Let's Talk Batteries!

[Aztech]

I recently started noticing the physically larger rechargeable C and D NiMH batteries? Are those newer or did I just never notice them before?

Anyway I was just kind of wondering the market penetration of these versus Alkaline, I guess especially among AnandTech folks. Are you using rechargeables all over the place, or just in your digital cameras or what? Do you use them in children's toys and remote controls and flashlights?

Talk a bit about your battery habits...

 

[shortylickens]

Were they Nickel Cadmium or Nickel Metal-Hydride or what?
All the rechargable C's and D's I've seen are normal size.

As for WHAT: I use them everywhere. Regular batteries are so damn expensive these days. With rechargables you get your money back on the 2nd or 3rd charge and its pretty much free after that.

 

[Aztech]

Originally posted by: shortylickens
Were they Nickel Cadmium or Nickel Metal-Hydride or what?
All the rechargable C's and D's I've seen are normal size.

As for WHAT: I use them everywhere. Regular batteries are so damn expensive these days. With rechargables you get your money back on the 2nd or 3rd charge and its pretty much free after that.

I meant physically larger as in compared to the AA and AAA that I usually saw everywhere. I'm talking about NiMH.

 

[SuperNaruto]

Any good battery testors to recommend ? want to check whats left in the battery.. all kinds... alk, rechargable, etc.

 

[Aztech]

I noticed an Alkaline battery charger for sale the other day? Do those require special Alkaline batteries? Has anyone recharged Alkalines?

 

[mugs]

Big rechargeables (Cs and Ds) are popular over on Candlepowerforums because they give you longer runtime, but in general I don't think they're very popular, because they're pretty expensive and most battery powered stuff uses AAs and AAAs. You don't see many people with portable boomboxes anymore.

 

[randay]

Originally posted by: Aztech
I noticed an Alkaline battery charger for sale the other day? Do those require special Alkaline batteries? Has anyone recharged Alkalines?

if you like exploding batteries...

 

[TreyRandom]

Originally posted by: Aztech
I noticed an Alkaline battery charger for sale the other day? Do those require special Alkaline batteries? Has anyone recharged Alkalines?

It's not recommended due to potential for explosion or leakage. Besides, you can't get that many charges out of them, even if you luckily manage to do so safely. Why risk it when there's a safe, affordable alternative?

I've used rechargeable C and D batteries for a few years, so you must not have noticed them before. I use them in my kids toys.

 

[0roo0roo]

alkaline rechargables are obsolete. they tried to push those for a while during the early days of nimh, but they just are lousy, the alkalines they use only charge a couple times, and you can't let them drain completely or they won't charge up again, so its charge as often as possible just to get single digit charge use out of a set. plus for most modern devices nimhs are simply superior. alkalines only really excelled at long term low drain devices, like smoke detectors. stick alkaline AA's in a digital camera and they will die far before nimh's do.

the newest best batteries these days are the nimh hybrids, they are nimhs without self discharge..atleast noticable self discharge. so they become more useful in things like flashlights and such.

as for c/d cells, many cheaper ones are just fakes, well AA batteries inside a larger case adaptor. you can tell by the mah rating on the side, those will be similar to regular AA's. real C/D can be bought online and they have more capacity and much higher price.

buy a reasonably intelligent charger. cheap stuff charges in pairs and should tip you off. that garrantees its not checking each cell if its full or not. those are just cooking your batteries on a dumb timer

 

[Rock Hydra]

Batteries! :laugh:

 

[randay]

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