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Rechargeable Battery's


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I have a question about rechargeable battery's..

 

yesterday i bought 4 rechargeable battery's and a recharger.. on my recharger there is a light that it is recharging.. The question I have is that after 45 minutes the baterry's are getting really really hot.. I burn my fingers on them!!

I think this is not a good thing. When the battery's are very hot the recharge light is still on... Is this ok????

 

Battery's I use ::: Sanyo "Twicell 1600" Nickel Metal Hydride.

Recharger I use ::: BNC 1000 MA (for 4 battery's)

 

Thanks for any help..

Happy cachin'

 

Irresisti

N12º 55.475

E100º 52.865

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irresisti,

 

Try running your batteries down by putting them in something and leaving it on. Then try charging them again and see what happens. Some fast chargers monitor for voltage change and that is how they know to cut off. If your batteries were fully charged to begin with, it would detect no change and not cut off. I don't know a lot about this subject but I did read that on one of these forums when I was looking to buy my battery charger.

 

Hope this helps. BTW, I love the picture you use on the forums. It is too cool icon16.gif

 

KYtrex

-----------------

A "Buckeye" is just a "Hillbilly" that ran out of money on the way to Michigan jpshakehead.gif

 

[This message was edited by KYtrex on June 22, 2002 at 03:33 PM.]

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YIKES! Well, here's what I suspected at first:

 

1. Are you SURE that the charger is made for NIMH batteries? If you are using a NiCad charger, that could be a BIG PROBLEM.

 

2. Did you check to make sure that the polarity (+- orientation) of the batteries are correct?

 

The batteries might have gotten permenantly screwed up as well- use caution.

 

CODENAME: ALPHA OPERATOR

daedalus://govlink/secure/majestic/12.12.12/ops/throne/AO

MAJESTIC-12: THRONE G6 LEVEL AGENT

http://www.planetdeusex.com

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Well the recharge light is off now.. So the battery's are fully charged..

 

I'm going to the shop that sold me the recharger because the heat that it produces is extreemly hot.. I'm burning my fingers on it..

I'm suresomething is wrong.. when I had a few yeas ago a recharger and battery's they did get ho but not like this..

 

The charger does not have any informaton on it.. it just say 1000ma..

 

Thanks for any input on this

 

Greetings

 

quote:
BTW, I love the picture you use on the forums. It is too cool

I like it to..

 

Irresisti

N12º 55.475

E100º 52.865

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Just wondering what the rest of you are using for recharchables and charging unit. What kind of performance do you get vs. alkaline type batteries? I just purchased the Energizer ACCU NiMH battery charger, I paid around $20 and got a free set of AA NiMH. How many recharges can I expect to get from a pair of AA's? Are there some applications that are better for NiMH than others, for instance my headlamp is LED and uses 3 AAAs? What is the cost offset vs alkaline? Thanks in advance for any info.

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I have been using the Rayovac alkalines for several years in my devices; however, I just went out and got the RayovacNiMH/NiCd 1 hour charger system with 1600mh cells. I have yet to really run them all day, but, I think they will work fine; as this was my past experience with Rayovac. Yes, there is a caution warning - "batteries become hot..." this is normal. I live this system also since it is only 1 hour...forget the several hour stuff.

I have saved many $$'s with re-chargables when using camers, recorders, cd players, gps, etc..

 

de mortuis nil nisi bonum

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I've been using Rayovac rechargable alkalines for years. Tried them in my GPS and get about 6-8 hours. I get 10-12 hours using the Rayovac NiMH batteries. When I upgraded to the 1-hour charger last fall, it fried a couple of my batteries. They heated up and melted the labels! Rayovac replaced the charger and the batteries.

 

I didn't see any information on the Sanyo website regarding the capacity of your battery. Perhaps the battery and the charger are mismatched? Did you try contacting Sanyo to see what chargers the recommmend?

 

-Craig/TeamCNJC

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Just joined but....

 

Careful there! It looks like you're trying to charge NiMH batteries with a NiCAD charger. NiCAD batteries are generally 1000ma/hr or less and NiMH batteries are 1600ma/hr or more. You're lucky the batteries didn't split open...

 

On a related note, Sam's Club here is selling the Energizer NiMH battery kit, 8 1700ma batteries and a charger for $19.99... Going after to work to pick up my Meridian Sport Pro so I can go out for my first time on the 4th... Here's hoping icon_smile.gif

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Just joined but....

 

Careful there! It looks like you're trying to charge NiMH batteries with a NiCAD charger. NiCAD batteries are generally 1000ma/hr or less and NiMH batteries are 1600ma/hr or more. You're lucky the batteries didn't split open...

