Sanyo Eneloop Battery Chargers - Spec Sheets

[Turak]

There seems to be A LOT of confusion/discussion over the various Sanyo brand Eneloop Battery Chargers.

I have also noticed that some of the information in the FAQ on the eneloopusa web sight is already obsolete.

Here are a few of the specification sheets that I have accumulated for the various Sanyo Eneloop Battery Chargers.

Hope this helps.....

120V Chargers

NC-MQN05
http://www.eneloopusa.com/pdf/4_Position_Charger_IS.pdf
4 position Battery Charger
4 Indpendent Channnels - Can charge 1, 2, 3, or 4 batteries at a time
Input: AC 100-120V 50-60Hz
AA 300mA x 1/2/3/4
AAA 150mA x 1/2/3/4


230V Chargers

NC-MQN04
http://www.eneloop.info/uploads/media/MQN04_SPECIFICATION_01.pdf
4 position Battery Charger
2 Channels - Must charge batteries 2 or 4 at a time
Input: 230V AC 50 Hz
AA 250mA x 2/4
AAA 150mA x 2/4


100-230V Chargers

NC-MQN06
(No known link/PDF file yet)
4 position Battery Charger
2 Channels - Must charge batteries 2 or 4 at a time
Input: 100-240V AC 50-60Hz
AA 300mA x 2/4
AAA 150mA x 2/4


NC-MDR02NU2
http://www.eneloopusa.com/pdf/Compact_Charger_IS.pdf
2 position Battery Charger
2 Channel - Can charge 1 or 2 batteries at a time
Input: AC 100-240V 50-60Hz
AA 550mA x 2
AAA 380mA x 2


MDR03
http://www.eneloop.info/uploads/media/Datasheet_-_MDR03-E.pdf
2 position Battery Charger
1 Channel - Must be charged in pairs
Input: 100-240V AC 50-60Hz
AA 600mA x 2
AAA 380mA x 2


USB Chargers

NC-MDU01 USB Battery Charger
http://www.eneloopusa.com/pdf/USB_Instruction_Manual.pdf
2 position Battery Charger
1 Channel - Can charge 1 or 2 batteries at a time
Input: DC 5V 500mA
AA or AAA 850ma x 1
AA or AAA 450ma x 2

 

[Jackson]

NC-MDR02NU2
http://www.eneloopusa.com/pdf/Compact_Charger_IS.pdf
2 position Battery Charger
1 Channel - Must be charged in pairs

I think this charger is 2 channel. Both the web site FAQ and the PDF seem to back that up.

 

[Mr Happy]

I think this charger is 2 channel. Both the web site FAQ and the PDF seem to back that up.

Yes, the instructions do say you can charge one battery or two batteries at a time.

 

[Canuke]

The USB charger is the hottest one? :thinking:

I really need to check the USB specs. It suddenly occurs to me that USB might be a pretty cool ready-made low voltage grid for a lot of things -- the cables and connectors are readily available, and high-efficiency computer PSU's can be used to maximize the power savings.

 

[Turak]

Thank you gentlemen on spotting that error. It has been corrected.

Yes the USB charger is quite interesting. There are many out now, but this is the first one that I have seen that must include a current to voltage convertor as part of its circuitry. Notice that the input is 500mA at 5V DC, but the output can be up to 850mA at 1.2V DC. Not a big deal....just the first one that I have seen doing it.

About the only thing that worries me with the USB chargers is blowing the USB port.....can we say motherboard replacement....ouch.

As USB chargers go, the Energizer USB charger is nice in that they give you a very small adapter that has a 110V plug on one side and a USB port on the other side that you can plug the USB charger in to. Played with it a bit...actually does a pretty good job as far as USB chargers go.

As far as USB specs....pretty sure they are all 5V at 500mA max. Although you can combine multiple ports to get more current (i.e. 2 ports for 5V DC at 1000mA).

 

[Canuke]

About the only thing that worries me with the USB chargers is blowing the USB port.....can we say motherboard replacement....ouch.

That's what standalone hubs are for

 

[hoarybat]

These Eneloops with charger appears to be a good deal for those just starting out. I believe it is a "SMART" charger but maybe someone can confirm:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IV0REA/?tag=cpf0b6-20

 

[Bones]

These Eneloops with charger appears to be a good deal for those just starting out. I believe it is a "SMART" charger but maybe someone can confirm:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IV0REA/?tag=cpf0b6-20

According to the product description, its the model SEC-MQN06-4 charger, which is also the model bundled with the Costco USA Eneloop power pack.

Although it can be deemed a smart charger based on it's charge termination technology, it only has two independent channels, which in turn means it can only charge cells in pairs.

SilverFox recently posted a report on the pitfalls inherent in utilizing this type of charger:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com ... post2778384

If this was my only charger, I would attempt to match cells with equal states of discharge prior to charging.

If I was unsure about the states of discharge of a pair of cells, I would leave them in the charger for several hours after the primary charge completes in order to allow the trickle charge to top up whichever cell ended up with the lessor charge.

Regrettably, I'm not aware of any testing done to determine how long it would actually take the trickle charge to compensate for a given discrepancy in the states of charge of a pair of cells, but it's my understanding that trickle charging should be avoided generally. In the above-noted situation, however, it does appear to be the lessor evil.

 

[filibuster]

I'm curious, I've read in numerous posts that the manufacturers recommended regular charge rate for eneloop AA cells is between 0.5C and 1C. If this is so, why don't any of the actual Sanyo eneloop chargers even come close to charging at 0.5C? The USB charger is the closest at 850mA but only if you charge one eneloop battery at a time.

The average of all 6 chargers is closer to 0.2C with half of them lower than that at 0.15C which is closest to the "slow" charge rate mentioned in other threads of 0.1C

Is Sanyo recommending one thing but doing another mean anything?

 

[Mr Happy]

Sanyo has made chargers for Eneloops that charge at 1C, but none of them has made it into the US market.

1C chargers are more expensive than slower chargers and that kills their sales prospects. You only have to look at people buying battery chargers in shops: their decision process goes "Cheap...cheaper...cheapest...that's the one for me!"