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Rechargeable Batteries - Yes or No?
TheFifthElephant asks: "I currently use quite a few devices that require various size batteries and I feel horrible just tossing them when they die. I saw a recharger at a retail store today and was thinking to myself how much waste it would reduce by using rechargeable ones. Which units have you used happily and/or which units have you heard of/read about satisfying someone else? Are the more expensive units better? What chemical rechargeable batteries last the longest/recharge the most?"
Use Potatoe/Lemon batteries!
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I use monster brand and it does me well, I hear there are better though. Monster costs quite a bit thought but so far works great for me, and seems to recharge pretty fast
We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully "designed" to have come into existence by chance.
I use NiMH batteries for my wireless mouse, and my camera. Got a simple charger over at radioshack, and it works quite well. The batteries provide equivalent if not better power than alkalines and though they cost more up front, are definitely cheaper in the long run.
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I'm using NMH batteries for just about everything battery powered in the house nowdays. NiCad's dont last as long and are very bad for the environment. The batteries I have claim to be good for several hundred cycles, which at the current rate is going to be about 30 years ;)
When I was a kid the actual usable life was in the toilet... I can only imagine poor luck nowadays with MP3 players, digital cameras, etc...
If you don't use the right batteries in my HP Digital Camera, the life is sucked out of them in 15 minutes!
my wireless keyboard and mouse works perfectly with rechargable batteries.
What? Jesus christ man use google.
I have an old olympus camera that came with Ni-MH AA batteries and a battery charger ... it has lasted me near 4 years.
Those batteries keep their energy for 3 months at a time easily, when I am not on vacations or otherwise using the camera.
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Ni-MH are the better of rechargable batteries they dont necessarily have the long life as Lithium-Ion batteries but they are much cheeper and dont hace the recharge memory function of Ni-Cd
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I've had numerous recharger packs and they've all had the same recharge times (give or take a few minutes), but for rechargable batteries I'd go with Duracell, as they're more reliable. Hope this helps :)
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I find the batteries that hold the greatest charge the longest are the magnetically levitated in a vacuum flywheel electric motor.
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It is a good idea to use NiMH instead of regular NiCd because they have a high memory effect and contain cadmium which is very toxic. NiMH have a small memory effect and work well in most devices. They can be recharged quite often without much trouble.
These batteries kick serious booty. In my digital camera, a single charge outlasts even the best disposable batteries by a factor of 2 or 3. In about a year I've already saved more in disposable battery cost than I spent on the charger and cells.
Definitely worth the investment. I have Panasonic brand, but only because that's what they had at Costco. I doubt that there is a big difference between brands of similarly-rated cells.
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Have had good results with 1800mAh NiMH RayOVac AA-size batteries in cameras with flash. Havne't used them for much else yet. Had less satisfactory results from Radio Shack-brand NiMH ones. YMWV.
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I don't know if they last longer, but they have less battery "memory" issues. NiCads you have to drain all the power out to fully recharge them.
'In knowledge is power, in wisdom humility.'
I use lots of devices that requires AA batteries. Standard AA batteries are 1.5v, rechargables are 1.2v. I've not found this to be a major issue, and I've saved a TON of cash by using rechargables.
An example of a negative would be in wireless devices like remotes and keyboard / mouse setups. Their range is weakened slightly.
But once you get a good collection of spare rechargables, you won't be finding yourself running to the store to make more costly purchases. Just grab a fresh set from the charger and slap the burned ones in for a recharge.
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"Which units have you used happily and/or which units have you heard of/read about satisfying someone else?"
My wife has this vibrating thing, something Rabbit, she's always saying it satisfies her...
Its for those times when you feel a post should be modded up, but it doesn't fit in any of the given catagories.
Energizer ACCU NiMH cells probably last 60% as long as a standard alkaline battery in my palm pilot, but with 2 sets I can always be powered up.
You do need a NiMH specific charger though.
4 AAA cells and the charger paid for themselves within a year and they are still going strong.
NiCD is worthless.
-j-
NiMH all the away.
In my experience, NiCD doesn't hold a charge too long at all, while the NiMH ones hold them as long as alkalines and then some. They're expensive, yes - but I find that they don't have a "memory" like NiCD and charge faster, too.
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I have had the best luck with NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride). They have a high capacity and have very little memory effect. The can be charged and recharged often without full discharge with very little degradation in performance. I have had very good luck with Radio Shack and Panasonic equiptment.
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Although rechargables seem to have a slighly lower nominal voltage than the equivalent disposable, I am told that they have a lower impedance (resistance). The result is supposed to be a risk to some equipement. This is why some things have the label ''do not use rechargable batteries''.
However, I have always ignored the above and never had any kit die as a result of using rechargables.
I've used all kinds of rechargables, from cheap Radio Shacks and Mallorys, to expensive Sony units. They are all pretty cose to the same, save for newer lithium-ion batteries.
I keep enough batteries in the chargers to replace the batteries in every device at the same time. And it does save an amazing amount of money in the long run. Most of my rechargables last for five to seven years before they stop being able to hold a charge.
The only batteries I have not replaced with rechargables is AAA-size. At that size the rechargables don't hold enough charge to be worth it.
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
I have a Rayovac charger, and use NiMH batteries. They last long enough for my purposes (mainly my mp3 player) and they aren't plagued by "charge memory" problems like NiCd.
I'd say it's worth the investment. Batteries are already expensive and the amount of use you get out of rechargeables for the (larger) initial investment definitely outweighs the longer lasting non-rechargeable counterparts, IMHO.
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(Just in case you ran out of new ones) it works! Just leave them in sun for an hour and they get a little extra life. I don't know why.
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Ni-MH...no memory as long as you recharge them the full 7 hours...
I feel horrible just tossing them when they die.
Well you should be recycling your old batteries to begin with.
-------
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I get a four pack of nimhydride aa for 10$ a pack. At that price i could get my money back from two uses. They also hold more amphours than a regular alkaline. One downside is they lose their charge, so not good for something like a fire alarm.
love is just extroverted narcissism
You know, you can recycle your dead batteries, right? When I worked at Radio Shack a long time ago, we took in dead batteries and sent them off to be recycled. I'm not sure if this was just my store, or a company wide thing, but there are free recycling services out there.... so don't throw them away!
Yes.
You misunderstand the purpose of the over/under moderations.
They exist merely for the purpose of anonymous modslapping from the editors.
You'll notice a comment that makes a good, well thought out point - but is contrary to slashbot groupthink - will dissappear to -1 Overrated, with no other moderations done. It's not a troll, flamebait, offtopic, or redundant - but it is something slashdot doesnt want heard, so out damn spot.
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>What chemical rechargeable batteries last the longest/recharge the most?
on what you are using them for. Hi drain devices like high powered flashlights, RC cars, sweedish massagers.. are better off with Ni-Cd which can take that kind of abuse, and are cheaper. Low drain devices like PDA's and other small consumer devices are better suited with Lithium Ion. They discharge at a more stable rate, are more immune to "memory effect" and have a higher charge/discharge life.
It depends on what you're using them for. If it's for a high drain device like a digital camera, NiMH are the way to go. However, for something that hits the battery slower and for longer like a remote control, or wireless keyboard, NiMH won't really last much longer than a rechargable alkaline would. I used the Renewal rechargable alkaline in my palm iii with good results until I got a clie.
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I saw a recharger at a retail store today
Are you talking about a battery charger, or a device to restore batteries to their former glory? because if it's the latter, have you noticed any negative-ion air purifier for sale in the store ?
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I have been using the iGo Juice to power my Powerbook and peripherals and find it to be quite the appealing solution including charging handhelds and cell phones when I travel. The iPod gets charged through the Firewire port (awesome idea), so other than that, I'm set. All of these devices appear to use Lithium Ion batteries and have decent performance, (especially the Powerbooks).
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Anyways, after seeing that thing in action, I recommend you give away all portable technology you have and get a solar/mechano radio/flashlight!
I'm a zealot for rechargables, and have used
a charger and a lot of AAs I got about 2 years
ago (which replaced in turn a previous charger
and set of batteries). However, it is true that
they don't last as long as standard batteries.
In my car, I have a CD player that takes AAs, and
I end up swapping batteries into it about twice a
week, where when using standard batteries I can
go for about 3 weeks. This might be partly the
extreme age of the batteries though. Still, I save
a lot of money, and I'm not hurting the environment,
so I'm happy. I of course use the charger/batteries for other things too.
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I'll try to find some sources I can forward on for verification.
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[ ] CowboyNeil charges my battery
Take a look at The Great Battery Shootout. It is targeted to digital cameras and AA rechargables, but I found it to be very helpful. It gives a good amount of background information. It's a long article, but well worth the read.
Just get rid of all that stuff. Also unplug your computer. Read books instead.
My son did a science project and proved that (at the time) NiMH batteries in popular sizes paid for themselves and the charger in 3 cycles. If you're still using Alkaline or NiCD batteries you're truly ignorant.
I'm slowly switching to NIMH for everything in my house. When you buy a set of batteries try to look through the packaging at the tiny print which tells you how many milliamps of current you're getting. The higher the better.
You save a lot of money in the long run
they don't last as long as the other batterys so it is not worth using them on a clock or something.
So, if you use a lot of batteries it is definately worth it. The rechargers are generaly cheap, but the batterys qre quite expensive (as i recall , it's been a while)
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For AA batteries, go to Walmart and pick up the NiMH rechargables at 1800mAh and a charger. I think you can get a combo pack (4 batts and charger) for something like $12, which is a heckuva a good deal. These batteries last and last and last.
The 1800mAh batteries are an absolute requirement for digital cameras. Using standard alkalines, I would get just over 30 digital pics in my Toshiba camera. Using 4 1800 NiMH, I get about 200 before needing a charge.
I also use them in my FRS radios and GPS, and they last forever.
I've also used various brands of NiMH's besides the Walmart specials and haven't seen much difference in quality.
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I've heard good things about them from digital camera people.
I've just recharged the same NiCad batteries I've been using for the last twelve years for my walkman, and they still work without any problems!
:-)
Supposedly they can only be recharged a thousand times, but I lost count
Bad for the environment? Here in Belgium, all batteries are picked up separately, the different types are sorted out and recycled.
Does it really matter if rechargeable batteries are less efficient than disposable ones? There is nearly always an opportunity cost for "going green."
Stupid people make stupid things profitable.
The Energizer Nickel-Metal Hydride Battery works quite well. They say there is almost no 'memory' effect and can be recharged 1000's of times. I have been using it for a while. The only downside is it takes around 15 hours to recharge. If you live in Canada, Pure Engergy is ok. (I am not sure if they exist in the USA). They aren't great, but the batteries are cheaper than most single use, and you can get 25-75 recharges out of them.
I picked up some NiMH (Rayovac's in case you care) batteries a couple of years ago and I've never gone back. I use them in my digital camera (where I get about 300 full res (1760x1168) pictures out of the 4AAs. I use them in my Palm VIIx (a battery hog in the best of days) where they easily last as long as the Alkalines (there's even a feature in PalmOS to switch the battery meter over to NiMH). Even when you consider the inital cost ($12 for 4 AAs), they quickly pay for themselves (I've taken ~3000 pictures on the 8 AAs I bought for the camera and recharged the palm batteries more times than I can count) with only half a dozen recharges.
One thing to be careful of is that the batteries do lose a bit of life over time, although my original sets seem to be holding up quite well. Also, rechargeable in general seem to leak charge faster than Alkalines, so they're not really a wonderful idea for long life low draw devices like remote controls.
Don't bother with NiCad. They have sucked from Day 1. I've never tried the rechargeable Alkalines. When you buy a charger, make sure you get one that supports NiMH, not all of them do.
I read the internet for the articles.
I have always heard that Nickel Metal Hydride are supposed to be very good, long lasting, and not suffer from the 'memory' phenomenon you get when using Nickel Cadmium (NiCad).
You're messin' with my Zen Thing, man.....
I switched to NiMH batteries and have had much better luck. None of the batteries have died on me yet. However, the problem that I have with these is that they will lose a charge just sitting around. How big of an annoyance this is varies by the application.
For my digitial camera, for instance, I have two sets of NiMH batteries, one in the camera and another spare set in the case. And then I also carry a set of alkaline batteries, in case all the NiMHs are flat. These get used only until I get the others recharged, and then they go back to being spares. Seems to work so far, but it really isn't ideal.
However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results. -- Winston Churchill
Maha or Lenmar batteries are great for the price. Both of them are 2000mAh capacity, unlike the 1200-1600mAh crappy batteries you'll find at Radio Shack.
I've been using Lenmar batteries for years in my various digital cameras with no complaints. They always seem to have the highest-rated battery first. You can find Lenmar batteries at Fry's Electronics, and Maha batteries at various retailers, including online at www.mahaenergy.com
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Please do not just throw away dead batteries. Please recycle them.
I use tons of NiMH batteries in my various gadgets.
The prices aren't the best, but REI has all you probably need right here.
Battery Barn has some good prices.
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I have a Rayovac 3in1 charger that does NiCad, NiMh, and Rechargable Alkaline batteries.
The rechargeable alkaline are CRAP. They are worthless after their first recharge in things like PDAs and digital cammeras.
NiCads are also a poor substitue for regular alkalines. They are weak and suffer from memory problems.
The NiMH batteries work great. I use them in all of my devices. They cost like $4/battery though. I have been using them for about two years and none of my batteries are noticably degraded in output or length of charge. They don't have the memory problems of NiCads.
There are also Lithium Ion batteries, but they are way to expensive for me to evaluate.
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googling for "rechageable faq" yeilds lots of hist, for example: http://www.buchmann.ca/faq.asp. But here's some advice anyway:
* Basically, you want rechargeable batteries whenever chances are your thingy with the batteries will not get nicked, since that defeats the investment in rechageables.
* Choose batteries with the highest mAh rating, which says how much energy you can draw from the battery.
* Choose NiMH for camera's and other power-suckers.
* Buy a charger with seperate charging cicuits for each battery.
* NiCD batteries have some problems with memory, but good chargers with "decharge" can usually fix that. (actually, NiCD batteries are hard to come by these days)
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...you can figure this out if you try *real hard*.
yes, lead acid batteries are a terrible thing to throw in the trash. rechargeables aren't much better, but you don't chuck them each time they run out.
for rechargeables, you want lithium ion, nickel metal hydride and nicad in that order. memory, output voltage, etc etc.
just go read up on it, yeah? this isn't rocket science. and don't anyone come out of the woodwork talking about battery powered rockets, or i'll whup your ass. ok?
I really hate using Ni-Cad batteries, they develop a memory on them, only allowing you to charge them up a less substantial amount over time. Even chargers that try and erase the ni-cads memory (completely discharges them before charging) degrade the battery quality.
As far as other sorts of rechargables, I have had great experiences with Li-Ion batteries for my digital camera and other various things.
---
Mike
I'm going to kick the next person that I see with their karma rating in their sig.
NiMH rechargables. You should have no problem finding 1800mAh AA cells, and these hold up quite well to frequent charge/discharge cycles. I've been using them for about 4 years and they can take quite a pounding.
What's even better is that a lot of cordless stuff with NiCads can be converted to NiMH by making your own battery packs. Internally many of the packs are just a few AA cells soldered together.
If you do this, look for places that sell flat-top and soldertab batteries. Some of the cartridge-type battery packs won't fit the normal button-top batteries, and soldering can be hard on the cells if you try to solder directly to the cell itself.
I did this with my Uniden 900 Mhz DSS phone. Before it would go ~90 minutes on a fresh (new and fully charged) NiCad pack. Now I can get over 2 hours of talk time, leave the phone out of the charger over night, and still have it be perfectly usable the next day.
I was concerned about the charging system, but not any more. A friend has done this for a long time (NiCad->NiMH conversions) and hasn't had any problems, and neither have I.
Lithium ion batteries are the best but are expensive and products usually need to be designed to work with them. Ni-MH are the next best thing and last a seriously long time in portable electronics plus they don't take that long to recharge. Ni-cd's suck, they take forever to charge and drain very quickly. :)
So just get some AA Ni-MH bats and a charger and be done with it.
Ps. Even sales clerks can tell you this..
I have come across a pretty good one, called simply, "Energizer Rechargeable".
It's a Nickel Metal Hydride AA, and although it doesn't run at the same voltage as other AA's (outputs a little more than 1.2 V most times, normal AA's rn output 1.5 V), I can substitute it for anything that uses AA's. Specifically I use it in my digital camera (Casio EX-3000) which is fond of eating alkaline batteries for breakfast, and I have actually found that they work better than just about everything other than duracell ultras or those energizer E3 (or whatever they call them).
These are more expensive than the high-end alkaline, but there's no doubt in my mind that they work as well, and you will get your money back by reusing them.
Note: I always keep a backup set of the AA's fully charged to change out in case the ones I have die. I have had really good sucess with these batteries though.
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My wife seems to be "satisfied" by energizers while I'm away...
I use rechargables on a
- Canon Powershot A300. The AA size batteries are from Panasonic 1600mAh and I can take tons of pictures with one pack.
- Palmpilot M100. Sorry, do not know the brand but they are high-capacity ones, too. I can go 2-3weeks with regular usage, about the same I got from normal batteries.
Beware of cheap charger/ battery combos, e.g. the charger/ AA combo I bought from Radioshack let me take 5 pictures!!!
Also, the faster you want your charger to work, the more you have to pay for it. Said Radioshack charger takes >24hours to recharge a pack of AAAs, a more expensive one takes ~10h.
