AA Ni-MH rechargeable question

[HelixArray]

Do any of you members recommend a particular brand available on amazon for a pack of AA rechargeable batteries?

Also, I have a relatively inexpensive handheld that has the option of recharging internally..however, after researching here I've read that the $35 "La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger" isn't a bad idea to get as well; so that is my half of my game plan so far. Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

[n5ims]

Many scanners do have the capability of recharging batteries inside the scanner, but generally the charging circuits they use have no "smarts", only a simple timer. This can cause severe overheating of the batteries, perhaps even damaging your scanner (there are several threads on this if you search). The general feeling is you should never recharge your batteries inside your scanner, but use an external charger as well. Why risk a $500 scanner when a cheap external charger will do the job better.

What I do is have several sets of batteries, one in the radio and another in the other battery holder, ready to go when those in the radio die. I have another set either charging or charged and ready to swap out when I need to charge another set. I always keep the sets together so they "age" together so one old battery won't ruin the newer ones. Mine are marked using colors to make it easy to keep them sorted out if they escape during a trip.

 

[kruser]

Do any of you members recommend a particular brand available on amazon for a pack of AA rechargeable batteries?

Also, I have a relatively inexpensive handheld that has the option of recharging internally..however, after researching here I've read that the $35 "La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger" isn't a bad idea to get as well; so that is my half of my game plan so far. Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance.

Sanyo Eneloop's. The white ones.
They have an excellent low self discharge rate. They will still have 75% of their charge after sitting for three years.
They do not have the highest current capacity though and are only rated at 2000 mAh. I've found they run my toys about the same amount of time that higher capacity cells do.
I don't charge a lot so the low self discharge rate was the deciding factor for me. I know I can grab a set and they will work even though I may not have charged them for months.

I also code mine so they stay in matched sets like n5ims does.

I'm pretty sure you can find them on amazon in 4 and 8 packs.

 

[cherubim]

Sanyo Eneloop's. The white ones.
They have an excellent low self discharge rate. They will still have 75% of their charge after sitting for three years.
They do not have the highest current capacity though and are only rated at 2000 mAh.
I'm pretty sure you can find them on amazon in 4 and 8 packs.

You can buy 2500mAh Eneloops as well.

 

[HelixArray]

Ok, ordered the white ones. n5ims, kruser and cherubim thank you for the replies... and that clever coding tip.

 

[kruser]

You can buy 2500mAh Eneloops as well.

I don't think the 2500's have near the low self discharge rate that the 2000's offer. I think their capacity drops off pretty much after a month or so.
That's not really a concern for those that always keep their cells topped off though unlike me. I may go months without charging.

 

[robertmac]

All the same

I have tried many many different brands of rechargeable NiCds and NiMh over 30+ years. I have yet to find any that I find better than the others. I was hopping that the Eneloops would be better, but have not really found that to be the case. I can buy 4 of any brand and find that 1 of them eventually loses the ability to recharge after much less than the 500 times that are often advertised. In summary, I have found NiMh much better, the Eneloops may hold charge longer, but newer brands of NiMh also hold charges. In summary, it really is a crap shoot.

 

[kruser]

I have tried many many different brands of rechargeable NiCds and NiMh over 30+ years. I have yet to find any that I find better than the others. I was hopping that the Eneloops would be better, but have not really found that to be the case. I can buy 4 of any brand and find that 1 of them eventually loses the ability to recharge after much less than the 500 times that are often advertised. In summary, I have found NiMh much better, the Eneloops may hold charge longer, but newer brands of NiMh also hold charges. In summary, it really is a crap shoot.

Are you using a good quality charger that charges per cell instead of banks of two or four? That can make a world of difference when dealing with NiMH.

Most NiMH cells sold today have a rapid self discharge rate.

The ones that don't rapidly self discharge usually have other side effects like fewer charge/discharge cycles or lower capacity.
I think the ones that offer the long storage life are called hybrids but not all are created equal. I have some rayovac brand hybrids that cells failed fairly often. They were nice with the low self discharge rate but many failed after not even 50 cycles.
I've not had a single eneloop fail yet. Maybe I'm lucky or maybe it's because I don't use battery power all that often these days.

I've also been messing around and testing tons of rechargeable batteries over the past 35+ years.
In common AA size NiMH cells, the eneloops have won hands down for me.
A crappy charger will kill a NiMH cell quickly no matter the brand. Same thing happens if you try and use NiMH in a device that was designed for NiCd and does not have the proper charging circuit. NiMH's will outperform the NiCd's easily but only until a cell is fried from using the devices crude charging circuit that was designed for NiCd only.
I still own a lot of devices that have soldered in AA size cells and they need to be NiCd otherwise they will not last when charged a few times if you try and use NiMH.
I find it is getting harder and harder to find NiCd cells for many of my old devices. I usually modify them if possible and add a power jack for an external pack that I can then charge correctly while using NiMH cells instead. That's not always practical though.

