ObeliskAG Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 After reading some discussions about the new Garmin Colorado and older 60C(s)x, it appears they do not meter battery status correctly with NiMH batteries. Why is it that everybody involved in the electronics industry, from government regulators to manufactures to consumers, do not insist that portable electronics are designed for use with rechargeable batteries, such as NiMH, as their primary battery type? Why do we still live on a planet that expects 1.5volt Alkaline AAs to be the standard for small portable electronics? When there are NiMH batteries that have 85% of their charge after 1 year on the shelf and can be purchased ready to use (Sanyo Eneloops for example), what reason can there be for non-rechargeable batteries any more? It just seems irresponsible to use disposable batteries when rechargeable technology is so mature. Look forward to your feedback. Where’s Team DeLorme? Quote Link to comment
+RRLover Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 After reading some discussions about the new Garmin Colorado and older 60C(s)x, it appears they do not meter battery status correctly with NiMH batteries. Why is it that everybody involved in the electronics industry, from government regulators to manufactures to consumers, do not insist that portable electronics are designed for use with rechargeable batteries, such as NiMH, as their primary battery type? Why do we still live on a planet that expects 1.5volt Alkaline AAs to be the standard for small portable electronics? When there are NiMH batteries that have 85% of their charge after 1 year on the shelf and can be purchased ready to use (Sanyo Eneloops for example), what reason can there be for non-rechargeable batteries any more? It just seems irresponsible to use disposable batteries when rechargeable technology is so mature. Look forward to your feedback. Where’s Team DeLorme? Uhhh? . . . . I'll take Maine for $500.00 Alex. ;^) Quote Link to comment
LegendHCx Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 After reading some discussions about the new Garmin Colorado and older 60C(s)x, it appears they do not meter battery status correctly with NiMH batteries. Why is it that everybody involved in the electronics industry, from government regulators to manufactures to consumers, do not insist that portable electronics are designed for use with rechargeable batteries, such as NiMH, as their primary battery type? Why do we still live on a planet that expects 1.5volt Alkaline AAs to be the standard for small portable electronics? When there are NiMH batteries that have 85% of their charge after 1 year on the shelf and can be purchased ready to use (Sanyo Eneloops for example), what reason can there be for non-rechargeable batteries any more? It just seems irresponsible to use disposable batteries when rechargeable technology is so mature. Look forward to your feedback. Where’s Team DeLorme? Why? Are you asking why regular alkaline AA, AAA, etc. are pushed into our heads all the time instead of rechargeable? What? Were you born yesterday? Didn’t you know that behind all stupid products is BIG BUSINESS? Big money! It is in nobody’s interest to stop making alkaline batteries. You want all those factories to be closed, employees laid off, burden stupid American government with unemployed insurance claims and start revolution? BTW, I haven’t use non-rechargeable batteries in last 30 years so that stupid pink bunny did not get a cent from me. Quote Link to comment
+Team CowboyPapa Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Primarily, I use the DeLorme rechargeable Li-Ion battery pack in my PN-20. I also have an number of NiMh rechargeable AAs that I use in there occasionally. The do have a meter setting that one can reset when installing a different type of battery to give a more representative indication of charge state. Regardless, I do not depend on the display as I also carry another spare set of expendables. IMHO, it is really a lot to do about nothing - it's like minding my gas gauge, gets below half and I fill it up. Oh yeah, nice political, anti-capitalist diatribe above. Now I won't have to watch the Billary show tonight. Quote Link to comment
+Klemmer Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Yeah, like my fellow California CowboyPapa said. I do about the same with my PN-20. There are 4 battery type selections: Alkaline, Lithium, Lithium-ion (Rechargeable), NiMH on the PN-20, and they all seem to work correctly (i.e. the "gauge" works right). BTW: Ever try to buy a rechargeable NiMH in some odd little town in the middle of nowhere? Be glad you can still buy a good old disposable Alkaline as the "least common denominator" solution. BTWW: Rayovac Hybrid NiMH are great. Hold their charge a long time, unlike other NiMH. You actually buy them charged. Quote Link to comment