I use a lot of batteries for underwater gear. Lights, camera, flashes etc. Ive settled on NiMH because they seem to give the most bang for your money.
:)
I also make sure I always use the highest mAh available, which is around 2200 now. This gives you longer use. It makes it a lot more expensive though so if you only need 1800 or 1500 mAh because you don't mind your light going out at 90 feet then go for it
I havent really found 1 brand to be better than another.
Cor
Cells cost me $7.50 a set at Frys, charger about $14 at another shop. Never look back.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Started using GE lead-acid AAs in my WalkMan (the really old one that was silver/gray that took 4 AAs) on ski trips.. they'd last the entire night.
These days I'm using a few diffrent ones in my Oly C-2100 digital SLR... The Oly ones that came w/ the camera are starting to show their age, but still hold an ok charge in a pinch. I've been most happy with the latest Energizer brand AAs NiMH (still in the Oly charger). The Energizer NiMH AAs are no more expensive than the Energizer High output Lithiums at most stores, and for the old Walkman (still in service, but for biking now) and my camera, the rechargables are great.
just my $0.02 US
...anyone know if they come in AA or AAA size, w/chargers of course?
Might be useful for some "allways on" devices.
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I've often suspected that the reason none of the major US battery companies psuh rechargables is simply to capitalize on an entrenched, profitable market to the detriment of the consumer.
Look at AA sized NiMHs--at one point virtually unknown and available only in specialty battery stores, the explosion of high-voltage devices such as digital cameras have forced people to use them. The voltage curve of a Alkaline AA won't last 5 shots on a lot of newer cameras.
This was a new, underexploited market; it should have been exploited by duracell, etc. instead, they spent a couple years creating the most useless invention ever: the high voltage alkaline. (E2, "titanium" batteries, etc.) A giant ad campaign was launched to convince people that these were the batteries you used in electronic devices, despite being non-reusable and just as expensive as the reusable cells...
ridiculous.
You'll hear about NiCd "memory"; some will argue it's not true, as on this page
http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.H TM
They don't have the new 2300's yet (because it takes the author a good deal of time to do a good test).
I use NiMH and have been very happy with the number of times they recharge and how long they last.
Enjoy.
Rayovac makes rechargable alkalines called Renewals. In my experience, they've worked very well for ~10-15 charges, then they die suddenly. So they do pay for themselves, but be prepared for them to die on you some day if you charge them a lot.
When I bought a digital camera a couple years back that took AA batteries, I decided to go the rechargeable route... I purchased an Energizer battery charger, four Energizer rechargeables and four Ray-o-vac rechargeables...
:^)
The first thing I've learned is that the capacity of different brands of batteries can vary a lot -- the Energizer AA rechargeables are only 1200mAh (milliamp-hours), while the Ray-o-vacs are something like 1350mAh. A quick Google search shows rechargeable AA batteries can have capacities of 2000mAh nowadays. This can make a huge difference when you have a device that is power hungry.
The second thing I noticed is that the recharger I bought recharges only using a 15 hour (yes, hour) timer... So, if you plug in the battery charger, it will charge and charge for 15 hours -- I am absolutely sure there is something that charges faster than this. Anyway, the obvious lesson here is to find out how long the recharger takes to recharge before buying it... Learn from my mistakes, and you'll be set!
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Imaging-resource.com did a great review of a ton of rechargeable batteries. The electronics geek in you will enjoy his breakdown of how he conducted the tests.
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recharging the rechargeables, why didn't i think of that!
Dunno how long they've been making batteries, but they work quite well. They last a good long time in digital cameras and are powering my (crappy microsoft) wireless mouse right now. They're Ni-MH and 1950mAh so they last a (in a scottish accent) "extra, extra, extra long time!".
I used to use the Rayovac Rechargeable Alkaline batteries a lot, and they seemed good. They lasted a long time, and didn't seem to degrade much with each recharge. Then they exploded. I've had two of them leak acid. One ruined a remote control, another ruined the charger. Since then, I've switched to Energizer NiMH. These last just as long as the alkaline, but do not have issues with leaking acid. I still use non-rechargeable energizer lithium batteries for my digital camera, though. Nothing compares to the life those things have. They last like 10 times as long as NiMH in my camera. Then again, I would expect nothing less since I pay $5 for two AA.
The only thing I've had a problem in is a smoke detecter. The low battery beep starts about once a week if I use an ACCU in that, but a regular batter lasts over a year, so I've switched back.
These batteries do discharge if they are just sitting on the shelf, but with a little discipline that is no problem. Here's what I do. I've got a tray that I keep charged batteries in, on their sides, so they can roll. The tray is in a drawer at a slight incline, so the batteries roll toward the front. So, if batteriers are pulled from the front, the tray functions as a FIFO. If I pull batteries from the back, the tray functions as a LIFO.
I put four batteries in the charger. When I notice those are full, I put them on the back of the FIFO, and pull four off the front for the charger.
When I need batteries for something, I check to see if I happen to have a full set in the charger. If not, I use the tray in LIFO mode, to get the most recently charged batteries of the appopriate type.
As long as I remember to check the charger every few days, I've always got a reasonably charged set of batteries.
As everyone keeps saying... NiMH's are the best option for everyday use. I would recomend MAHA, LENMAR, or GP batteries as they hold the highest charge(up to 2300 mAH AA's).
If your looking for a online store with the best battery selection, check out
www.nimhbattery.com
they have every type and size you could ever need.
cheers!
In short, I won't use them... at least not until they improve the tech (Li-Ion/Polymer). In the meanwhile, I will replace what I can with these babies, and when I can't fit those into the form factor, standard lithium AAs
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NiHM accus are fine for everything I ever used, at least when you need AA or AAA types. They offer the same voltage, last long, are cheap, don't have that memory effect, and not to forget, they are nice to the environment!.
The only reason to occasionally use batteries is when you really don't have any accus handy as on journeys, and you can get some at the next kiosk of something. Otherwise (and this means 'usually'): accus! (This might be a redundant, but still, why would anybody use evil throw-away batteries on a regular basis today?! Mind the children...
Well, in my cordless mouse, clock backup, and my smoke detector I use alkalines, because the batteries last so long there that it isn't cost-effective to tie up an expensive rechargeable battery.
In my camera, if I use regular alkaline batterys it runs for maybe an hour, with the display turned on. With "energizer titanium" batterys, I get much more, but that is a very expensive option. I keep 12 NiMh's charging at all times, which is how many I am using, give or take.
If I'm going out into the field, I take real batteries. I haven't yet found a solar nimh charger.
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I love this charger. It charges each cell (AAA or AA) independently.
For toys and such, I use cheaper NiMH batteries, since there's no reason to use the high output ones (which I use for digital cameras).
I use Rayovac Renewal rechargeable alkaline batteries for pretty much every device I own that uses batteries. It's very efficient and has paid for itself many times through the years I've been using them.
I chose Rayovac Renewal because it was the first rechargeable alkaline battery made. My grandfather actually picked it up before me, and he's usually the last to touch a new invention! He does like to be efficient and save money, though.
The batteries do wear out over time, though. I have a few bad batteries mixed in with my good batteries, and so sometimes I put in newly recharged batteries and they don't last as long as they should. If I had it to do over again, I would number each battery in sequence when they were purchased, so I would know which batteries are getting old and could throw them out. Now, I have no real way of knowing which are old and which are new, because they all look the same.
Rayovac Renewal puts out the full 1.5 volts per battery (AA, AAA, etc.).
Avoid Energizer Accu! I learned this the hard way. They only put out a lousy 1.2 volts per battery! That's just 80% of the voltage you're supposed to be getting. This is borderline fraud!
Devices that have strict voltage requirements, like digital cameras, just will not run at all with Energizer Accu. It might be tolerable for flashlights and old radios, which can be a little dimmer/quieter while still working fine, but for any modern electronic device it will cause problems.
Devices with Energizer Accu will run for a very short time, if at all, as their voltage starts at 80% of normal and not at 100%. So, if the device requires something like 75% of rated voltage in order to function correctly, you will only have 5% of headroom with Accu versus 25% for a normal battery. So, assuming that batteries drop voltage at the same rate, your device will fail five times faster with Accu!
Accu does have one advantage, though. They do make a "9-volt" (really 7.2V) rechargeable battery. Rayovac Renewal does not make this battery, to my knowledge, so I am forced to use Accu for various devices that require a 9V battery.
If they made a true 9V Rayovac Renewal battery, it would make me happy!
Dr. Demento On The 'Net!
Paper or plastic?
Pens or pencils?
Oral vs Anal?
Sorry, this is just such a dumb topic I cant hear myself think.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
- Buy a good charger. Cheap ones can fry batteries, take longer to charge, and can go up in smoke easily. Also, make sure it can charge NiMH batteries as well as NiCDs; if you have high-drain devices like digital cameras, then you want NiMHs, and probably don't want to pay for a new charger for 'em. Expect to pay $30-$50 USD for a decent one.
- When you buy batteries, look at the milliamp-hour rating. That's the capacity they can hold: for example, an 1800 mAh AA could supply (theoretically) 1 mA for 1800 hours, 1800 mA for one hour, or anything in between. While mAh ratings do tend to be stretched a bit (the tests are performed under the most favorable circumstances possible), it's the best guide you can get to how long the battery will last in the device you plan to use.
- Don't buy more battery than you need. Your TV remote probably doesn't need expensive 2200 mAh NiMHs, so put in cheaper 800 mAh NiCDs.
- You'll be better off buying online than anywhere else. I've had good luck from several companies, but note that the "Energizer" branded batteries are relabeled and marked-up generics; you can get better batteries, cheaper if you go with other companies.
- Get extra batteries. You should have a few sitting around for when something important goes dead; don't just buy what all your devices need. Get a few extra of each type you use, or just keep alkalines around to use while recharging.
- Don't be too hard on your batteries. Many good chargers have a "fast" and a "trickle" setting; don't use the "fast" setting unless you absolutely can't wait overnight. Fast charges are hard on batteries; once or twice won't hurt much, but repeated fast charges can cause a significant drop in total battery life.
- Finally, if you have some high-drain devices and want to get more battery life, try hacking something onto the AC adaptor. A good guide to doing this with your digital camera is here; the principles are pretty much the same for anything else that has an AC adaptor socket.
Good luck!That's it. I'm no longer part of Team Sanity.
I recommend Ni-MH for any digital devices at 1950mAh or higher, especialy for digital cameras they eat up other quickly. I just bought a Set by Panasonic for $19 at BJ's wholesale, it came with a quick charger (model# BQ-390), 4 AA, and 2AAA 1950mAh Ni-MH. It has been working great and the batteries last longer, and charges quickly.
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." -Albert Einstein
Karma? There's a serial modder out there.
Here.
Ignore the gaudy HTML; good quality, prices, and service.
I use a Energizer rechargeable batteries with the Energizer charger. It takes a long time, 12 hours, as compared to the yellow batteries (Eveready which take 3 to 4 hours) but they last a hell of a lot longer. I mainly use them for my digital camera. I can take about 100 pictures with flash. That to me is a LOT of damn pictures. The charger works with NiMH and NiCd batteries, so it's quite versatile. I honestly think that regular batteries are a complete fleecing by the industry. There is absolutely no reason to use regular batteries, other than sustaining their growth. If everyone used rechargeables, the market for batteries would diminish quite a bit. If I used Duracells in my camera, I'd have gone through at least 30 pairs of batteries. My charger and the 4 batteries it came with did not cost anywhere near the cost of 30 pairs of regular Duracells. It just shows you different industires can capitalize on on what consumers are used to. One more thought, all rchargeable AA's are 1.2V (the ones i've seen). Regular AA's are 1.5V. This extra bit of Voltage increases current & makes toys look livelier, thereby it may even seem that rechargeable's are weaker. This is purely done by design. There is no reason to make them 1.2V capable. It has nothing to do with size or the fact they're rechargeable. I think it just supports my theory above.
-I DDoSed your mom.
Surf to http://www.greenbatteries.com/ for detailed answers.
I have purchased batteries from this wonderful store for over 3 years now.
Short answers:
1. Use alkaline batteries for devices that use a small amount of current over many months. For example, a wall clock.
2. Use NiMH batteries for high current drain devices such as: digital cameras. Or for devices that are easy to replace the batteries such as: cordless mouse, phone headset.
3. Use LiIon batteries for long standby time and moderate current drain such as mobile phones.
Dave Barnes 9 breweries within walking distance of my house
i'll say it once. IMPEDANCE IS NOT RESISTANCE. Just because they are both measured in Ohm's doesn't mean that they are the same.
I personally have had great luck with Nickel Metal Hydrides.. Rayovacs in particular. Get some that are at or over the 1800mah mark and you'll see excellent results. Better than most cheap alkalines. Plus I've gotten several hundred charge cycles out of each set I've purchased.. about 6 sets of AA's. Also remember, the NiCd discharge rule does not apply. Fully discharging NiMh batteries is acutally harmful to them.
When choosing rechargeables, please keep in mind lithium, cadmium, mercury, and copper are all things you don't want in your local landfill. If you don't want the hassel of trying to find a place to recycle NiCD, lithium, zinc air, or very old (pre 1985) alkaline batteries, use the alkaline rechargeables. They can be thrown out with the regular trash. Can't hold a charge as well as some of the other options, but they sure are alot easier to dispose of (I'm assuming you're not the kind of person who pours their motor oil out in the grass beside their garage).
Every year we hear stories about how mercury contamination is killing the fish. Now, having relented, it turns out the fish are killing us! Recently a 70lb catfish swallowed a dachsund puppy whole. Bring back those batteries soon, or flesh eating catfish will be gobbling your children!
This is my sig.
I've found Energizer NiMH batteries to last the longest and to be of the highest quality. They're readily available at Target and fairly cheap.
What's wrong? Let me guess... She doesn't have... hooves?
NiMH batteries last a factor 2-3 longer than NiCd batteries, are less environmentally unfriendly, and lack the memory effect that made people hate rechargeable batteries in the first place. What this means is that a fully charged MiMH battery will last as long, if not longer, than a regular alkaline battery in the same application. Capacity of batteries is rated in milliamp hours. A penlight rated at 2000 mAh will, in theory, provide 2 amps of power for an hour. It goes without saying that bigger is better.
This guy has tested several dozen different types of NiMH penlights for use in digital cameras. Although there are many other uses for the things, this seems to be one of the more common and at least vaguely representative of what to expect.
When choosing a charger, make sure it supports, and is set to charge NiMH batteries. Running a NiCd cycle on them will yield unsatisfactory results. There are fast chargers available that will charge your batteries in as little as an hour and it's commonly accepted that these don't harm the batteries much.
I want the fire back.
What chemical rechargeable batteries last the longest/recharge the most?
Just ask a woman...
Tim
You won't beleive how much energy a liter of horse semen contains, enough to power 10,000 AA batteries for a year!
Google is your freind for all you need to know about horse semen
Avoid Hickel Cadmium batteries. Even the ones that claim (no memory problems) basically still have memory problems. I would stick with NiMH or better Lithium Ion (very light for the energy stored). Lead Acid (Gell Cells) are good for some applications but they are heavy.
My opinion.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.H TM
An important snippet from that page:
I use a digital camera (Minolta Dimage 7Hi) and I use his recommended ones: Powerex 1800 batteries and the very effective Maha C204.
2000mAh Ni-Mh AA cells are very cheap on eBay. You will also find good chargers for under 20$. I recommend that you stay away from thoses fast-charge models since your cells won't last as much. Ni-Mh cells have much more energy than alkalines. As an example, I was looking for some cells to put in my digital camera. The only thing I found was a pair of alkaline cells. After about 5 shots, they were dead.
YAFIRL (Yet another Free iPods referral link)
GET A GOOD CHARGER! I have a really expensive one that tells me voltage, and how much my batteries charged, but a POOR charger will cook your cells. I had a Panasonic, of the type you find at Costco, etc. JUNK. It managed to ruin, over time, a set of 4 1100 mAH AAs. May i recommend a Maha MH-C401FS, and the batteries of your choice? The 204F is a good second choice. I happen to like NEXcell, and i have both AA and AAA. I disagree w/ the person below that says they can't get enough charge to warrent buying AAAs. I run my Palm 105 just great on them. Plurge and get a good charger.
I recall in the early 1990s, people in Austria were very happy that they were finally allowed to throw away their batteries (in special bins) without having to pay the recycling costs. They still have to pay to throw away fridges, TVs, microwaves, etc. I might be mistaken though, 'twas a while ago.
The alkaline starts out at around 1.63 volts and discharges to around .9 volts before it is considered dead. The NiMH is flat at 1.2 volts. For some apps, the NiMH battery comes up "low battery" (like in my friend's pager) because the pager may consider an alkaline discharged to 1.2 volts as about done with. So you have to find out if 1.2 volts per cell will run your appliance.
The other thing about the NiMH is that it self discharges -- it is even worse than the NiCad, only it isn't supposed to have the memory effect that a NiCad has (the camcorder which doesn't fully discharge the NiCad which means the NiCad never ever seems to ever recharge and ever run the camcorder).
Now for the alkaline rechargeable. They say you can put ordinary alkalines in one of those chargers -- tried it and it won't burn the house down, but it won't hold a charge, or it will recharge but have really high internal resistance on discharge. I guess you have to pay for those fancy Renewal batteries if you want to recharge an alkaline.
