Eneloop Lifespan and other questions

It seems that my Eneloops, which I've been using for a good number of years, are not lasting as long in use as they have previously. My primary use for these is in a wireless Zoom H4N audio recorder. This device seems to consume power voraciously.

They still work fine, and give decent runtimes... but just don't seem to last long as they once did before needing to recharge.

Is this (shorter runtimes) the key sign that they have aged considerably and should be replaced?

It seems like I could probably milk more years out of them, but the frequency of recharging is beginning to annoy me a little.

ALSO.. are the Pro versions (with higher mAh) truly worth the extra scratch?

And... is there a competing product that's better than Eneloops, these days? (I don't need long shelf-storage time, I need long runtime.)

I have no answers for you, but have you tried doing a few discharge - charge cycles on your charger? It can often revive tired cells.
P

peter yetman said:

I have no answers for you, but have you tried doing a few discharge - charge cycles on your charger? It can often revive tired cells.
P

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I have. But haven't noticed much difference.

I guess I'll just buy some new ones and see how they differ.

What charger are you using?

Hi there DHart, :wave:

DHart said:

[...] are the Pro versions (with higher mAh) truly worth the extra scratch?

Click to expand...

Indications here are that the standard Eneloops are more durable over the long-term, with regards to numerous charge-discharge cycles.

I've never been interested in their higher-capacity versions if it comes at a price of higher self-discharge as the cell ages; the nice thing is that LSD technology seems to also benefit the ultimate long-term durability of the cell.

My only suggestion is to try to stay with the 'white-top' Japan-mfg versions (if they can even still be found); the 'black-top' Eneloops are made in China and testing here has shown them to be made with somewhat inferior LSD tech.

Do they seem to get hotter when (re-)charging ?

Constant heavy drain stresses this chemistry and may indeed have prematurely aged them.

If internal resistance has risen, that is your answer.

How many cells does your device use at a time ?

If you get a fresh batch (obviously) mark and keep these separate from the "tired" cells.

It may be instructive to make some simple measurements. Do you have a DMM and/or analyzing charger ?

For me, I think (branded) eneloops are still preferred, but in your particular use case an argument could be made for the Pro version.

Advantages of the Pro include a relatively small increase in both very high drain performance and total capacity. Disadvantages may include a significant decrease in longevity (total cycles and/or overall duration) , as well as possibly increased self-discharge and physical fragility.

MidnightDistortions said:

What charger are you using?

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Powerex MH-C9000 Charger/Analyzer

I've been using it for about 10 years. I have been remiss in not giving the cells the "Refresh & Analyze" mode every 10 cycles or so. They have had many hundreds of cycles without doing that.

That I'll do next.

Perhaps there is a better charger out these days for Eneloops?

Kestrel said:

Hi there DHart, :wave:


Indications here are that the standard Eneloops are more durable over the long-term, with regards to numerous charge-discharge cycles.

I've never been interested in their higher-capacity versions if it comes at a price of higher self-discharge as the cell ages; the nice thing is that LSD technology seems to also benefit the ultimate long-term durability of the cell.

My only suggestion is to try to stay with the 'white-top' Japan-mfg versions (if they can even still be found); the 'black-top' Eneloops are made in China and testing here has shown them to be made with somewhat inferior LSD tech.

Click to expand...

Great to see you again, Hugh! :wave:

I agree. While I may get a little better performance from the black cells with the digital recorder (which I use every day to record my musical ideas), I like the much higher number of cycles that the white ones give. I go through a pair of these cells every day using my digital recorder - and have recharged them many hundreds of times.

I still have a couple of little Zebralights that I power with Eneloops, but they don't get a LOT of use.

Most of my lights, now, I power with single-cell Li-Ions. I LOVE Li-Ion power, 14500 for pocket carry, and Sony VTC6 (high current) and Sanyo NCR 18650GA (high capacity) 18650s around the house. :devil:

(I sent an email to you.)

Nope, I use the C9000 as well. archimedes has a point in which perhaps the batteries may be used in a constant heavy drain application. I just happen to notice one my AAA sets are actually kind of weak, not sure if I should charge them or just use them. They were at 1.30v but now holding 1.26v. I must have left them at 90% charge without draining them down to at least 80-70% as they get used infrequently. I haven't charged/checked their IR in awhile

A lot of great answers here!

MidnightDistortions said:

Nope, I use the C9000 as well. archimedes has a point in which perhaps the batteries may be used in a constant heavy drain application. I just happen to notice one my AAA sets are actually kind of weak, not sure if I should charge them or just use them. They were at 1.30v but now holding 1.26v. I must have left them at 90% charge without draining them down to at least 80-70% as they get used infrequently. I haven't charged/checked their IR in awhile

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Please note, Midnight, that the "discharge to store" does not apply to LSD NiMH. That may be some kind of hold-over from the pre-LSD days, and/or cross-confusion with Li-Ion.

I ordered a set of 8 white Panasonic Eneloops from Amazon. $2.38 apiece, delivered. Package says "Made in Japan". Will mark them to distinguish from my old ones.

These do seem to last almost forever, especially if properly refreshed from time to time. :ironic:

Grijon said:

A lot of great answers here!



Please note, Midnight, that the "discharge to store" does not apply to LSD NiMH. That may be some kind of hold-over from the pre-LSD days, and/or cross-confusion with Li-Ion.

Click to expand...

Well the other set that worked better went down to 1.22v. At 500mA charging they immediately went to 1.39v. I took the charging to 2 amps and they got up to 1.47v within a few minutes and the batteries got warm at the end ( guessing maybe 85-90F). They're holding at 1.4v resting even after I tossed them back into the light and ran it for 10-15 minutes. It does appear that storage has some kind of impact on them, more so with the AAAs. The AA Duracell-Eneloop Pro rebrand batteries sort of had a similar effect but not as great. They were good after a few uses. It seems even though they had low voltage they still appeared to be "full" or near full.