Test/review of Eneloop lite AAA BK-4LCCE 550mAh (Blue)

[size=+3]Eneloop lite AAA BK-4LCCE 550mAh (Blue)[/size]



Official specifications:

• Nominal voltage: 1.2V
• Minimum Capacity: 550mAh
• Cycle life: up to 3000 cycles.
• Low self discharge: 70% after 5 years

Maximum temperature raise at different discharge currents: 1A:+2,4°C, 2A:+5,1°C, 3A:+6,8°C, 5A:+8,0°C
Low capacity, low self discharge AAA batteries.












Capacity is around 550mAh, depending on load and the two cells matches.















Pulsing 1A on/off makes it possible to calculate the internal resistance during discharge. H means current on, L means current off, measurements are done just after switching the current.



[size=+3]Conclusion[/size]

The batteries looks like very good quality, but the capacity is low. They are rated for more cycles than regular eneloop.



[size=+3]Notes and links[/size]

How is the test done and how to read the charts
Compare to other AA/AAA batteries: Alkaline/NiMH/Lithium

I have been using the older white version of these in my Panasonic dect house phones for years, After it killed the standard Eneloop 800mah AAA i was using in only a couple of years, Even my Maha c9000 couple not rescue the battery`s and they had to be binned.

So these high cycle low capacity battery`s are useful in some situations.

3000 cycles are not a lot for the drop in capacity from 800mah to 550mah, Dont the standard 800mah have a cycle life of 2100+ cycles.

John.

These take quite some charge abuse, also used in a cordless phone. I have some in solar lights too. They also seem to be less susceptible to reverse charging when in series. Have a few in those 3aaa lights with carrier

TinderBox (UK) said:

3000 cycles are not a lot for the drop in capacity from 800mah to 550mah, Dont the standard 800mah have a cycle life of 2100+ cycles.

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If you look at AA Cycler's Eneloop tests, he find the regular Eneloop have a "real" number of cycles between 300-400. The Pros have about 150 cycles. (Both are for AA cells, but probably roughly translate to the AAA's as well.)

You can get more cycles than that, but internal resistance becomes an issue such that they're only good for low-drain applications.

Those are full cycles, at fairly high currents, and cut-off when internal resistance goes above 100mR. The "2100 cycles" are for partial cycles, and likely not worrying about internal resistance.

I need these for a pair of Pannie phones.

Chris

ChrisGarrett said:

I need these for a pair of Pannie phones.

Click to expand...

I've been using the regular AAA Eneloops with Panasonic phones for a couple of years. No problems with the batteries, yet.

Perhaps some of the phones don't stop charging when full? The phones I have will show "Fully charged" in the display when done charging. I presume they must stop at that point. The only time they will force a complete 7-hour charge is when you change the batteries. Otherwise, they'll charge for about an hour, to top up the phone after use.

Anyway, the Lites would certainly work, but I'm not sure they're needed and you'll get less talk time before needing to put the phone back on its base to charge.

WalkIntoTheLight said:

Perhaps some of the phones don't stop charging when full? The phones I have will show "Fully charged" in the display when done charging.

Click to expand...

A lot of the ones I have won't stop charging. It's a low charge rate but eventually the batteries give up. For a long time, I would charge the batteries externally and swap it out but I would forget and the handset would go dead. That said, I retired the phone recently, it was used for VoIP and rarely used. I should see how the batteries are after years of constant charging

One problem with the older white AAA eneloop lite i had, The negative (bottom) end seemed to dent quite easily for some reason that did not happen with the standard capacity version.

EDIT: I checked the weight, Lite AAA = 10.7g and the standard AAA = 11.7g so not a lot of difference.

John.