OK, here's the deal. A fully charged alkaline is over 1.6 volts (none of this 1.2 volt business), and it is supposed to hold its charge forever (I measure .01 volt per day degradation). The rub is that you can't discharge them (ha, ha). What I mean is that if you use them in a flashlight and discharge them until the light gets dim, you have discharged them down to that .9 volt, and you are lucky to get one or maybe two recharges (if that) out of them. The trick is to discharge them only down to 1.5 volts and then freshen 'em up in the charger. Apparently they only like to be discharged a little bit and then recharged as soon as possible -- I use D-cells in a couple of flashlights (a 4-cell Mag and a 2-cell ordinary flashlight). If I use a flashlight on a project (like to change a dead car battery at night, or to poke around a crawlspace, I recharge them as soon as I can). I am told they will live (Rayovac data sheets) nearly forever that way.
As far as whether to use rechargeables, of course! In the end, it's a money saver.
Two things to consider though - eventually you have to throw these away (rechargeable batteries do bomb out after a fashion), and rather than teh 1.5v that an alkaline battery puts out, they only put out about 1.3v. The effect from this, however, is usually pretty trivial. Also, there are some things that advise against putting rechargeable batteries into for this reason.
This sig no verb.
There's also this Battery Shootout ranking system, skewed towards small portable electronic device effectiveness.
Da Blog
I recommend a smart charger like the Maha C204F from Thomas Distributing. They have all sorts of batteries at great prices (not affiliated just a happy customer).
This charger also has a conditioner feature that will help bring those older batteries back to life (the ones that you were using the dumb charger on before!).
Batteries that I've charged with this charger last 3x as long in high drain applications like in my GPS unit.
These guys sell 1800-2300 mAH NiMH batteries at a decent price. I still use the occasional alkaline for long-term use (like smoke detectors, thermostats, stuff like that), but for everything else it's NiMH all the way. I started with Radio Shack stuff (and still use the 1 hour RS charger (cat no 23-405), but the Powerex batteries from Thomas are better. I didn't have great luck with the Energizer NiMH... almost thought they were low quality just to get me to switch back to alkalines. :)
A little AA rating among more common brands:
Energizer "accu-rechargable": 1200 mAH.
Radio Shack: these varied. I saw both 1200 and 1500 mAH -- check the label!
Duracell also sells 1800mAH NiMH.
A real alkaline AA clocks in at 2800 mAH or so.
No affiliation with Thomas... heard about them on DAT-Heads years ago.
I have a quick one-hour charger for NiMh batteries, and it seems to do the job.
I don't know if these chargers have long-range ill effects or not?
Jackson
Where: thomas-distributing.com what: Maha Powerex 2200mAH batteries Maha Powerex MH-C401FS charger
NiMH batteries rock.
Battery capacity is measured in milliamp hours or maH. i.e. Energizer has 1800maH AA batteries. How long a maH will last you totally depends on what you use it for, but suffice to say that a digital camera that takes 4 AA batteries (like the Canon A-series) will probably last 150-200 pictures (of course it depends on other factors).
Put those same puppies in a remote control and you'll be controlling your TV (and everyone in a 4 block radius) for about 5 years...
One other thing to keep in mind is that there are cheapo timer-based chargers and intelligent chargers. The cheapo ones simply output a given maH for a set amount of time regardless. So if your charger puts out 150maH for 10 hours, you're not going to be able to fully charge an 1800maH batter in one sitting. The intelligent ones, well, if you're intelligent you'll figure it out.
At Target, you will probably find 3 or 4 brands of rechargeable batteries. Since all the brands are about the same in performance, you should select the brand based on country of origin. Remember. When you buy a product, you indirectly support the value system in the country of origin. In other words, avoid "Made in China". You can find enough reasons for avoiding "Made in China" at Amnesty International or Tibet Online . "Made in China" also includes "Made in Taiwan" or "Made in Hong Kong".
"Made in USA", "Made in Japan", or similar Western-country label is usually a safe bet in terms of (1) the quality of the product and (2) the value system in the country of origin. As an example, consider the Energize Rechargeable Batteries.
I got a 1 hour rayovac and tons of AA and AAAs for everything in my house: PDA, remotes, even my toothbrush. Sure, they loose there charge after 2 or 3 months, but an hour for a charge is nothing.
And I read there may soon be batteries that *safely* charge in 15 minutes.
I used to use throwaways, but then my significant other introduced me to the wonder that is NiMH.
The brand is Rayovac, and they work delightfully. I have a set of four batteries, and it came with a wall charger, so I simply swap two out when the other two die. They are perfect for my MP3-CD player, because it eats a great deal of power. I've had the batteries for a couple years now, and they are starting to show a little wear (I have an hour and a half commute every day, and plug my CD player into my car). The batteries no longer last quite as long as the Duracell Alkalines that I keep as backups, but for my purposes, it does not matter. Just charge em back up after a couple weeks (they hold a charge pretty well, and you can leave the in the charger for days without worrying about them being damaged).
I cower to think of the money I would have wasted (not to mention the environmental impact) had I used throwaway batteries. Definitely on the top ten list of great buys, possibly the best fifteen bucks I've ever spent. I highly, highly reccommend them to anyone who uses high-drain devices frequently.
Auto-reply to ACs: "Truly, you have a dizzying intellect."
I love the convenience of NMH. You can get reasonable quality NMH at the Walmart and an OK charger at Radio Shack. Radio Shack batteries are overpriced. I got the fancy charger with settings for my old NiCads and NMH, high and low capacity, and a discharge button to avoid memory effects on devices that don't drain the battery all the way. I keep a little plastic box of charged AA and another of AAA to make swap out easy. Cameras, cellphones, whatever mostly work great.
Sealed package NMH and NiCad are evil. I hate to death the adverts running in National Geographic about how, "it's easy to be green" with a picture of a frog on top of a dead cell phone battery. While the collection effort is commendable, packaging non-standard sized batteries with products is unforgivable. It's especially irksome when the batteries are NMH and the housing can easily contain standard sizes but they are welded together and glued shut. These packages create waste and are painful to use. A cell phone is typically NOT a good battery and they ruin NMH and NiCad quickly as well as take up all your sockets and make travel difficult. Converting these saves time and trouble. Cut them open, and epoxy in some springs from a Radio Shack "project" battery pack and you are back to normal and can toss the custom charger in the parts bin.
Lithium batteries time warp me right back to the land of multiple chargers. Is there any help for these devices? Are there standard chargers and battery sizes for these devices or am I doomed to pay Cannon $75 when that strange square battery fails? All the advantages of Lithium type batteries are undone by this. What's to do?
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Speaking of which, this is my peepee place. Oh yeah..
...and your post is a perfect example of misuse of "overrated". :)
That's one very fine perfectly matching "-1 offtopic" post and now some mods should get you "+1 underrated" to ballance unjust moderation, then just finely mod you down to "-1 offtopic" as you deserve, because it has nothing in common with batteries
Moreover, they do have a distinct advantage: they're cheap and of high capacity, though not good for many recharge cycles. While a pair of Ni-MHs cost about $8, a pack of 4 rechargable akalines costs about the same price. Like regular akaline batteries, they have pretty high capacity (about 2200(I think) mAh for a AA, compared with the low 1000's range for most Ni-MHs), and actually come charged, with a long shelf life without discharging itself.
I use these batteries for most of the things that don't work with Ni-MH (graphing calculator, small electronic devices), as these have the usual 1.5 volt, instead of the 1.2 volt on most rechargables. Their downside is the fact that they can only be charged 10-20 times before they leak (the package said 40).
to strap an unlicensed nuclear accelerator to my back.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I don't see why people worry about batteries.
:-)
Hell, if you want to reduce your impact on the environment, try a few other sacrifices:
1) Adopt instead of breed.
You might as well adopt one if you plan on having kids (at least as ONE of them). If you don't feel adoption is your civic duty, they'll just accumulate and become a local nuisance. Then you'll need to pool your money with local businessmen, and hire off-duty cops to "clean up" the problem.
2) "Disposable diapers"
Need I say more?
3) Of course... don't expect a woman to give up this convenience while you parade around in a HumVee and a mow your lawn with a 20hp rider tractor. Otherwise you're forcing the burden on someone else.
4) Actually, you need a "push mower" like the old days. Save money and slim that fat ass of yours.
5) Lawn?? Plant a fucking tree you egotistical prick. You can still plant grass that's not harmful to the environment... it's called NATIVE grass. You'll not find it at the nearest local golf course...
6) Trees mean you don't need to water your lawn.
7) Or CHEM-LAWN(tm)
Actually, if you're stupid enough to lay toxic chemicals on your lawn, you have penis-size issues.
8) Don't listen to me... you'll end up spending more money on viagra...
Moderators: If the above ON TOPIC SARCASM offends your sensibilities, go ahead and mark me as Flamebait or Offtopic. The meta moderators will get you...
I know some of you will agree though
My personal preference is for Rayovac's reusable alkalines. They've gotten a lot of use in my PDA and my graphing calculator and do quite well. One note on them is that they last longer and hold charge better if you recharge them before they are completely drained, unlike NiCds, which work better if they are completely drained each time.
Using Rayovac's (full size) charger, which claims to charge NiCd, Reusable Alkaline, and NiMH, I haven't had much luck with the NiMH. They seem to get hot and not charge fully. Anyone else see this, or is it just my charger?
W00T! I married the geekiest guy I know (/.er #3115) on July 19, 2003! Who says nerds never find love?
I use PowerEx and Nexcell NiMH batteries I bought from Thomas Distributing (http://www.smallpower.com). They carry a nice, small, dual power (home or car) charger that has come in handy a couple of times when the NiMHs in my digital camera ran low. (http://smallpower.com/mhc401fs.htm) I've had very good service from these folks and can recommend them. I'm sure there are other good reputable dealers too.
NiCd and NiMH have somewhat lower voltage (~1.2v) than alkaline (~1.5v) but they also have a far lower internal resistance so if you short a NiCd/NiMH you can get far more current than if you short an alkaline.
NiMH also self-discharge quite rapidly - several percent/day. In some apps the self-discharge drains the battery faster than the device does. This also makes them lousy for emergency uses unless they are always on charge.
The upshot of this is that if you have a very low draw app like noise-cancelling headphones or a radio-only walkthing then you may want to stick with alkaline as they last weeks to months anyway and the loss of 0.6v (for 2 cells) may cause problems.
You may also want to stick with alkaline for certain very high-draw apps. Some halogen high-intensity flashlight bulbs specifically recommend against using rechargables. They are designed for use with alkaline and without the limiting factor of the internal resistance of the alkaline battery the bulb will pull too much current and burn out quickly.
On the other hand moderately high draw things like digital cameras are perfect for NiMH. The high draw depletes the alkaline to a point that it can't supply enough current in short order - a couple dozen pictures in my camera. NiMH will power it for a couple hundred. Unless your use level borders on "never", rechargables are the way to go for cameras, flash units, handi-talkies and similar devices.
Beware of chargers that recharge pairs of batteries, however. I recently had some old NiMH batteries that I thought were dead (~12 pix per charge). I had been using the Kodak charger that I got with my camera - it charges cells in pairs. Unfortunately if cells are out of balance it doesn't work well.
I bought a PowerX charger and after a couple charge cycles the batteries were working great again - and they are almost 5 years old.
The PowerX has gotten favorable reviews from ham operators and camera buffs. It has two charge cycles so if you don't need a charge RightNow! you can switch to a slower setting to prolong the life of your battery. Also, each battery is on an independent channel so each battery gets an appropriate charge and you won't be driven crazy when you have an oh-so-common 3 battery device. After charging it switches to a trickle mode to keep the battery topped-off. I've only had mine for a couple of weeks but so far it beats the heck out of my old chargers. Comes with a car cable, too.
~~~~~~~
"You are not remembered for doing what is expected of you." - Atul Chitnis
I have been using the Pure Energy rechargeable alcaline batteries, unlike most rechargeables they give a full 1.5 volts. The batteries themselves generally cost the same as your major name brand batteries (I've found them for around $5 CAD/4 pack of AAs), although recently they have been harder to find. Lifetime between recharges is pretty good, I get about 2 months of use per recharge on my cordless optical mouse. According to the manufacturer you can recharge the batteries up to 100 times, havent run into one yet that wouldn't hold a charge, been using them for at least 4 years if not more. Another nice thing compared to most rechargeable batteries Ive seen is that they come fully charged right out of the package.
From 650ma for the original shitty nicads to something like 1850ma for the latest generation of Nickle-metal-hydride.
The 1850ma batteries last long on a charge than the best alkaline batteries do new, and you can recharge them a thousand times or so, with no memory effect. The original 1650ma batteries I got with my Fuji camera still gave a full charge two years later when the camera was stolen.
I never buy disposable AAs for anything anymore, instead I have a bunch of AA NmH.
Ceci n'est pas une signature
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
i recommend NiMH batteries, they dont have the memory effect and they can be recharged at any time.
I've tended to use Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries in my cdplayers and my archos jukebox and they seem to be middle of the road. No memory (or unnoticeable) in high draw devices and they tend to be cheap. I'd assume that Li-Ion are the best to use as that is what my iPod and creative nomad are using at the moment. I've also seen that Li-Ion is what many cameras use in addition to a myriad other devices I haven't listed. NiMH is your best bet for not too long of a useage and a middling to low price range. LI-Ion for longer useage and higher prices.
.
why does the porridge bird lay his eggs in the air?
Which is precicely why the M2 system needs more than just "Fair" and "Unfair" -- this was clearly a case of M1 "Funny"
I really wonder if the damage done to the environment and cost of recharging a battery is really all that much better than buying disposable ones. Especially if you factor in the loss in efficiency associated with the delivery of AC power, the conversion to DC and the interface between the charger and the battery (not to mention leakage). Of course, that raises another question: what/how efficient are the methods used by Duracell and the like to build disposable batteries?
`which fortune`
I on the other hand have basically one device that uses batteries: my Olympus C-5050Z digital camera. And unlike some who may pull their camera out for vacations, birthday parties, and the occasional group shot, I use my almost every day. I've exhibited my photographs, maintain two photo blogs (jetcityorange.blogspot.com & www.jetcityorange.com/photos), and see every problem as a photo waiting to be taken.
I also shoot multiple pictures in relatively quick succession. Charging the CCD and writing to the SmartMedia card is hard on batteries. I've found that Olympus' NiCads are great if expensive and un-recharagable. My first choice are Duracell Ultra's. Why? Cuz when I first starting shooting a digital camera 4 or 5 years ago (I'm on my 4th) I stumbled across a battery recharger that claims to "freshen" (their term) standard batteries. And it does! Not only do I get up to 5 cycles in my camera, my kids can get 2 or sometimes 3 in their Gameboys and CD players, which seem to be less demanding of batteries.
I got my battery recharger from Real Goods.
And of course, your mileage may vary.
Jerry
I'm using Energizer NiMh AAs and the Energizer charger all of which I picked up at target for cheap.
I use them in my wavebirds (Game Cube wireless controlers) and my Nikon CoolPix 2100, their performance is actually a bit better than the the Nikon brand batteries and charger that cost 4x as much.
Of course, the first few charges sucked, but on the 3rd cycle, NiMh batteries really seem to come to life.
Best of all, I got the energizer charger just for AAs, but on closer inspection, you can plug in AAA and 9v (or 12v? I never remember which is which) batteries as well. And the charger was less than the Nikon one that only does AAs.
DONT PANIC
Rechargable batteries are wonderful things. Like a lot of other /. readers, I have a pocketful of AA NiMH batteries. There are some things you should be aware of with rechargables before you jump into them, though.
(Mostly AA specific)
First, make sure your battery-powered device is rated to handle rechargable batteries. Alkaline AA batteries are nominally 1.5volts. "Fresh" batteries will probably test to 1.56volts in a digital multimeter. NiMH AA batteries are nominally 1.2volts, and will usually test as 1.26volts freshly-charged. If your device has a voltage meter (if it shows "battery power remaining" it does) then you need to be sure it can handle running with the different voltage. My old family-band radios (some motorola model, don't remember which) were made assuming alkalines at 1.5volts, and gave noticably less powered-on time with NiMH batteries than with Alkalines. The batteries still had juice in them, but were putting out a slightly lower voltage than the radio wanted, and the radio turned itself off.
Second, all rechargable batteries (except possibly lead-acid/gel-cells) have a normal charge cycle rating. This means, effectively, that they can be recahrged that many times, and then they stop holding a charge, the chemistry inside breaks down after that many charge cycles. By chemistry:
NiCad = 500 charge cycles.
NiMH = 400 charge cycles
Lithium Ion = 350 charge cycles
After you recharge them that many times, expect them to become noticably less useful. This is part of why laptop batteries are only warranted for a year, incidentally... 350 charge cycles, 350 days of charge/discharge (about a year), and you have a battery that doesn't last nearly as long as when it was new. This is also why people that buy laptops like intelligent chargers, and don't recharge immediately upon reconnecting to a wall regardless of charge remaining. Recharge based on charge % remaining, and the battery lasts a lot longer, so wait until the battery gets below, say, 85% charge, and it will last 2-4 years instead of one. Intelligent chargers in laptops will check the charge remaining automatically, and only charge when it drops below a given threshold.
Third, you have different self-discharge rates with different batteries, aka, the shelf life. Alkalines are really good here, they have a quite long shelf life, usually measured in years.
NiCads are less good than alkalines, and especially with the multi-cell NiCad packs where you are concerned with polarity reversal, you want to recharge your NiCads every few months, to keep the charge level above a certain minimum where one cell in a pack might get too low, reverse polarity, and basically kill your multi-cell battery pack.
