Batteries For The Colorado

[+The Yinnies]

I am using Energizer 2500mAh now. Is this a good battery? What do you suggest?

Thanks

[+twolpert]

Probably more a question of the charger than the batteries. Make sure you properly condition new batteries. If you have a smart charger, run them through at least one "break in" cycle before using a new set. If not, you'll have to charge them and fully discharge them at least 3 or 4 times before you can expect to get anything close the rated capacity.

 

I use Powerex (MAHA) 2700 mAh NiMH with a MAHA MHC9000 charger. In general, Thomas Distributing is a good place to purchase this kind of stuff. It's difficult to find good smart chargers in local retail outlets. Note that the MHC9000 is a high-end charger. There are plenty of good smart chargers available for less money. If you search posts in this forum for "charger", you'll probably find a number of other suggestions.

 

According to other posts, most people seem to be getting 8-12 hours of normal caching use on a Colorado with 2700mAh NiMH. That's consistent with my own experience.

[+The Yinnies]

If I buy the charger I can use any battery?

[+g-o-cashers]

If I buy the charger I can use any battery?

 

Any NiMH AA or AAA battery should work in this PowerEx charger.

 

GO$Rs

[+twolpert]

As long as it's the type of rechargeable for which the charger is designed, yes. Naturally, some batteries are better than others. And some cachers swear by one brand or another. I'm not personally sure it makes all that much difference in terms of performance. I suspect the main differentiator might be the number charge/discharge cycles you will get from a single pair. Even there, a smart charger will help you get the maximum possible life from any given pair.

 

I guess I should mention the fact that there are two types of NiMH rechargeables -- "standard" and "low-discharge." One of the problems with NiMH rechargeables is that they tend to lose charge over time, even when not in use. The low-discharge varieties (like the Eneloop) lose charge at a lower rate. The downside is that low-discharge batteries have a smaller capacity. For example, you can buy standard NiMH in 2500 mAh or 2700 mAh capacities (in AA). The largest low-discharge battery I've seen in AA is somewhere around 2000 or 2100 mAh. Which is best for you depends primarily on how and when you charge and use your batteries.

[ryguyMN]

I am using Energizer 2500mAh now. Is this a good battery? What do you suggest?

Thanks

 

This is what I use for my Colorado and seem to have good life. Since I just got this GPS a week ago, and due to variation in the amount of backlighting among different users, I can't really comment on the number of hours you will get. Like others have mentioned, it depends how you cycle the initial charges.

[+ripple123]

I am using Energizer 2500mAh now. Is this a good battery? What do you suggest?

Thanks

 

I'm using the same batteries and I've been getting probably about 5-7x the life of regular AA batteries. I love them.

[+Runaround]

I think they're good batteries but I'm a little biased since I work for Energizer.

 

One note on chargers and NiMH batteries. There is a fair amount of relabeling done on products. If someone tells you brand X is great and brand Y is junk, take it with a grain of salt and do your own independent homework. I've seen recommendations in the past like this in GC.com and other forums. Many times brand X and Y are made by the same company on the same equipment with different labels. This also applies to chargers where the internal electronics can be the same but the molded plastic exterior parts are cosmetically different.

[+LifeOnEdge!]

I am not a big fan of "conditioning" your batteries before they are used in the field. I'll tell you why:

 

- conditioning a battery means running it through a full charge/discharge cycle. Before a NiMH battery reaches full charge capacity, it will need to be cycled 10 to 15 times before this peak is achielved. Before then, your 2500 mAh battery may be something like a 2200 mAh battery.

 

- I have a charger with me wherever I go. I have a cord in my truck. I have a power supply in my office. When I'm *somewhere* with my GPS unit, my batteries and charger are with me.

 

- I try to use two or three pairs of batteris for my active GPS unit. I also have a charged pair in my backup GPS unit. Some of those are pre-charged types. Others are the older type batteries.

 

At any point in the day, I have three different batteries:

- two in my GPS unit

- two charging in the charger

- two fully charged, as backup

 

I DO NOT rotate the batteries like you might expect. Instead, I shuffle them. I basically use my 2650 mAh standard batteries as a bridge while my 2000 mAh pre-charged batteries are charging. Once fully-charged, I use one pair of 2000 mAh pre-charged Duracells as I geocache. While caching, the 2650s are charging. These will be used when the pre-charged pair are exhausted, but I rarely cache that long in one day. The next cycle I use the other pair of pre-charged 2000 mAh Duracells, charge the empty pair, and backup with the same 2650s as before. In doing this, I USE the batteries WHILE they are conditioning, instead of wasting energy by discharging these in a conditioning cycle. In three to four weeks of use, I have a fully conditioned set of batteries.

 

If I get one full year out of three pairs of batteries, I've spent $20 and gotten 180 useful cycles out of each pair of batteries.

 

Had I cycled those same batteries, I would have thrown away the first month of use, or about $1.50 - $1.75 of their value.

[+Runaround]

Conditioning can be overrated and overdone. If you have a conditioning charger, that's fine. Another way to get the same benefit with even a low-cost charger is to fully charge the batteries and then use them until they are completely drained. Then simply fully charge them again.