Eneloop Quick Charger Recommendations Needed

[parawolfe]

I bought a Sanyo Eneloop Quick Charger w/ 2 AA batteries. The specs say it charges two 2000mAh Sanyo Eneloop batteries in 4.2 hours. Are there any chargers made by other companies that are quicker? If you do, feel free to leave a brand and model.

 

[Mr Happy]

It's cheaper to buy two more Eneloops and charge them in the background while you are using the first two.

 

[parawolfe]

It's cheaper to buy two more Eneloops and charge them in the background while you are using the first two.

Thanks for the advice. I bought an extra 4 pack so I'll have a total of 6 batteries. I was just curious if the 4.2 hour charger was considered fast. I've seen Duracell and other manufacturer's sell 15, 30, 60 minute chargers for their NiMH rechargeables with similar mAh ratings. They're not Eneloop though. I guess there is more differences than the ability of the Eneloop battery to hold it's charge longer?

 

[Mr Happy]

It's just a matter of the terminology that the manufacturers have chosen to use. A long time ago, standard chargers took 12-16 hours, so when they introduced chargers that took 6-8 hours they called them "fast" chargers. Chargers that take less than 6 hours later got called "quick" chargers. Those chargers that take 15 minutes or something are "super-fast" or "ultra-quick".

The reality is that the fastest you should ever charge a NiMH cell to maintain top performance is 1-2 hours. There are a few chargers around that do that, but not many. What is worse is that if they happen to go wrong, or get given old and worn out cells to charge, they will fry them. How do you like the smell of burning plastic?

Those 15 minute chargers are really not recommended. They charge cells much faster than they are designed to be charged, and therefore shorten their life.

The nice thing about Eneloops is that once they are charged, they stay charged. When you can have previously charged spares to hand, there is really no reason to recharge them at ultra-fast speeds.

 

[h2xblive]

I think one could charge Eneloop AAs at up to 2C (4 amps) with no real problem. Of course, the cells might not last as long (overall battery life) as charging at 1C, but 2C should still be adequate as far as I know.

 

[parawolfe]

It's just a matter of the terminology that the manufacturers have chosen to use. A long time ago, standard chargers took 12-16 hours, so when they introduced chargers that took 6-8 hours they called them "fast" chargers. Chargers that take less than 6 hours later got called "quick" chargers. Those chargers that take 15 minutes or something are "super-fast" or "ultra-quick".

The reality is that the fastest you should ever charge a NiMH cell to maintain top performance is 1-2 hours. There are a few chargers around that do that, but not many. What is worse is that if they happen to go wrong, or get given old and worn out cells to charge, they will fry them. How do you like the smell of burning plastic?

Those 15 minute chargers are really not recommended. They charge cells much faster than they are designed to be charged, and therefore shorten their life.

The nice thing about Eneloops is that once they are charged, they stay charged. When you can have previously charged spares to hand, there is really no reason to recharge them at ultra-fast speeds.

Mr. Happy,

Thanks for the straight forward easy reply. I appreciate it. Sometimes questions get answered a bit too technical. I wasn't looking for an education, just basic knowledge. You did an excellent job of that and I appreciate it. I agree with what you said and now I'm satisfied with the charger and batteries I we be getting on Monday. Thanks for your help.

 

[Al Combs]

I bought a Sanyo Eneloop Quick Charger w/ 2 AA batteries. The specs say it charges two 2000mAh Sanyo Eneloop batteries in 4.2 hours. Are there any chargers made by other companies that are quicker? If you do, feel free to leave a brand and model.

Mr. Happy has the angle on charge time. Negative DeltaV is easier for a charger to detect at a rate between 0.5C and 1C. Have you seen the Maha C9000 charger? At $60 it's a bit steep. Even if you don't plan on buying one, you should take a look at the spec's just to see what it's capable of. This is about as good as it gets without buying a specialized hobby charger. The La Crosse BC900 predates the MaHa charger and lacks the Break-In feature. It's cheaper at $39 though.

Here is a CPF thread, "Maha MH-C9000, the Wizard One Charger (Part 2)". There have been a number of good reviews as well. Unfortunately I didn't bookmark any of those because I was already sold.