NiMH batteries self-discharge at about 1-2% per day. Yes, a "freshly-charged" battery that is left on a shelf for a month will be down by 25-50% charge. This is environment dependent, of course, varying with temp and humidity mostly.
Lithium Ion batteries have about the best shelf-life of rechargables, about the same as NiCads, really. Still nowhere near alkalines, though. (Again, leave your laptop sitting on a shelf for 3 months, you'll probably have a dead battery. Be aware, and plan accordingly.)
With all this said, I still love rechargable batteries, and use them whereever they fit the device specs.
Oh, and fair warning, if you travel outside the US. Most of the cheap NiMH chargers you see in Walmart and everywhere else are US voltage only, they work with 110V 60Hz AC ONLY. If you are travelling anywhere outside the US and Canada, get an international charger, that can handle 50/60Hz and 110/120/220V. You'll be much happier, and not unpleasantly surprised when your charger gets very very warm and then suddenly stops charging. Bear in mind that the carribbean, while very near the US and supposedly US power specs, has crappy power regulation on wall plugs, and you'll want an international charger there too. Just another thing to be careful of.
This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is... Oops. Frank, I've got your sig again! Where's mine?
It's horses for courses. NiMH - Good for low power consumptuion and slow charging. No memory effect - that is you don't have to run them flat before you charge them. Very good for apppliances that aren't used often. NiCad - Good for high power situations like cordless drills, radio controlled cars etc. These can handle fast charges and discharges - need to be flat before you charge to avoid memory problems. (a memory problem is a battery that is almost flat despite the fact it has just been charged). LiIon - Similar to NiMH but have a much higher capacity. (and a much higher price) I have some NiCads purchased in 1984 that are still going. (they have been relegated to the kids toys)
I've had the best luck with Radio Shack Ni-Cads in my cameras. Not the greatest performance, but very predictable. For me, that counts for a lot.
C|N>K
From what I've read, it's also worthwile to look into different kinds of chargers.
:)
The more expensive ones (I've seen them being charged (p.n.i.) at well over $100) don't just feed the batteries electricity, they have quite sophisticated electronics that taste the state of the battery and depending on that and your settings, they calculate the optimal way of charging them.
You can set them to turbo recharge ("the most you can get in 1 hour") or fully recharge, they detect Li-ion, NiCd, NiMH and differ the process for it.
They indicate the state of the battery on sexy backlit lcd matrix screens.
They fit all kinds of battery sizes.
I've seen this being described somewhere in rather prosaic terms, with the charger detecting "bubbles of gas" in the process of charging, and changing the current accordingly.
Apparently, batteries also retain their capacity better and for more cycles with this advanced gear.
They also optimise for the voltage capacity of the batteries.
Maybe it's worth the cost in the long run.
Anyway it's definetely a story that will appeal to the Slashdot-crowd
I'm sorry I don't have a url in English, I saw it in a Dutch electronics mail order catalogue (Conrad.)
Perhaps someone else can provide a link?
Get the Ray-O-Vac 1-hour charger and some NiMH AA batteries.
This charger is different from other chargers because it charges in 1 hour and because it charges each cell individually.
Just keep it where you use your electronic stuff and keep a supply of charged batteries. I have a pile of uncharged batteries and one of charged ones. The uncharged ones get put in the charger and migrate to the charged side when the lights go out. Works for me for lots of different devices.
Yes folks, it's true. If you've got a battery charger, you can use it to charge your regular (i.e. "non-rechargeable") batteries.
It works just fine, I've been doing it for years. They won't hold 100's of charges, probably not even 10's, but you definitely can return them to full charge more than half a dozen times.
Try it out. Wear glasses and gloves, be careful. (cause you shouldn't trust a stranger on Slashdot!).
I saw a "Consumer Report" T.V. show on this several years ago. The rechargeable battery companies claim that if you try to recharge "normal" batteries, they will explode. Well, the T.V. show researchers disproved this danger. Apparently it requires upwards of 500V to even consider the possibility of an explosion.
For the price, you probably can't find a better charger, unless you're willing to buy a cheapo timer-based one.
I also use Powerex batteries with it, and I've had no problems. They last forever in my digital camera compared to alkaline, and the AAAs last nearly as long as alkaline in my mp3 player.
Just don't use them in anything you only use occassionally, like a remote or a flashlight.
Man is the animal that laughs.
And occasionally whores for Karma.
vs. nicad.. cause I guess you'll have to in some euro places or something soon. I bought twice as many as I need and keep a rotation.. the devices I use them in give me plenty of time to get around to recharging them before the replacements die. Expensive, but only at first.
I replaced over 100 batteries used in our household (three daughters, geek father) with NiMH. No problems at all. I get the next to highest mAh rated batteries from Thomas Distributing (just a happy customer) and I use an Altek 5798 charger. The tri-state LED's give a good status on when its done charging.
I had a few go bad over the past few years, but I know several sets have had hundreds of charges.
The last AA set I got were 2000 mAh and they are great in my Fuji digicam.
www.thomasdistributing.com - don't let the 'web designer on acid' interface bother you, they have always had the best price and reasonable delivery. I even like the 'free gifts' (synth chamois car cloth, plastic battery holders).
Hope this helps!
In the mid-90's I used rechargable Alkalines, like Rayovac Renewals. When I lived in Korea in the late 90's, they were doing the same thing under the name Alcava. Ever since I came back I haven't been able to use my Alcava charger (220V), and it seems Rayovac Renewals dropped of the side of the earth. What's up with that?
Be sure to recycle your old discharged batteries (don't throw them away)!!! You can take them to your local Radio Shack or check your County Government's website for recycling info.
Rishi Chopra
www.rishichopra.org
Yes, they do leak charge over time. If you keep a flashlight and radio around for emergencies like blackouts, hurricanes, and earthquakes, it's still better to use alkalines in them. I use alkalines in remotes too. They easily last a few years. For everything else, it's NiMH rechargables.
I think gentoo is awesome and the RIAA is stupid! (Oh bring on them underrated mods please!!!)
Un-news
Maybe its something magical that happens when anything containing an AA is being discussed?
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
While NiMH are great for high drain electronics, such as digital cameras, they aren't good at keeping their charge over long periods of time. It's a good idea to keep some disposable alkaline around for clocks, flashlights, remote controls, and other items that rarely need the battery changed.
Obviously, for the wireless mouse situation, you need two flywheels rotating in opposite directions, so that the system has zero angular momentum
who ever invented ni-cads should be beaten withing an inch of their lives.
9 93935
Ni-cads are the shitiest invention ever to hit the market. What an absolute, total rip off they are.
I've poured thousands of dollars down the drain on them over the years and they sucked then just as they suck now.
Not to mention that Cadmium has been show to mimic female hormones when ingested by mice and fish.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99
There are reports of fish changing sex because of cadmium run off into lakes and rivers.
This is NOT good. Ni-cads should be outlawed.
Thomas Distributing
I have the Maha C204F charger and I love it. It has been *very* gentle to my batteries. I have had the best luck with the 1800mAh Powerex batteries, but I see they have the 2200mAh available now as well.
I can't recommend NiMH batteries highly enough for high-drain devices like digital cameras; they last longer than alkaline in such applications. But for low-drain devices like remotes, I disagree with some of the posters' suggestions to use them. They self-discharge at a much greater rate than alkaline and are unsuitable for such applications (unless you like finding dead batteries in your remote every few weeks... been there, done that).
Please note that it's getting much easier to recycle the non-rechargable batteries now; I save mine up and take them to the local transfer station where they gladly accept them for recycling. Probably not as common in areas with lower population densities, tho.
Cheers,
- Leo
You don't use science to show that you're right, you use science to become right.
batteries recharge YOU, you insensitive clod.
Why are you saying "Made in China" = "Made in Taiwan"?
"Which units have you heard of/read about satisfying someone else?"
Hmmm. You better be careful about discussing batteries and satisfying someone. I thought this was a family site! =)
Ahh... if only there was such a thing as rechargeable ones. Remember, "A one that is not cold is scarcely a one at all."
A couple of notes:
I've had a wonderful experience with the Energizer Rechargables, using the wall charger by the same name. I was given the charger and a set of batteries. I'm still on the same set of batteries (which I mostly use for my Olympus D-390 digital camera). I've recharged them about 8 times and they haven't lost any lifespan between charges (my old Rayovac Renewable system suffered from this).
In my state at least, anyone who sells automobile batteries, must, BY LAW, accept any old batteries for no charge. The stores then have their battery distributor (or freelance recycler) pick them up and take them to be recycled.
I have been using rechargeables for about 7 years now. I bought the Ray-o-Vac alkalines with the big 8 slot charger while I was a photographer. I used them for my flash and autowinder in the old 35mm slr. I still have a few of the original(purchased 7 years ago) ray-o-vac alkaline rechargeable batteries and use them for my wireless mouse and short wave radio. I couldnt count how many times i have recharged some of them. Granted, the old ones dont last that long but still work. I have recently purchased a 4 slot charger by ray-o-vac for lithium ion and have had great results with radio shack and ray-ovac batteries. I bought a set of AAA die hards and am not pleased with them. THey can only run my handspring and magellan gps for a few hours and completely discharge within a week when not in use, which sucks as I lose my data if I dont sync. Duracells lasted in the handspring for over a month
Radio shack has a nice page about different batteries.
...which brand performs best with *The Rabbit*?
"Right now, somewhere in this world, Scott Baio is plowing a woman he doesn't love," - Peter Griffin, *Family Guy*
I owned a Buddy-L recharger years ago and it would recharge most all alkaline recharger. It was too big though, and it got left behind in a move. I assumed that I would buy an equivalent replacement sometime. But no-one sells a generic alkaline charger now. The Raovac charges only their alkalines.
Anyone know of the modern replacement for the Buddy L?
The site batteryuniversity.com discusses many aspects of recargeable batteries like cycle time, charge/usage behavior, memory behavior and so forth.
It helped me a lot to understand the different types of batteries available and for what application which battery is best suited.
Cheers
This brings me to something that I have been wondering. Laptops and many other electronics with proprietary batteries use Lithium Ion (Li+). Now some of these (my Acer laptop, sony slimbooks, and to a lesser extent sony digital cameras) are small form factor, but hold a decent charge.
So... why can't I buy a rechargable Li+ battery in an AA form, right off the shelf - or do I just need to look in the right place. I'm aware they probably would cost a heckuva lot... but for longterm use they'd likely be worth it.
Also, when buying NiMH batteries, pay attention to the mAh rating, which is how much power they hold. AA NIMH batteries might range from 1200mAh or lower to 1950 mAh (the best capacity I've bought so far). This gives you a good indication of how long the batteries will last between charge; clearly there is a big difference out there. And the more expensive batteries do not always have the greatest capacity.
On chargers, there are a lot of different and bad chargers out there. The worst never shut off, just tell you to be sure you only charge batteries for x hours. If you forget and overcharge you can destroy the batteries! Also, if the batteries were not completely discharged then you can overcharge and destroy the battery even if you charge for only the time stated.
The next worst chargers have a simple timer in them and do shut off after x hours. But they still can overcharge a battery if it wasn't fully discharged, or if you try to charge a lower capacity battery. And if you get a higher capacity battery and try to charge it, it will not fully charge.
My rule of thumb is that I never use a charger that insists on charging batteries in pairs. Such chargers cannot sense individual cells, which would allow them to stop charging each cell when it is fully charged. There are a few chargers out there that do sense individual cells and shut off properly though. I think Best Buys sells one for about $30. However, the $9.99 Ray-O-Vac NiMH charger sold at WalMart does this fine. I'm not a Ray-O-Vac fan at all, but I do use and recommend this charger.
And take batteries out of any charger when charged, never trust chargers that promise to keep batteries ready by trickel charging them. I've had them cook batteries.
Again, I want to stress that one should never use chargers that do not sense individual cells and that have to charge in pairs. I have several (I just got one with the 1950 mAh batteries I bought recently) but never use them (I bought the batteries and recharger just to get the batteries, the price was right). Don't risk your expensive batteries to a cheap charger, it will seem to work fine for a while, then you will find that all of you batteries have started leaking and failing.
Remember to look for and pay attention to that mAh rateing when buying batteries.
In applications where the battery might last for years (TV remote control for example, or garage door opener) do not use rechargable batteries. Use Alkaline batteries in these applications; rechargeables will loose their charge too fast, and alkalines are the best choice (I have a garage door opener with the same alkaline battery in it for 19 yeras now).
And thanks for asking here rather than doing a simple Google search on the topic.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
The poster is being deliberately misleading. NiCd and NiMH batters do NOT hold their terminal voltage until almost completely discharged. You can look this up in any tech reference paper.
Have to agree on this one. NiMH batters have nearly the lifespan of an alkaline on a single charge cycle. They are much better on the environment than NiCad and besides, who doesn't want a battery that seems like it is named after the National Institute of Mental Health ;-)
LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
They are, however, more expensive than Nicad or NiMH, but they are still my personal favorite.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
How the hell did this get to 300+ replies? I thought this was a technical site...
Lithium polymer > Lithium Ion > Nickel Metal Hydride > Nickel Cadmium. Lithium Ion is unlikely to ever make it to an AA cell, but I see no reason lithium polymer can't (among its many advantages are adaptable form factor). NiMH is the best you can get at the moment though (and will be until battery manufacturers reckon they'll make a profit producing polymer AAs).
I tried this. Have one of the $29.99 Ray-O-Vac Alkaline rechargers too; would sell it for a buck. This was a complete rip-off. The batteries are said to last for only 25 recharges, but they also caution you to never discharge the batteries, just use them a little and recharge them. If you can do that you might get 25 recharges out of them, but that might be like getting 4 or 5 real recharges out of them. And once you have recharged the batteries a few times you'll find their capacity drops off faster (assuming you have a battery guage in your device, if you don't and ever discharge them you find the capacity is even lower). And to make things worse, these rechargeable Alkaline batteries, which cost a lot up front don't have the basic capacity that regular alkaline batteries do, their capacity is more like NICads. You might as well use good rechargeables than use these (and NiMH batteries age betting capacities that approach or exceed normal alkalines, alythough the y still don't have the shelf life for charge storage).
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
I got myself a the "Rapid Powerstation" charger and some of ther 2000mah NiMHs at 1,25V =) And I must say this is the its the best thing I ever done. Those little guys charge up completely in less than two hours!
(btw the URL is: www.hahnel.ie)
I have a useful tip
... and cost only minimally more...
Look for batteries designed for devices that require higher power.. for example, the AA and AAA batteries sold in the sections in stores where Digtal Cameras are sold... there you'll find batteries which will LAST LONGER
"cogito, ergo sum"
I've had nothing but success with Rayovac NiMH batteries. I also like the rechargable alcalines, but one of those exploded on me a while back for seemingly no reason, so I tend to avoid them whenever I can find NiMHs.
I remember some time ago there was an article in an electronics magazine (can't remember which) about recharging dry cell batteries. I think the gist of it was that if you apply an AC current (50/60Hz) such that the positive peaks supply 5 times more current than the negative troughs take away you can recharge dry cells and alkalines, often quite a few times. (not sure if that made sense but I remember the circuit was pretty simple and involved only a diode, a few resistors + an AC plugpack).
Can anyone else back this up?
Pure Energy has allways worked well for me. I've used their AAA batteries in various palm devices, pagers, etc. As well as their AA batteries in Walkmen and remotes. They've allways worked well, had little to no memory, and they're cheap. They're about 30-50% more than regular batteries, but can be used dozens of times. Some of the older ones had some leakage issues, but I haven't had that in years.
One of the most important things to remember is to get a good charger. These batteries will last much longer if they are charged slowly and kept cool when charging. Quick chargers will decrease the life of the batteries! I like the Maha chargers myself. This is a good one
You can greatly extend that "several hundred cycles" lifetime by avoiding deep discharges. My Toyota Prius uses a NiMH pack for the electric side of the hybrid system. The onboard computer keeps tight and sophisticated control over the state of charge and never lets it go below about 60%.(*)
The pack goes through multiple shallow cycles on even a short drive, and it's warrantied for 8 years or 100,000 miles. They've been bench tested to a simulated 125,000 miles, and in real life Yellow Cab has put over 100K miles on a taxi in Vancouver on the original battery pack.
Professional-grade chargers come from places like Anton-Bauer and are expen$ive. Consumer-grade chargers may overcharge, which immediately and permanently reduces battery capacity.
(*) Toyota spent a lot of money deriving the exact number, and they're not sharing the information.
I bought a quad of Radio Shack NiMH AA batteries and their charger in December 1999. I have recharged these batteries at least 150 times each and they still work very well in my Sony Walkman cassette. These are the gold colored 1200 mAH version. Their current model is 1800mAH and is colored metallic green.
I later purchased (on sale) several quads of Panasonic NiMH AAs, and I have been disappointed. They are 1800mAH suppposedly, but do not hold a charge as well as the Radio Shack ones.
There does seem to be a difference on various brands. The next ones I buy will be Radio Shack, even though they are not the cheapest.
I have used NiCad as well as rechargeable alkaline, and NiMH is clearly superior.
When I buy a walkman I make sure it can be recharged in the machine without needing another charging device. This serves two purposes - it's easier to use and easier to port around when travelling. I tend to buy Sony audio stuff because the rechargeable batteries last for a long time in those things, I can get a week of commuting on one set of AAs. They're NiCad so YMMV.