yogazoo Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Grated this is a geocaching site and most people who leave comments here have geocaching at the forefront of their minds. Consider for a moment, one who uses a GPS for lets say, backpacking, or to collect field data in remote locations, or for a day afield hunting. The "old" 60CSX would let you throw some rechargable batteries in and go ALL DAY LONG even with backlight and compass use. You'd get home, throw them in the charger and re-load in the morning again, no waste, no cost. The new Colorado sucks NIMH's dry in just a few hours. Yeah I could carry a bag full of spare batteries along with me when I go hunting for the day, and yeah I could try to remember to change the batteries before the dam thing shuts down and you loose your breadcrumb trail and yeah I could just use alkaline disposables but why? Alkalines cost more, leach heavy metals into the ground, and THEY COST MORE. The Batteries and length of their life in a unit is a huge selling point. Just look at the Magellan screw up when they introduced the explorist series with those lithium packs. Not many bought them because most need these units to last a considerable amount of time away from outlets, usb ports, and access to other power sources. They scrambled to introduce the "le" with an adapter for AA's and AAA's. All they have to do is fix the dam firmware to read the voltage properly. Like I said,you can get these Colorado's to shut down on two fresh Alkalines if you change the settings to Lithium. The unit will beep at you and then shortly thereafter sutdown. I know its getting the voltage the physical unit needs to run but the FIRMWARE is telling the unit to shut er' down. People who use rechargables are smart, its cheaper, easier on their local landfill, and less hassle as you don't have to run out and stock up on a $ht-load of alkalines! Why wouldn't any manufacturer design things to run properly on NIMH's? Please Garmin, just make it work. You have doen so well with NIMH in the past. Why would you stop paying attention to it now? Quote Link to comment
ObeliskAG Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 The Colorado seems an excellent example of what I'm suggesting. Why isn't this product designed to say on the box? "For use with 2x 1.2v AA rechargable batteries recommended. 2x 1.5v optional." It's too bad that designers are still designing around 3.0volts, instead of 2.4volts. I have a bunch of the 2500mAh Energizers, but they don't seem to hold a charge. Having more recently purchased some of the Sanyo Eneloops, they definitely seem to be the way to go. Quote Link to comment
+Miragee Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 <snip> The new Colorado sucks NIMH's dry in just a few hours. <snip> I'm just curious which brand of NIMH batteries you are using? When I first started caching, I had some off-brand rechargeables that worked fine for other things around my house, but did not work in my Garmin Vista. For more than two years, I was happy with Energizer Rechargeables, but they don't hold a charge very long now -- probably because I used them with the 15-minute charger they came with. Do Rayovac Hybrid or other brands of Hybrid batteries work in the Colorado . . . ? Quote Link to comment
+RRLover Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 <snip> The new Colorado sucks NIMH's dry in just a few hours. <snip> I'm just curious which brand of NIMH batteries you are using? When I first started caching, I had some off-brand rechargeables that worked fine for other things around my house, but did not work in my Garmin Vista. For more than two years, I was happy with Energizer Rechargeables, but they don't hold a charge very long now -- probably because I used them with the 15-minute charger they came with. Do Rayovac Hybrid or other brands of Hybrid batteries work in the Colorado . . . ? Those 15 minute chargers might be convenient, but they hammer the bajeebers out of your batteries. It's a win/win for the people who sell cheap rechargeables, better to spend the money up front and get a couple sets and use a lower mah. charger. The charge will 'stick' longer, and the batteries will live longer. Jamming high current into a battery with high internal resistance generates heat, that in turn breaks down the chemical components inside the battery, lose/lose for the consumer. Norm Quote Link to comment
ObeliskAG Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 Those 15 minute chargers might be convenient, but they hammer the bajeebers out of your batteries. It's a win/win for the people who sell cheap rechargeables, better to spend the money up front and get a couple sets and use a lower mah. charger. The charge will 'stick' longer, and the batteries will live longer. Jamming high current into a battery with high internal resistance generates heat, that in turn breaks down the chemical components inside the battery, lose/lose for the consumer. Norm These guys seem to have a good selection of quality NiMH chargers: http://www.thomas-distributing.com/nimh_battery_chargers.htm I'm providing the link as I had a tough time finding a source for a good battery charger. I'm using a LaCrosse BC-900 these days. Quote Link to comment
Broncoguy Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Those 15 minute chargers might be convenient, but they hammer the bajeebers out of your batteries. It's a win/win for the people who sell cheap rechargeables, better to spend the money up front and get a couple sets and use a lower mah. charger. The charge will 'stick' longer, and the batteries will live longer. Jamming high current into a battery with high internal resistance generates heat, that in turn breaks down the chemical components inside the battery, lose/lose for the consumer. Norm These guys seem to have a good selection of quality NiMH chargers: http://www.thomas-distributing.com/nimh_battery_chargers.htm I'm providing the link as I had a tough time finding a source for a good battery charger. I'm using a LaCrosse BC-900 these days. I'm getting ready to buy a charger..Do you like that charger which is one on my list plus the Maha C-9000 Quote Link to comment
