New to battery chargers AA/AAA

[fkoenig]

Hello! New member here. I am looking into getting a battery charger for AA/AAA batteries, mostly for toys, remotes, etc. I was looking at the La Crosse BC-9009. However, I am kinda afraid of a meltdown with it after reading all the reviews. Did the new charger solve the problem? Is it safe again or is there another charger that is recommended? I see it also comes with C and D adapters... I assume these take AA or AAA and the adapter allows them to be used in C or D units. I am not looking to spend that much $$, less than $50 I am thinking.

I like the BC-9009, but is it safe or should I really look at something else? I don't want just a cheap piece of crap, but something that will last for a while and not kill the batteries. Thanks for all your help!!

Also, suggestions on the best AA/AAA rechargeable batts to use?

 

[fishinfool]

Aloha and welcome fkoenig! The Maha C9000 is the best out there right now and it's on sale for $48.97 at Thomas Distributing. As for AA/AAA nimh rechargeables, Sanyo Eneloops are the only way to go imo. :wave:

 

[fkoenig]

Thanks for the post! I'll look into that one. Also, are the C and D adapters worth getting? I mean, would those products use up the juice from the AA/AAA too fast to bother with? Should I get the Maha and the adapters separate? Thanks!

 

[Chauncey Gardner]

Second the above. I had a duracell rapid charger prior & it ate the rechargeables in short order.

You can usually get great deals at costco on the eneloops.

 

[Thermion]

I have the Lacrosse BC-900 and its been fine so far,(9 months). I use only Sanyo Eneloops and have been happy, no problems at all. It was cheaper than the Maha, but I suspect the Maha is a better charger.

 

[fkoenig]

I have the Lacrosse BC-900 and its been fine so far,(9 months). I use only Sanyo Eneloops and have been happy, no problems at all. It was cheaper than the Maha, but I suspect the Maha is a better charger.

That isn't the same as the BC-9009 is it?

 

[Apollo Cree]

If you want one of these two, get the Maha. The fact that the LaCrosse had that runaway thermal problem, even with a SLIGHT overvoltage from the power supply makes me think that it's an unreliable design.

If you're going to spend this kind of money on a charger, get the reliable one.

 

[fkoenig]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will get the MAHA, Eneloops, and some C and spacers to go with too. I think I am going to get the MAHA that comes with 4 AA and get the Eneloops later on sale. Thanks!!

I guess the reasoning for the MAHA are the suggestions, reliability, and fear of the overhead of the LaCrosse. My house recently caught on fire (a low voltage transformer for patio lights... Hampton Bay bought from Home Depot BTW) so I am very sensitive about the meltdown. Thanks again all!

 

[fkoenig]

Hello! I just purchased the MAHA C9000 as well and ran through the 1st break-in cycle of the AA's that came with the charger (2700 mah). The charger cycled (per my wife looking at the charger) of 2550 mah in each cell. So my question here, is this saying the break-in cycle is finished? Would it be OK to tell her to pull the plug and leave the batteries in until Thursday (today is Monday) until I get home to take them out?

Secondly, I am looking at batteries. I would like to try the C and D spacers from Eneloop as well as the batteries. Should I go with the package of 8 AA, 2 AAA, 4 - C spacers and 4-D spacers (as well as the Eneloop charger)? I guess I am not sure if I should get 2700 MAH Eneloops instead. I would like to try the spacers out and I only have 4 AA (from the charger) and 4 AAA Duracell. Any suggestions here? I have a gift card to Amazon so the pack would come out to $9.00 (my price - $33.95) or should I get different AA (maybe the 2700 MAH) and buy the spacers separate? Again, I am just starting out so I don't have much (either batteries or info). Thanks for the suggestions!!

 

[Mr Happy]

Hello! I just purchased the MAHA C9000...

When the charger is finished it will say "DONE" in each slot (you can press the SLOT button to cycle through the slots). Each slot will also have an individual mAh reading for that cell.

Note there are no 2700 mAh Eneloops -- all Eneloops are 2000 mAh. This is good, as for someone just starting out they will work much better than 2700 mAh cells. Those high capacity cells tend to be weak and fragile and often develop a rapid self-discharge problem. For most people it is best to steer clear of them. Eneloops are robust and durable, and stay charged for when you need them.

 

[fkoenig]

Well, I just talked to my wife and she pulled the plug before it said "Done". What should I do? Run another break-in or charge? Anything else or should I just use them and do a charge later? Thanks!

 

[Mr Happy]

Well, I just talked to my wife and she pulled the plug before it said "Done". What should I do? Run another break-in or charge? Anything else or should I just use them and do a charge later? Thanks!

Options:

1. Put the charger in your garage, workshop or den where your wife does not go and will not touch anything;
2. Wait until you get back home when you can operate the charger yourself.

 

[Mr Happy]

Well, I just talked to my wife and she pulled the plug before it said "Done". What should I do? Run another break-in or charge? Anything else or should I just use them and do a charge later? Thanks!

If you are patient, you could run another break-in cycle. Just discharge the batteries using the 500 mA setting and then put them on a break-in cycle again.

Otherwise, just put them on charge at the default rate and use them when they are done.

 

[s0lar]

From what I read here, I can only say that both the lacrosse bc 900 and the maha c9000 would be excellent choices.
My current chargers are a GP slow charger (180mA), a TopCraft TCU-810 3h charger (800mA, 2 batteries only in series) and a Memorex MR4000 (700mA AA, 350 AAA if charged 1-2, half when 3 or more).
The Memorex has 2 seperate leds, so I mostly charge 2, 1 in every led-compartment.
Before visiting these forums I always thought it was best to charge at 0.3C but by reading here I now understand why 1C is perhaps best.
I recently designed a charger based on the MAX713 IC.
I chose that one over the 712 which has zero slope detection instead of the 713 I used with -dV.
After seeing all the graphs of charges below 0.5C I can't seem to understand why no chargers use the zero slope detection.
I was also wondering how I can easily create graphs myself of the charging process, what are you guys using?
I videotaped a multimeter when charging at 0.3C since I have no faster charger here.
I also can't find specs about the -dV sensitivity of the Memorex MRX4000, it's probably a MAHA rebranded charger. The Maha C 9000 is sold here (in Belgium) as the Memorex Pro 1 Geniux.
Thanks everyone for supporting such a great forum!

 

[Mr Happy]

After seeing all the graphs of charges below 0.5C I can't seem to understand why no chargers use the zero slope detection.

How about this: Charging UltraLast Hybrio on Maha C9000 at 2000 mA?

The unfortunate fact is that zero slope can sometimes lead to false positives, where the charger stops charging before the battery is fully charged.

This is not a theoretical possibility either. I have seen it happen.

It is actually incredibly difficult to make an NiMH charger that reliably and consistently achieves full charge without overcharging or undercharging.

 

[s0lar]

Should I be worried that I am charging at 0.3C?
My few experiments show that a 2100mA LSD NiMH takes 3h 20m at 700mA, this means that the charger has a efficienty of about 84% or that it overcharges the battery 20%. The charger I currently use most is the Memorex MRX4000. I will do further testing so I can decide if it sometimes overcharges my batteries.