My digital camera doesn't use regular AAs. I'm a little dissapointed with the battery life, I get maybe two-three hours of active viewing and usage before I have to recharge. This can be a pain when overseas. It uses Lithium-ion but sometimes it would be nice to be able to use regular batteries when I run out at the beach or whatever.
The best summary I've seen is at http://www.repairfaq.org/ELE/F_NiCd_Battery.html#N ICDBATTERY_014. It distills the wisdom out of the numerous flame wars about whether "memory effect" is real.
The bottom line is that you need to deep-cycle them if and only if they were incorrectly charged in the first place (too high a temperature, too slow a rate).
Having actually seen what happens when you try this my advice is - don't. Most alkaline disposable batteries can be "recharged" to some extent, but they'll leak pretty soon thereafter. Some kinds of batteries, especially those that use Lithium, can be very dangerous to recharge.
If you want to recharge alkaline batteries, buy the ones that are built for it.
Fast charging is dangerous and shortens cells life. The Delta-V or Delta-T sensing models must be very well designed or they will destroy your batteries.
I recently purchased a Vanson V6988 charger: too late I discovered that this piece of crap can't do slow charges, plus, it simply fails to detect the end of charge voltage dip on about 70% of all the cells I try to charge with it, thus keeping them on charge for extra long times and overheating them as hell.
All cells are almost new and get fully charged in a good ol' c/10 slow charger.
Get a slow charger, and more batteries if you need them often.
"I currently use quite a few devices that require various size batteries and I feel horrible just tossing them when they die. I saw a recharger at a retail store today and was thinking to myself how much waste it would reduce by using rechargeable ones. Which units have you used happily and/or which units have you heard of/read about satisfying someone else? Are the more expensive units better? What chemical rechargeable batteries last the longest/recharge the most?"
Did this person realise that never said what the batteries are for and the last few sentences talking about satisfying someone else puts that whole paragraph into the realm of sex shop toys!?!
Anyone else find this funny?
On a serious note however I have never used recharable batteries on the fact that the dogma of them not having the life of regular batteries esp for things that are hard on the battteries themselves. I have had a battery powered plane a few years back and for 8 recharable D cells I only got about 3 minutes of use and 15 minutes of charge time. So it was necessary to learn how to run at less power/glide to stretch 3 batteries in a continous pattern of fun.
And they're expensive
go to http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.H TM for a quite good review of nimh's and an explanation. informative, scientific, extensive, etc.
used nimh batteries when they first came out. recharging circuits are very simple, so just get anyone that looks good from a reputable maker. i used to put AAs and AAAs in my bicycle lights, this saved me at least a hundred dollars in the course of a year. ideally the chargers would be solar powered but hey ho i will take what i can get and do what i can with what i got.
Where can I find good prices on batteries? Radio shack wants $7.50 for a pair of D-cell NiMH 4500mAh which is the best price I've found yet. (You can get 9000mAh D cells, but they're $13 to $19 per cell.) Is there something like pricewatch for batteries?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
In other posts people have been praising MAHA batteries and I totally agree that their Nickel Metal Hydride batteries ROCK! I use MAHA batters in all my robots,GPS and photography equipment including a power hungry Nikon flash unit and they perform extremely well.
The only downside to NiMH batteries is shelf life. If you fully charge an NiMH battery and set it on the shelf it will slowly leak charge 1%-5% per day depending on temperature. Also, I've noticed that if you leave NiMH batteries in a very hot place (like you car) for an extended period of time it knocks the charge down quite fast too. Also, NiMH batteries don't seem to die slowly, they either work or they need charging. In my Olympus camera when the low battery indicator appears that means the batteries are about to die.
I still use Duracell Alkaline's in my pager because of the discharge charactersitics, however I use MAHA NiMH in everything else and am very happy. I've tried using normal Duracell batteries in my flash, GPS, and cameras and they just eat batteries for lunch. In high drain devices you can't beat 1850ma MAHA batteries (and yes, MAHA are the best). For good deals on MAHA check Ebay and Thompson Distributing and don't forget to buy extra!
Many of the rechargeable AA batteries you'll find are 1.2V, not 1.5V; make sure that you get 1.5V ones for any application that cares about voltage and doesn't claim to deal with the lower voltage.
Obviously my main problem is that this device makes horrible use of power (by comparison my Riovolt SP250 radio/cd/mp3 player lasts 15 hours on 2 AA batteries). I was bothered by the number of batteries I was throwing out and the cost of continually refueling the player (bad for the environment and for me).
I decided to try rechargeable batteries. I bought 3 packs of Energizer NiMH rechargeable C-size batteries and an Energizer battery charger. Unfortunately, I didn't pay attention to the fine print on the batteries -- the voltage is only 1.2V (instead of the alkaline's 1.5V). When you add up the voltage from all six batteries, you only get 7.2V for NiMH vs. 9V for alkaline. And the CD player needs the 9V to drive the Vcc on the amplifiers.
I was going to try rechargeable alkaline batteries, but judging by some of the comments here it sounds like other people's experiences with them are not so great.
Lithium Ion batteries go into explosive thermal runaway if overcharged. Only charge a Li-ION battery with the provided charger. Basically the temp/charge rate hyserisis curve for Li-ION batteries is very twitchy.
I still have the green Sanyo "industrial grade" cells I originally bought about 2 years ago, and I've been buying more since for other purposes. The charger (lightning pack 4000) is also excellent. I can't necessarily recommend the newer batteries they've stocked, but I definitely recommend the charger and the green-jacketed Sanyo batteries - they consistently perform well for me, and most reviews note that they perform BETTER than several NiMH battery brands with higher mAh numbers (they're only 1700 mAh).
"I may be quite wrong." - Socrates
since i have a cordless mouse I picked up a pack of AA Radioshack NiMH batteries and a 13 hour charger. I don't remember exactly the cost but I imagine it wasn't much above $20 for everything. Very useful and environmentally better (maybe not, but a false sense of it!) I'm sure Radioshack batteries and equipment aren't the best but it gets the job done. cheers.
I posted this earlier but put it in the wrong place, mods be nice.
I don't know if they will love me or hate me for this (no afil) batteryspace.com Has some pretty good deals on batteries. You can get 2000MAH AA's for about a buck a piece, some packages include a charger if you don't have one.
Use this code for 5% off bydusa9981 (no guarantee it works)
-I have an AA factor LiIon battery that puts out 3.6V for 2500 mAH.
.. I dunno, maybe not like it.
Umm the standard for the AA sized battery is 1.5v - you go sticking batteries that put out two and a half times the expected voltage into sensitive devices and they will
I do like LiIon batteries, although I have never used them in the AA form factor (just in laptops.)
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
Lots of posts recommend a "good charger", but they stop short of brand and model number.
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
Kodak Max K2000 Battery Charger with 4 NiMH AA Batteries $29.99
Kodak Max 4 NiMH 1850mAh Rechargeable AA Batteries $11.99
Standard disposeable alkaline batteries have very good capacities but also high internal resistances, so they don't do well in high-drain applications.
NiCD batteries have lower capacities than alkaline, but they have miniscule internal resistance and can push an unbelievable amount of current. I'm getting about 45 amps of current from 1700 mAh NiCD battery packs in one of my RC planes. These batteries deliver close to 100% of their rated capacity even at insane drain levels like this. Downside to NiCD's is that they discharge at about 1%/day, so they are useless for stuff like clocks and calculators, etc.
NiMH have almost the same capacity as alkaline and almost the same internal resistances as NiCD. They are sure to replace NiCD since some new high-drain types can equal NiCD performance. These also self-discharge pretty fast.
Li-Ion are a completely different chemistry. Alkalines push 1.5v/cell. NiCD and NiMh push 1.2v/cell, which is close enough for drop-in replacements. Li-Ions are 3.6v/cell, so they are not really practical in replacing 1.5v alkalines. Li-Ions oxidize over time, so they lose capacity. Useful life for something like a laptop battery is 2-3 years or somewhere around 300 cycles. Li-Ions lose efficiency very fast as current draw increases.
So, to sum things up:
In clocks, calculators, smoke detectors and other long-run, low-current devices, use alkalines.
In high drain devices like digital cameras, flashlights, electric motors, NiMH are probably the best bet.
For insane current draw, use NiCD. Sanyo R-cells can push > 100 amps!
Use lithium only in devices designed for it. A NiMh/NiCD charger can and will explode a Li-ion.
Good luck.
http://saveie6.com/
is that you enjoy taking hotdogs away from small children. I see!!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Although they aren't manufactured anymore, I stocked up on plenty of Eveready (the yellow ones) batteries and have several Eveready rechargers. I've had the batteries for nearly 5 years now and not one of them has died. I believe Energizer bought them out, but I'm not sure.
If you're religishitty, KILL YOURSELF!
Is operating temperature a concern? NiMH batteries are not so good in low temperatures, so don't use them in a GPS on your Everest Expedition.
What about space/weight/charge density? Lithium Ion batteries have a higher energy density than NiMH and NiCads, but they require more intelligent (read: expensive) chargers, as they are often microprocesser controlled.
Current Drain? NiCads can deliver more current than NiMH batteries.
Access to power supply? Weight and size of chargers? NiCad batteries are the easiest (after Lead Acid) to recharge, so the charger could be lowcost and small sized. You can charge a NiCad quite well with just a dc power supply and an appropriate voltage dropping resistor, just make sure that you time the charging to match the capacity. You can't jury-rig chargers for Li Ion batteries and you have to be very careful for NiMH cells (you really need to detect the voltage drop these guys display when nearing charge completion and trickle charge from that point onwards).
Also, contrary to what others have posted, not all batteries of the same kind are created equal. Stick to name brands (Sanyo batteries have been very good for us) - they tend to last a little longer. Maybe they have more pure electrolyte or electrodes?
Avoid rechargable alkalines. It will end in tears.
Good luck with your decision.
"The big question in our lives is how to be at the same time a hedonist and in a hurry" - Alain Ducasse (?)
Anyone know how to resurrect one of these batteries that supposedly don't have a memory effect? I just brought a new one and it's now down to 1/3 capacity after only a few months. I think it has to do with the fact that I leave my laptop plug in all the time.
EvilCON - Made Famous by
... of MAHA 1550mAH AA NiMH batteries in my Nikon digicam. I use the MAHA MH-C204F charger. More info here:
http://www.thomas-distributing.com/
"I might have made a tactical error in not going to a physician for 20 years." -- Warren Zevon
A great deal of the raw materials for NiMH batteries comes from China (and Russia), regardless of what the "made in ..." sticker says. (See http://ovonics.com [ECD, the NiMH patent holder] for more info.)
:)
So, if you buy NiMH, you don't have a lot of choice in the matter. This is NOT to suggest avoiding NiMH, which is a superior battery in many situations - just to inject a note of realism.
As for the original poster's question, surely there is a website out there with vast amounts of statistical data on the various brands (and types!) of batteries?
I like NiMH as it is relatively easy (and safe) to recycle. However, keep in mind that NiMH can lose up to 2% of its charge per day sitting on the shelf. NOT a good choice for that emergency flashlight.
If you're not living on the edge, you're just taking up space!
How in the fuck did this get modded up to a 2?? I am at work for christ sakes! That second link was worse than goatse.cx!!!
Kill a hippie.
I bought radio shack brand rechargable batteries, they worked fine in my palm pilot and remote controls for a while. I did make the mistake of leaving my palm pilot untouched for a month (moved into a house, couldn't find the box it was in) and they leaked all over the place. I blame myself for this, (palm still works) so just becarefull with your rechargeable batteries, I guess with any battery as well.
Microsoft aggravates my tourettes syndrome.
First off:
Go to Steve's Digicams and check the ratings for batteries; they have done extensive testing using a custom test jig that simulates actual use.
Now my comments:
I use two different varieties, for different purposes.
NiMH - The *best* for high drain devices, and stuff that you will use for a short period of time then shelf. Digital cameras, FRS radios, gameboys in our house all use these.
Pros: Great power delivery, great capacity. Actually lasts several times longer than alkaline in some devices such as digital cameras. Can be recharged hundreds of times, especially if charged in a high quality charger. Landfillable (though you should still recycle them).
Cons: Self-discharges; charge them up, put them on the shelf, a month later they're half dead. Only deliver 1.2V so some (very few, actually) devices think they're nearly dead when you put them in. However, they stay at 1.2v until they're about totally dead.
Rechargable alkaline (Ray-O-Vac Renewals) - I use these in low drain devices, and things that must sit around for a long time before being used. Palm pilot, remote controls, flashlights get these.
Pros: puts out full 1.5v, some devices like these better. Long charged shelf life; can be charged and still retain most of the charge months later.
Cons: proprietary system, somewhat expensive. You must buy Ray-O-Vac's charger, and it's not a very good charger. Can only be charged tens of times. As toxic as alkalines; should be taken to recycling.
Also still around are NiCad. Don't bother. Lower capacity than NiMH, not much cheaper, all the cons, not all of the pros, plus they're toxic (cadmium) and should DEFINITELY be recycled rather than landfilled.
To make rechargable alkalines last longest, you should recharge them when they're no more than half full when possible; top them off when you get the chance. Running them totally dead really kicks their ass; I've had them last only 10 charges when doing that.
The vast majority of my use is NiMH. Not all are the same, and many mAh ratings lie. Best source of really good chargers and batteries is Thomas Distributing. The Maha charger they have, with both 110v and 12v charging options, is awesome.
I can't imagine why more people don't use rechargables. I'm a pretty disorganized person, but I'm able to keep a plastic box full of charged batteries, ready for use in the house. It kind of makes me sick to see the huge bulk packs of AA cells in the store, on the endcaps in every department, moving like hell, while the rechargables are hidden on the bottom rack in the back of the photo department.
What's really sickening is when I go to the recycling center; they fill four 30 gallon trash cans with alkalines every week. Consider that this is mid-sized town (Ann Arbor, MI), and that probably, at best, 5% of the batteries make it there (AA is a pretty green town, but even so 5% is almost certainly high). This means there are probably millions of tons of batteries hitting the landfills every year.
(disclaimer; I have no affiliation with sites mentioned in this post, I'm just a happy customer)
Battery Space is good, thank you.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
I love the maha cells, they seem to have a very good capacity/price ratio. They were the first manufacturer I saw making 650 mAh AAA batteries, but now lots of companies make them. I just got the cheap Rayovac 3 in 1 (NiCad, NiMH, and rec. alkaline) charger and it works very well for me. I have to admit I don't use them as much since I switched to a Zaurus, but when I was using a Palm III and later a Handspring Visor, I was burning through batteries about every two weeks (I read a lot of ebooks, and played a lot of games, plus I overclocked with Afterburner). With NiMH batteries, I had to replace them every week, but thats much better than throwing money away buying new batteries all the time. I meant to check out the rechargable alkaline batteries (that's why I got the triple-mode charger), but I decided not to after I saw my friend have to clean the corrosion off of the terminals (on batteries, devices and especially the charger) every few charges.
Did you mount a military-grade, variable-focus MASER on an unlicensed artificial intelligence?
I have an Aiptek DV2 digital camcorder and read a review on it before purchasing. Apparently the reviewer wrote that regular batteries, while used in this device, will die out in a matter of a 1/2 an hour with LCD on (though could be used in wall clocks or TV remotes after death), whereas most rechargeable batteries will last 2 hours easily with LCD left on and MUCH more with LCD off. The reason, he stated, was due to the fact that most rechargeable batteries have a much higher mAh rating then your average alkalines. I bought the camcorder and a pair of Duracell 1800-mAh rechareable batteries and recharger station. The investment was VERY worthwhile and I thank that reviewer very much since if I hadn't seen it, I would have thought my purchase to be a very bad one. I am proud to say that my cam lasts even longer then stated with LCD on all the time using these batteries (BTW, they are Nickel Metal Hydride).
Business \Busi"ness\, n.;
A scam in which all people involved perceive as beneficial...
One thing I've heard is that lower amp-hour batteries are actually BETTER in some applications. In increasing the electrode surface area that goes into a battery, manufacturers encounter a tradeoff with reliability, internal resistance, and longevity.
A lower capacity cell will have thicker electrodes, which conduct more easily and will last through more charge/discharge cycles. Ideal for applications like camera-flash units that draw very heavy current. You'll just have to charge them more frequently.
The higher-capacity cells would be more suitable for low-drain devices, like portable music players, or cameras that don't see much flash use. Their higher internal resistance doesn't pose a problem when the power draw is low.
Another thing to be aware of is that many chargers go into a blitz charging mode on startup, blasting heavy current into the batteries for the first hour, before backing off, taking a reading, and determining how much further charging is needed. This makes sense if the charger is plugged in constantly, and only drained batteries are tossed into it. It only becomes a problem in situations like mine: I was running a little 4xAA charger from the inverter in my vehicle, which would cycle on and off with the engine. Leaving batteries in the charger would cause them to get blasted every time I turned the car on, shortening their life dramatically. Don't do that. Now before I shut off the engine, I peek at the charger to see if it says they're charged. If so, I take them out and toss 'em in a cupholder, so they don't have to endure further charging. Keeping a spare set in my vehicle has proven indispensable though.
Avoid Rayovac. I got a Rayovac "3 in 1" desktop charger, which advertises the ability to charge NiCd, NMH, and rechargeable alkalines. Then I threw in a set of four Rayovac NMH AA's. A few hours later, I discovered that they'd gotten so hot during charging, their labels had warped and peeled, exposing the bare metal can underneath. They still work fine, holding plenty of charge to be useful, but the bare metal means I can't use them in certain devices' battery compartments because of shorting concerns. I put a set of ancient Radio Shack NiCd's in it, and it cooked them too. They were probably dead anyway, but the point is, the Rayovac charger doesn't have a thermal cutoff, which it should! Curiously, this charger works just fine on my other batteries, even AAA's never get more than warm during charging.
