What are the opinions on the Maha MH-C204W?

[voodoogreg]

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/maha-powerex-mh-c204w-nimh-battery-charger.htm

This caught my eye while looking for a good higher end charger at a price I can afford (someday) with some features I like, quick charging but not too hard on batts, conditioning for old and I would imagine new also since this feature is similar to others. Will work with new low dis-charge nimh's and high cap batts, and future ultra high caps. (I like things that don't become obsolete)

discuss, educate me, and opine.... VDG

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Voodoogreg,

That charger charges cells in pairs. I am not sure if the pairs are in series or in parallel, but there are some issues with getting NiMh cells to balance when charged that way.

I believe it is similar, in function, to the Titanium V-4000 .

Here are some comments on charging cells in pairs. I think you should save up for an independent channel charger.

Tom

 

[wptski]

It charges in series and they can plenty hot at 2A too. I had a thread on it with graphs, etc. and it has four stages to it. Don't know the pecentage of charge but I'd say that it's very close to 100%

 

[voodoogreg]

Fudge! I thought I found an alternative to the M9000 or la'crosse 900, both of which have some "issues" the Maha mainly the price.
Anymore idea's? My main critria is a full capacity, and a condition/ refresh feature, and a trickle/ pulse to keep the batts topped up, if I don't take them of right a way. VDG

 

[SoundMix]

Maybe the Sony LCD model BCG-34HRMF4 . Has independent channels and some indication of charge progress. I have one and like it. I use it when my Maha C9000 is busy.

 

[voodoogreg]

Maybe the Sony LCD model BCG-34HRMF4 . Has independent channels and some indication of charge progress. I have one and like it. I use it when my Maha C9000 is busy.

I will check that out. that statement though of " use it when my Maha C9000 is busy" makes me interested in why you use it only when the 9000 is in use.
the criteria I posted would be my main concern: capacity, conditioning/refreshing mode, trickle/top up.

Silver, I am still reading the thread you linked right now. I do imagine I would leave batts in the charger past the charge cycle, If I need a batt "right now" I would got to my supply of ROV IC3's/charger. Is there any other issue's? I know you think highly of Maha chargers, so I wonder if they would
make unit that is below standards. VDG

 

[voodoogreg]

SWELL!!!!!!!!! while was writing that last post, one of my ROV IC3 chargers(I have two 2-bay units) quit working. It meters nothing, ziltch, nada. I hope the other doesn't have same shelf life,, It's now the only charger I have. I really hate being poor..... VDG

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Voodoogreg,

I don't think that it is a matter of Maha making a unit that was below standards, but a matter of understanding what the standards were when that unit was made. I know the 401 has been out for over 10 years, and I believe the 204 came out before that.

The new generation of chargers from Maha take better care of your cells and are better suited, in my humble opinion, to today's high capacity cells.

Is there anything wrong with 10 year old NiMh chargers? Good question. They still charge reasonably well, so they seem to work fine. The big advancement has been changing from charging pairs of cells to independent channel charging. On top of that, charge rates have been increased to accommodate that higher capacity cells, and the negative delta voltage values have been reduced.

The latest and greatest have analytical capabilities and give us actual numbers to use to check the condition of the cells we are using.

When picking a charger, you should be looking at value. Price is part of the equation, but not the most important part. You need to pick a charger that does everything you want it to, then find the best price for it.

Unfortunately, there seem to be more chargers out there than flashlights. It is getting more difficult to sort through them all. Also, your charger needs may change over time. I started out with a Radio Shack 13 hour charger that charged at 170 mA for 13 hours. I can't say that I use that charger much anymore...

Tom

 

[SoundMix]

I will check that out. that statement though of " use it when my Maha C9000 is busy" makes me interested in why you use it only when the 9000 is in use.

Sometimes I need to charge more than 4 cells. That's when the Sony is used. The Sony will do a refresh, not sure about trickle. The Sony also wakes up cells that some chargers refuse to charge. I believe this has to do with cell resistance. I've never had a problem with missed termination with the Sony. The Sony also comes with 4/2500 cells. I've been using the cells for 2 years and no problems.

Silverfox knows way more than I do about chargers.

 

[voodoogreg]

Thanks guys again I will check out that sony. Silver any recommendations on
other non-parallel you can think of with re-fresh/conditioning? sorry to be 20 Q's here but I really don't know if I have the will power to do such an exaustive search through a lot of CPF threads. VDG