+colleda Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 I use rechargeable AA batteries in my Etrex20x. I've never been sure of how they should be charged as there is no information on the packaging of the ones I buy - NiMH "Active Energy" from Aldi. When fully charged, should they be removed from the charger or can the charger be switched off when done leaving the batteries in it or should they be removed from the charger when done? Quote Link to comment
+Atlas Cached Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Either option would be OK in any quality product. Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Unless you also have the Aldi charger, we have no idea what charger you have (which is what really dictates the answer to your question), so it's hard to suggest anything helpful. Normally, when charged, it's OK to leave them in until you remember to pull them out. BTW, reviews on the Aldi 'Activ Energy' are generally quite good. Same benefits as the Eneloop without near as much $$$. Quote Link to comment
+colleda Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 11 hours ago, ecanderson said: Unless you also have the Aldi charger, we have no idea what charger you have (which is what really dictates the answer to your question), so it's hard to suggest anything helpful. Normally, when charged, it's OK to leave them in until you remember to pull them out. BTW, reviews on the Aldi 'Activ Energy' are generally quite good. Same benefits as the Eneloop without near as much $$$. I have an Aldi charger but there was no mention (that I recall) of what to do once batteries are fully charged. It is a bulky charger so I bought a compact one for taking on holiday but it charges much slower than the Aldi. Quote Link to comment
_Art_ Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 A charge controller (for example Maxim DS2715) should be thinking about all of that so you have to be thinking about none of it (for any decent charger). https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/power/battery-management/DS2715.html Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 12 hours ago, colleda said: I have an Aldi charger but there was no mention (that I recall) of what to do once batteries are fully charged. It is a bulky charger so I bought a compact one for taking on holiday but it charges much slower than the Aldi. Will assume that you have the IN 6882 charger based upon your 'bulky' comment. Anyway, the (German) manual for that unit is clear: Das Ladegerät beendet den Ladevorgang und schaltet automatisch in den Erhaltungsmodus, um eine Selbstentladung zu vermeiden. In other words, it switches from charging to a trickle charge maintenance mode so that even if you left them in for an extended period, there would be no self-discharge. You can leave them in until you remember to pull them out. Quote Link to comment
+colleda Posted February 21, 2019 Author Share Posted February 21, 2019 51 minutes ago, ecanderson said: Will assume that you have the IN 6882 charger based upon your 'bulky' comment. Anyway, the (German) manual for that unit is clear: Das Ladegerät beendet den Ladevorgang und schaltet automatisch in den Erhaltungsmodus, um eine Selbstentladung zu vermeiden. In other words, it switches from charging to a trickle charge maintenance mode so that even if you left them in for an extended period, there would be no self-discharge. You can leave them in until you remember to pull them out. Danke, thank you for that information, that's exactly what I wanted to know. I checked my charger and it is a Bauhn MD16704. I like Aldi products especially for motorcycle gear. My Aldi Medion computer died recently after about 6 years service. Waiting for them to come back on sale in the meantime I'm getting by with my MS Surface 3. Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 OK, so it's not an "Aldi" branded charger, but rather, a "Bauhn" branded charger purchased at Aldi. The manual for the Bauhn MD16704 is also explicit about end-of-charge procedure. It's in the section aptly called "Charging NiMh Batteries", probably on page 22. At the end of the charging time, the control LED above the relevant charging slot will turn green and the device switches automatically to maintaining the charge so that the device does not self-discharge. You can now either remove the rechargeable batteries or leave them in the device. Quote Link to comment
+colleda Posted February 22, 2019 Author Share Posted February 22, 2019 2 hours ago, ecanderson said: OK, so it's not an "Aldi" branded charger, but rather, a "Bauhn" branded charger purchased at Aldi. The manual for the Bauhn MD16704 is also explicit about end-of-charge procedure. It's in the section aptly called "Charging NiMh Batteries", probably on page 22. At the end of the charging time, the control LED above the relevant charging slot will turn green and the device switches automatically to maintaining the charge so that the device does not self-discharge. You can now either remove the rechargeable batteries or leave them in the device. I just assumed Bauhn was an Aldi brand. Thanks again, you've made it clearer for me. Another thought occurred. When the batteries are fully charged and if I turn off the power to the charger, should I remove the remove the batteries or are they ok to stay there? Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 If the charger is disconnected from AC power, I would remove the cells. When powered, there is a couple of mA of trickle charge to the cells to keep them topped off. However, we do not know what the circuitry looks like, and whether it might slowly discharge the cells if the charger isn't powered. Quote Link to comment
+colleda Posted February 22, 2019 Author Share Posted February 22, 2019 5 minutes ago, ecanderson said: If the charger is disconnected from AC power, I would remove the cells. When powered, there is a couple of mA of trickle charge to the cells to keep them topped off. However, we do not know what the circuitry looks like, and whether it might slowly discharge the cells if the charger isn't powered. ok, I was wondering about that but wasn't sure. Quote Link to comment
+Atlas Cached Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 9 hours ago, colleda said: I just assumed Bauhn was an Aldi brand. Thanks again, you've made it clearer for me. Another thought occurred. When the batteries are fully charged and if I turn off the power to the charger, should I remove the remove the batteries or are they ok to stay there? If you have not seen these, they are my absolute favorite way to store/carry extra batteries for my GPSr and other devices. I insert my batteries "+" up for fresh and ready to use and "-" up for exhausted batteries so I don't try to re-use a dead set. Also, I agree 100% with: 7 hours ago, ecanderson said: If the charger is disconnected from AC power, I would remove the cells. When powered, there is a couple of mA of trickle charge to the cells to keep them topped off. However, we do not know what the circuitry looks like, and whether it might slowly discharge the cells if the charger isn't powered. Quote Link to comment
+Mineral2 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 I use those to store and carry my batteries. The one problem I have is that the lip that keeps them locked in will wear on the battery over time causing the outer wrapping to break and peel. I think I might switch to a box style case. Quote Link to comment
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