Pro-106 batteries and charger?

[Flipflargin]

Thanks very much Rick for your post, never knew this could happen when using the black battery holder. I will definitely be taking out my batteries from the scanner tonight (always plugged in) just to be safe. I hope my house doesn't burn down before then.

 

[RickS31]

Thanks very much Rick for your post, never knew this could happen when using the black battery holder. I will definitely be taking out my batteries from the scanner tonight (always plugged in) just to be safe. I hope my house doesn't burn down before then.

YW. This is definitely a wake up call on this from a couple of different aspects. First, don't trust the black battery holder to keep your batteries safe and second, don't ever charge your batteries in the scanner. This shows what can happen with an inadvertant runaway charge with no safety circuitry built in.

I've just verified with a volt meter that my main batteries are disconnected when AC is plugged into the scanner and that the only way it could have done what it did was a slight, and I mean very slight contact, misalignment of the charge contact. You could not tell by looking at the contacts at all.

 

[petey_racer]

Those NiZn cells look interesting, especially at that price. I have not run mine from the batteries that much yet, but will probably go with the usual NiMH cells that I charge with the MH-C9000 charger:

I have the same charger and quite a few of those same batteries (Powerex 2700mAh) and HIGHLY recommend both.

IMO charging in the radio is not the way to go. It is a radio, not a battery charger. That charger charges each cell individually and is an intelligent charger. it is amazing the things it can do.

The Powerex batteries are the best I have found and last a long time. just keep two (or even three) full sets and keep them together. You'll always have fresh batteries.

 

[petey_racer]

There's been tons of discussion about charging or not in the radio. Here's an excellent reason not to. The following two pictures show what happened to me today. Yes, this was with the black battery holder and yes it was on AC power. I luckily picked up the radio to move it and it was red hot. I immediately pulled out the AC adapter cable and pulled the battery cover. This is what I found.

Now, in theory the black holder does not have the charge circuit connection and the batteries ARE disconnected from the radio when the AC adapter plug is plugged in. I verified that.

So-o-o, what happened? I'm in the process of verifiying how. I believe what happened is that I dropped the scanner. Not hard but probably hard enough to slightly distort the charge circuit spring metal contact in the battery compartment. Enough anyway so it made contact with the main battery contact on the holder. Now it had an unfettered charge going all the time. Not knowing about the out of position contact, I figured I was safe since I had the black holder in the radio. WRONG!

Damage - Melted black holder, 4 destroyed NiMh batteries, Melted plastic in the scanner and distorted battery cover. Luckily I caught it before it caught fire. Imagine if it would have happened overnight.

If there ever was a reason not to charge in these, here it is.

My 106 came with two battery trays. One black one for alkaline cells and a yellow one for rechargeable cells. Each has the contacts in a different place. I know that if you use rechargeable cells in the black holder bad things can and will happen.

Did this design change? If not then you did a really bad thing using the black holder for NiMh cells and especially charging them in there.

Did your 106 come with two battery holders?

 

[pro106import]

Exact same thing happened to ME!

There's been tons of discussion about charging or not in the radio. Here's an excellent reason not to. The following two pictures show what happened to me today. Yes, this was with the black battery holder and yes it was on AC power. I luckily picked up the radio to move it and it was red hot. I immediately pulled out the AC adapter cable and pulled the battery cover. This is what I found.

Now, in theory the black holder does not have the charge circuit connection and the batteries ARE disconnected from the radio when the AC adapter plug is plugged in. I verified that.

So-o-o, what happened? I'm in the process of verifiying how. I believe what happened is that I dropped the scanner. Not hard but probably hard enough to slightly distort the charge circuit spring metal contact in the battery compartment. Enough anyway so it made contact with the main battery contact on the holder. Now it had an unfettered charge going all the time. Not knowing about the out of position contact, I figured I was safe since I had the black holder in the radio. WRONG!

Damage - Melted black holder, 4 destroyed NiMh batteries, Melted plastic in the scanner and distorted battery cover. Luckily I caught it before it caught fire. Imagine if it would have happened overnight.

If there ever was a reason not to charge in these, here it is.

I was lucky too. Went to move the radio and it was smokin hot. See my post here:

http://forums.radioreference.com/ra...06-internal-battery-charging.html#post1422630

Bob

 

[MadSpleen85]

What is anyone's battery life like when you have the 106 running completely on freshly charged batteries, and what kind of batteries do you use to get this battery life?



