Picked up new Duracell Mobile Charger

I think I found a decent travel charger (Duracell Mobile Charger - CEF-23) to suppliment my primary "home" charger (LaCrosse BC-900U).

I picked it up at Wally World for $25. It came with 2AA & 2AAA Duracell LSDs.

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000XSA5WW/ref=_dp_top?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

NLee the Engineer did a good review of it on Amazon. I believe a few forum members have complimented his knowledge and reviews.

Anyone here have and experience with this newly available charger?

I have the similar CEF21 and like it.

The only disadvantage I have heard of these chargers is the slightly larger size compared to the most compact travel chargers out there. Personally I don't find the size a big problem and everything else about them is good.

Mr Happy said:

I have the similar CEF21 and like it.

The only disadvantage I have heard of these chargers is the slightly larger size compared to the most compact travel chargers out there. Personally I don't find the size a big problem and everything else about them is good.

Click to expand...

That is good to know... aside from the above review I have not found much comprehensive information about this new charger. None of the vendors who have them (many don't have them in stock yet) offer any detailed info on the specs. And the packaging info is not very informative.

One interesting thing about this Mobile Charger is that you can charge or run other devices (cell phones, PDA, iPods, etc.) off of it via it's USB port. You can even use Alkaline batteries to charge your devices via the USB port or you can run/charge external devices via AC or DC as well.

Pretty cool dual purpose unit!

The Mobile Charger has been available in Target at $25 for a few months now. It seems like it charges slightly faster than the one I have; it charges at 550 mA per channel compared to 400 mA. That would mean it should charge Eneloops in about 4 hours.

It does seem like a very flexible device. Report back when you have tried it out and tell us how you like it.

Are the charging channels independent?

paulr said:

Are the charging channels independent?

Click to expand...

Yes, four channels each with an individual in-progress/completed light.

Mr Happy said:

The Mobile Charger has been available in Target at $25 for a few months now. It seems like it charges slightly faster than the one I have; it charges at 550 mA per channel compared to 400 mA. That would mean it should charge Eneloops in about 4 hours.

It does seem like a very flexible device. Report back when you have tried it out and tell us how you like it.

Click to expand...

I will report back when I have had a change to use it to both charge NiMHs and when I have a chance to use the USB port to run/charge one of my mobile devices.

Question for you Mr. Happy...

You say that charging at 550 mA will charge my 2100 mA LSDs in about 4 hours. Is that break down for 1, 2, 3 or 4 cells individually or is it charging all four cells at one time? I've seen in literature elsewhere that 1 to 2 cells charge in 4 hours and 3 to 4 cells take longer (7-8 hours?). Since it is a smart charger and has individual channels will it charge all 4 cells in the 4 hour time frame or will it take longer? The literature that came with it does not list any time frame or chart.

Thanks,

Kankujoe said:

Question for you Mr. Happy...

You say that charging at 550 mA will charge my 2100 mA LSDs in about 4 hours. Is that break down for 1, 2, 3 or 4 cells individually or is it charging all four cells at one time? I've seen in literature elsewhere that 1 to 2 cells charge in 4 hours and 3 to 4 cells take longer (7-8 hours?). Since it is a smart charger and has individual channels will it charge all 4 cells in the 4 hour time frame or will it take longer? The literature that came with it does not list any time frame or chart.

Click to expand...

It should be that it can charge all four cells at 550 mA at the same time, but as I don't own the charger I can't confirm it. Maybe you can time it and find out for us?

It is true that some chargers will charge 1 or 2 cells faster than 3 or 4 cells, but this is because their internal power supply is limited in the total output it can provide. A charger with a larger and more capable power supply can overcome this limitation.

Mr Happy said:

It should be that it can charge all four cells at 550 mA at the same time, but as I don't own the charger I can't confirm it. Maybe you can time it and find out for us?

It is true that some chargers will charge 1 or 2 cells faster than 3 or 4 cells, but this is because their internal power supply is limited in the total output it can provide. A charger with a larger and more capable power supply can overcome this limitation.

Click to expand...

I have two and use them occasionally. One is in my office at work and the second stays in my car. It is bulky, but plugs into the wall with no adapter and can be used horizontally as well. I also like the fact it comes with a 12v adapter.

It is an independent channel charger and the 550 mA rate is for each slot.

I looked into this charger a few weeks back. With no info available, I contacted Duracell and asked if it could charge a single battery (to determine if it is single channel) and how long it takes to charge (to determine the charge current since that is not listed on the package, the web site or any of the vendor sites.)

