Charging batteries & battery types

[Spider255]

I have a lot of Ni Cad batteries and Nickel metal hydride batteries.

Is it a good idea to charge Ni Cad cells in a fast charger designed for only nickel metal hydride batteries and is it safe to charge lithium cells in a NiMH fast charger?

I do have an old battery charger but it takes a long time to charge batteries so I prefer to use my fast charger that charges AA/AAA cells in 15 minutes.

Is is safe to charge those in a fast charger?

 

[mc48]

No

 

[G7RUX]

Most of the answers to your questions here are ”no” I’m afraid.

Lithium cells in a NiCd/NiMH charger: probably won’t work anyway as the voltage is too low, so no.

A charger that charges AA and AAA cells in 15 minutes seems exceedingly unwise.

 

[K4EET]

The answer, as others have said, is an emphatic no! Don’t do it because unpredictable things could happen. The worst being the potential for a fire. Different compositions of batteries need to be charged in a charger designed for that particular composition. Stay safe, my friend.

 

[slicerwizard]

I prefer to use my fast charger that charges AA/AAA cells in 15 minutes.

Your 15 minute charger is a battery destroyer.

 

[avery_k]

I have a lot of Ni Cad batteries and Nickel metal hydride batteries.

Is it a good idea to charge Ni Cad cells in a fast charger designed for only nickel metal hydride batteries and is it safe to charge lithium cells in a NiMH fast charger?

I do have an old battery charger but it takes a long time to charge batteries so I prefer to use my fast charger that charges AA/AAA cells in 15 minutes.

Is is safe to charge those in a fast charger?

Fast charger, no. MAHA and other companies make chargers just for these types of batteries and can extend their life considerably

 

[mayidunk]

Also an emphatic no to all of your questions. I would also add that you do not want to mess around with Lithium-Ion batteries! Only use the battery charger specifically recommended by the battery's maker, as it will have the exact battery management system needed by the battery to keep it, and you, safe. Too many people are experiencing these batteries catching fire, and even exploding. Once they catch fire, there is absolutely no way to put them out! Not with water, not with any type of fire extinguisher, all you can do is let them burn themselves out. If they catch fire in the house, it's likely that you will either horrifically burn yourself trying to put it outside, or you will set fire to the house.

They are definitely not worth the risk!

 

[BinaryMode]

Once they catch fire, there is absolutely no way to put them out! Not with water, not with any type of fire extinguisher, all you can do is let them burn themselves out. If they catch fire in the house, it's likely that you will either horrifically burn yourself trying to put it outside, or you will set fire to the house.

I just want to say there is one possible way that everyone may want to have on hand and in close proximity. A LiPo fire containment bag. In fact, all commercial airlines have at least two large bags for people's LiPo crap in case it should ever happen.

Look for the brands AVSax and LithiumSafe. Those are what the airlines use.

Another possibility, (and this is just me) is to toss it in a small fireproof safe. Those are made of a concrete or something similar. Plus, upon closing you minimizing the massive amount of sparks and possible explosion. Again, this is just my opinion.

The trick with LiPo fire bags are getting the device in there quick enough, and therein lies a problem.

Anyway, just thought I'd share.

 

[mayidunk]

I just want to say there is one possible way that everyone may want to have on hand and in close proximity. A LiPo fire containment bag. In fact, all commercial airlines have at least two large bags for people's LiPo crap in case it should ever happen.

Look for the brands AVSax and LithiumSafe. Those are what the airlines use.

Another possibility, (and this is just me) is to toss it in a small fireproof safe. Those are made of a concrete or something similar. Plus, upon closing you minimizing the massive amount of sparks and possible explosion. Again, this is just my opinion.

The trick with LiPo fire bags are getting the device in there quick enough, and therein lies a problem.

Anyway, just thought I'd share.

Excellent suggestion! Something like a Sentry document safe could possibly do the trick, though I would definitely look at their ratings compare to what kind of thermal output those batteries are capable of.

 

[Spider255]

That is one of the reasons why I don't like Lithium-Ion batteries, although all devices like tablets, phones & laptops use them I have a couple of Lithium-Ion AA cells not sure if they still work because I have no charger for them and they have been sitting in a draw for a very long time.

I'll have to use my old battery charger I bought in the late 90s to charge my Ni Cad cells. I think a lot of the Ni Cads will probably be dead as well as they were unused in a box for quite some time, more than a decade old but I will go through all of them to see which ones hold charge.

My fast charger only does NiMH batteries.

 

[EAFrizzle]

Buy a decent multi-size, multi-chemistry charger from Amazon. Look for one that will charge 18650 and 21700 size cells; they can also have adjustable charge rates as well.

There's nothing wrong at all with lithium batteries, provided you care for them properly, and don't continuously run them at high discharge rates. I've worn out hundreds of 18650s and 21700s over the past decade, and I've never had a fire, even at high amperage discharge rates. A receiver/scanner won't come close to that kind of draw, though they can make the cells a bit warm.

Best way to keep your batteries in best condition is to NEVER charge them in a device that can't monitor voltage, amperage, temperature. A charger that runs simply by setting a timer should be used as a last resort. If I'm charging batteries in my 125 or 325, there's probably a power outage situation, and I'm having to force every avaliable electron to prepare itself for work.

Battery capacity is often a lie, so don't fall for a hyped up number. 2000-2400 is a reasonable mAh rating for a standard AA NiCd. The brand i use the most is the Amazon basics at 2000 mAh rating. The Lexel branded cells that Uniden ships with the 125 & 325 are pretty decent cells, if you can find them at a good price.

 

[BinaryMode]

Excellent suggestion! Something like a Sentry document safe could possibly do the trick, though I would definitely look at their ratings compare to what kind of thermal output those batteries are capable of.

Avoid the document bags. There are videos on YouTube were they just burn up. Now granted that isn't a REAL scientific approach, so YMMV. I personally trust the regular safes made of concrete or whatever it is. I have three of them. They're only about $40 bucks and won't break the bank. Coupe things to note however: 1) They are not like a REAL safe that will keep people out. Those types of safes have a rating based on how long it would take someone to forcibly get in with tools. In this situation I would want to hide it utilizing security through obscurity which IS a layer of security. It's a layer... 2) Most if not all fireproof safe are not meant for firearms and maybe ammo. The obvious lack of security is one reason you'd not want that. and 3) store all documents in a fireproof safe with plastic sleeves, and store all USB sticks, hard drives, whatever in sandwich bags or whatever. Reason being is that if there is a fire the contents inside will get moist.

So there you have it and I hope I have educated those that may not know.

That is one of the reasons why I don't like Lithium-Ion batteries...

I don't care for them either for this reason so I'm always present when I charge a device. ESPECIALLY a cheap Chinese radio (CCR).

Now the LiFePo4 batteries should be safer with a reduced thermal runaway. They will drain down further so your electronic items will run longer, they are super light weight and have a higher charge cycle. Being light weight of course would be excellent for EV's. Not to mention the other three positives I mentioned.

There's at minimum five different lithium battery chemistries out there. Some are SUPER expensive and meant for certain types of applications. You know the cart that the nurse pushes around at a hospital or whatever? Those will typically use a LiFePo4 type battery made by the company Scott-Clark Medical.

I don't even want to get into where most lithium comes from and the slave labor that is involved. It's very sad.