Eneloops/Energizers AA in Rayovac IC charger?

[grrickar]

As the thread title states, I have the 4 AA Ray O Vac IC3 charger that seems to be discontinued. I have two sets of IC3 AAs, some (or all) of which seem to have gone kaput. The charger will run a cycle on them, but the device I put them in will die very quickly. My only remorse is that I'm not sure if it is one of them that is shot, or all. (Any ideas to test this?)

So the charger *seems* to be still functional, but is it useful for charging other batteries? While I am thinking it would charge them, my concern is that it would charge them at such a rate that it would reduce the useful life of the battery. Is this the case?

Just wondering if I should get the Sanyo charger instead, or if the Ray O Vac is sufficient.

Also, I read some articles that Costco carries Eneloop sets with a charger. Is this still the case?

 

[Light Sabre]

The Rayovac IC3 charger is "supposed" to charge regular NMH batteries, with the recharge time being ~overnight/12hrs/16hrs or whatever. From personal experience I have placed regular NMH's in it and have it think that they are IC3 and take off at full blast on them. If I remember correctly I let 1 or 2 recharge cycles run until termination (15 minutes) without any immediate ill effects (no meltdowns, excessive heating, et). I consider that as completely unacceptable behavior on the chargers part, so I would recommend buying another charger. I still have about 16 IC3's so my charger gets used once in a while.

The Duracell Mobile Charger has been discontinued, but you can still find them in Safeways (or probably any other subsidiary of that chain). That charger has had good reviews here on CPF. I bought 5 before they all disappeared. You might want to check that chain of grocery stores. The chargers are in the battery section. If you're interested, you had better get on it ASAP, if it's not too late already.

 

[grrickar]

Cool, thanks for the info. I know originally Ray O Vac billed the IC3 as their tech that would 'detect' their cells and only do the fast charge on them, and regularly charge the others. Seems that is not the case.

I picked up some Duracell 2750mah AAs at Target last night for $8.99 a 4pack and they had a couple of Duracell chargers. One was a 'wall wart' that plugged directly in the outlet (no cable) and would do AAs and AAAs. I may pick one of those up.

 

[Light Sabre]

If the Duracell charger is under $20 then you will probably have to charge batteries in pairs which is not a good thing. Each battery needs to be charged individually in it's own separate slot. When new the internal resistance of each battery is slightly different. As they get older then the resistance difference is gonna be greater between any 2 batteries. When you charge them in pairs, then 1 battery will be charged more than the other. If you a lot of batteries and mix them all up instead of keeping them as matched pairs or sets then the problem will get a lot worse. One battery will be overcharged and one will be undercharged. The inexpensive battery chargers use a timer to turn off the recharge cycle. If you have a couple batteries where one has 80% of its charge and the 2nd one has 50% of it's charge, then the timer is going to try and give them both a 100% charge. I would recommend that you get an inexpensive smart charger, one that charges batteries individually and stop charging when the battery is full. The Duracell Mobile Charger is the cheapest smart charger that I'm aware of, but unfortunately it has been discontinued and Safeway is the only place I know where to find them. There might be another CPF member that might be selling some. I forget the name of the forum(s) where you can buy/sell stuff.

 

[TakeTheActive]

...I have two sets of IC3 AAs, some (or all) of which seem to have gone kaput... ...I'm not sure if it is one of them that is shot, or all. (Any ideas to test this?)

Sure! Buy a Smart Charger/Analyzer. :tinfoil:

I have SIXTEEN (NON-*CRAP*) I-C³ AA cells and *NO* I-C³ Charger! (Bought them at Target when they were discontinued, *CHEAP*!) I was living "Fat, Dumb and Happy" for a few years, charging them in my Rayovac PS1 and/or PS3 "Cookers" and eventually in my HIGH-TECH La Crosse BC-900, *TOTALLY* oblivious to the "Built-In Pressure Vent". Then, around Thanksgiving 2008 I started reading the CPF 'Batteries Included' Archives in earnest.

Oh well, enough of my boring drivel - SEARCH the Archives for my recent I-C³ posts if you're interested.

...So the charger *seems* to be still functional, but is it useful for charging other batteries?

Not really. It uses that 'Black Band' around the I-C³ cells to determine whether to use HIGH current or SLOW/TRICKLE current. Current technology NiMH cells work best with a 0.5-1.0C Charge Rate, not an 'Overnight / 16hr' Slow Charge.

...Just wondering if I should get the Sanyo charger instead...

How big is your investment in rechargeable NiMH cells? If it's just a handful around the house, in non-critical applications, *MANY* folks get along just fine with the Sanyo MQN06U "Series Charging 2-Channel 4-Cell" Charger that comes packaged in the Eneloop sets sold at Costco. I have one. It runs cool, terminates just fine. BUT, I have no idea which of the 2 cells in series was charged 100% and which wasn't (Read: An informal look at the Sanyo NC-MQN06U – charging in pairs). I tested it out (since it was essentially *FREE* in the Sanyo kit), but, I rely on my "Golden Standard" Maha MH-C9000 to *REALLY* tell me what's going on. :twothumbs

...they had a couple of Duracell chargers. One was a 'wall wart' that plugged directly in the outlet (no cable) and would do AAs and AAAs. I may pick one of those up.

I have LINKs for MANY of the current Duracell Chargers Spec Sheets in my Sig Line LINKs. Make sure you buy a "1 Channel per Cell" Charger that terminates properly for the best results.

If the Duracell charger is under $20 then you will probably have to charge batteries in pairs which is not a good thing...

That's a 'possibly inaccurate' generalization. Within the past month, Drugstore.Com and eBay recently had the CPF 'Highly Rated' Duracell Mobile Charger CEF23DX4 for under $20, IIRC. :wave:

...Each battery needs to be charged individually in it's own separate slot. When new the internal resistance of each battery is slightly different. As they get older then the resistance difference is gonna be greater between any 2 batteries. When you charge them in pairs, then 1 battery will be charged more than the other...

OR, their Internal Resistance may be almost identical but one cell was discharged more than the other (different device, different time, etc...)

...If you have a couple batteries where one has 80% of its charge and the 2nd one has 50% of it's charge, then the timer is going to try and give them both a 100% charge...

And OVERcharge the 80% full cell and UNDERcharge the 50% full cell.

grrickar,

How serious (aka DEEP) are you into Rechargeable NiMH AA and/or AAA cells? :thinking:

All-in-all, the questions most Newbies ask aren't new - they've been 'Asked-N-Answered' *MANY* times over. If you're interested in *MY* opinion of the BEST ANSWERS to the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS, CLICK on my Sig Line LINK and read... :welcome:

 

[grrickar]

I have not made a huge investment in NIMH batts, but I was eating plenty of alkaline and lithium ones in my camera. It takes 4 AAs, and I would get more life out of the IC3s (initially, anyway) than any other non-rechargeable AAs.

That said, I have lots of gadgets that eat AAA and AA batts, and my daughter does also. Sounds like I need to dump the IC3 charger, get a smart charger and keep track of what I use each set in, and how many charge cycles I am getting.