Hi all, noooobie to CPF here. Thanks for all the info.
I am thinking of buying a C9000 and have read a lot of the posts here as well as downloading the 2-page instruction sheet. I have some further Q's that you helpful people may be able to assist with:
I want to run it in my car sometimes. Can I use a simple cigarette lighter cable that I can make for a couple of dollars, or is some sort of voltage regulator required in the adaptor? When the engine is running, the car's voltage will be more like 14V. I can't see car adaptors sold separately on the Australian distributor's site (
http://servaas.com.au), though the Maha C401FS comes bundled with one.
Speaking of the C401FS - *if* I don't care about the info that the C9000's display gives me, would the C401FS perform any worse than the 9000 for basic charging, battery longevity, etc? I haven't decided how battery geeky I want to be yet, i.e. whether I want break-in etc. (No offence intended - I'll probably go geeky!) The 401's smaller size is appealing.
I gather that if I want non-default charging rates, I need to program these for each cell, and every time I charge. Is this correct? I will probably use the 1A default most of the time as that seems reasonable, unless I need to charge in a hurry.
Using Eneloops or ordinary NiMHs, does fast charging (e.g. using a cheaper 1 hour "fast charger") reduce long term battery life? There is so much conflicting info on batteries. Is the occasional charge at 2000mA in the C9000 going to hurt my 2000mAh Eneloops (i.e. 1.0 C)?
Thanks!