I currently use Energizer Rechargeable NiMH 2000mAh, These are well used and I have noticed a significant loss in battery life after using them for more than a year now. Always have ran them completely down to the point where the radio turns off. Fully recharged then using the Energizer Charger that the batteries came with. I have a total of 16 of these, use them for everything from my, Pro-106, Pro-97, Xbox 360 controller, and cheap Polaroid Digital Camera. Even after completely running them down and fully recharging them battery life in the scanners is only about 2 hours of constant operation with volume no more then 1/2. The Digital Camera always shows 1/2 battery. The Xbox 360 controller seems to be the only place that these batteries still work well.

So I am in the market for a new set to use with the scanners, the digital camera is going to be replaced as well with a camera that has its own battery pack, so the new set of batteries will be used for only the Pro-97 and Pro-106.

 

[pro106import]

Batteries on sale!

I have the same charger and quite a few of those same batteries (Powerex 2700mAh) and HIGHLY recommend both.

IMO charging in the radio is not the way to go. It is a radio, not a battery charger. That charger charges each cell individually and is an intelligent charger. it is amazing the things it can do.

The Powerex batteries are the best I have found and last a long time. just keep two (or even three) full sets and keep them together. You'll always have fresh batteries.

The Powerex 2700 mah.'s are on sale for a decent price:
Newegg.com - POWEREX MH-8AA270-BH 2700mAh 8-Pack AA NiMH Rechargeable Batteries (Made in Japan) w/Carrying Case

AND, the charger too (hurry, only today):
http://www.newegg.com/special/shell...B2B-_-ShellShocker&cm_lm=dopplerbob@gmail.com


Bob

 

[KC5EIB]

These are well used and I have noticed a significant loss in battery life after using them for more than a year now.

You do not say how fast you are re-charging the batteries. The faster the re-charge time, the shorter the battery life and the fewer re-charges. The "Smart" chargers like the onr Bob described are great or any of the 4 hour or longer chargers on the market. You might also have one of the cells going bad out of a group of four (Has happened to me).

 

[RickS31]

My 106 came with two battery trays. One black one for alkaline cells and a yellow one for rechargeable cells. Each has the contacts in a different place. I know that if you use rechargeable cells in the black holder bad things can and will happen.

Did this design change? If not then you did a really bad thing using the black holder for NiMh cells and especially charging them in there.

Did your 106 come with two battery holders?

I hate to get negative on a post but you are totally incorrect. The black battery holder specifically has a missing contact area to prevent it from making a connection with the charge contact in the radio. That is the third spring contact toward the center of the radio from the right side as you face the back. ALL this does is prevent charging any battery in the black holder. Other than that it (the radio) doesn't care what type of battery is this holder. This holder is actually a much safer alternative (usually) for rechargeables to prevent accidental charging in the radio. The radio has no battery charge smarts so you are playing russian roulette by doing so.

In my case, the charging contact somehow made a contact with the main battery contact putting in a constant charge to the rechargeables. Worse would have been if I had had alkalines in the black holder. They are not made for any charging and would or could have exploded. Again, it doesn't matter which type of battery you have in the black holder.

 

[Ensnared]

What about powering the GRE PSR 500 with the cigarette lighter while on the road? Are there any precautions for this situation?

 

[VoicesInMyHead]

I have my Pro-106 here with me, and other than a gross bending of the third contact, I don't see how it could have made contact and stayed there... it would be horribly bent to make it that distance.

Before plugging that thing in again, I'd be doubly sure you don't have voltage between the common contact and the alkaline contact when it's plugged in.

Also... on a schematic that I saw for that circuit (and now, can't locate), the charging contact is current-regulated. If your batteries were truly connected straight up to the power adapter and not through that current-regulating circuit, then what you saw was very likely much worse than would have occurred under normal charging circumstances.

In either case, you should have never seen any current in your configuration; so I'd check it out thoroughly before plugging in again.

 

[RickS31]

Hey Voices,

Thanks for the input. Normally I'd agree but I did some heavy checking before I posted. First, I'm an EE and second I've had years of experience both investigating and designing battery chargers. The first thing I checked was with a DVM on the main battery contacts without a battery in it but with AC plugged in. 0 volts as expected. I then carefully examined the contacts. I disagree on your saying that it takes a substantial amount of misalignment on the charge contact to hit the main battery contact. Actually it's about 1-2 mm. Mine has just a small shift to the right as you face it and does contact the main contact. Hardly noticeable.

