Nooby needs AA Battery & charger help

[NOT THE SLOWEST]

Hi Folks,

I'll keep it simple:
I have an Energizer simple battery charger at home and was planning to get some AA Eneloop batteries and AA NIMH for my Bike Fenix Flashlight and Digital Camera.

A) Is the Energizer charger going to hurt the batteries?
B) Should I get a better charger, but I prefer not to spend more that $35 or so
C) Are Energizer NIMH Batteries really bad, seems people do not like them.

Note: Batteries are so affordable that I am not sure a better charger is worth it.

I have seen a Vanson BC1HU and thought about it because of the discharge feature.

Set me straight and BE KIND

Rob

 

[Marduke]

A) Most likely, yes, the Energizer will hurt the cells. Chances are, the charger you have is a dumb timed one. If you post the model number printed on the bottom we can tell you with certainty.
B) Most WalMart's sell a Sanyo Eneloop smart charger + 4 AA cells for $20. It's in the camera section with the DV tapes and flash cards, not with the other batteries.
C) Their 2500mAh cells are pretty much crap.

 

[Mr Happy]

Eneloops are quite robust and are compatible with most name brand NiMH chargers. It's possible your charger may hurt them, it's possible it may not. As Marduke says you would need to provide the exact model number for us to answer that question.

Regarding Energizer NiMH cells, the answer is clear: don't even think about buying them. There are countless reports of them developing a high self-discharge problem. I have two 2500's that came free with a charger: they completely discharge themselves two weeks after charging, and I have not even used them beyond giving them a charge now and then.

 

[NOT THE SLOWEST]

The Energizer charger I have is a CHFM

 

[Marduke]

The Energizer charger I have is a CHFM

That's a cheap timer controlled charger. I would NOT use it on good cells. It will drastically reduce their life and performance.

Details:
http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/chfm.pdf

 

[NOT THE SLOWEST]

Okay,
So far I have
a) DO NOT use the Energizer CHFM Charger.
b) DO NOT use Energizer NIMH 2500 AA Batteries, they don't keep thir charge ( I knew that from my experience)

Charger suggestion that I could use:
a) Sanyo Eneloop at Wal Mart.
b) Other suggestions around $35? AA-AAA, maybe for C-D, but low on the priority list.

Thanks Rob

 

[mdocod]

The vanson charger you are planning on is *probably* one of the best chargers in it's price range, I own one and really can't complain, is charges pretty good, terminates pretty reliably on cells under 5000mAH, and like you said, has a discharge feature which seems to be good for the cells once and awhile.

 

[Mr Happy]

Actually, I'm going to disagree slightly with Marduke here.

That charger could damage cells, but used with care it could also be used successfully.

The Energizer CHFM is a timed charger that charges cells in pairs at 360 mA for about 8 1/2 hours.

Now the trouble with timed chargers is that they don't know when to stop, so if the cell is already charged they keep on charging regardless. This results in overcharging and overheating, and potential damage as a result.

However: Eneloops may not be as susceptible to damage from overcharging as some other cells. Opinions vary on this, and the full evidence is not collected yet. I have put 400 mA though fully charged Eneloops and found them to get hardly warm at all (excessive heat is a big cause of damage).

So what I'd say is this. If you make sure your Eneloops are discharged before you charge them, and if you put them in that charger for 6 hours and then stop (don't wait for the 8 1/2 hour timer to finish), then they will not be likely to suffer any harm.

But for the greatest convenience, you should invest in a so-called "smart charger", preferably one that doesn't charge any more quickly than 1 hour. This will automatically stop charging at the right time and avoid you needing to time 6 hours on the clock.

 

[NOT THE SLOWEST]

Mr. Happy,

Suggestion for a Smart Charger?

Lets be honest, If I have to sit around so to make sure my batteries do not overcharge, then I am Not saving anything, am I?

I may be cheap but time is money.

Thanks Rob

 

[Marduke]

If you are lucky enough to live near a Big Lots, they sometimes carry the Rayovac PS23B "Glow" charger. It comes with two crap cells, but it's only $8. It's a basic, cheap, but acceptable smart charger that does alright. I have given them to friends and family along with 8 Rayovac Hybrids each. They are idiot proof. No buttons, you just stick in the cells and plug it in. When the cells are done, they light up.

 

[Mr Happy]

Mr. Happy,

Suggestion for a Smart Charger?

Lets be honest, If I have to sit around so to make sure my batteries do not overcharge, then I am Not saving anything, am I?

I may be cheap but time is money.

Thanks Rob

Well, you are quite right of course

A charger I own and like is the Duracell Power Gauge charger CEF21, which is usually available for $19.99 in Target. It has four independent channels with charge indicators and in my testing it charges Eneloops to 100% while keeping them cool. It is not the fastest though, since it takes about 5 hours, but you can safely leave it running unattended.

 

[NOT THE SLOWEST]

I am still leaning towards the Vanson BC1HU for it's discharge purpose, but the spec sheet says maximum AA it will charge is 2500 mAh. Many of the newer batteries are
now 2600-2700 and will most likely go higher in time.

If thats the case I will try to find the Duracell or Rayovac charger locally.

Robert

 

[MattK]

Hi Robert and welcome to CPF.

The BC1HU and BC2HU are NOT limited to 2500mah AA's.

I know the spec sheet can be confusing but it's simply out of date in listing the 2500mah cells the way that it does. The BC1HU and BC2HU charge AA's at 700mah for up to 14 hours which means they can handle any size of AA NiMh/NiCd cell.

If you only plan to charge AA/AAA this is an excellent, less expensive choice: http://www.batteryjunction.com/tpec-tv4000-.html

If you want the Cadillac errr Mercedes of AA/AAA chargers take a look at this: http://www.batteryjunction.com/8800.html

 

[NOT THE SLOWEST]

Hi Matt,

Will either discharge also?

Thanks Robert

 

[Raymond]

I checked both chargers and they both have a discharge function

 

[MattK]

Hi Matt,

Will either discharge also?

Thanks Robert

Yes, the V400 conditions on every charge, the 8800 has a button - actually 2 buttons so you can charge on one side and discharge on the other as each bank of 4 has it's own controller. The V4000 is 2 channels, the 8800 is 8 channels.

 

[mdocod]

Looks like the V400 doesn't monitor cells individually, but rather, in pairs, for more accurate charging, ideally speaking, you should stick with chargers that have all slots individually controlled.

 

[Bones]

Looks like the V400 doesn't monitor cells individually, but rather, in pairs, for more accurate charging, ideally speaking, you should stick with chargers that have all slots individually controlled.

The Sony BCG-34HRMF4 appears to fit all your criteria:

 

[MattK]

Here's our 4 channel, LCD monitored smart charger: http://www.batteryjunction.com/tpec-ttg2800.html

I had pointed to the V4000 simply as a less expensive option. The 8800 is only about $5 more than the Sony after coupon and has twice the channels.

 

[NOT THE SLOWEST]

Matt
http://www.batteryjunction.com/tpec-ttg2800.html Does this max out at 2600?

Rob