 

On a related note, Sam's Club here is selling the Energizer NiMH battery kit, 8 1700ma batteries and a charger for $19.99... Going after to work to pick up my Meridian Sport Pro so I can go out for my first time on the 4th... Here's hoping icon_smile.gif

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Basically there are only two types of rechargeable cells on the market in the customary sizes, e.g. AA and AAA; they are Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) and Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH). NiMH cells are by far the better choice for most portable electronic devices, and certainly for handheld GPS units.

 

If you think a GPSr eats batteries quickly, you should try a digital camera with flash and LCD screen turned on. Gulp! (Appropriate sucking-dry sound here.) Due to the popularity of digicams, there has been a lot of discussion and testing of various battery and charger brands. There is a very good section at Steve's DigiCams, one of the best digital camera review sites (ask me if you'd like the others).

 

I suggest you read the overview of NiMH batteries and chargers, and then follow the links to specific reviews. You will find out why your batteries got so hot during charging:

 

quote:
Most "rapid chargers" use large charging currents to achieve fast times. This makes for quick recharges, but causes batteries to get extremely hot as a result. High temperatures are the number one culprit of "memory effect," (not short cycling, as is commonly thought.) ... (Both the Maha C204F and Rayovac 1 hour chargers are up around 145 degrees; making the batteries quite hot to the touch.) These temperatures seriously degrade cell capacity, and have a significant impact on the overall number of recharge cycles.

 

(From the Lightning Pack 4000N review)


 

That being said, I know several people who are using the Maha batteries and chargers with very good results. Thomas Distributing is a well-known and reliable place to buy them. I chose the aforementioned Lightning Pack 4000N and Sanyo industrial cells sold by RipVan 100 (don't ask me where they get the name!), and I've been very satisfied with them. The charger is tiny and has a fold-away AC plug (unlike many of the Maha models which require a "wall wart"), and I can slip it into a suitcase pocket when travelling. It charges 4 AAs in about 90 minutes, and the batteries are barely warm to the touch when they come out.

 

I've been powering my Garmin GPSmap 76S with the Sanyo NiMH cells since I got it last week, and everything seems fine. I carry a Tube-Velope with 8 fully charged AAs as backups. If I haven't found a cache by the time I've used all these, it's time to go home!

 

Whatever brand you choose, a good set of NiMH batteries and a quick charger are a perfect accessory for any portable GPSr. You will save the purchase price in no time by not buying disposable batteries, and you won't be throwing so many batteries into the waste stream.

 

One more point: NiMH batteries will self-discharge over time even if you don't use them. Be sure you charge them up before heading into the wilderness, or you may get a nasty surprise. I always carry a set of disposable lithium batteries as emergency backup; they're expensive, but they have a 10-year shelf life.

 

Hope this helps,

 

JAR

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NiCad and NiMh need to be Charged seperatly if using a charger such as "Rayovac's" 1 Hour charger (it has a switch)

Lion batteries, I dont know about but they are supposed to last longer than both the above.

 

and then you ask:

What is the

shelf life of

batteries?

 

Silver Oxide: 2-3 years

 

Alkaline: 4-5 years

 

Lithium: 5-7 years

 

NiCad/NiMh: Will self-discharge 1% - 2% per day, but will fully recover after few charge cycles. Practical shelf life: 5 years.

 

NiCd batteries should be fully discharged every 4-5 cycles, (a cycle is defined as one discharge and one charge process) whereas SLA batteries should be charged after every use and should avoid full discharges.

 

Eye, Ham, We, Todd, Did

Sofa, King, We, Todd, Did

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I purchased a MAHA MH-C2045 over the internet for $35 including 2 NIMH batteries. This is more than many of the chargers out there, but after reading reviews on this thing and the awards it has won I decided it was worth it. Some of the features are the ability to completely discharge batteries before recharging which extends their life over time, and it comes with a cigerette lighter adapter as well as 110 volt adapeter. Oh yes it will charge 4 AA or AAA batteries or 2 AA and 2 AAA at the same time.

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quote:
The latest and greatest?????

 

--mikemtn


 

Mike,

 

The Maha MH-C777PLUS is a fine charger for its intended use: recharging NiCd and NiMH battery packs from various manufacturers. There is a detailed review of it at Steve's Digicams (also see my link above).

 

Unfortunately the MH-C777PLUS doesn't charge AA cells (the kind found in most GPS receivers) directly; you must get a separate battery holder, and you must charge at least 4 cells at a time. It also won't charge Li-Ion batteries; too bad, because the floating contact pin arrangement would let me charge all my Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc. battery packs!

