General > General Technical Chat
I Hate Batteries
rdl:
If you need the 9 volt type for something that goes through them fast (not smoke detectors), I've had very good luck with EBL brand lithium-ion type. They have almost the same capacity as alkaline, whereas NiMH is pretty weak. I have some that have been recharged dozens of times now. I'm sure there's other good brands too. I think I paid about $15 for two batteries and a charger. Money well spent considering the cost of 9 volt alkalines at local stores.
engrguy42:
Oh yeah, I forgot about smoke alarms. Coincidentally a couple weeks ago I had an annoying chirper and used my last 9V so I have to go out and buy another pack. I've got about 5 smoke alarms around my house. And probably see if I can find a charger too. Not sure I've ever seen rechargeable 9V batteries in the supermarket. Or 9V chargers.
And I also need more C cells for my almost dead flashlight. And see if I can find a C/D charger.
Yeah, piece of cake.... :palm:
engrguy42:
Okay, so after quite a bit of Amazon research, I've found what seems to be a way to deal with my battery annoyances.
There is a universal battery charger (Chinese mfr named "Bonai" ??) for about $20 that apparently natively charges AA, AAA, C, D, & 9V batteries. And it plugs into the wall :D
People seem to like it...it has 917 4-5 star ratings. But it doesn't come with any batteries.
So to get a full stock of rechargeable batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, & 9V) will cost me something like $70 for Energizers. So a total, with taxes and shipping for all of this (batteries plus charger), of over $100.
Now I know the fanboys will scream about not buying Enerloops or whatever, but it seems to me that if you're going to have all rechargeables then why pay more for longer lasting batteries? Just throw them in the charger when they die.
And I saw the "adapter" things that Enerloop provides, whereby you can stick a AA into a C-cell-looking case, thereby only needing to have a stock of AA's. Which seems fine, but why bother when you can get a universal charger? I'm assuming AA's don't have the same amp hour rating as C's? Oh, and the enerloop charger doesn't do 9V batteries either does it?
So now the big question:
Does this PITA, annoying battery situation reach the levels of "okay, this is driving me crazy...I need to go out and spend some $$ to fix this right now", or is it one of those nagging annoyances that only raises its head once every few months or so and doesn't really warrant anything more than an occasional rant?
Hmm....and I'll also probably have to find (or order) someplace to store the batteries. And I was just about to order about $100 worth of parts to finish modifying my power supply.
Damn batteries...
Black Phoenix:
--- Quote from: engrguy42 on April 08, 2020, 10:53:20 am ---Oh yeah, I forgot about smoke alarms. Coincidentally a couple weeks ago I had an annoying chirper and used my last 9V so I have to go out and buy another pack. I've got about 5 smoke alarms around my house. And probably see if I can find a charger too. Not sure I've ever seen rechargeable 9V batteries in the supermarket. Or 9V chargers.
And I also need more C cells for my almost dead flashlight. And see if I can find a C/D charger.
Yeah, piece of cake.... :palm:
--- End quote ---
Can I help you with your quest?
AA/AAA batteries - https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BK-3MCCA16FA-eneloop-Pre-Charged-Rechargeable/dp/B07QZKBQ3B/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=panasonic%2Beneloop&qid=1586349039&sr=8-3&th=1
Charger for them - https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-K-KJ75MC64ZA-eneloop-Adapters-Individual/dp/B07MXY3363/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=panasonic+eneloop&qid=1586349783&sr=8-12 (extra batteries/charger and adapters for C/D size)
9V batteries - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VCHYW86/ref=twister_B07VGNBYHH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
T3sl4co1l:
--- Quote from: engrguy42 on April 08, 2020, 12:44:33 pm ---Now I know the fanboys will scream about not buying Enerloops or whatever, but it seems to me that if you're going to have all rechargeables then why pay more for longer lasting batteries? Just throw them in the charger when they die.
--- End quote ---
You seem to be implying a degree of irrationality that isn't there...
Correct option depends on usage pattern.
Large capacity, fast self discharge types are fine for heavy use. Using a DSLR professionally (or very enthusiastically at least)? It probably gobbles batteries. Well, if it doesn't use packs or an internal battery, this is a perfect use for them.
Very light loads, meters, remote controls, smoke detectors, etc.: doesn't matter, they would run out in a month. Don't bother. Stick with alkaline, or get eneloops. FYI, Tenergy is another brand of LSD type cells, also just fine.
Universal chargers (i.e., single cell, almost any size) are fine, yes. NiMH isn't charged by, well, charge, but by temperature; it heats up when it's done. The charger either senses that directly, or the (very slight) drop in voltage coincident with it.
You don't really have any way to tell if this is what the charger is doing, until you've got it home and can monitor it as it does its job...
What you definitely don't want, is a dumb charger that sits there cooking the cells. Charge cycles cause wear, and overcharging kills them many times faster.
It's better, IIRC, to let the HSD cells bleed out if you're not using them, and just top them up as needed. LSD stay charged long enough that they'll probably stay usefully charged until needed.
Tim
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