Re: Battery chargers for our toys

I am a technicall journalist and have tested batteries for my magazine. I am
also a heavy rechargable battery user for over 20 years now.

First and the most important: any battery will eventually die. It is
important not to have the strongest battery or the completely charged ones,
but to have a charged extra (spare) set!

Theoretically, getting a full charge means charging a battery with 1/10
capacity for 14 hours. Meaning, 2500 mAh battery should be charged with 250
mAh for 14 hours. If you have a lousy charger, anything is possible, often
batteries die quickly (1-2 years). If it is hot in the room, undercharging
is probable.

I have testes 1600 and 2350 mAh NiMh charged on a good fast charger in about
2,5 and 3,5 hours (800 mAh charge) and also in the slow charger, and 2000
mAh Varta 15 minutes batteries charged in a 15 minute charger (same as
Rayovac in the USA). This 15 min is not a "fast charger" but speciall
technology NiMh batteries in a special charger.

Ih short: in all cases, all batteries have been charged the same and all
gave out the declared capicty. Test devices were: GPS with 4 AA batteries,
another with 2 AA batteries, and two digital cameras, one with 4 and 2 AA
batteries.

But, this can differ greatly if batteries of chargers are not of high
quality.

Regards,

Dave


> My research shows that the quick chargers only charge to about 80% of
> Battery capacity.
> Getting a full charge of batteries generally takes 6 to 8 hrs and some
> chargers actually shut off when they sense a full charge.
> Having a charger that allows a trickle charge to keep batteries at peek
> charge after charging is a good option to look for on the specs. I lloked
> for quit awhile before I found a charger that indicated the trickle
> charging feature that would keep batteries toped off.
> Can someone confirm the 80% charge on these new quick chargers as I was
> told this by a reliable source in the electronics field.
> I'm using the 2500ma rechargeables and really impressed
>


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Leaving 7355 on battery (was Leaving fridge running when stored)
    ... The actual pamphlet that comes with the 7300 series says its charging rate ... actually 13.7ish volts but it "tapers off to a few hundred ... the normal charge, the converter drops to 13.5 volts which is "designed to ... In real life, with a pair of golf cart batteries, I have found it works ok ...
    (rec.outdoors.rv-travel)
  • Re: Advice on refridgeration unit please
    ... specs and see whether they recommend that high a charging rate. ... From all I can read the rate of charge is determined more by what it ... probably if your batteries aren't getting hot and aren't ... briefly at startup, but generally I limit it to 20%, or 90 Amps. ...
    (rec.boats.cruising)
  • Re: Advice on refridgeration unit please
    ... That's what Trojan says for their wet cells, though I've done a lot of charging at more like 18-20% will no ill affects. ... From all I can read the rate of charge is determined more by what it ... probably if your batteries aren't getting hot and aren't ... charge efficiency is 87%) yields 164 Watts of waste heat. ...
    (rec.boats.cruising)
  • Re: i want some fish n chips...
    ... their lead-acid batteries in between six and fifteen minutes. ... General Motors announced a version of its "Magne Charge" ... Production EVs with lead-acid batteries are capable of up to 130 km (80 ... And as electricity generation moves over to non-fossil fuel sources, ...
    (uk.people.support.depression)
  • Re: Dpreview selector: AA batteries?
    ... The reason for the fewer charge cycles prior to the NiMH going bad is ... due to an improper charging regimen. ... follow the recommended charging regimen of priming the batteries, ... A friend of mine buys the 15-minute charge Rayovac's for use with his MP3 ...
    (rec.photo.digital)
Quantcast