I used to build custom packs out of the old 2 volt gel cells that were about double the size of a D size cell. Remember those things? They worked well as long as you did not boil them dry!
SLA's were still being developed back then so I made do with what was out there. The old gel cells worked pretty well and they offered decent current capacity also. A 12 volt pack was pretty heavy though especially if you put them in parallel for more capacity! I really built 14 volt packs as many devices were made to run from a car at 13.8 volts.

The house brands that batteries plus sells are usually junk and they are a crap shoot for sure. Especially if you don't use a decent charger.
I could not even count how many batteries plus NiMH cells I've had die a super early death. I'll only buy them now if I don't have another source and need something within minutes. And yes, they also fail even when using a high quality charger!

 

[HelixArray]

I know jack about these AA rechargeables, but I do know some of the basics of deep-cycle marine batteries and I think it's somewhat similar. If I have this right when my new batteries and charger arrive I want to.

Assign battery labels in pairs for the rest of the pairs life.
Use the batteries out of the package until my scanner alerts me of low battery and then do a full discharge and recharge?
Select charge rate to 200mAh

 

[gmclam]

Sanyo Eneloops NiMH 2000mAh AA

Hands down, the Sanyo Eneloops 2000mAh white AA batteries are the best for scanner use. Some people think the higher capacity (2500 or 2700) are better, but that's not true for normal use. All of the scanners I have use less than 150mA at full volume and the backlight on, not enough of a load to warrant the higher capacity batteries since they also come with a much higher self-discharge rate.

 

[mur]

A crappy charger will kill a NiMH cell quickly no matter the brand.

Besides a charger that chargers per cell and not by banks, What should I look for when deciding on a charger, any recommendations? Thank you

 

[rfking123]

Batteries

Do any of you members recommend a particular brand available on amazon for a pack of AA rechargeable batteries?

Also, I have a relatively inexpensive handheld that has the option of recharging internally..however, after researching here I've read that the $35 "La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger" isn't a bad idea to get as well; so that is my half of my game plan so far. Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance.

Take a look at the SANYO ENELOOP AT AMAZON AND CHECK OUT THE 2700 Ma AA batteries and then get a review of them!

 

[N1XDS]

Hands down, the Sanyo Eneloops 2000mAh white AA batteries are the best for scanner use. Some people think the higher capacity (2500 or 2700) are better, but that's not true for normal use. All of the scanners I have use less than 150mA at full volume and the backlight on, not enough of a load to warrant the higher capacity batteries since they also come with a much higher self-discharge rate.

Sanyo Eneloops for the win!

 

[E-Man]

Besides a charger that chargers per cell and not by banks, What should I look for when deciding on a charger, any recommendations? Thank you

Take a look at:

Amazon.com: La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger: Electronics

Amazon.com: Maha Powerex Wizard One MH-C9000 Advanced Battery Charger and Analyzer - Deluxe Accessory Storage Case Included: Electronics

 

[b52hbuff]

I also recommend following the manufacturers instructions for charging. I trashed some PowerEx 2700MaH batteries. So when I invested in the "white Eneloops", I spent some quality time at the Sanyo website to see the charging rates of the Sanyo's chargers.

Here are some suggested links:
MH-C9000 and Eneloops charge rate
Maha Energy
SANYO :: eneloop :: FAQs

You can see Sanyo's charging rates in their product manuals:
http://us.sanyo.com/dynamic/product/Downloads/Compact_Charger-28052970.pdf
http://us.sanyo.com/dynamic/product/Downloads/4_Position_Charger_IS-4508168.pdf
http://us.sanyo.com/dynamic/product/Downloads/USB_Instruction_Manual-27295019.pdf

My conclusion when I was done?
400mA charge rate
500mA discharge rate

 

[KevinC]

Take a look at:

Amazon.com: La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger: Electronics

Amazon.com: Maha Powerex Wizard One MH-C9000 Advanced Battery Charger and Analyzer - Deluxe Accessory Storage Case Included: Electronics

I have both of these and they are excellent chargers. I prefer the Maha due to it being a little easier to program the individual slot functions.

Either of these coupled with the new 2500 mAH Eneloops is an excellent combination. I'm getting 12 hours of use with the Eneloops in my PSR-800.

I searched for the "Digital 2900MAH batteries" but was unable to locate them.

 

[konnan69]

Mine are marked using colors to make it easy to keep them sorted out if they escape during a trip.

mine are marked with date of purchase, you never forget how old they are.

 

[SCPD]

bobf9f5 ok lots of batteries and charging on here I have come across a class2 power supply its input120vc (17watts ) out put @1000ma would this 1000ma be too much for charging & or run a scanner ?? Thanks

 

[Highpockets]

Either of these coupled with the new 2500 mAH Eneloops is an excellent combination. I'm getting 12 hours of use with the Eneloops in my PSR-800.

I searched for the "Digital 2900MAH batteries" but was unable to locate them.

I can give you a name of a user here that will help you find the 2900mAh batteries. I also use the 2500mAh Eneloops.

 

[scannersnstuff]

I can give you a name of a user here that will help you find the 2900mAh batteries. I also use the 2500mAh Eneloops.

please DON'T. my head still hurts from the last discussion.