Kids toys - eneloops or go cheap?

[sstmax]

I see I'm not alone in needing more batteries after christmas for a load of kids toys!

As per the title of this thread, I'm interested in opinions on what to do with regards to batteries for kids toys.

Bear in mind that a toy is likely to put the cells through some abuse (eg: over-discharging/reverse-charging as they sometimes forget to turn off etc).

Going the eneloop route, I assume that the cells will be more consistent in terms of capacity, therefore minimising the damage from reverse-charging etc.

Also, from what I read here, the eneloops are capable of putting up with more abuse than a lot of the cheaper stuff.

Options for me are on this page:

http://www.component-shop.co.uk/html/instant.html

Quite a difference in price but the Vapex stuff hasn't been as consistent in terms of capacity (measured on a C-9000) or very good in terms of LSD properties.

That said, I could match them off in terms of capacity on the C-9000 and they'd probably be good enough?

Thoughts?

 

[Superdave]

I always go the cheap route on batteries for kids toys, only because you know they are safe and who knows what kids do with them when you aren't around.


I'd rather see a Duracell flushed down the toilet then a nice rechargeable. :thumbsup:

 

[greenLED]

I use rechargeables (non LSD). Toys see enough use that LSD batts offer no real advantage.

 

[Eugene]

I'm buying all LSD since they price is pretty much the same as non LSD. I have eneloops n my stuff so I wanted the kids stuff to be different so notning gets mixed up. I just ordered some of those $6/ 4AA's I was pointed to. I have several older non LSD cells that I still use for the kids toys too, the new LSD ones will be for the newer nicer toys, for example the kids digital camera we got for my son this year, even if it doesn't take great pictures i want to to always be ready just like our real cameras. The little cars and noise makers can run from the older non LSD since if they are dead when he wants to play with them I can always hand him another similar toy.

 

[StarHalo]

I tried doing cheap alkalines in my kids' toys for a few months, but it was only a matter of time before I started thinking about how much it cost, and that it'd just be a lot easier to use rechargeables.

The only catch is that at lot of toys require an odd number of cells, so using a cheap 2x2 channel charger can be tricky.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Sstmax,

Welcome to CPF.

I think that toys (and flashlights) are a great source of entertainment, but also can be a great tools for learning for kids (and adults).

Most kids (and some adults) are smart and realize that there are certain rules that go with playing with toys. If you drop it, kick it, throw it in the garbage disposal, or prop it under the tires of the car, it will probably get broken and no longer work.

The idea of planning your power consumption is not foreign. If you plan an activity, you make sure that everyone is rested beforehand, and if someone gets tired out, you pause the activity and take a rest break. If you are going to drive to a destination, you make sure you have enough fuel to get there and that fuel is available for the trip back. You also plan meals so the discomfort of being hungry is minimized.

I have found that with some supervision, kids (and adults) are able to grasp the idea that energy usage needs to be monitored. For years we have been exposed to a throw away society. When the batteries are dead, throw them away and get some new ones. Rechargeable batteries are a different concept and require some adjustments. However, I am amazed at how well kids (and some adults) are able to raise their awareness of how a toys performance changes as the battery wears down.

Once this awareness is brought to light, kids and rechargeable batteries work very well together. Some adults are also able to raise their awareness too...

I started my kids with alkaline cells. Once they understood the idea that cells wear down and their awareness of how their toys performance changed as the cells wore down, we changed to rechargeable batteries.

Mistakes were still made and some toys were left on and the cells over discharged and reverse charged, but I took this as an opportunity to explore science and we made a project of trying to revive the "dead" cells. There were times when this was more fun than playing with the toy, at least from my perspective...

My kids are grown and now we are starting the same awareness raising with the grandkids. Overall I am pleased with our efforts. Once learned, this awareness seems to carry over in adult life. For example, my son asked me to check out the battery in his truck. He had the sense that it was not performing as well as it did when he first got the truck, and he was correct. It was time to replace the battery. We replaced the battery before it completely died leaving him stranded on the road.

As far as which batteries to buy, there are some rules when using batteries.

First of all, a battery is only as good as its charger. With an excellent charger you can sometimes get reasonable results with substandard batteries, but even excellent batteries can be ruined by a substandard charger. My personal opinion is that you need to start with a very good quality charger.

If you have time, you can often buy larger quantities of "off brand" batteries and sort through them to find some that work very well. If time is short, you may be better off paying a little more for "name brand" cells, as they tend to be more uniform in performance from cell to cell.

