloop MQR06 charger (http://www.eneloop.info/products/chargers/sets-with-mqr06.html). What if I insert lets say half charged batteries in the charger, will the charger first empty the batteries and them charge them again? I heard its not healthy for the batteries to charge them if they are not completely empty, is this also true for eneloops?

 

[Lanque]

Hi igoman,

From Fenix's website on the E21 : http://www.fenixlight.com/viewproduct.asp?id=124 Runtime = 11 hrs mode A

"Notice: The above-mentioned parameters (tested by 2500mAh Ni-MH battery in Lab) are approximate and may vary between flashlights, batteries, and environments."

Since Eneloops are specified to a minimum of 1900mAh, 1900/2500 * 11hrs = 8hrs 21 minutes. Since you got 8 hours, that seems fair.

 

[igoman]

Aha ok, thanks!

 

[igoman]

I am thinking of buying a set of 4 eneloops with a charger. I have two options avaliable for chargers and I dont now wich one to buy.
Should I buy the Sanyo eneloop MQN04 or the MQR06 charger? I am not sure but I think the only difrences are in the charging time. I dont wory about charging time, so are there any other difrences in these? What would you recomend?

 

[ecrbattery]

The MQR06 is a much better charger. Make sure you get the MQR06 and not the cheapo MQN06.

MQR06 - "smart" charger, triple charging speed: 75 minutes (1 AA), 110 minutes (2 AA), 220 minutes (1-4 AA), independent charging channel with 4 LED indicators.

MQN04 - "dumb" timer-based charger, 10 hours charge time for eneloop AA, require charging in pair of 2 or 4. 2 LED indicators.

MQN06 - cheap and slow charger that require charging in pair of 2 or 4.