 

quote:
Really good charger

 

I purchased a MAHA MH-C2045 over the internet for $35 including 2 NIMH batteries.


 

Night Stalker,

 

I trust you mean the MH-C204F. It's a fine charger; see the comments above. I personally prefer a charger that doesn't need a wall wart, but I know lots of folks using the C204F who are very happy with it.

 

JAR

 

"Decision making factor absent from brain"

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Hi all

from the UK.

I use Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries all the time for my Etrex, streetPilot, and digital cameras. I have mostly Sanyo R6 AAs 1600Amphr.

THEY DO CHARGE VERY HOT. This is normal.

I have two chargers, one is a duel charger that does Nicads and NiMH with a switch. When the batteries are charged the light goes out.

The other charger that also does the same does not have a switch and the light does not go out. So I have to time the charge or do both together and when I see the light out on one I know all batteries are charged.

Hope that does help and answers your fear about the high charge heat

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Yeah, I agree with McDehack - charging batteries does cause them to produce heat, and that is normal. However, it's not necessarily good - it's better if you can keep them cool.

 

The guys who race electric powered RC model cars know this, and they worry about it because the batteries will hold a higher charge if kept cooler, and that can be the difference between winning and losing a race. The serious racers always have fans blowing across the batteries while they are charging up to keep the temperature down. They're using matched Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) cells to power their cars.

 

For my GPS and Digital Camera, I use Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries. I usually put them in the freezer for awhile before charging. At least they start out cooler that way.

 

As to discharging the batteries completely before recharging them - yes, that is very important with NiCads, which develop a 'memory'. But I understand that the NiMH batteries DO NOT develop a memory, and it does no good to complelely discharge them before recharging. I might be wrong about that, but I haven't been discharging my NiMH batteries - I just recharge them when I'm finished using them, no matter how much use they got.

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quote:
Originally posted by JAR:

quote:
The latest and greatest?????

 

--mikemtn


 

Mike,

 

The Maha MH-C777PLUS is a fine charger for its intended use: recharging NiCd and NiMH battery packs from various manufacturers. There is a detailed review of it at http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/maha_c777.html (also see my link above).

 

Unfortunately the MH-C777PLUS doesn't charge AA cells (the kind found in most GPS receivers) directly; you must get a separate battery holder, and you must charge at least 4 cells at a time. It also won't charge Li-Ion batteries; too bad, because the floating contact pin arrangement would let me charge all my Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc. battery packs!

 

quote:
_Really good charger_

 

I purchased a MAHA MH-C2045 over the internet for $35 including 2 NIMH batteries.


 

Night Stalker,

 

I trust you mean the MH-C204F. It's a fine charger; see the comments above. I personally prefer a charger that doesn't need a wall wart, but I know lots of folks using the C204F who are very happy with it.

 

JAR

 

"Decision making factor absent from brain"


 

 

The "MH-C777Plus -II says it charges Lithium Ion and Lithium Polymer, as well as the usual NiMh, and NiCd types of batteries.

 

Here is the URL, directly to Maha/PowerEx's home page. I hope this proves useful to you. icon_smile.gif

 

MH-C777Plus -II

Be icon_cool.gif Cool

 

Firefishe

 

 

196939_600.gif

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quote:
Originally posted by JAR:

quote:
The latest and greatest?????

 

--mikemtn


 

Mike,

 

The Maha MH-C777PLUS is a fine charger for its intended use: recharging NiCd and NiMH battery packs from various manufacturers. There is a detailed review of it at http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/maha_c777.html (also see my link above).

 

Unfortunately the MH-C777PLUS doesn't charge AA cells (the kind found in most GPS receivers) directly; you must get a separate battery holder, and you must charge at least 4 cells at a time. It also won't charge Li-Ion batteries; too bad, because the floating contact pin arrangement would let me charge all my Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc. battery packs!

 

quote:
_Really good charger_

 

I purchased a MAHA MH-C2045 over the internet for $35 including 2 NIMH batteries.


 

Night Stalker,

 

I trust you mean the MH-C204F. It's a fine charger; see the comments above. I personally prefer a charger that doesn't need a wall wart, but I know lots of folks using the C204F who are very happy with it.

 

JAR

 

"Decision making factor absent from brain"


 

 

The "MH-C777Plus -II says it charges Lithium Ion and Lithium Polymer, as well as the usual NiMh, and NiCd types of batteries.

 

Here is the URL, directly to Maha/PowerEx's home page. I hope this proves useful to you. icon_smile.gif

 

MH-C777Plus -II

Be icon_cool.gif Cool

 

Firefishe

 

 

196939_600.gif

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