Even with premium cells there are going to be some issues that crop up, but I have found that there are far fewer issues with them than with the off brand cells. Price is always a consideration, but I think it is better to view the price over the longer term rather than specifically to the purchase price.

At any rate, have fun with your kids and their toys...

Tom

 

[Eugene]

I had some rayovac NiMH and rayovac alkaline, which if anyone has seen them they look exactly the same except one is gold and black and the other is silver and black. I found an alkaline in my MAHA c9000 one day (wife put it there) and am missing one of the NiMH. My son can tell colors so he knows the white (eneloop) are mine and he's not to use them. He knows when one of his toys stops working that we change the batteries and he runs for a screwdriver now and tries himself. So what I'm doing is buying him some that are going to be his and we'll put them someplace that when his toys stop working we'll get his batteries and put them in. I'm thinking of getting a couple simple chargers like the maha c401fs for my wife and for my son so they know to put the batteries in and when the light turns green they can be taken out. I know I;m not going to be able to get him to keep them together in sets like I do, I can't even get my wife to do that So I want some that are his own. These will also be for his better toys, I'm starting to clear out some of the cheap stuff, you know the ones that people buy as gifts and they break by the second set of batteries those I leave in the older NiMH that I've retired when I bought eneloops so if my wife tosses some of those its not too big of a deal. I may still buy one of those bulk packs of non lsd nimh for cheap just to put in those toys, that deal in the other thread is getting close to alkaline prices.

 

[greg_in_canada]

Toys are a tough problem. Most of them don't have any low voltage cut-off circuit so they will run rechargeable batteries totally dead and damage them.

I used to put Nicads into toys with motors (since they survive being run dead) and the rechargeable alkaline cells (Pure Energy) into non-motor toys. That works okay but the Pure Energy get weak (even faster than they should from the over-discharging) and Nicads go dead due to self discharge. Now I mostly use no-name (ebay) nimh cells in everything.

Greg

 

[jerry i h]

...Most kids (and some adults) are smart and realize that there are certain rules that go with playing with toys...

:nana:Not always (and this includes me). IME, kids will run-down a battery run gizmo until it is dead, dead, dead, and then ask to make the batts live again. NiCd's will take this sort of abuse consistently and long term, so these are what I use. Granted, the runtime is barely half of equivalent NiMH's, but to a kid running a multi-color, flashing, thingie, I doubt they perceive the difference.

 

[lctorana]

:nana:Not always (and this includes me). IME, kids will run-down a battery run gizmo until it is dead, dead, dead, and then ask to make the batts live again. NiCd's will take this sort of abuse consistently and long term, so these are what I use. Granted, the runtime is barely half of equivalent NiMH's, but to a kid running a multi-color, flashing, thingie, I doubt they perceive the difference.

+1

NiCads. Can stand being run-flat to 0 volts, have very low internal resistance for the motors and stuff, and if they get tossed out by accidenty, are cheaper.

 

[sstmax]

Thanks for all the responses, very useful.

I hadn't thought of nicad cells either but they might be a good option in some of the toys based on their durability.

 

[eluminator]

+1

NiCads. Can stand being run-flat to 0 volts, have very low internal resistance for the motors and stuff, and if they get tossed out by accidenty, are cheaper.

But when run flat, some cells will have a negative voltage, will they not? Will NiCads survive that?

 

[jpmacg]

But when run flat, some cells will have a negative voltage, will they not? Will NiCads survive that?

In my experience, yes, at least a few times.

 

[M@elstrom]

NiCads. Can stand being run-flat to 0 volts, have very low internal resistance for the motors and stuff, and if they get tossed out by accidenty, are cheaper.

So say you... I had one of my kids toss out a pair of NiCD D cells (not too easy to locate here) when their torch went flat whilst staying with the in laws

Personally we buy bulk Alkaline packs as who knows when you'll see (perhaps never) those nice rechargeables again, as the kids get older I may reconsider this standpoint but for now only the A/V remotes, cordless phone & my torches get blessed with rechargeable cells :thumbsup:

 

[qwertyydude]

NiCd's are ok to run flat all the way. I know a lot of people who stored their NiCd's dead shorted and they ran fine when they were charged back up. They can also withstand 4C charge rates which means 15 minute recharge times. 2 to 3 sets of NiCd's and a 15 minute ultra fast charger actually give you more up time than a set of Nimh and a 1 hour fast charger. 1C is pretty much the max you want to charge nimh if you want decent cycle life.