BCD436HP/BCD536HP: 436 battery charging problem?

[ps249]

I kept my 436HP charging for almost 16 hours and it says on the screen "normal charging". Why is it taking so long for the charging to complete? Everything else works fine. I know there are battery charging options in the menu- perhaps my settings are off?

 

[UPMan]

Charging is based on a timer. If charging is interrupted, the timer resets.

 

[DickH]

I kept my 436HP charging for almost 16 hours and it says on the screen "normal charging". Why is it taking so long for the charging to complete? Everything else works fine. I know there are battery charging options in the menu- perhaps my settings are off?

I, and many others here, recommend you DO NOT charge your batteries in the scanner, or run it with the A/C adapter. I have ruined one because of a voltage surge. You are much better off to buy a charger and extra batteries and change them daily or more often as needed.

 

[ps249]

That explains it UP Man- thanks!

 

[ps249]

I, and many others here, recommend you DO NOT charge your batteries in the scanner, or run it with the A/C adapter. I have ruined one because of a voltage surge. You are much better off to buy a charger and extra batteries and change them daily or more often as needed.

You must be old school. have you heard of a thing called a surge protector? I have been using these since 1998 when I got my first computer. Spend $20 on a surge protector you can hook up 4-8 devices on one of these. Here is some home schooling for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EShLNyEoqHM
Sorry but I would never charge batteries daily using an external charger for my scanners- I use these scanners daily and I would be recharging constantly--------NO WAY

 

[kc2kth]

I have surge protectors on every electronic device - good ones, like the Monster brand a/v protector that was on my home theater equipment until a surge caused it to catch fire last August. I lost three hdmi ports on my receiver that was on that protector. I also lost a power supply in a tv in another part of the house that was plugged into another protector. I also had to replace my home automation system as the surge took out my controller which was in my basement on a third protector. All different brands, all good quality.

Charging batteries outside the scanner to me is more about using the correct device to do the job. I've never used the radio's built in charger. In a pinch I would, but I have better tools for that purpose.

 

[Voyager]

Wow - one caught fire and blew out equipment and the other didn't protect equipment, and you call those the "good ones"???

 

[kc2kth]

Wow - one caught fire and blew out equipment and the other didn't protect equipment, and you call those the "good ones"???

LOL, they definitely were pretty good ones. This happened to be a massive surge caused by a drunk 17 year old hitting a pole at around 5 am on a Sunday less than a half mile away. Definitely one of those things that doesn't happen often.

 

[Voyager]

Still, I would think they should have surge protection that would work. Stick a couple MOVs on the input...

 

[sparklehorse]

You must be old school. have you heard of a thing called a surge protector? I have been using these since 1998 when I got my first computer. Spend $20 on a surge protector you can hook up 4-8 devices on one of these. Here is some home schooling for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EShLNyEoqHM
Sorry but I would never charge batteries daily using an external charger for my scanners- I use these scanners daily and I would be recharging constantly--------NO WAY

A surge protector won't help if the cells overheat from over charging, which is a very real risk when you use the radio as a charger.

Here is some home schooling for you:

http://forums.radioreference.com/gre-scanners/180646-melted-battery-holder-melted-radio.html

A smart charger like the Maha MH-C9000, or the La Crosse BC 1000, will charge each cell individually, giving just the charge it needs and no more. They can charge a set of cells safely in a few hours. Keep a spare set of cells with you that are charged up. Your cells will last much longer, your radio will be safer, and you will not miss charging them in the radio. I recommend good, low self-discharge cells like Eneloops.

.

 

[dallah1983]

Indicates needs charge

I have had my 436 for about a month, so most settings are still
at the factory default. This afternoon, I got a series of beeps
and a message that the battery charge was low and I should
plug it into a charger. OK, connected it to a USB charger that I
bought when I bought the 436, got the usual screen message
about pressing “yes” or “no”, pressed “yes”, got the charging
message – for about a minute, then it reverted to the “yes” / “no”
screen. I repeated this several times; all the same result.

I thought I might have a bad battery, removed them (couldn’t
get probes to the batteries with them in the 436) and all
read, under no load, 1.17 v. Am I missing something???

So far, I am unimpressed with this scanner – my good ol’
2009 model 398XLT (which replaced my trusty BC-200XLT)
is every bit as good as, and in some cases, like charging while
listening, it is better than the 436. My choice was
the 436 or a TRX-1; I think I may have made a wrong choice.

 

[jonwienke]

Your batteries are dead. You can get a little more life out of them by lowering the low battery warning to 3100mV from the factory default 3300mV, but that won't help a whole lot. The 436 does not charge batteries while it is on, only when it is off. You should get a spare set of batteries and a smart charger.

 

[Voyager]

Many scanners were forced to change how they charge due to a California regulation that effectively bans all types of charging except USB (Uniden even had to redesign the BC346XT due to this), and USB only has so much current capacity. Most ports don't have the capacity to charge and run at the same time.

But, cells should be charged by using a dedicated NiMH battery charger and not in the scanner.

 

[dallah1983]

Thanks guys, that seems to be the answer. I have ordered a MH-C9000 and hope that fixes the problem but I'm still not happy.

 

[jonwienke]

I do a modification to the 436 that converts it to use 14500 Li-ion batteries, increases battery life by about 50%, and allows smart charging of batteries in the scanner whether it is on or off. It's what Uniden could have designed if it wasn't for meddling treehuggers who think the know what's best for everyone else.

 

[dallah1983]

That's an interesting idea and I may consider it. For the time being, I have ordered a MH-C9000 charger and extra eneloop batteries.

We all have our crosses to bear - CA legislators waste time on trivial tree-hugger issues but my own TN legislators are often the laughing stock because of some of their wacko alt-right proposals. :-(

 

[Voyager]

I do a modification to the 436 that converts it to use 14500 Li-ion batteries, increases battery life by about 50%, and allows smart charging of batteries in the scanner whether it is on or off. It's what Uniden could have designed if it wasn't for meddling treehuggers who think the know what's best for everyone else.

How are you reading/controlling/limiting the current? Does this mod make use of the stock charging circuitry or are you using a completely different input?

 

[jonwienke]

I use a small additional circuit board that limits current and monitors battery voltage. The stock charging circuit is not used.

 

[Voyager]

Charged individually or as a set? (would love some pics)

 

[jonwienke]

https://1drv.ms/f/s!ApJIS-l4xqPtgu9rgW53pX31FxIQVw

The scanner has also been nodded with an internal GPS.