PSR-310 Newbie, recharging batts
- Thread starter Sealilly
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No, not a good plan. Thankfully I've never had it happen to any of my radios, but I've seen too many pictures of scanners that had melted, caught fire and developed other problems all because the batteries overheated while being charged in the scanner. Luckily I wizened up before I could do any damage to mine.
Get yourself a quality charger and at least two good sets of rechargeable AA's. I myself have three sets for each of my scanners; one set is always in the scanner, one is in the charger and the other set is in the "bullpen," ready to be put in at a moments notice.
It's not...
a good plan, but you can do it this way if necessary, and I'm sure that many scanner owners charge their batteries in the scanner. In fact, I too did it that way until I read a post on here that changed my mind, so I went to WalMart and bought a charger that cost me around $20.00. What was said in that post was this: if one of the batteries you're trying to re-charge malfunctions and melts or explodes then you will probably be going out and replacing that scanner you just bought.
Like the previous poster, I too have not suffered this, and I don't really want to. Do the math....PSR-310...approx. cost $175.00 or re-charger ...approx. cost $20.00. Which one of the two would you rather have to replace? It's your call. Hope this helps.
Russell :wink:
a good plan, but you can do it this way if necessary, and I'm sure that many scanner owners charge their batteries in the scanner. In fact, I too did it that way until I read a post on here that changed my mind, so I went to WalMart and bought a charger that cost me around $20.00. What was said in that post was this: if one of the batteries you're trying to re-charge malfunctions and melts or explodes then you will probably be going out and replacing that scanner you just bought.
Like the previous poster, I too have not suffered this, and I don't really want to. Do the math....PSR-310...approx. cost $175.00 or re-charger ...approx. cost $20.00. Which one of the two would you rather have to replace? It's your call. Hope this helps.
Russell :wink:
Sanyo Eneloops and External charger
There are really only two chargers to get out there, the Maha PowerEx C9000 or LaCrosse BC-900. Each has its own set of pros and cons.
When it comes to batteries, the 2000mAh Sanyo Eneloops NiMh AA batteries have beat all others hands down. Yeah Sanyo now makes them at a higher capacity, but for scanner operation I don't think it is a good bargain. I like the Eneloops for low self-discharge and high number of recharge cycles during their lifetime.
Those $20 chargers sold with batteries IMO are designed to sell more batteries. Not worth it except in a dire situation where you don't have any other choice (meaning not used frequently).
There are really only two chargers to get out there, the Maha PowerEx C9000 or LaCrosse BC-900. Each has its own set of pros and cons.
When it comes to batteries, the 2000mAh Sanyo Eneloops NiMh AA batteries have beat all others hands down. Yeah Sanyo now makes them at a higher capacity, but for scanner operation I don't think it is a good bargain. I like the Eneloops for low self-discharge and high number of recharge cycles during their lifetime.
Those $20 chargers sold with batteries IMO are designed to sell more batteries. Not worth it except in a dire situation where you don't have any other choice (meaning not used frequently).
fourthhorseman
Member
i disagree about the 2 options as the only we have..ive been RC Racing for 20 yrs..RC hobbyists have
been perfecting this area for a long time..
ive been pushing these...
Associated Reedy AA 2700mAh NiMH Battery (4) ASC303 | eBay
the MAH rating gives me longer power on times..they are made for RC/transmitters..
i use this charger,,
Venom Racing Pro Charger with Power Supply - US VNR0657 | eBay
lets you set ALL charging parameters,,,,chemistry,,it'll charge NICAD's,NIMH,Lith Ion(laptop batts)
lithium polymer,lead acid...monitors temperature,(with a user setable temp cutoff)
you can set cell count,Mah capacity,voltage,,it discharges,
when you have a battery cell thats rated for 2200mah,,2000mah..,,you can push just that into it,,
no point in a 2500MAH cell if the charger is quitting after 853mah...
DO NOT CHARGE IN THE RADIO...
all around fantastic...imade my own AA cradle for charging,,,
been perfecting this area for a long time..
ive been pushing these...
Associated Reedy AA 2700mAh NiMH Battery (4) ASC303 | eBay
the MAH rating gives me longer power on times..they are made for RC/transmitters..
i use this charger,,
Venom Racing Pro Charger with Power Supply - US VNR0657 | eBay
lets you set ALL charging parameters,,,,chemistry,,it'll charge NICAD's,NIMH,Lith Ion(laptop batts)
lithium polymer,lead acid...monitors temperature,(with a user setable temp cutoff)
you can set cell count,Mah capacity,voltage,,it discharges,
when you have a battery cell thats rated for 2200mah,,2000mah..,,you can push just that into it,,
no point in a 2500MAH cell if the charger is quitting after 853mah...
DO NOT CHARGE IN THE RADIO...
all around fantastic...imade my own AA cradle for charging,,,
fourthhorseman
Member
Agreed Agreed Agreed!
those chargers will usually have a Max MAH thats a fraction of the batteries they are designed to charge..
i bought an Energizer AA 4pak,with charger,,
the batts were rated 2300mah,but the back of the charger was rated at 700mah output..B-S ! ! !
i had to charge til the lit was solid,then again,,then again,,and i was still only at 2100...
those charger batt combos are good for general consumers,,but fall short for more serious applications..
read the back of your wall wart/batt charger/cradles..see whats its pushing..
fourthhorseman
Member
And not to multi post like a BOZO...
But,,DISCHARGE YOUR BATTS!!!
make a simple discharge station..you CANNOT get a good,Full Accurate charge if
your unaware of how full your tank is!..start off as LOW as possible...ZERO those cells out.
then you can push the FULL MAH Capacity back in...
you can make one with a AA cradal from radio shack and a low power electric fan,,set it,forget it..
or just get a charger that will let you discharge to a set value...like the one i mentioned above..
But,,DISCHARGE YOUR BATTS!!!
make a simple discharge station..you CANNOT get a good,Full Accurate charge if
your unaware of how full your tank is!..start off as LOW as possible...ZERO those cells out.
then you can push the FULL MAH Capacity back in...
you can make one with a AA cradal from radio shack and a low power electric fan,,set it,forget it..
or just get a charger that will let you discharge to a set value...like the one i mentioned above..
N1BHH
Member
Buy a quality smart charger and several sets of batteries. That is the proper and only way to affirm long life from batteries. Charging batteries while a scanner is on will do nothing but shorten the lifetime of the batteries. You want to properly cycle the batteries, always. You don't want your investment to become a brick.
Pretty bad idea for modern nimh cells to take them down to zero. In fact, there is no reason to take them below 1.0 volts per cell, which is usually where most manufacturers set their power-off setpoint if they do watch the voltage. Any time spent below 0.7 volts really hammers them badly.
The fan is about absolutely the best way to destroy your cells. They sure will take your cell to zero. In fact, flashlights are also good for destroying cells if you just let them die. Cell-reversal is common.
Will some cells bounce back after going to zero? Maybe. Even if you do, the cycle life has been severely compromised. You can run this test very easily with a Maha MH-C9000 analyzer if you feel like destroying cells in the interest of science, or bringing them back to life as unreliable "zombie" cells.
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