+JohnnyVegas Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 After reading some discussions about the new Garmin Colorado and older 60C(s)x, it appears they do not meter battery status correctly with NiMH batteries. Why is it that everybody involved in the electronics industry, from government regulators to manufactures to consumers, do not insist that portable electronics are designed for use with rechargeable batteries, such as NiMH, as their primary battery type? Why do we still live on a planet that expects 1.5volt Alkaline AAs to be the standard for small portable electronics? When there are NiMH batteries that have 85% of their charge after 1 year on the shelf and can be purchased ready to use (Sanyo Eneloops for example), what reason can there be for non-rechargeable batteries any more? It just seems irresponsible to use disposable batteries when rechargeable technology is so mature. Look forward to your feedback. Where’s Team DeLorme? Uhhh? . . . . I'll take Maine for $500.00 Alex. ;^) A geocaching event being held on April 12, 2008 Quote Link to comment
+RRLover Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 (edited) After reading some discussions about the new Garmin Colorado and older 60C(s)x, it appears they do not meter battery status correctly with NiMH batteries. Why is it that everybody involved in the electronics industry, from government regulators to manufactures to consumers, do not insist that portable electronics are designed for use with rechargeable batteries, such as NiMH, as their primary battery type? Why do we still live on a planet that expects 1.5volt Alkaline AAs to be the standard for small portable electronics? When there are NiMH batteries that have 85% of their charge after 1 year on the shelf and can be purchased ready to use (Sanyo Eneloops for example), what reason can there be for non-rechargeable batteries any more? It just seems irresponsible to use disposable batteries when rechargeable technology is so mature. Look forward to your feedback. Where’s Team DeLorme? Uhhh? . . . . I'll take Maine for $500.00 Alex. ;^) A geocaching event being held on April 12, 2008 Ding! Ding! Ding! Finally! Norm Edited February 1, 2008 by RRLover Quote Link to comment
ObeliskAG Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 (edited) These guys seem to have a good selection of quality NiMH chargers: http://www.thomas-distributing.com/nimh_battery_chargers.htm I'm providing the link as I had a tough time finding a source for a good battery charger. I'm using a LaCrosse BC-900 these days. I'm getting ready to buy a charger..Do you like that charger which is one on my list plus the Maha C-9000 Unfortunately I have no experience with the Maha chargers, but for my AA and AAA charging needs, this LaCrosse is pretty nice. I just wanted a smart charger that would not over-charge or overheat my batteries, could condition them once in a while, and to have the option to quick charge (~500 - 1200ma) if necessary. (Not something I'm keen to do, but flashes at events like weddings, tend to be thirsty. I'll never do enough ongoing flash work to justify an external battery pack.) I have a GPS V at present (I love the feature of changing the screen orientation to switch between auto and trail use), and the Sanyo Eneloops are good for at least 14 hours. I've been thinking about getting a 60/76CSx or the new Colorado, but it appears Garmin has some revision to do with this new unit. The Colorado looks promising, but my GPS V is bug free so a new GPS should work just as well, with more contemporary features. My main complaint with the GPS V is that with newer versions of City Navigator, such as version 8, routing has become very slow. If you miss a turn, you might as well pull-over while the GPS V tries to update the route. It wasn't like this with older versions of the maps. I appreciate that Garmin wants to sell me a GPS for the trail and a seperate GPS for my car, but I'm not made of money. It's too bad the Colorado doesn't include voice prompt capabilities for auto navigation. Edited February 1, 2008 by ObeliskAG Quote Link to comment
ObeliskAG Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 Grated this is a geocaching site and most people who leave comments here have geocaching at the forefront of their minds. Consider for a moment, one who uses a GPS for lets say, backpacking, or to collect field data in remote locations, or for a day afield hunting. The "old" 60CSX would let you throw some rechargable batteries in and go ALL DAY LONG even with backlight and compass use. You'd get home, throw them in the charger and re-load in the morning again, no waste, no cost. I have one of those iSun 2.2 watt solar chargers. (Not sure how nice it is to the batteries.) When we're out camping, I can fully charge a set of 4x AA 2,000mAh batteries in under 7 hours. LIMITLESS POWER!!! Quote Link to comment
