GP Recyko LSD Results are in

[cam94z28]

I haven't tested them on my CBA yet, but according to my C-9000 things are looking pretty good...

Initial Out of Box discharge....
1561
1584
1592
1603

Charged at 2000mAh (yes I'm impatient), allowed to cool, then topped off at 500mAh, discharge at 500mAh...

1974 - 265 minutes
1967 - 261 minutes
1964 - 263 minutes
2018 - 269 minutes

As you can see, the highest cell from the initial discharge tested above 2000mAh after the second. These are only rated at 2050mAh. These results are already impressive since none of my other LSD cells tested this high. After a few more cycles I'm hoping the others will open up too.

I got these from Kaidomain in a 4 pack of AA's for $13.99, sku 2763.

 

[TorchBoy]

That doesn't seem particularly wonderful, but maybe with a different charging regime it might be better. What do you think of their price?

 

[Valolammas]

I've been using Recykos for a few months, and I've been very happy with them. They are great for lights that are used intermittently.

I haven't kept records of the actual numbers, but my LaCrosse BC-900 consistently charges them up to around 2.2-2.4 Ah. I guess the charger may show somewhat exaggerated figures. I usually charge them at 1000 mA.

 

[cam94z28]

That doesn't seem particularly wonderful, but maybe with a different charging regime it might be better. What do you think of their price?

I wasn't trying to say they were amazing, but that they are a viable alternative to Eneloops. My revision of the C-9000 tends to be very conservative. My Eneloops for example, test closer to 1800 mAh. The Recyko's almost came out at their rated capacity, which means a charger like the BC-900 would test much higher than capacity.

The Eneloops will probably hold up better under higher discharge rates. The Recyko's come out a bit cheaper from Kai with free shipping vs Eneloops at Thomas Distributing. There are places to get the Eneloops cheaper (shipped) though, which would make the Recyko's overpriced. If Kaidomain would sell at a more realistic price, i might buy them over the Eneloops. As far as I know, they (and DealExtreme) are the only place to buy them in the US. Considering that their Sanyo 2700's are $19 for a 4 pack!, I'd bet the Recyko's are overpriced too.

It should also be noted that the second discharge must have been a fluke. I've cycled them twice since then, and each time they came in within about 20mAh of each other, from 1960 to 1980mAh or so, even at 1 amp.

BTW, While we're on the topic I just noticed TD has the new Ansmann MaxE LSD, and 2850's

 

[uk_caver]

My revision of the C-9000 tends to be very conservative. My Eneloops for example, test closer to 1800 mAh.

Is there much variation between C-9000s?

 

[cam94z28]

I didn't used to think so, but when I got my 0G0D01 revision, I noticed my capacities were WAY LESS than others reported with the same age batteries on the same charger. Apparently this revision was the first to address the small incidence of missed terminations with this charger. They reprogrammed it to terminate much more conservatively. Mine seems to terminate the charge EXACTLY at 1.48 volts, regardless of the cell condition or age. Whether this is fully charged or not, I'll never know.

 

[TorchBoy]

... my 0G0D01 revision... Apparently this revision was the first to address the small incidence of missed terminations with this charger. They reprogrammed it to terminate much more conservatively.

I don't know if the termination has been changed again, but the 0G0B01 issue fixed the termination problems. What they don't tell you is that (according to SilverFox) it gives cells a top off charge after DONE comes up, so don't pull cells out straight away.

 

[cam94z28]

I wasn't sure exactly what revision fixed those problems, I just assumed it was mine. The point i was trying to make is that since then, the charger does not seem to charge as completely as the previous revisions. And if what you say is true, I can only wonder what percentage it charges to, if they expect you to wait 2 more hours for a top off charge.

I can hear mine hissing quickly every few seconds after DONE displays, so I figured there was some kind of additional charging going on.

 

[NiOOH]

My C9000 (0G0E01) aqlso terminates conservatively and even after top-off the discharged capacities come about 10% less compared to what v33 BC900 gives me. This weekend I will run few more tests on this...

 

[Anders]

Hej Niioh.

To tell difference between chargers, I assume that you disharge them on the same charger, BC900 or C9000?



Anders

 

[Curious_character]

My C9000 (0G0E01) aqlso terminates conservatively and even after top-off the discharged capacities come about 10% less compared to what v33 BC900 gives me. This weekend I will run few more tests on this...

The original MH-C9000 chargers periodically disconnect the load and measure the cell voltage when the load current is zero. If a cell has high internal resistance (like some Eveready cells I have), it declares the cell to be discharged considerably later than a constant current discharge shows. Since NiMH cell capacity is universally specified with a constant current discharge, the early Maha makes cells look better than they really are. In another thread, I learned that the newer chargers do the measurements under load as they should(*). However, I also learned that the discharge consists not of a constant current but a pulsed higher value current with the correct average value. So the cell voltage is actually being measured when the discharge current is greater than the specified value. This will make some cells look worse than a constant current test would. So I'm not surprised that readings with newer C9000s don't correlate too well with older ones. And neither will necessarily agree with the constant current test used for specifying cell capacity.

(*)Apparently the open circuit measurement was done to eliminate drop due to battery connector contact resistance. This can be a problem with under-load tests, although it isn't too hard to keep it insignificantly low except when very high currents are involved. The most foolproof way is to make a four-point measurement, where a separate set of contacts which don't carry current are connected directly to the battery terminals for measuring voltage. This isn't practical for a device like the Maha charger, though, so a compromise has to be made.

c_c