pro 95 and nickel metal hydride batteries

[monitorboy]

i couldnt find an answer in the manuel.can i charge nimh batteries in the pro95
without having to keep eye on them .......so to speak.or will they over heat and explode .

thanks :? :shock:

 

[drew6553]

yes and no

you can but it make sure you have the right charger from radio shack. i was charging nimh batteries in a pro 92 or something like that but the charge going in was 900 mah so it melted the batteries to the case and the case to the charger. the company was nice enough to replace it for me but if are going to charge use a radio shack plug that charges at a rate of 150 maH mavimum of 300 MaH so you don't suffer like i did. anyquestions, pm me.

 

[Voyager]

i couldnt find an answer in the manuel.can i charge nimh batteries in the pro95
without having to keep eye on them .......so to speak.or will they over heat and explode .

thanks :? :shock:

Get a charger designed for NiMH - such as one of the MAHA chargers.
http://www.nimhbattery.com/

Joe M.

 

[GUIDEGUIDO]

NIMHs do best when they are totally depleted before charging. Buy a $15 charger at Walmart (including 4 NIMH AAs), and plug it in. Put your other set of batteries in the black holder and insert in the scanner, and store the yellow one in a drawer somewhere.

 

[n4yek]

NIMHs do best when they are totally depleted before charging. Buy a $15 charger at Walmart (including 4 NIMH AAs), and plug it in. Put your other set of batteries in the black holder and insert in the scanner, and store the yellow one in a drawer somewhere.

This is exactly what I have done, except I have 8 batteries. I always
keep 4 of them charged up so when the others run down and the scanner
shuts off I swap them out and recharge the others.
Go with GUIDEGUIDO's advice.
Danny
N4YEK

 

[PhilJSmith67]

I don't have a second charger; I have 2300mAH NiMH batteries in mine. NiMH battery manufacturers claim that NiMH doesn't suffer from "memory effect" as much as NiCd, so don't have to be fully discharged before recharging them. If those claims were true, there would have been no reason for companies to start making Lithium-Ion batteries. My experience is like others on this board, that they don't tend to last as long if you "shallow-discharge" and recharge them often.

The PRO-95 is designed to be able to charge NiCd or NiMH batteries, which is stated in the manual. However, the charging circuit is very simple and it WILL overjuice the batteries after they reach full charge. If this is the only charge method you plan to use, it's important to keep a mental note of how discharged the batteries are, and likewise, how long you leave it on charge. The formula is basically 1 hour per hundred mAH rating. Keep in mind that the radio will not run the batteries to "zero" charge, either. It will shut down when the batteries drop below the operating voltage, so 2300mAH batteries probably only need about 18-20 hours to reach full-charge again.

Someday I'll just do the smart thing and get a "smart" external charger, like others on this thread suggest.

 

[DonS]

NiMH battery manufacturers claim that NiMH doesn't suffer from "memory effect" as much as NiCd, so don't have to be fully discharged before recharging them. If those claims were true, there would have been no reason for companies to start making Lithium-Ion batteries.

There would still be several reasons for Li-Ion batteries: higher cell voltages, higher energy density, lower self-discharge rate, they work better at temperature extremes, etc. Of course, they also cost more, require more care when charging, etc.

(And Lithium Ion rechargeables are about as old as NiMH - they've been in commercial use since 1991 and 1990, respectively.)

Keep in mind that the radio will not run the batteries to "zero" charge, either. It will shut down when the batteries drop below the operating voltage

The PRO-95 won't actually shut down. If the volume control is not in the "off" position, the scanner is drawing power, and will eventually discharge the batteries completely (though this may take quite some time, there won't be any visible indication of completion, and you won't have the use of your scanner during this period).

 

[PhilJSmith67]

There would still be several reasons for Li-Ion batteries: higher cell voltages, higher energy density, lower self-discharge rate, they work better at temperature extremes, etc. Of course, they also cost more, require more care when charging, etc.

Good points, Don...

Keep in mind that the radio will not run the batteries to "zero" charge, either. It will shut down when the batteries drop below the operating voltage

The PRO-95 won't actually shut down. If the volume control is not in the "off" position, the scanner is drawing power, and will eventually discharge the batteries completely (though this may take quite some time, there won't be any visible indication of completion, and you won't have the use of your scanner during this period).

You're right; the microcontroller and display shut down. Most people would probably turn the unit off at that point, but if it's unattended it would drain the batteries to zero. It is hard on any type of battery to cycle it that deep.