Ironically enough, another set of Radio Shack "high capacity" NiCd AA's from the same era work just fine, in the Rayovac charger and others. Because the NiCd chemistry has a lower self-discharge than NMH, they're ideal for occasional-use standby duty. Those old cells sit in my Mag Lite.
Really, for standby jobs, the best chemistry is rechargeable Alkaline. They have almost no self-discharge, so they can sit for months on end and still be ready for service. I've got a pair of Renewal AAA's in my laser pointer, I think I've charged them 5 times in the 5 years I've owned them. (BTW, it's worth the extra bucks for a laser that takes standard batteries. After you've replaced those button cells 2 or 3 times, you begin to see why.)
You should check out Isidor Buchmann's excellent book on the subject. After a free "who are you?" registration, you can read the whole thing on line.
P.S. Anyone know an outfit that rebuilds Lithium-ion laptop batteries?
"about 2200 mAh"
Why the fuck must people use silly units like "milliamp-hours?" Is "about 8000 Coulombs" too cumbersome to say? The crazy Frogs and their SI gave us derivative units for a reason, people! Use them!
"But the conversion is too difficult to do in my head!" First off, if you can't multiply 3600 and 2.2 in your head, you don't even belong on Slashdot. They made remidial math for people like you. We're not exactly talking prime numbers here.
Secondly, what good is having batteries rated for their charge if you're not going to use said batteries in your TI-92+? Hell, you should be able to write a program to tell you exactly how many electron-volts you have in left in the battery!
I mean, at least "kilowatt-hours" has the excuse of being a completely different order of magnitude as Joules. Heck, even "Ampere-hour" makes more sense.
I have found the NoMem line from Lenmar Enterprises, Inc. to be excellent. But as someone noted rechargeable batteries, like batteries in general, are commodities.
Yes.
-- So now the world is a bit more stupid thanks to you.
with my Energizer NiMH AA and AAA cells, recharging in a Ray-O-Vac Model PS4 quick-charger. I've been using them in a lot of my portable devices for about two years or so, and haven't had to replace any cells. The batteries don't last quite as long in my Visor as alkaline batteries, but I still get several weeks of service with my usage patterns. The big thing I like is the quick-charger, which will recharge four AA or AAA batteries in about half an hour. It also does nine-volt batteries, but I don't use them for anything.
All in all, it's saved me a big pile o' cash on alkaline batteries, and I get plenty-long-enough service from them.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
the most interesting thing about nihm batteries is the price ranges they sell for. I've seen AA 1800mah batteries sell for anything from 80 cents to $5 each depending on brand and whether you buy them at radio shack or mail order. For instance, you can buy 1800's from zbattery for about $1.20 each. The same rating of battery will cost you $4 elsewhere. I guess my point is that there's a huge markup on these little suckers.
Ok, I haven't seen it mentioned, but what about the cost of the energy used to charge the rechargables vs. the cheap alkalines at the dollar store? (TOTAL COST, ie LIVES!)
Energy made with Nuclear power, Coal, Water, etc... Not made out of nothing... While some is waste free, most (the first big 2) are NOT.
So that energy is made, then you consume it and contribute to the CO emmissions or the pile up of reactor waste...
All to charge your battery, but hey no prob! Just don't forget to take it out of the charger when your done! OOOps... you forgot? Yeah, me too... they sit for a week before I remember they are charged... No problem... just a little bit of juice, right? Trickle charge, but over time it still ads up!!!
And the same for the Eco-Freaks and electric cars... How is it better to burn NuKe fuel than Fossil Fuel?
So just keep buying the alkalines and throwing them out... Oh, wait... Mercury... Yep, forgot about that....
Hmmm... Well, only one solution to this crisis!
(B-A-N-G)
A True environmentalist would just commit suicide to better the environment. Go ahead, it's ok to do it now.....
--- Relax, that mass muderer is just trying to reduce our carbon footprint, one fetus at a time...
I second the idea of using AA rechargables wherever possible. The added advantage of the AA form factor is that you can make a sleeve out of paper and use the batteries in the place of C size cells, because they are the same length.
More than you ever wanted to know about battery tech. Keep an eye on the emerging Lithium Polymer batteries @ roughly 3X the current NiCd and NiMh power/weight and power/size batteries. I use them in my micro R/C helicopter instead of the oringal NiMh and get 3X the run (was 5 now 15 minutes) with less than 1/2 the original battery weight (1.75oz vs 3.75oz). These are gonna be cost effective in the next 10 years or so, making a 100 mile range EV very easy and cheap. This is what they are using in the current solar racers. Environmentally friendly as well! Oh the original question? 2000mah NiMh all the way.
I've found that my Lithium Ion laptop battery stopped holding a charge. A friend suggested draining it, then popping it in the freezer for a day or two to finish the job. charged it back up and it was good as new (or close).
the chemistry behind it? who knows. worked for me.
I have a TV remote control for a TV that's at least 5 years old, Probably more like 10, and it still uses the original batteries. I don't know how they are still working, It's a miracle to me. The ends of the batteries have started to rust they are so old. They are starting to fade a bit, but since there isn't much room in my living room, I sit relatively close to the TV, so the weak signal doesn't cause too many problems. With low drain devices, I think alkalines are the way to go. Keep the rechargables for high drain devices.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Forgot the link!
My charger: Rayovac PS3
Great because it charges rechargeable alkaline, NiMH, and NiCd [not 9Volt form factors, but the standard AAA, AA, C and D batteries] and it won't overcharge them.
I have three or 4 pairs of NiMH for my digital camera [works great in there] and Talkabout radios. Have a couple sets of rechargeable alkalines for stuff like remote controls [long idle time in those]. Don't have any NiCd...too many problems with battery memory which the NiMH doesn't have.
The best battery I've seen was the Kodak Lithium Ion 3V [single battery in the form factor of two AA's]. It ran the camera for three months before I replaced it with the rechargeable NiMH.
Just my $0.02
. . . form factors do not exist becasue they require special circuity to monitor the battery while in use and while charging. That is why all your camcorder/digy cam batteries are all in nifty cases. So what could happen if hte circuity was missing look here:
t m
http://www.teamnovak.com/Recall/Li_ion_Recall.h
I owned one and it was cool, but had to send it back because someones blew up and burned a good portion of a room whiule charging.
just an fyi to ya all!
These 2 brands (Canadian/US) are rechargable alkaline batteries. Used them heavily from 1991 to 1998, pre-release test setups from my father in my gameboy/cd player. They always outperformed the other non-alkaline (Heavy Duty) bateries and were similiar to the alkaline at the time. Do not know how the production units are, but they have likely gotten better. In the over 7 years never had any memory effect that I noticed.
Gotten lazy with age and 40 AA alkaline for $14 CAD is pretty cheap, and feels even cheaper in a MD player that gets 50 hours from 1 AA.
Maha makes a wonderful charger that will quick charge up to 4 AA or AAA batteries in 90 minutes. Each battery is on a separate charge circuit so each battery gets the optimum charge. The charger senses the voltage of the battery as well as the temperature to determine when a cell is fully charged. Most cheap chargers only have a timer.
WalMart is generally thought of in economic studies to be a large reason that inflation has remained so low in the US despite 2 recessions and 2 wars in the last 15 years. Plus they have one hell of a large workforce. The way they have helped to keep inflation down (grocery as well) is by making the suppliers give them their best rate. When a company can tell Disney to piss off if their price is too high (ever bought a toy at the wonderfully overpriced world of disney?), they have enormous impact on the economy as a whole when they have 10's of thousands of stores. Personally I prefer to shop at Target because it's not quite so "White Trash", but different strokes for different folks.
Check the devices' manuals to see if they have any advice over which batteries to use.
I bought a battery powered alarm clock a few months back, and the leaflet supplied with it explicitly warned against using any type rechargable batteries, although no reason was provided.
Also, I'm pretty sure the manual for my MP3 player advised against using alkaline batteries.
What are the valid reasons for not using rechargable batteries with certain devices? Or do the manufacturers in question just happen to hold shares in a battery making company..?
Vs lbh pna ernq guvf, ybt bss abj. Tb bhgfvqr. Syl n xvgr.
Definitly go with rechargeables. They are so cheap. I have rechargeable GP AA's for my digital camera and my Palm and I love them. Do yourself a favor and get the good ones (ones rated 1800 mAH or above). Also get a good recharger. I am using a Maha charger, this thing is great and is very cheap (about $25.00).
Actually, the biggest poponents (thus far) of the communist lie have been white (Soviet Union (effectively Russia) ). Discrimating against a belief system may very well be discrimination, but it is NOT Racism.
-------- -------- Support Wesley Clark for president!!!
Wireless power.
Hmmm....now, that's the good stuff!
I use this one to recharge the batteries for my MP3/CD player in the car. They make a bigger one that will recharge 8 D cells in a day (depending on ambient sunlight, of course.)
How's my programming? Call 1-800-DEV-NULL
Someone's already linked to one of my pieces about batteries, so I need only pimp Dan's Quick Guide to Memory Effect, You Idiots :-).
I have only bought one recharger before, and it was for a camera that takes 4 AA Batteries. in this case the convenience of not having to re-charge is outweighed by the money that is money that is saved.
I'm sure you're not being paid to read slashdot.
I strongly recommend Uniross 2300mAh 1.5v rechargeables. Before I got those I had to run the camera on Radioshack-type buy-and-toss batteries. They lasted for about 20-30 pictures without LCD and flash. The new rounds (I bought two rounds of rechargeables, to always keep an extra pair handy), are accountable for at least 250 pictures per round. With some LCD, deletions and flashes here and there. -If it's not less expensive to run on rechargeables, it's definitely more comfortable! h
http://thomas-distributing.com/
they seem to get the latest, highest capacity models, various brands.
NiMH working great for my dad's digital camera and lousy for my Visor. Opposite is true for disposable alkaline. Go figure. Maybe NiMH is good for sporadic high current draw, alkaline better for trickling and low-current apps? Anyone?
"This is not a sig." -- R.
They seem to have the highest life batteries. I just bought a bunch of 1800mAh cells and they work great. I use them in my scanner (scanning receiver - a radio), frequency counter, digital camera (only around the house, not on trips), and a few other devices that are pretty high drain. I've had good luck with Maha cells and the cheapest charger I can get for them. I purchase all my cells and chargers from Thomas Distributing. Always get good service from them.
Here in Canada we have Pure Energy, a great brand of rechargeable alkaline batteries. I've only seen them in AA and AAA, but they cost about the same as non-rechargeable alkalines, can be recharged 100 times, and perform excellently in palmtops and cameras...
and Laser Challenge gear.
The US Army: promoting democracy through unquestioned obedience
Quality does vary by brand. Poor brands fail sooner and are likely to leak and damage the equipment they are installed in when they leak.
Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
Panasonic is (as far as i know) the largest maker of battery cells in the market. They make excellent LiO and NiMH cells. NiMH are probably the best bang for the buck, as they are a direct replacement for regular alkaline batteries. Lithium are great if they will work in our device as they are lighter, and wont be destroyed if you accidentally let them heat up or get too cold. Down side is LiO cost a lot more.
I discovered 'em recently, and bought 12 of the AAs for an old Logitech cordless optical mouse and keyboard setup that can't run off NiCds (1.3 volts) or NiMHs (1.2 volts). (4 in the keyboard, 2 in the mouse; 2x for continuous use).
I liked 'em so much I went back to Target to find more and discovered that they're not carried there anymore. Nor at Radio Schlock. Nor at a bazillion other places. I think Ray O Vac is trying to phase them out.
It's too bad -- rechargeable alkalines do something the others don't: last a long time in the drawer. It takes years for an RA to self-discharge; about 30 days for a NiCd.
(The upshot is that any NiCd you don't store in a a charger is empty when you actually want it).
Last year I bought myself a Minolta Dimage 5 and my main concern was that people told me it ate batteries like crazy. Well, I bought myself three sets of NiMH batteries for it and a Rayovac 1-hour charger and I've been very happy. When I was at the Grand Canyon, I'd burn through all 12 batteries each day and then just pop them back in the charger four at a time when I got home. I also started to use them in other things, like my ham radio. I haven't had to buy a AA battery in over a year now.
I will clarify, my experience has been mostly with the AA's, which have been great (as long as you buy the higher milliamp hour batteries). I bought a set of AAA for my palm and I wasn't quite as pleased with those, though I guess it could have just been a bum set. I don't get the impression that brand on the batteries is as big of a deal as the milliamp hour ratings.
Cadmium is a nasty poison. So is lead. So is sulfuric acid.
Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
So now I just buy regular alkaline and recharge them until they start leaking, then throw them out. Recharging before deep discharge gives the longest battery life for alkaline. I had a set in my RC car that I recharged after every play session, and they lasted for two years (with several sessions a month).
If batteries leak badly, I clean up the discharge with white vinegar and baking soda.
As a representative of your machine overlords, I can personally testify that humans, combined with a source of fusion, have provided an infinitely-renewable source for all our power needs.
That, and PowerAde. Drink up!
The answer is "yes", but you should be sure to turn in rechargable batteries for recycling once they are no longer able to hold enough of a charge for your puropses. This is especially true of Ni-Cd batteries (Cd = cadmium, a toxic heavy metal.) Radio Shack accepts rechargable batteries for recycling, which is why I buy all my rechargables there.
Rechargable batteries that replace standard "AA" cells come in three basic varieties: Ni-Cd, Ni-MH and rechargable alkaline.
Of these, Ni-Cd are the cheapest. Drawbacks include the so-called memory effect, which essentially means that they'll only perform optimally if used until completely discarged, then completely recharged, and so on. They'd also be quite harmful to the environment if you were to, say, chuck them into a river after use instead of properly recycling them. They come in various capacities, 600 mAh being typical for AA (that means one charge would last about 2/3 as long as a disposable alkaline battery.)
Ni-MH batteries cost about twice as much as Ni-Cd and hold about twice as many milli-ampere hours (1200 mAh.) Also, they are not subject to the "memory effect", can be recharged more quickly (if you get a charger specifically designed for Ni-MH) and are less of an environmental concern. I find that they're only worthwhile for devices that draw a *lot* of juice, as they will (like Ni-Cd cells) gradually lose their charge over time, even if not used. (In my experience, the charge seems to have a "half life" of about 3 months - so a fully recharged, unused cell will retain 50% charge after 3 months, 25% after another 3 months, and so on.)
Lastly, rechargable alkaline cells are touted mainly as enviro-friendly. That really shouldn't be an issue, though, as long as you see to it that your NiCd or NiMH cells are recycled after use. Their main advantage is that they don't lose their charge over time as quickly, so they could be useful for very low-powered devices such as remote controls. Their main drawbacks is that they can only be recharged about 8 times, and that they require a charger specifically designed for rechargable alkalines. I've never used them myself, so I'm not quite sure what they cost.
Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!
I've used Energizer NiMH AA, C and AAA and Archos supplied AA with similar good results, but I've noticed a difference in chargers. The AAs last noticeably longer in my mother's camera when I charge them in my Rayovac PS3 or Archos Jukebox than when I charge them in her Energizer CHM4AA. I seem to recall only getting ~15-20 photos when they were charged in the Energizer vs dozens when they're charged elsewhere.
Yes, a safe controlled fission reaction means recharging will be pointless.
I've promised myself not to buy any portable electronic devices for the next couple of decades. I'm holding out for the micro-engines.
Ummm actually...
Many of the framers of the constiution were in favor of the electorial college because it prevented a more direct democracy based strictly on the popular vote.
Remember, it isn't just a point system, electors were (and still technically are) the people that one would elect to do the 'real' voting for a particular candidate. In the past, electors could and have have voted against the will of the people in their states, though it has been extremely rare and even then hasn't really swayed an election.
Listen up guys: the founding fathers feared that, if given the direct (aka popular) vote, the people might do something 'silly' like socialize or redistribute the nations land and wealth (remember the initial property ownership requirements as well?). Electors were supposed to be educated gentlemen who would know better and thus would not allow people to elect despots who would undermine democracy (as they understood it).
Remember folks, America was the first western democracy, but it sure as hell didn't start off as modern as it is today. What you are talking about is more of a modern argument for not abolishing the electoral college. It is also suspiciously slanted, given when I started hearing it (Nov. 2000), and also given who rural voters tend to vote for.
It's just a funny little anachronism, which we've MAYBE kept around for such reasons- but remember folks, when this country was founded, it was nearly ALL farmers. The idea that most of the people would someday be clustered in industrialized cities was something very few people would have been worrying about. Most people, like Thomas Jefferson saw the vastness of America and saw a nation of small, self sufficient farmers.
Establishing the rights of property owners was clearly an issue that would have overwhelmed any concern such as that. But I'm not bashing America by any means. In 1795, with the exception of slavery, this was a much more free country than many are today. Make no mistake though, it would be revisonist to see the electorial college any other way. Just my two American History 101 cents.
I bought this eco-charger once:l #charge rsh tm
http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/power.htm
http://www.batterie-experte.de/35_ecocharger.
It can charge carbon, NiCad, Alkaline and other batteries without burning the batteries or exploding them.
I used to collect my classmates dead batteries and use it again and again.
Oops I fed the troll...heh no one is going to know what the hell im talking about now that hes modded into the basement. My appologies.
