Good NiMH charger for a decent price.

[Forgoten214]

Whats a good way to charge NiMH like Eneloops or something similar? I cant really see myself spending 30+ dollars on a charger. I just need to charge two maybe four batteries at once. Just looking for a good smart charger type. Speed doesnt really matter I'll just use it in the night time for an overnight charge. Looking to charge AA eneloops and AAA eneloops. Nothing fancy really just something reliable that wont damage cells ect.

Any ideas anyone?

- Jay

 

[Foxx510]

Is this too expensive? http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/...ml?SP_id=45&osCsid=s7hp2t6lsl92om766k89393st5

Don't go too cheap with chargers, it's worth the money to have something half decent.

 

[Forgoten214]

Is this too expensive? http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/...ml?SP_id=45&osCsid=s7hp2t6lsl92om766k89393st5

Don't go too cheap with chargers, it's worth the money to have something half decent.

Hmmm, It is kinda expensive. I am kind of looking to spend 10-20$ tops. I will keep it in mind though. Just trying to see what options are out there. I use my WF-139 for lithiums and its a great charger. Just looking for something for the NiMH side of things.

 

[Forgoten214]

Amazon does have the La Crosse BC-700 for 30 dollars shipped.

Is that a good deal?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RSOV50/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Whats the difference between that and the BC-900?

I am new to chargers and NiMH. I was thinking of getting the Sony charger that comes with 2700 mAh Sony batteries.

 

[Foxx510]

That looks like a good deal. Plenty of info on CPF about it if you do a search.

 

[Forgoten214]

The La Crosse or the Sony? The Sony seems tempting because they sell it at Walmart and it seems to have some neat features.

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/sony-lcd-rechargeable-battery-charger.htm

 

[Toaster]

Duracell Mobile Charger is a good budget buy. Plenty of info on it here if you run a search. You can currently get a good deal on it with some LSD AA+AAAs at Drugstore.com.

1. Click on this link to add a $5 off $30 coupon at Drugstore.com
2. Add Duracell Mobile Charger to your cart. Note that this comes with 2x LSD AAs + 2x LSD AAAs + car charger, not the stripped down bundle found at other stores.
3. Add Duracell LSD AA 4 pack to your cart.

Total comes out to $28 shipped. And with any luck some or all of the batteries will be Duraloops.

 

[Foxx510]

Another option:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.6194

 

[vali]

Amazon does have the La Crosse BC-700 for 30 dollars shipped.

Is that a good deal?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RSOV50/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Whats the difference between that and the BC-900?

I am new to chargers and NiMH. I was thinking of getting the Sony charger that comes with 2700 mAh Sony batteries.

I think $10 more for the BC-900 is a better choice.

Edit: Oops, was a wrong quote and link. Corrected.

 

[thedeske]

I think $9 more for the BC-900 is a better choice.

Agree

Chargers like the BC-900 & C9000 will hold value better than others. If and when the next version comes, you should consider the ability to sell and recover 40% of what you spend now.

 

[travelinman]

A couple of years ago the BC900 and the 700 were identical except that the 900 let you use potentially damaging higher current for charging.

The 700 is a much safer machine for the cells, especially if you stick to the lower currents.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Tavelinman,

A couple of years ago the BC900 and the 700 were identical except that the 900 let you use potentially damaging higher current for charging.

The 700 is a much safer machine for the cells, especially if you stick to the lower currents.

I am not sure where you came up with this idea, but charging at lower currents can actually do more damage than charging at the recommended rate that involves having a full charge in 1 - 2 hours. Charging at lower rates greatly increases the probability of a missed termination and overcharging does more damage than charging at normal rates.

Of course, all of this depends upon the charge termination method used by the charger. However, since the La Crosse chargers us -dV termination, you run a greater risk of damage by using lower charging rates.

To properly charge a NiMh cell of 2000 mAh with a charger that uses -dV termination, you should charge at a rate in the 1000 - 2000 mA range.

Tom

 

[Forgoten214]

Interesting. I dont really need something high tech or fast just something that will charge the cells I have without damaging them. I have Duraloop AA 2000 mAh and 800 mAh AAA Duraloops.

 

[TakeTheActive]

SLOW Charge Rate Is Not Always BEST Charge Rate!

A couple of years ago the BC900 and the 700 were identical except that the 900 let you use potentially damaging higher current for charging.

The 700 is a much safer machine for the cells, especially if you stick to the lower currents.

What are your results from THE EXPERIMENT? It's been a week. (Is the roof done yet? )

Why are you still posting erroneous information (i.e. recommending LOW charge current)?

 

[Marduke]

I believe the statement referred to the old issue with some components in the BC-900 being undersized, hence causing a few meltdowns when being pushed to their limits at the maximum charge/discharge values.

Old news, that issue was fixed years ago.

 

[TakeTheActive]

...I dont really need something high tech or fast just something that will charge the cells I have without damaging them. I have Duraloop AA 2000 mAh and 800 mAh AAA Duraloops.

IMO, choosing a charger falls into the category of "Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later".

• If you buy a charger with the capability of determining "Discharge Capacity" (ala La Crosse BC-700/900/9009 or Maha MH-C9000), you can keep your cells "matched" and you'll know when one (or more) cells in a set go bad.
  [NOTE: I don't recommend using the La Crosse BC-700 for AAs; only AAAs; due to the LOW charging current limit (700mA).]
  .
• If you buy another "less expensive" charger, when one (or more) cells in a set go bad, since you won't know WHICH ONE, you'll have to discard / recycle the WHOLE set.

It's like driving a car without a Fuel Gauge - you never know when you're going to run out of gas. Sure, you can 'guess', based on past experience. But, if the MPG changes and you don't account for it, you're SOL.

 

[TakeTheActive]

I believe the statement referred to the old issue with some components in the BC-900 being undersized, hence causing a few meltdowns when being pushed to their limits at the maximum charge/discharge values.

IIRC, the 'Meltdown Problem' with the older BC-900s (v32 and earlier) was due to a component that failed ON (even when the BC-900 was set for 200mA) and then passed FULL (1800mA or more) current until disconnected (or burned out). And, yes, the problem appears to have been corrected in current production models (v33 and later), although I DO recall reading a couple of new (i.e. v33+) reports. None lately though... :thumbsup:

 

[Forgoten214]

Thomas Distributing has the BC-900 sold out. Does anyone else have it available? I don't see them sell on the market ever really.

 

[Marduke]

I got mine off Amazon for $34

 

[Loomy]

To properly charge a NiMh cell of 2000 mAh with a charger that uses -dV termination, you should charge at a rate in the 1000 - 2000 mA range.

Tom

FYI, the white-top rechargable Duracell AAs that are rebranded Eneloops say "Standard charge 200mA for 16h" on their label. 80mA for the AAAs.

I should take this to be authoratative, yes/no?