 

[Altpensacola]

charging in unit

Wouldn't the milli amp rating of your transformer matter also?
I make sure to use only 300m. or less.
I've had transformers with larger amp ratings melt a battery pack.

 

[PhilJSmith67]

Voltage and current are directly related, by Ohm's law. The charging circuit in the PRO-95 is designed such that the your transformer should be able to maintain 9v, regardless of the current rating. It doesn't matter if the transformer is capable of 10 amps, if it's holding at 9v, the PRO-95 will supply a charging current to the batteries of roughly 100mA.

Larger transformers tend to cause trouble if they are cheaply made and "freewheel" at 10 or more volts with no load. I had a cheapo 12v adapter rated at 500mA that would hold a steady 18.5 volts with no load. Lovely! It never hurts to check your adapter with a meter and see what the heck it's doing under load, minimal load, or no load at all.

Nevertheless, I prefer not to use an AC adapter that is just barely capable of enough current to maintain the correct voltage, because this usually results in a nasty 60Hz earphone hum. Off the top of my head, I don't know what the PRO-95 manual says about the minimum current rating for an AC adapter.

 

[redmonds]

Battery Reviews

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I found this while doing a little research and thought I would share.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks

 

[kc4jgc]

I've been able to charge my nimh batteries inside my pro-95 both from a wall charger and from a cigarette lighter plug without trouble.

Steve

 

[Voyager]

I've been able to charge my nimh batteries inside my pro-95 both from a wall charger and from a cigarette lighter plug without trouble.

Steve

Wait until one of your cells goes bad and shorts and the heat melts your scanner. Do yourself a favor - spend 20 bucks as insurance to not destroy a scanner that may be worth up to $500. In addition, you will be able to still use it portable while your cells are recharging if you have a second set of cells.

Joe M.

 

[bravo14]

Good point there Voyager! I charge my battries in a seaprate charger that holds 8 at a time it takes abour 2 or 3 hours to charge. I have set of 18 batteries total it is worth buying a separate charger than rather spend a whole of money on the radio..... back to Floridauhh that keeps everything secrert on the radios..

 

[bravo14]

I have a pro 96. The 2000 & 1800mha nickel metal hydride batteries will not work the case cover is hard to close and it dies in 10 mints. I am stuck using the 1600. I wonder why pro 96 does not work with 2000 or 1800?

 

[loumaag]

I have a pro 96. The 2000 & 1800mha nickel metal hydride batteries will not work the case cover is hard to close and it dies in 10 mints. I am stuck using the 1600. I wonder why pro 96 does not work with 2000 or 1800?

All "AA" batteries are the same size (physically) no matter what the rating on the battery. I use, 1850, 2100, 2300 and 2500 ma batteries in my Pro-96 all the time. I do find the battery cover a little difficult to put on, no matter which battery case is bring used. This is because the cover actually is used to hold the battery case contacts against the contacts in the radio.

 

[Voyager]

I have a pro 96. The 2000 & 1800mha nickel metal hydride batteries will not work the case cover is hard to close and it dies in 10 mints. I am stuck using the 1600. I wonder why pro 96 does not work with 2000 or 1800?

All "AA" batteries are the same size (physically) no matter what the rating on the battery. I use, 1850, 2100, 2300 and 2500 ma batteries in my Pro-96 all the time. I do find the battery cover a little difficult to put on, no matter which battery case is bring used. This is because the cover actually is used to hold the battery case contacts against the contacts in the radio.

I've seen some that are slightly larger - usually off brands. I could see where some may be too large for the battery holder to fit in the radio.

I had that with some off brands that barely fit in an AR8200. They warped the battery cover. The 8200 has little extra room.

I use 2500 mAH Energizer NiMHs and they fit fine in everything I've tried (including the 8200 and a PRO-96)

Joe M.

 

[GUIDEGUIDO]

I've seen some that are slightly larger - usually off brands.

Not that it's a problem with the radio, but I have to force the RS batteries into my Duracell charger. The Duracells fit nicely.

 

[eyes00only]

I have charged my batteries in scanners for approx. 20 years, and never had a problem. Even though I know that L-ION & NIMH batteries don't suffer (too much) from memory loss, I still totally drain them once a month, and then charge them 10% more than the recommended time. COMMON SENSE is the main factor. A slow charge is always better than a "quickie" with ANY battery.

Jerry