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Rechargable vs. Non-Rechargable Batteries - AA/AAA Size

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Halcyon:

--- Quote from: Miti on July 21, 2021, 01:01:48 pm ---I started using rechargeable batteries in everything that doesn't get lost or goes hiding (such as kids toys) for a very long time. Wireless keyboards and mice, remote controls, flash lights, cameras, RC remote, etc. My preferred ones were Powerex (always bought on sale from Canada Computers) for high current applications such as flash lights, and Eneloop for low discharge such as remote controls and wireless mice. One annoying thing about Powerex is that any drop or shock, would increase the self discharge current ten folds. Maybe being high capacity, the separator is very thin and it gets damaged by shock.
Once I discovered Ikea Ladda, I was super happy with them and I started replacing Powerex ones everywhere. Eneloops still go strong in all the devices I put them but I don't buy new anymore.
I jut bought two sets of the new Ikea Ladda model (green-ish with white text) and they seem to be the same product as the old ones (white with black text). The price is $8.99 CAD, plus 13% HST is $10.16, that makes it $2.54 a piece. Not bad at all!
They have the same weight, size, perfectly identical voltage out of the box, etc. I expect to have the same low self discharge but that's TBD.
I can see the package being cheaper, they are packed in paper rather than in plastic blisters, but I don't know why they changed the colors, maybe it's just a commercial gimmick.

--- End quote ---

It seems that there are currently two types of LADDA AA rechargeable batteries available at Ikea Australia.

Ikea article number 703.038.76 - LADDA AA 1.2v 2450mAh (white packaging) - AUD$14.99/4 pack
Ikea article number 505.046.92 - LADDA AA 1.2v 2450mAh (greenish packaging) - AUD$10.00/4 pack

It looks like 703.038.76 are being phased out and will be unavailable soon and a similar thing is happening with the AAA size, except that the new ones are 750mAh whereas the older style was 900mAh.

On the older type, Ikea claim a life time of "approx. 5 years", whereas on the newer type, they've removed all references to life time.

I called Ikea and they couldn't tell me anything more, including where they were manufactured. Maybe someone else is able to confirm?

EEVblog:
Made in Japan. Same for the white AAA

rdl:
I don't really see the issue with cost of Eneloop or equivalent batteries. While they may cost 10x as much as the cheapest batteries, all you have to do is get 10 recharge cycles from them to break even. And most are rated for many, many more than that.

Amazon Basics AA - 48 for $15 = 32 cents each, one time use
Panasonic Eneloop AA -  8 for $20 = $2.50 each, recharge up to 2100 times.
Even if you only get 1% of max rated cycles they're cheaper.

deadlylover:

--- Quote from: Halcyon on July 23, 2021, 08:25:01 am ---I called Ikea and they couldn't tell me anything more, including where they were manufactured. Maybe someone else is able to confirm?

--- End quote ---

I can't buy them yet for another few weeks (backorder still), but I think some people on other forums have confirmed they are made in Japan.

There are generally two types of low self discharge chemistry, "high cap" (~2450/900 mAh for AA/AAA, AKA eneloop pro) or normal (~1900/750mAh AA/AAA, normal eneloop).

You will see 500 cycles advertised for high capacity variants, and 2100 for normal capacity.

There is a much lower capacity one, 1000mAh for AA size, those are only good for things like wireless gaming mice because they're a bit lighter (AA is 10g lighter than the high cap variant). You'd be surprised on how much a few grams can matter for a mouse.

Forget the lofty 500/2100 advertised cycles, no one charges like that in the real world (majority of charge cycles being 0.25C/3Hr 10 mins for the actual rated test). They are doing partial cycles which will dramatically increase cycle life, whereas charging normally by time for a dumb charger, or -delta voltage tends to get the cells a little hot.

You'll see smarter chargers terminate at a set voltage with a bit of a top up trickle for a nice balance of charging speed without overcharging.

Ughh this is from memory, but if you use and abuse the cells then you'll get something like ~50 cycles for high cap, and ~300 for normal capacity cells. After that the internal impedance is too high for extreme discharge applications, so they will spend the rest of time in remote duty after that.

Halcyon:

--- Quote from: EEVblog on July 23, 2021, 11:01:57 am ---Made in Japan. Same for the white AAA

--- End quote ---

Well spotted!

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