Battery Charger

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Dubbin

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Looking for a charger that will charge an odd number of batteries. I know there is a real good one out there but I am drawing a blank as to the company that makes it.
 

wesm1957

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Dubbin said:
Looking for a charger that will charge an odd number of batteries. I know there is a real good one out there but I am drawing a blank as to the company that makes it.

You may want to try a local hobby store and look at some of the chargers on the market. I have one made by MRC that will charge both nicad and nickle metal. It will charge an odd number of cells and the charge rate can be set from 50mah to 4 amps. The one I have is the Super Brain 969. Hope this helps.

Wes
 

Dubbin

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DanHenry said:
You're probably thinking of Maha.

I've been using a Maha MH-C401FS charger for the past year that does intelligent charging of 1, 2, 3, or 4 AA or AAA batteries. You do NOT have to charge in pairs.

Maha makes other excellent chargers too.

http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/listcategoriesandproducts.asp?idcategory=11

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/mhc401fs.htm

-Dan

Thats almost it but it did lead me to what I was looking for. http://www.thomas-distributing.com/mh-c777plus.htm
 

Dubbin

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b52hbuff said:
Great charger, I have one. With a pair of alligator clips it'll charge just about anything you throw at it.

However....

compared to the 401FS, it'll only charge batteries in series... Much better to have individual charging circuits like the 401FS.

Well then I guess my choice has been made. It will be the 401FS.
 

michaelsbus

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Duracell has a unit charges up to 4 cells in an hour - switch selects nicd or nimh (all four slots). has 2 flip-down blocks for AAA in pairs, but will charge cells individually. Think I got it in Staples for about 35 bucks with four AA NIMH cells. Serves me fairly well, but have to keep it away from the scanner (Damned microprocessor RFI - they'll be putting CPU's in toasters next)
 

Grog

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Dubbin said:
Well then I guess my choice has been made. It will be the 401FS.

I have the older 204, and when (if) it dies I'll be replacing it with a 401. I've read enough problems with the 777 series that I decided to stay away from it, even though it would be nice to do so many things with one charger.
 

Halfpint

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Dubbin said:
Well then I guess my choice has been made. It will be the 401FS.

*If* you are using a `battery-pak' and have multiple ones you are needing to charge *maybe* the MH-C777+, or similar, *might* actually be a better choice. While *I* am not using one I have been using another somewhat similar charger, it's been banging around my home/shop/lab for years and the maker and model labeling has disappeared long ago, to charge up assorted 4 and 6 battery-paks for my HH units. The only batteries I don't charge with it are my Rayovac IC3s since I really haven't figured out how to adjust it for them other than as `regular' rechargeables and I managed to pick up the IC3 specific chargers needed at a `going out of business' sale for `dimes on the dollar' which made them quite affordable. (I cleaned out all 12 they had remaining and the owner threw in the last 10 4-paks of AA and 12 4-paks of AAA IC3 batteries!) While I do use some for my HH scanners the majority of them are used for things like digital cameras, children's toys, a few flashlights, and other miscellaneous things where being able to quickly recharge from AC or DC is nice. Both mine and my wife's vehicles have a pair w/DC cord, all of our digital camera cases have one with both the `wallwart' and dc cord, and the rest are scattered hither and yon around the farm buildings. However, back to the MH-C777+ `type' charger, the thing *I* like about using it to charge up the battery-paks is I only deal with paks of batteries and can easily grab whatever I may need knowing that they will be `hot' and easier to switch out when needed than carrying a bunch of individual loose batteries that I have to keep sorted out as groups, for useage `life' and charging `life', all the time. (I built `holders' for the various paks in my woodworking shop without much hassle or, for the most part, attempts at being `fancy' that work quite well. The most `fancy' tool I used was a tablesaw but they could have just as easily been done with just handtools. The rest of the parts I either dug out of one of my `junqueboxes' or picked up at a local hardware store. For the contacts I recommend finding some good brass `phillips' screws with rounded heads. If one is `creative' one can handle several types of battery-paks with one adapter by how one installs the screws and hooks up the charger. It is even possible to handle multiple battery-paks, too. Heck! *If* one actually tries one can make the adapters almost `works of art' that one can leave `laying about' without any `embarassment' or complaints! {GRIN!} I actually made one from some `scrap' mahogany I found laying about and unless I am charging up some paks no one realizes what it is until I `show-n-tell' them. {CHORTLE!})

This may not be exactly what you were originally thinking about but it is something that maybe you, or others, may find to be something interesting to eventually do as you start `collecting' more and more batteries and battery-paks. I know that while *I* still have quite a bit of `clutter' with various assorted battery chargers, batteries, and of course battery-paks `re-thinking' how I was handling them and going this route I have made a fairly considerable `dent' in the clutter. Plus... It has eliminated several of the gripes that had been coming from "She Who Must Be Obeyed's" `corner' and has made it a *lot easier* for me to acquire more `new toys' when the urge struck me. {VBSE GRIN!} (It also helps that *I* don't complain about SWMBO's own `toys', too. {CHORTLE!})

Just an `Olde Fart's' 2¢ worth. {GRIN!}
 

DanHenry

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Dwayne,

If you go with the 401FS and travel overseas you might want to consider the international version that replaces the standard power cube with this one:

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/maha-worldadapter.htm

It adds about $7 to the price but I like it because it's lighter, more compact, and plugs straight in instead of the standard 90 degree angle with the cord.

Halfpint, Woodworking and battery chargers..... Now that's a combo I never connected before. If able you should post a photo some time. Sounds nice.

-Dan
 

b52hbuff

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Grog said:
I have the older 204, and when (if) it dies I'll be replacing it with a 401. I've read enough problems with the 777 series that I decided to stay away from it, even though it would be nice to do so many things with one charger.

I'd be curious to see references. I've had no problems with mine.
 

Grog

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It was on one of the radio forums. Maybe the batboard or hamsexy, or maybe the batlounge? It's hard to keep them straight :lol:

I'll try to find the posts, and post them here.
 
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