This was the response:
"In regards to your inquiry you are able to charge just one battery at a time. Unfortunately the rest of the information you requested is unavailable."

Thanks for the info. It sounds like this is a decent charger. If only Duracell was able to communicate that fact.

Jackson said:

Thanks for the info. It sounds like this is a decent charger. If only Duracell was able to communicate that fact.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately Duracell does not seem big on communication. Their US website at www.duracell.com is a case in point. Absolutely hopeless. All fluff and no substance.

I have not been able to find any official Duracell supplied info online about this charger.

This charger does indeed have 4 independent channels.

It lists on the back of the charger the following:

Input: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz 8W or DC 12V 500mA

Output: 1.4V DC 550mA per slot (1-4 AA), 1.4 DC 550mA per slot (1-4 AAA), USB 5V DC 500mA

I believe it will work fine for my desired travel applications.

The only downside I see so far is that it came with the Chinese made Duracell LSDs. The upside I guess is that I can compair the quality of the Chinese vs. Japanese Duracell cells.

I've used this charger to "top off" two new 4 packs of Duracell LSDs. It took roughy 20 minutes to do so. Each red LED becomes green independently as the charge is complete. It will also charge any combo of AA or AAA.

I have also used it to charge my iPod and my Palm PDA via the USB port using NiMH batteries. I can't seem to get it to charge my cell phone (Motorola SLVR)? I don't understand this since I can charge my phone via USB using my notebook computer.

Has anyone used this to charge a Motorazr phone, and if so, how well does it work. We are just recovering from some massive power outages here in Ohio, and I could see this as a useful tool. I didn't lose power, but many family members have used my electricity to charge cell phones, Ipods. Also, will a standard USB cable from a camera work to charge my phone? The phone uses mini USB.

I just picked up a duracell mobile charger. Model: CEF 23 from Canadian Tire.

What's the consensus on charging in a vertical position with the lid closed? Will the heat be a tad much?

thanks,
Marc

Marc999 said:

I just picked up a duracell mobile charger. Model: CEF 23 from Canadian Tire.

What's the consensus on charging in a vertical position with the lid closed? Will the heat be a tad much?

Click to expand...

Chargers designed to plug directly into a wall outlet are usually best used in that orientation. Often the charger electronics that generate heat are placed at the top of the charger to keep the heat away from the batteries as much as possible.

Mr Happy said:

Chargers designed to plug directly into a wall outlet are usually best used in that orientation. Often the charger electronics that generate heat are placed at the top of the charger to keep the heat away from the batteries as much as possible.

Click to expand...

This is interesting because...

I use my Mobile Chargers exclusively in the horizontal position because I found (with IR thermometer) the top cell becomes hotter when used in the vertical position. As you said, the top has the "guts" that get hot. But when charging a full house, the top cell runs hotter near termination when the charger is vertical because the warmth from the other three cells are convecting upward and adding their heat to the top cell. I always charge with cover open.

I just got my Duracell Mobile Charger to replace my older 30-minute charger and after cycling through a dozen cells, it seems that the top 2 positions get significantly hotter than the bottom 2 positions, even if only charging 2 cells at a time. The top of the charger gets noticeably warm to the touch no matter which positions are being used, so I attribute the increased cell temperature to the proximity of the heat generating components of the charging circuitry in the top of the charger.

I'm inclined to just pretend that the top 2 charging positions don't exist and use the bottom 2 positions exclusively. Am I over-reacting?

--flatline

flatline said:

I'm inclined to just pretend that the top 2 charging positions don't exist and use the bottom 2 positions exclusively. Am I over-reacting?

--flatline

Click to expand...

Not over reacting. I take it one step further. When charging only two cells, I choose bays 1 & 3. This keeps not only a cell out of the hottest bay near the top edge, but also creates a vacant slot between the two cells being charged. This allows more cooling to occur since they are not "sharing" their generated heat as they would using bays 1 & 2. I actually confirmed this a while back while trying to decide the bay 1/2 or bay 1/3 pairs decision. So, no, you're not over reacting. Anal-retentive, maybe, but around here that just means you pick a number and wait in line.

flatline said:

I'm inclined to just pretend that the top 2 charging positions don't exist and use the bottom 2 positions exclusively. Am I over-reacting?

Click to expand...

you tell me if you're overreacting...

Sad thing is, I noticed it the other day and have no idea which battery it might even be. I'm sure it will show itself at the worst possible time...:shakehead