Lithium batteries and Li-ion (lithium ion) batteries are not the same thing! Lithium batteries you are talking about are not rechargeable. That is not the same battery as the ones in your cell phones and laptop computers (and other devices).
And to clarify. I fully support you going to the effort of using rechargeable batteries. Every little thing adds up. You buy those rechargeable once, and they don't have to make 50 alkalizes.
I wish more people put a little thought in to their purchases like you.
in the two Palms (IIIxe, IIIx), most of the kids toys, etc. I heard about http://www.batteryspace.com at another forum.
$23.99 for 24 AA 1700mAh
$19.99 for 24 AAA 700mAh
$9.99 for 2 9v 160mAh
they usually are running one promo or another and have some package deals. I don't have the time to test if they live up to the mAh as stated but even if they are off a little it's still about the best $/mAh deal I've found. They do have some higher stated capacities but the price bump to get there wasn't justified in my opinion. Note that I am not affiliated with the aformentiond retailer and I recieve no remuniration for my endorsment.
So if you're like me (or more specifically, my brother)
You leave the NiMH on NiCad for three days and produce some visibly peeling acid bombs.
Seriously, I just touched them, didn't feel anything sticky, didn't even see anything white or discoloured.
A few hours later my mouth, esophogus, and stomach severely regretted it. I still have a minor ulcer from this, which happened a couple weeks ago.
STUPID BATTERIES!!!! WHY ARE THEY MADE OF CRAZY PERSON KILLING ACID!!!
Sorry, but you can see my plight.
Many Thanks,
Luke
My city's garbage hauler takes batteries with my curbside recycling for free, so I feel a little less guilt in using non-rechargable batteries for most uses. Here you can look up drop-off locations in the US that take rechargable batteries for recycling, and this is a company that has what seems like a pretty easy-to-use battery recycling program (for $8 plus shipping they'll recycle a 2 gallon bucket of batteries for you; look for the "pail mail" link).
I saw someone mention www. thomasdistributing.com but there is also www.batteries.com and www. onlybatteries.com. For a really good deal go to the wholesale section. Nothing like having 100+batteries.. Maybe find a co-worker to split the cost if you don't need so many. Mmm 100 AA NiMH 1400 mah batteries for $138.98. Sure you can get newer 2000+ mAh AA batteries, but they'll cost a lot more.
If this isn't iron-clad proof that homosexuals are diseased, disturbed sick individuals, I don't know what is. And they're going to let two assfuckers adopt kids? Fuck the fag lobby, they're going too far.
Check out the company realgoods.com they supply to solar living folks. Their rechargables have a lifetime guarantee (your lifetime, not the batteries). I've used them and they have worked great.
I use NiMH batteries and they are absolutely fantastic. Specifically, I use PowerEx brand, 1800mAh model. A set of four AA in my digital camera will run the thing for a full day's outing (picture taking on and off, 30-40 frames with 5-10 movies) and that's WITH the little LCD screen on. I can't recommend this brand enough. I also buy them through a mailorder outfit called Thomas Distributing. Several friends and I have made several purchases from them and never have a problem.
The battery pack in my Toyota Prius has a 100,000 mile warranty. It uses Panasonic cells. Part of the secret of long life is no deep cycling. Toyota is very clear about not running out of gas and driving on the battery only. It is hard on the battery. I guess this means the current Ni-Metal Hydride cells could last a lot longer if you do not wait for the low battery warning before recharging. Also just as important, don't overcharge. The Toyota system does not try to keep the battery fully charged. It tries to keep it's state of charge near 70%.
The truth shall set you free!
Which units have you used happily and which units have you read about satisfying someone
So... uh, you have fun investigating that. No wonder this guy needs so many batteries...
We always knew Comcast was corrupt, here's the proof: http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1909890&cid=34545432
Wal-Mart, at least around me, is one of the better paying "I have no skills and don't want to do physical labor either" jobs available...
Tim
Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.
because it was funny :)
www!!!1
They loose 1% per day
Get NiMH cells that cost at least $4 each, or are made by Panasonic or GP. Get at least 1600 MAh ratings on AAs, and avoid the really cheap stuff. Also avoid the Rayovac Renewal batteries because they only last about 5 charges. Best Buy actually offers some of the best prices I've seen on NiMH batteries, even compared to Wal-Mart. Find yourself a good charger that conditions, trickle charges, and stops when the batteries are full. Don't charge every night, and wait for the low battery warnings to change batteries. On every gadget I've had with a battery meter, I can last several standby hours before the device shuts off. Get a few plastic battery holders so you can carry extra sets around. Use a set in your device until it completely shuts off, then pop the recharged ones in. Get the batteries on a rotation. NiMH batteries still have memory problems, although they are significantly less than NiCad. Avoid excessive heat and label your batteries in pairs (or whatever number your devices use. E.g., for Motorola talkabout radios, in threes). Assign at least 2 sets of batteries to each device. If your device has an optional rechargeable conversion kit (Example: Motorola T289 walkie talkie + 53731 Alkaline to NiMH converson kit), grab one of those. In the past 2 years since I switched over to NiMH, I've had to buy batteries twice; once was an emergency and the other was for a remote control (get Lithiums). This is with running a Handspring Visor w/ vibrating alert pack (chews through batteries), 4 FRS radios, discman, walkman, several flashlights, alarm clocks, cellphones (I have a 4-D cell backup pack), calculators, cordless mice, multimeters, GPS, etc.
Rayovac's NiMH equipment also handles recharges their rechargeable alkaline products. Using this strategy you could probably use the rechargeable alkaline for clocks and remotes while using NiMH for Cameras, CD Players, etc...
;-) ). Hmmm, I wonder if they use NiMH of NiCad in those?? ;-)
For emergency flashlights, plain old alkaline is probably the best bet. Well, actually, the stuff with the "freeplay" handles are best for those since you can crank up 30 minutes of power with a minute of cranking (fat powered
-------- -------- Support Wesley Clark for president!!!
Real Goods has a pretty good page with information about rechargable batteries.
My Web Page
I've seen karma whores appeal to the moderators for special treatment, but appealing to the meta-moderators is a first.
Kudos to you, Mr. AC, for pioneering the frontier of meta-whoring.
For my digital camera, I've found the Radio Shack "digital camera" bateries actually work really well. They last as long as standard non-rechargables, but are rechargable. They also perform better in my GPS than standard rechargables do.
On any high drain devices (read electronics) get a few sets of NiMH batteries.
This is especially true if you have a digital camera. Rayovac, energizer and the likes are all putting the batteries out in supply.
Thomas Distributing sells some MAHA chargers and batteries. The best batteries currently are PowerEx's at 2200Mah. The normal ones you buy in the store are around 1800, that means in actual use about a 10% gain.
The best thing is the charger is very versatile. My MAHA charger came with a car adapter, and a wall adapter. Plus got a European wall adapter for my recent trip to Europe, worked like a charm.
GeekWares - Buy and Download Today!
Use any brand that you trust, just make sure they are NIMH as they work very well and are the most enviro friendly batteries around. I use energizers and I find they last nearly 10 times as long as rechargeable alkalines, they also seem to last longer than cheap alkaline (non-rechargeable) batteries. They are about equivalent to Energizer MAX or Duracell Ultra batteries in terms of lifespan, and I didn't know they wen't dead sitting on the shelf, until I read this page so I would say that if it is true then it is not a dramatic as some would have you believe.
I bought a MAHA C401FS charger from thomas-distributing a couple months ago in a package with 4 MAHA POWEREX 2000mAh NiMH batteries. I believe it was around $55 shipped. This charger can charge in both "slow" and "fast" mode (the owner's manual recommends you leave the plastic cover open while charging in "fast" mode to dissipate heat) and I can attest to the fact that it charges QUICKLY. Also comes with a car DC adapter in addition to its household AC adapter.
I use batteries in both my digital camera and MP3 CD player, and these MAHA 2000mAh, as well as the Sony Cyber-shot 2100mAh which came with the camera, perform very well. With a pair in the camera and a spare pair in my bag, I find absolutely no reason to worry about dead batteries while using my digital camera for an extended period of time... usually it takes several days of occasional camera use to drain the batteries down to the point where the camera shows 1/2 battery life. Good stuff.
the real at&t mix
Curious. I've been using Rayovac Rechargable Alkalines ever since I saw them on the store shelves (~five years? Seven?) I have yet to have a single battery leak, regardless of where I left them (charger, appliance, drawer).
Perhaps your batteries came out of a bad batch?
us citicens use twice as much energy per caput as europeans not to speak of china, russioa or other countries resulting in the highes co2 emissions worldwide. (http://www.natenergy.org.uk/co2mment.htm) us citicens seem to think using more fuel, ignoring the kioto protocol and pushing their own oil industry (now to be seen in irak) is the right way to treat this planet. let's face it - you are the pigs of this planet! and this is ment in orwells's words as well as mom's.
less random!
I'm nit-picking, but the Taiwan is not China, and China is not Taiwan. Sure, some people talk about "reunifying all China", but Taiwan is an independent democratic country that has no room for the Mainland socialists.
I highly suggest high end Maha chargers at www.mahaenergy.com. They also sell some of the market's best rated NiMH batteries too although over the counter Rayovac's work fine. What's really importent in rechargables is to make sure you have a good charger because a bad one will overheat or overcharge your batteries. Maha's newest charger independently charges each battery and detects when it's full. It's a negative pulse charger and has fast and slow charge settings without melting down your batteries. (MH-C401FS is the model). I highly don't suggest rechargable alkalines. While they work, in high-drain devices they quickly loose their ability to hold charge. Anyhow, the review for the charger is here: http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/C401FS/C401A. HTM
Try NIMH batteries they are lighter than nicads, don't have memory issues and hold more.
The only downside is extreme amp draw- for electronic devices they are fine- even flash cameras.
If you want hard core light and strong batteries try lithium polymer batteries rated for high discharge- great for electric planes that fly vertical.
I would think it totally obvious that rechargable batteries are a worthwhile exercise !
Before we had the 'bright idea' of getting them for a work digital camera, we used to go through at least 1060 batteries per shoot.
Now we've used only 4 for the last 10 days and have only recharged them 1050 times !
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
let take a look at some numbers...
From the energizer web site battery AA e91
Capacity 2850 mAh tested at 25 mA drain to 0.8V... Not bad but alkaline batts have a funny discharge curve... not very flat... but generally good performance. shelf life of 7 yrs approx
NiMH AA energizer nh15
Capacity 1850 mAh tested at 370mA drain to 1V. NiMH calls have a fairly flat discharge rate making them compairable to alkaline in spite of capacity differences. est 500 recharge cycles and charged shelf life of 120 days or so. note: this measure is varying a lot on different web sites. no real consensus. your milage will vary.
Nicd AA Sanyo KR-1100AAU
Capacity 1100 (high capacity). Nicd cells have a flat-ish discharge curve and the ability to support *very* hi discharge currents. Anyone that has messed with R/C cars can attest to this. est recharge cycles 300 est. charge cycles. Shelf life. Who knows... similar to NiMH I think. Toxic.
OK it depends on your use. The remote control for your TV? Use the super cheap Zinc-Carbon. Ya know the eveready cheap-o's.
If you are using these for medium-high drain devices like flashlight, Portable margarita blender, what have you. Use NiMH cells. For *very high* discharge rates (>2C) NiCad still rocks!
I personally recommend Sanyo cells. capacities are good and they can take an astonishing amount of abuse and still work. Big two thumbs up...
Charger. Make sure that the charger you get can deal with the differences between NiMH and NiCad for quick charging and the abaility to do "stand by" or "trickle" charging as well.
Did you try Google before you asked slashdot? And what's the deal with the mods posting this?
Hi,
i use NiMH in various sizes, and a really good charger from conrad electronics which is microcontroller controlled, can rapid-charge even normal accus, and pumps an average of 125% of the nominal capacity into any cell... Ownage with 2000mAh AA cells... or 800mAh AAA cells. I almost have to throw away a dead remote long before the accus are flat...
Drawback: computerized recharger and NiMH cells are expensive.
bye,
[L]
This has to be the most boring topic of the week!
http://www.reeb.freeserve.co.uk
Get the highest mA/h rating you can lay your hands on, get a charger that handles all the types you intend to use (PP9 is useful) and remember that rechargeables have a slightly lower voltage than standard alkaline cells. :-)
Other than that, I'd definitely switch. Higher mA/h ratings are more expensive, but worth it as they don't run down as fast and leave you stranded. Before I venture out with my digital camera, I generally charge two sets of AA's. If you use a digital camera, remember that the flash is going to really eat the power away quickly.
Check on Ebay - there are some amazing AAA deals at high mA/h ratings and AAA's are what remote controls tend to use nowadays. Now if only we could get rechargeable CR2025/CR2032's
I've used this company strikalite and they've always been able to supply decent, branded or non-branded, high capacaity NiMHs. Very friendly service as well.
Two wrongs may not make a right, but three
mA/h rating counts, but watch out for the physical size. I have a Diamond Rio and my rechargeables are slightly shorter than standard alkaline batteries. This causes the Rio to reset if it gets bumped when using Ni-MH's where if I use alkaline batteries it doesn't.
I've hacked in a conductive spacer, and yes, it's the Rio's battery compartment at fault.
'Can batteries be 'Green'?': http://www.battery.ukf.net/
This might be a little 'late-in-the-day,' but here's a mini-article on rechargeable batteries.
With industry claiming that one set of rechargeable double-A batteries can be charged up to 1000 times, even before you consider the environmental impact of switching to rechargeable batteries, the economic arguments for using them are very convincing.
In my experience, a set of current generation rechargeables cost no more than two to three times what a set of comparable quality disposable batteries do and even if the advertiser's claims with regard to the number of recharging cycles are wild lies--exaggerated by a factor of one hundred--you *STILL* make out like a bandit by using them. As far as I'm concerned, they're the smartest thing going.
Down to brass facts, or, 'more than you ever wanted to know...'
Current rechargeable batteries are an imperfect technological compromise between alkaline batteries and cheaper disposable battery technologies. As such, you find that even the best rechargeables tend to be somewhat underpowered in terms of the voltages they generate. Disposable and recharable double-A batteries share form factors, but the rechargeable is designed to sustain a slightly lower voltage than the disposeable--when you read the fine print on a sampling of rechargeable double-A's, you find that nearly all of them are rated for 1.25 volts instead of the disposable's 1.5---and in some applications requiring a higher voltage, rechargeables might not be all they're cracked up to be. Personally, I have never seen this to be the case.
For a lot of people who thought about buying rechargeables years ago and rejected the idea, one of the things that put them off was having to charge their batteries all night for units that didn't have anything like the stamina of disposables. This is simply no longer true. Rapid chargers are available from a number of well-recognized companies which will rapidly impart an almost full charge to them, often in as little as one to two hours.
The stamina of rechargeables has also improved over the last few years. Rechargeable batteries are rated according to their maker's claim that their batteries will put out useful voltage over time. This is measured in thousandths of an Ampere per hour (aka, milliampere hours, sometimes abbreviated, mAh) with the number of mAh forming the cornerstone of the company's marketing efforts. In theory, the greater the number of mAh on the battery's label, the longer it will last in high-drain devices like digital cameras, where rechargeables are pretty much imperative if you want to avoid going broke while you poison the local groundwater.
Back in the bad old days, rechargeable batteries were nasty beasts with little to offer. You had to be organized and disciplined to use them. They were expensive. They took all night to charge and compared to a set of Duracells alkalines, they were bad joke. All of that has changed. I use rechargeables exclusively in applications ranging from my portable reading lamp to my digital camera and I couldn't be happier.
Names to look out for at your local electronics outlet include, Sony (more for their charger than their batteries), Duracell, and Power2000, who have just come out with a double-A battery that they claim offers a 2100 mAh of power, which, if true, put them at the top of the heap.
Happy trails.
To mail me, remove the 'mailno' from my email addy.
"Yeah. It smells, too..."
Actually I am in favor for the electoral college because it helps to eliminate mass voter fraud. If the president was popularly elected, that means that every fraudulent vote counted in the election. With the electoral college in order for those votes to have an effect they have to be done in enough quantity in every district to throw the votes IN that district. Close elections will be easier to examine because then you only have to look at the places where the vote was close (like florida).
As a kid, my dad had a charger for our Alkaline batteries....this was before rechargeables even came out. What about that?
With NiCd and to a lesser extent NiMH as well, the voltage tends to drop a bit if the cell is not fully discharged for a long time. E.g., at 50% charge level, a fresh NiXX cell should give 1.15 V (or whatever number). If the cell is never discharged to below 50%, then the voltage at 40% will get a bit lower, e.g. 1.10 V. This can upset the battery indicator of electronic devices. One almost-full discharge to 0.9 V per cell will cure the problem. See this page for more info.
You can build a simple discharger with a 1 amp silicon diode in series with a 0.5 ohm resistor (min. 500 mW). The diode will make sure that the discharge is not beyond 0.7 volt.
Avantslash: low-bandwidth mobile slashdot.
The only batteries I've ever hear of satisfying someone else are the ones in vibrators:)
My power needs were for devices that would stay stationary mst of the time. When I need to take them outside for use, there will be lots of extra work. Radios, antennae, etc.
There's a RV dealership here in town that sells factory blemish batteries for $25 each. I grabbed the biggest deep-cycle battery I could lift, with the proper terminals.
It's great. I should be able to operate for weeks, before needing to take the thing outside for a charge. If battery life becomes a problem, I'll just spend another $25. I might do that anyway.
Eventually, I'll build an outside enclosure, add more batteries, and top with solar cells. I wonder how far off the grid I could go.
