AA/AAA NiMH battery charger?

[Slickone]

I'm having trouble deciding on a charger. Been looking at MAHA or La Crosse.

With the MAHA MH-C9000, I dont really like the fact that you have to manually set the rate for each cell. Also this person actually returned theirs.

I was looking at the La Cross BC-900 though, also with an LED display, and cheaper than the MAHA MH-C9000, but people have problems with it too, as noted here on AT. Are they planning to address these problems?

I noticed the La Crosse BC-900 discharges the batteries completely before charging, but I've read you should only do that with NiCd, and shouldn't discharge every time with NiMH (only once every few cycles) or at all with Li-Ion batts?

Also I noticed the MH-C800S says SANYO ENELOOP COMPATIBLE but the others dont that I saw. I have Rayovac Hybrids which I think are the same technology.

 

[BoomerD]

It's a repost from a couple of days ago, but since the search engine here works so well, I'm not gonna take the time to find the earlier link...(lazy bstard that I am!)
It's funny to watch, but if it's real, I'd be plenty pissed if it happened to me...

 

[Slickone]

Nope, it's not. I've read all the threads that the search returned. They simply asked which charger should I get? I didn't. I asked questions. And as I've tried before, if I'd asked all this at the end of those threads, they'd definately get no answers since people would still just reply to the OP's question and skip the rest. Been there, done that.

 

[Double Trouble]

I purchased the La Crosse BC-900 and have been very happy with it. Make sure you get the latest firmware version, they've fixed a bunch of the bugs that dogged earlier versions. The BC-900 is about as easy or as sophisticated as you want it to be. You can just plop the batteries in there and have them charge, or you can set the rates (for individual cells if you like) etc.

Also, it works just fine with my Rayovac Hybrids (those things rock by the way!). They keep their charge for a loooong time, so they're perfect for putting in devices where they sit for a long time (remote control etc).

 

[Dessert Tears]

Originally posted by: Slickone
Also I noticed the La Crosse BC-900 discharges the batteries completely before charging, but I've read you should only do that with NiCd, and shouldn't discharge every time with NIMH (only once every few cycles) or at all with Li-Ion batts?

Discharge mode is an option that can be chosen, not the default (from my hardcopy manual). When I use my BC-900, it seems to start charging immediately.

Short answer: for modern batteries, full discharge is neither necessary nor damaging.

The "memory" effect is mostly a myth and a scapegoat for "dumb" chargers and their frequent overheating of the batteries. NiCd/NiMH are also damaged by cell reversal - when 1 cell is drained past 0V and is effectively being charged by the other batteries. This occurs only when cells of mismatched capacity (true capacity, the labeled mAh rating doesn't matter) are used together and can be avoided by removing and charging before the weakest cell is fully discharged. Full/deep discharge can repair some of the damage, but it's not necessary if no damage exists. Normal wear can be "refreshed" by deep discharge also, but loss in capacity due to it is slow. LiOn batteries are sensitive to both overcharging and overdischarging, but they generally have protection circuitry to prevent either.

2 old threads, with a more detailed explanation:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=38&threadid=1628421&arctab=y
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=38&threadid=1641633&arctab=y

 

[Slickone]

Originally posted by: tagej
I purchased the La Crosse BC-900 and have been very happy with it. Make sure you get the latest firmware version, they've fixed a bunch of the bugs that dogged earlier versions. The BC-900 is about as easy or as sophisticated as you want it to be. You can just plop the batteries in there and have them charge, or you can set the rates (for individual cells if you like) etc.

Is v33 not the latest firmware? The problems reported were with v33 also.

 

[Slickone]

Originally posted by: Flatscan

Originally posted by: Slickone
Also I noticed the La Crosse BC-900 discharges the batteries completely before charging, but I've read you should only do that with NiCd, and shouldn't discharge every time with NIMH (only once every few cycles) or at all with Li-Ion batts?

Discharge mode is an option that can be chosen, not the default (from my hardcopy manual). When I use my BC-900, it seems to start charging immediately.

Short answer: for modern batteries, full discharge is neither necessary nor damaging.

The "memory" effect is mostly a myth and a scapegoat for "dumb" chargers and their frequent overheating of the batteries. NiCd/NiMH are also damaged by cell reversal - when 1 cell is drained past 0V and is effectively being charged by the other batteries. This occurs only when cells of mismatched capacity (true capacity, the labeled mAh rating doesn't matter) are used together and can be avoided by removing and charging before the weakest cell is fully discharged. Full/deep discharge can repair some of the damage, but it's not necessary if no damage exists. Normal wear can be "refreshed" by deep discharge also, but loss in capacity due to it is slow. LiOn batteries are sensitive to both overcharging and overdischarging, but they generally have protection circuitry to prevent either.

2 old threads, with a more detailed explanation:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=38&threadid=1628421&arctab=y
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=38&threadid=1641633&arctab=y

While I have a question that's a different subject than whether to completely discharge or not, the link to battery university in that second thread says any nickel based battery will have the capacity reduced if left on charge for more than a few days. So how do batteries in items that are continually left on a charger last as long as they do? Such as cordless phones, flashlights, screwdrivers, razors/shavers, toothbrushes, etc. After dumping NiCd, any of the NiMH batteries in my last few cordless phones have charged well for a very long time. If you say chargers in those devices cut off when the battery is fully charged, first that would probably only be a few seconds at a time and it would start charging again, and second, isn't that what any halfway decent regular standalone battery charger does anyway? So is what they say true or not?

 

[Double Trouble]

Chargers with more advanced circuitry will know when the batteries are full and either stop charging or go into "trickle" mode to keep the batteries topped off.

Older / cheaper chargers don't have those mechanisms built in, and will keep charging at full bore, reducing the lifespan and charge for the device if left too long.

That's why you should never charge batteries with some cheap $5 charger, unless you time it correctly to take them out when they are done.

 

[Slickone]

Has anyone else had any or no problems with the La Crosse? (tagej has v33 firmware).

 

[weeber]

I've got the La Crosse, and love it. No problems. I don't know what the firmware is, but I just got it from Amazon in January, so it probably pretty recent.

 

[Slickone]

Anyone else? So do most people have no problems with that one?

 

[GRIFFIN1]

I bought a La Crosse from amazon about a month ago. It's a V33 and it's seems to be working fine.

 

[ScoobMaster]

If you are looking for alternatives, I own and have been using this one for a few years. It just plain works and charges like-size batteries in any quantity of 1-4 at a time. It has smart and soft-start circuitry and can be set to so a discharge (conditioning) cycle if needed as well. The one bonus I LOVE is the charge level indicator function.

CCrane QuickCharger

 

[Sphexi]

I'm looking for a new charger myself, but I need it to be a little bit larger. I remember back in the days having a 16-bay charger, and being able to just toss in batteries and let them sit there until I needed them. Now I can only find 8-bay chargers, mostly from MAHA, and I have a LOT of stuff that burns through batteries (mostly kid toys).