+mtbiker278 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 (edited) I have some Energizer 2200mAh batteries running in my GPSMAP 60. I also use a 15min. charger. So far they been lasting me about a week per charge. I don't really trust the battery indicator since there's almost no resolution on it. One tick below the max could mean anywhere from 75% to 50%. The main reason companies still develop alkaline batteries is that they can hold more charge than NiMH batteries. They're cheaper to produce (with the exception of newer Lithium non-rechargables), and they generally hold their charge better than NiMH over time. However, with newer lithium-polymer technology coming around (think newer hybrid battereis), evertually they will scale down to smaller sizes and voltages. Right now the smaller lithium-poly batteries are used in RC model packs with a higher voltage draw (3.7v per AA battery). For the average user you'll get the best value at this point in time out of a good 2500mAh NiMH battery IMO. Edited February 1, 2008 by mtbiker278 Quote Link to comment
Ferreter5 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 (edited) Those 15 minute chargers might be convenient, but they hammer the bajeebers out of your batteries. It's a win/win for the people who sell cheap rechargeables, better to spend the money up front and get a couple sets and use a lower mah. charger. The charge will 'stick' longer, and the batteries will live longer. Jamming high current into a battery with high internal resistance generates heat, that in turn breaks down the chemical components inside the battery, lose/lose for the consumer. Norm These guys seem to have a good selection of quality NiMH chargers: http://www.thomas-distributing.com/nimh_battery_chargers.htm I'm providing the link as I had a tough time finding a source for a good battery charger. I'm using a LaCrosse BC-900 these days. I'm getting ready to buy a charger..Do you like that charger which is one on my list plus the Maha C-9000 I have a slightly older version of this MAHA charger that I use for all of my AA and AAA recharging needs. It works great. Can fast charge (hardly use it 'cause I have enough batteries something's always ready to go), slow charge, and condition batteries. Edited February 1, 2008 by Ferreter5 Quote Link to comment
pratzert Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I use the rechargables for my scanner radio all the time and have saved a bundle by using them. But one good point for the alkalines, is that they have a very long "shelf life". They can sit in your pantry for a couple of years and have most of their energy. Where NiCads and Lion's both self-discharge over time. There are some chargers on the market which claim to be able to "re-charge" regular alkiline batteries. Tim Quote Link to comment
ObeliskAG Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 I use the rechargables for my scanner radio all the time and have saved a bundle by using them. But one good point for the alkalines, is that they have a very long "shelf life". They can sit in your pantry for a couple of years and have most of their energy. Where NiCads and Lion's both self-discharge over time. There are some chargers on the market which claim to be able to "re-charge" regular alkiline batteries. Tim Batteries like the Sanyo Eneloop, the new Sonys, and some other brands of NiMH do have good shelf-life. Perhaps not 5 years, but if you charged these new NiMH batteries up and put them on a shelf, 1 year later they will have 85% of their charge available. Quote Link to comment
pratzert Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I use the rechargables for my scanner radio all the time and have saved a bundle by using them. But one good point for the alkalines, is that they have a very long "shelf life". They can sit in your pantry for a couple of years and have most of their energy. Where NiCads and Lion's both self-discharge over time. There are some chargers on the market which claim to be able to "re-charge" regular alkiline batteries. Tim Batteries like the Sanyo Eneloop, the new Sonys, and some other brands of NiMH do have good shelf-life. Perhaps not 5 years, but if you charged these new NiMH batteries up and put them on a shelf, 1 year later they will have 85% of their charge available. Batteries have come a long way, and seem to keep getting better and better. Tim Quote Link to comment
SporkSports Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 (edited) I'm getting ready to buy a charger..Do you like that charger which is one on my list plus the Maha C-9000 I have a C-9000 and a total of some 36 or 40 NiMH batteries. I'm a bit of a techno-geek, so I love the flexibility that the C-9000 gives me, but it might be overkill for some. Also what I've noticed is that NiMH seems to perform better in the cold than Alkaline. I should do some empirical testing soon with Alkalines just to confirm it, but in my real-world testing, when outdoors at 50 degrees or so, my GPS map 76 won't even hold the backlight on after about 2 hours of use, as compared to my testing with the Powerex 2700's which went for just shy of 10 hours with the backlight in continuous use. Edited February 1, 2008 by SporkSports Quote Link to comment
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