Visit Lockjaw's Lair. He won't bite.
I got a battery charger from my parents when I was a small child, it must have been around 1980, and guess what, some of my first rechargeable batteries are still in use today, after more than 20 years.
It is a Sanyo Cadnica charger, and the first batteries were NI-CD types, also from Sanyo.
- Do not use a fast charger. If you use standard charge (takes 10-16 Hours) your batteries will live forever
- Completely discharge your batteries from time to time, but not necessarily each time you charge them.
- Never use batteries of different capacities at the same time.
- Never use half empty and fully charged batteries at the same time. You will kill the weaker ones by reverse chargeing them when they get empty.
Stefan
Three weeks ago I got four of them with a new powerhaus charger (for four or two batteries). I use those for my digital camera.
I got two 1200mAh AA batteries with a new portable cd player. Curses. But they last at least three CD plays. Enough for a 3 hour plane trip anyway (and yes I switched off everything for take off and landing).
Interesting what you say about the single battery chargers. The only recharging problems I'm having at the moment is the cell phone battery (Nokia 5110). I think that would best be cured by a new cell phone. Perhaps we could ask Slashdot for best new cell phone.
-- it must be true, it's on the internet.
Most accounts I've seen on www.candlepowerforums.com call the Rayovac charger a "pressure cooker" and is voted Most Likely To Destroy Your Batteries.
People there are big fans of Maha chargers. They just released one that has an individual charge controller for each cell, which means that you can charge non-matched batteries safely, AND you don't have to charge 2 or 4 at a time - You can charge 1 or 3 if you wish.
As to the types of batteries out there:
Alkaline - Reasonably long shelf life, high internal resistance. Good for low-current applications like TV remotes and HP48 calculators. Gentle discharge curve.
NiCd - Toxic, lowest capacity rechargeables. Lowest internal resistance, which is why they're still popular in R/C cars because of their insane current handling capabilities. Flat discharge curve with a steep dropoff at the end.
NiMH - Almost identical to NiCd except non-toxic, double the capacity, and somewhat increased internal resistance. Excellent for medium to high-discharge-rate devices such as CD players and digital cameras. Same basic charging algorithm as NiCds, although the charger must be aware of minor differences between NiCd and NiMH batteries. Both will actually start DROPPING their voltage as they are charged beyond capacity. Modern smart chargers detect this, but the peak and subsequent drop are much smaller with NiMH, requiring a more sensitive charger.
Lithium - Extremely high capacity, current handling capability, and the longest shelf life. Most are 3v, although I've seen 1.5v "Lithium" AAs (might not actually be lithium.) Non-rechargeable
Lithium Ion - Rechargeable, high capacity, high current handling ability. Very lightweight. Unfortunately quite flammable. Between the low internal resistance and flammability, it is not legal to sell bare Li-Ion cells in the U.S. to someone not licensed to work with Li-Ions. Almost anyone you buy "cells" from in the U.S. (such as www.onlybatteries.com) indicates that the cells are sold in a pack with some sort of protection circuitry if you read the fine print. (This circuitry cuts off the battery if a short circuit is detected, preventing the batteries from exploding.)
Lead-Acid - An oldie but goodie. Highest energy density per unit volume, but horrible density per unit weight. DIRT CHEAP. Still used when enormous capacity and current handling ability is needed at minimal cost. (Read: Car batteries.) A number of variants exist. Standard car batteries have very thin electrodes designed to maximize surface area for maximum current handling ability. These types don't like being discharged very deeply. "Deep cycle" cells have thicker electrodes, allowing them to be cycled more deeply but with less current capacity. (Still quite a bit, and nowhere near as deep as any other rechargeable chemistry.) "Gel cells" are a deep-cycle variant that uses a gelled electrolyte. These are much safer and can be sealed, which makes them optimum for situations where the battery might get wet or tipped over. (Automotive lead-acids are vented and cannot be safely tipped over.)
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
NiCds are still king in their current handling ability.
As a result, NiCds are still used in R/C cars.
But they've been relegated to a very small niche that has rather extreme demands on one aspect of the battery.
Li-Ion is the only chemistry that can compare to NiCd in this regard, and hobbyists are slowly switching to Li-Ion with the advent of "hobbyist" packs with integrated protection circuitry like batteries sold by Pila and Copia.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
For Li-Ion cells, the charging voltage can be either 4.1v/cell or 4.2v/cell depending on the electrode type. (Nominal voltage is 3.6-3.7, charging voltage is 4.1 or 4.2)
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Thomas Distributing (linked to elsewhere in this article) has a fast charger and 2100s for the same price, BUT the charger is Maha's latest. (I think the model number is 401???)
It's regarded as one of the best fast chargers on the market.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
I walked into Staples one day, (I'd been wanting some rechargables for a while) and lo and behold, I found a pack of 2 AAs on the opened merchandise shelf for much less than normal, less than $4 at least, possibly much less, I forgot... I don't use a charger; my CD player has a built in charger, as do several devices nowadays. I found these betteries to work very well, and certainly worth what I paid for them. I can't figure out why the person who bought them in the first place returned them... maybe they didn't know that rechargables are sold without a charge in them. Heh; not my problem...
what kind of copter is it? i want one.
I've been using 1200-1800mAH batteries in my digital cameras, CB Walkie Talkie's, and other items for a while. I have a 1 hour Ray-O-Vac charger that works on AC and 12v DC. It charges each cell individually, which is better than most chargers, that charge 2 at a time. Yea, the batteries get hot, and they probably don't last as long as they would if i trickle charged them, but they're not expensive anymore. You can pick up a 4 pack of 1800mAH AA batteries for well under $10. Not too bad, considering they used to be $4-5 each.
A lot of devices are being designed for the lower voltage of rechargable batteries. They are made to run on 4.8v instead of 6v... etc....
And in my Olympus C730UZ, the nimh's outlast the alkaline batteries.
-- Liberalism is a mental disorder.
The only equipment I can think of that have such restrictions due to low internal resistance are a select few LED flashlights that are specifically (and intentionally) designed to only run on alkalines. These are direct-drive non-resistored lights that factor the internal resistance of an AA battery into their design.
I have not seen any such non-resistored lights sold commercially though, only some specialty lights where the buyer is well aware of the intentional design decision to direct-drive.
In most cases, the restriction against rechargables is due to the lower voltage (1.2v/cell instead of 1.5).
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
And good batteries.
Maha just released a new charger (CH-401FS I think?) that is EXCELLENT. $50 for the charger and a set of 4 Maha 2100 mAh NiMHs.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
I've got the Maha charger from Thomas distributing & it works great - just make sure you get the C204F and not one of the $12 ones which doesn't have the automatic cutoff. Their prices always seem good, and I've been happy with the Maha batteries in my digicam. The NiMH batteries last way longer than alkalines on a single charge.
i find that very hard to believe. have any proof? there are too many variables to make a statement like that
i sell illegal drugs
some people have a lawn that is too big to take care of with an electric. my parents have 5 acres in oklahoma that has too many trees to use a tractor with a "brush hog", but it is far more than an electric or manual mower could handle. also, that would be one hell of an extension cord.
figure that, a view thats different from yours and not wrong. amazing.
i sell illegal drugs
Maybe "us Yanks" make more of the pollution because we actually do stuff, you know, like make things and run a strong economy? I suppose we could all go live in mud huts with our thumbs up our asses and congratulate ourselves on our moral purity while we starve (and there would still be a faction complaining about how we were ruining the riverbank by collecting mud for our huts) but I say, you first. You don't seem to be in a hurry to give up modern technology since you apparently have a computer and internet access, but that means you are probably in something like the wealthiest and most polluting 1/100% of humanity. And as far as "screwing the environment" goes, are you aware that infant mortality and life expectancy have improved everywhere over the last century, in the "developing world" more than in the "first world"? And that large parts of the "Western world" are significantly cleaner than they were 50 years ago? (For example, wild salmon have returned to Scotland's River Clyde.) If that's "screwing the environment", let's have more of it. I realize that believing that EVIL POLLUTERS ARE DESTROYING THE WORLD!!! is more exciting than looking at the mixed and confusing picture the real world presents, but come on, put down the Paul Ehrlich book and the bong.
Please pardon if this is a repeat of something already posted. There's already too much crud in this thread near the top.
I know of 3 rechargeable battery technologies that come in standard alkaline battery shapes and sizes: NiMH, NiCad, and Rechargeable Alkaline. Which you should use depends on what you want it for and what value system you uphold.
Truth be told, other than that they are cheap, I can't think of any reason to use Alkalines any more. And for that matter, I can't think of a good reason to use NiCads either. NiCads don't have good power output, they have problems with charge memory, they are expensive, and they're not good for much.
Rechargeable Alkalines hold their charge for a long time. They have the best shelf life of all rechargeable battiers. Rechargeable Alkalines are a little pricey and can only be charged like 10 times, but they are great for any device like a remote control that uses very little power and often sits for a long time with the same set of batteries. They have good power output, similar to regular alkalines.
NiMH batteries are my favorites. They are the most expensive and, like NiCads, they do have a poor shelf life. The charge in them slowly drains out as the sit idle. However, they have good power output (look for the milliamp rating on the battery, you will probably want 1800 or higher) and can be recharged many many times. They also tend not to have the same memory recharge problem NiCads have. NiMHs are best for devices like digital cameras that require high power output but go through a set of batteries relatively quickly. We use them here for pagers, but that's probably cutting it a little on the long end. I also used them in Japan for my CD player for the daily train commute. They still work 4 years later, though I haven't used them so much recently
To be honest, if you are willing to recharge them a lot, NiMHs can be used for anything, but using them for stuff like remotes is definitely not getting your money's worth from them.
Info for the environmentally conscious:
NiCad and Rechargeable Alkalines are hazardous materials, as are standard alkalines. If you want safe batteries to dispose, only the NiMHs can be disposed normally.
-Brandon
I don't recall the brand name, but Fry's electronics sells 2300mAh NiMH batteries (at least they did as of last week, when I was there). I don't think they're worth it for most purposes, though, because they cost $13/4 instead of $10/4 for the 2000mAh ones.
And I bet you can get higher if you're willing to pay more, be it in uber-fancy NiMH batteries or else just standard LiIon ones.
I hereby place the above post in the public domain.
There is a well sorted listing of battery manufacturers, by type of product, by country, etc.
a tP /batt/batt.shtml
Knock yourself out:
http://energy.sourceguides.com/businesses/byP/b
Whatever happened to Zinc-Air rechargeables?
They were supposed to have even higher energy density than Li-Ion and family, but haven't seen them recently outside of niche hearing aid market. Is there a problem with them breathing atmoshperic air or something?
I used to work at Radio Shack (15 years ago) and remember the some devices would require the use of dummy cells if alkaline batteries were used. The dummy cell was a plastic insert with a shunt wire that basically filled the place of a battery cell. This way, devices that supported NiCd would use all Rechargable cells, or while using Alkaline, you would insert the dummy cells to adjust the voltage.
It seems that most devices now are engineered only for alakaline, and have no room for extra cells to create the required voltage.
Suncoast Linux - Sarasota, FL
Extension chords? Bah! Buy a rechargeable chordless electric mower.
Your real issue is that you have a 5 acre lawn. Why? Buy some cows or goats, or redesign with a more responsible, low maintenance landscape. Google for "xeriscaping."
Why the fuck must people use silly units like "milliamp-hours?"
The reason for mAh is very simple, actually. The number is used to calculate battery life of a device. The current draw on almost all small electronic components is rated in milliamps. So you want them rated in mAh to get a lifetime in hours with one division, no conversion factor.
If you were to rate them in Coulombs, you'd get a lifetime rating in kiloseconds.
This is also the reason we measure household energy in kWh instead of MJ, and speed in km/h (or mi/h) instead of in m/s: the time unit that you care about in these circumstances is hours, not seconds.
Anyway, at least they're using the metric system. Lots of things are still predominantly measured in annoying units like feet, pounds per sqaure inch, tablespoons and fluid ounces.
I hereby place the above post in the public domain.
After a number of days the "pennies" were floating - they were just an incredibly thin, hollow envelope of copper that you could crumple as easily as foil. Neat.
It Is the Nature of Information to Transgress Artificial Boundaries
A: Yes. Next question.
Don't buy a cheap charger. The MAHA charger listed above is good. Even better MAHA charger...
http://www.thomas-distributing.com/mhc401fs.htm
I like this one better because it has 4 completely independent charge circuits instead of 2. So you don't have to charge in pairs, each cell gets its own individual charge. This is great for me since I use some devices (pager, minidisc recorder) than only use 1 cell at a time. It also has a slow/fast charge switch so you can charge them really fast (100 min) if you absolutely have to; otherwise, just use the slow charge (takes about 5 hours). My NiMH batteries (about 20 of them) work better than they ever have.
That ignorant site is full of shit and so are you if you believe it.
We took her camping a while back and used disposable diapers while we were away from home. I hated the smell of the disposables; they didn't fit nearly as well (and consequently leaked); and they absorbed so much liquid that we couldn't tell when she was wet, so she didn't get changed as often, and consequently spent more time with wastes on her skin and got diaper rash.
Next time we go camping we're taking our disposables with us, and making a trip to the laundrymat.
Help find a cure for Gidget.
Why does a question about batteries turn into a flame war? Anyway, here goes... In my experience, NiMH, or Nickel Metal Hydride, batteries seem to be pretty good as far as holding a charge, not wearing out nearly as quickly as the old NiCd batteries do. There are other types out there, but the NiMH batteries seem to be the best choice for price/performance...
This baby will take any battery pack, not just single cells. It uses negative delta-V, zero delta-V and an external temperature probe to boot. It's astoundingly fast.
I've used it to revive packs that I thought were hopeless. Since it shows the total charge, you can actually monitor the health of your pack over time.
On top of all that, it does LiIon. I stopped using the charger that came with my digital camera, because this sucker is faster and doesn't passivate the pack.
I've been using rechargeables for such things as digital camera (a real battery eater), CD player and Palm pilot. Also a couple of wall clocks. They work well and have no problems. We use both panasonic and Rayovac Ni-MH with a Rayovac charger. Has saved much money and hopefully does something to benefit the environment too.
Brill reel mower)
If you Google on Brill Reel Mower, you'll find a number of retailers now in the US. A year or more ago, only a couple handled Brill.
I don't work for Brill or any reel mower retailer, just a happy user.
Book? I suppose there might have been one, but it was done as a movie by some ex-Disney animators. I didn't see that either, just saw the ads for it in the newspapers and probably a Siskel&Ebert review or something.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Also, with laptop NiMH batteries, I've seen memory-effect-like problems. Not as bad as NiCd, but they do wear out. Using them on a twice-daily long train commute isn't the best thing for them, and I quickly learned that running the Great INternet Mersenne Prime Search in the background isn't something laptop batteries were designed for - the increased CPU load really makes a difference.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
I've seen these at 650-700mAh, but I'd really like something bigger. The AA sizes have gone from 1600 to 2200 in the last year or two, and it sure would be nice if the smaller size batteries could improve their lifetime. This is especially an issue for one of my digital cameras, which is a battery-burner that only takes AAA (and is too dumb to let you change batteries without losing all its pictures :-( Really cretinous design, which is especially annoying because it's a cute tiny camera. The thing takes 640x480 pictures and runs out of battery long before it runs out of memory.)
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
I've had no problem finding them in Fry's, but maybe you don't live near one. Check out Lenmar.com - it's their "Charge*ables" brand.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Also here in the US, food energy is commonly measured in kilocalories, though all the dietary stuff tends to drop the "kilo" and call them calories. In some other places, at least including Australia, it's labeled in Joules, so I've seen "Low-Joule Cola"
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Originally I put in little ascii graphics for the diaper. Net result: lameness filter 1, wurp 0. I hope it's understandable without them.
;)
Place the diaper in front of you so that the short side of the rectangle is in front of you (i.e. it looks narrow instead of wide).
Fold the left side of the diaper over so that the left side is on the middle, likewise with the right side. The diaper is now even narrower (you have folded it into thirds) and you have a crease down the middle.
Put the baby on the diaper face up. The top of the baby's bottom should be at the top edge of the diaper.
Pull the strip of the diaper that you just folded over up between the baby's legs.
Fold about a 2-3 " strip (5-7 cm) of the end of the diaper on the top of the baby inwards.
You can now slide the diaper folds under the baby's bottom so that those parts become wide enough to overlap with the folded strip at the front of the baby so you can fasten the diaper pins. On one side of the diaper, put the index & middle finger of your off-hand between the baby's skin and the diaper, and use your thumb to hold the flaps from the back of the diaper against the folded part, with the flaps on the outside. Make a small wrinkle in both parts of the diaper so you can push the pin through all of the layers of cloth. Repeat for the other side of the diaper.
Also see http://webhome.idirect.com/~born2luv/FOLDING.HTML (which I found _after_ I typed all that crap in
...hording Chinese? Let me know when I'm supposed to care about how they're all holding up over there. From the way things look on your side of the fence, I believe I can still hear the cries of "It Takes a Village" - but to do what? To take care of someone else's village? One would hope you don't really believe that. Buy American. Fatter, happier, richer. That's the American way.
You are trying to be helpful, and I appreciate that. But if you have lots of trees and DON'T water, then you are going to have lots of problems with roots coming up, breaking slabs, driveways, sidewalks, roads, etc. You better water those trees even better than the grass!
"You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas"
Sen. Davy Crocket to US Congress, Nov. 1, 1835