As to your statement about current limiting on the charge circuit, you are absolutely correct. It is limited to about a maximum of 150- 175 ma. The output voltage of the charge is about 8.06 volts, unloaded. That current pushed by the max voltage available is more than enough to ultimately breakdown the batteries creating shorts in them. This causes heat which, unchecked, causes more breakdown and shorting. Ultimately, one battery starts absorbing the total current and voltage. Calculating power (P=IE), you begin dissipating roughly 1.5 watts inside the battery, primarily in heat. No place for it to go so it continues to build. The scanner itself has no smarts to decrease either voltage or current or to watch cell temperature. All important parameters in well designed chargers. Last important charger parameter is time limiting. When turned off, the scanner supplies charge current no matter what when it's plugged into the adapter.

Therefore, the only safety margin is to use the black holder but even it can fail and destroy the batteries and/or the scanner.

 

[MadSpleen85]

You do not say how fast you are re-charging the batteries. The faster the re-charge time, the shorter the battery life and the fewer re-charges. The "Smart" chargers like the onr Bob described are great or any of the 4 hour or longer chargers on the market. You might also have one of the cells going bad out of a group of four (Has happened to me).

I have never timed the charge, it seems to be about 3 or 4 hours usually. Will have to pay more attention next time. I am using the Energizer Charger that came with the batteries.

 

[W6KRU]

I have never timed the charge, it seems to be about 3 or 4 hours usually. Will have to pay more attention next time. I am using the Energizer Charger that came with the batteries.

Yuck. Some of those are advertised as 15 minute chargers, I found one that was an overnight charger. The problem with it was that it never turned off and just kept cooking the batteries, I didn't find any of them that allowed charging 1-4 batteries. They all did 2 or 4. Yuck.

 

[petey_racer]

I hate to get negative on a post but you are totally incorrect. The black battery holder specifically has a missing contact area to prevent it from making a connection with the charge contact in the radio. That is the third spring contact toward the center of the radio from the right side as you face the back. ALL this does is prevent charging any battery in the black holder. Other than that it (the radio) doesn't care what type of battery is this holder. This holder is actually a much safer alternative (usually) for rechargeables to prevent accidental charging in the radio. The radio has no battery charge smarts so you are playing russian roulette by doing so.

In my case, the charging contact somehow made a contact with the main battery contact putting in a constant charge to the rechargeables. Worse would have been if I had had alkalines in the black holder. They are not made for any charging and would or could have exploded. Again, it doesn't matter which type of battery you have in the black holder.

Hey, no problem. I learned something.
I was not aware that was the key difference. Now that I think about it, the battery type is chosen in the Global menu so your point make total sense.

 

[petey_racer]

Yuck. Some of those are advertised as 15 minute chargers, I found one that was an overnight charger. The problem with it was that it never turned off and just kept cooking the batteries, I didn't find any of them that allowed charging 1-4 batteries. They all did 2 or 4. Yuck.

This is one of the best features of the "smart" chargers, like the MAHA. Each cell is attended to individually as they should.

 

[pro106import]

Nice charger on sale

I purchased this charger a few months ago for this price of $39.99 also. Works fantastic. Newegg is a good company too. Received it in 2 days.
Newegg.com - POWEREX MH-C800S Eight Cell AA/AAA Smart Charger

Bob

 

[MikeDillon]

Battery Charging

I'm not only into scanners but RC airplanes as well. I charge my battery's in the scanner and really never had any issues. One thing I found that that came from the RC world that I use is Hobbico's Accu-Cycle. Hobbico Accu-Cycle Elite Mine is a older unit, what it does is "cycle" the batteries. It will drain the battery down to a preset level then recharge them to peak performance. I cycle my batteries at least once a month, and have had rechargeable for 10+ years. I own 4 hand helds and there always ready to go.

 

[N3FAH]

Ni-MH Thermal Runaway

"We get too soon old, and too late smart" dept: Too late, I read Rick's post. My batteries don't look quite as bad, but lets just say the leather case covers up the cosmetic damage to the radio. Lesson learned. I will not charge in radio any more. Smaht chagah for this yankee!