The new hybrid rechargeaable batteries

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The new hybrid rechargeaable batteries

Postby werewolf » Mar 17, 2007 12:21 am

Interesting discussion here - battery chargers too:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. ... e=22091677
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Postby YuccaPatrol » Mar 17, 2007 1:08 pm

I just looked at that briefly, but some good points were made.

Especially this: "But really, the charger is far more important."

My feeling is that the benefits of the hybrid rechargeables are not really all that important to most cavers. I charge my batteries during the few days before a trip and then top them up the night before to ensure that I have maximum charge in all of my batteries. Yes, the hybrids last longer between charges, but they are significantly behind standard NiMH batteries when it comes to maximum capacity.

At this point, Maha's newest charger is the hottest thing out there. I bought one a couple months ago and have never been so impressed. It has so many features and makes it possible to actually test your batteries to measure how much charge they can take. I won't ever again use a charger that is based on a timer or has nothing but a couple of colored lights to tell me if my batteries are charged or not.

With this new charger and Powerex 2700mAH batteries, I am getting incredible performance beyond anything I have ever experienced with rechargeable batteries.

Here is some info on that charger: http://www.thomas-distributing.com/maha ... harger.php
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Postby werewolf » Mar 17, 2007 3:35 pm

Agree that these new hybrid batteries are still not the best for caving...but for everything else they are. As for chargers, I've been trying to study up on the subject. I've been using the Energizer 15 minute charger but I think it chews up batteries, and doesn't charge them to the max, and then it just stopped working. I returned it to the Walmart and they gave me a new one that works even tho I no longer had the packaging or the receipt. I was looking at the LaCrossee BC-900 battery charger, but a few reports that I read about it self-combusting discouraged me. I was also looking at the Maha MH-C9000, but the idea of charging batteries for 45 hours was daunting. Is that the model you have, Yucca?

A couple of other things I gleaned from reading various reviews: Eveready rechargeable batteries are excellent, and a recommended place to buy batteries and chargers is
http://www.thomas-distributing.com

Personally I have found Duracell rechargeables to be terrible and something just called "Recharge-able" (I forgot where I got them) to be pretty good, and Eveready's very good (far better than the Duracells even though the D's are marked with a higher mAh).
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Postby YuccaPatrol » Mar 17, 2007 3:44 pm

Don't worry about the 45 hour charge cycle of the Maha MH-C9000. That is only an optional cycle for brand new batteries that you want to give an initial break in and full charge. And each of the battery slots can be programmed to different cycles at the same time.

So you could have two new batteries on that really long break in cycle while quick charging many batteries over the next day and a half in the other two slots.

Plus, when you find that your batteries are holding twice as much of a charge as you got out of your cheap-o charger, you won't be charging batteries as often anyway.

The Powerex batteries sold by thomas distributing are the best I've ever used.

Definitely stay away from 15 minute chargers if you want batteries to reach anything close to their maximum capacity and want them to perform well over the long term.
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Postby Don Feathers » Mar 17, 2007 8:41 pm

Thank's for the Thomas Distributing info YuccaPatrol. I saw the Accupower 2900 mAH batteries, and wondered how they would be with the Maha charger, or how they compare with the Powerex batteries.
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Postby werewolf » Mar 18, 2007 10:07 am

Don't worry about the 45 hour charge cycle of the Maha MH-C9000. That is only an optional cycle for brand new batteries that you want to give an initial break in and full charge. And each of the battery slots can be programmed to different cycles at the same time.


--- Did you actually do the 45 hour thing for your new batteries? I also noticed that they suggest you do it not only for new bat's but once every 30 cycles.



So you could have two new batteries on that really long break in cycle while quick charging many batteries over the next day and a half in the other two slots.



--- Not practicle as I would generally be charging 4 bat's at a time. That feature would make more sense if there were 8 or more slots available.



Plus, when you find that your batteries are holding twice as much of a charge as you got out of your cheap-o charger, you won't be charging batteries as often anyway.


---If these new hybrids evolve - and I would expect they will, since these first generations are already rated 2100 - I wonder what their charger requirements will be. It says on the box that they work with all chargers and there is no memory effect. If they do evolve they will totally obsolete the current crop of rechargeables.
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Postby YuccaPatrol » Mar 18, 2007 7:24 pm

Yes, I have used the break in cycle on all of my new batteries since getting this charger. Of course, you don't ever HAVE to do this or the recharge/refresh cycle that is an abbreviated version of the break in cycle.


It sounds like the 8 cell battery charger MAHA offers would be better for your needs. It also has some good battery conditioning options but doesn't have the capabilities to measure and display each battery's actual capacity.
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Postby werewolf » Mar 19, 2007 2:07 am

Look at this (from the same photography forum):

"Apparently, Energizer has developed and announced a 2500 mAh rechargeable AA battery that will hold 80% of it's charge up to 5 years..."

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. ... e=22492466
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Postby werewolf » Mar 21, 2007 11:37 pm

Walmart is selling four of these batteries right now for $9 something, plus you get a $5 off mail in rebate plus a small battery charger. Package contains 2 AAA and 2 AA plus the charger and it says you are allowed two $5 off coupons per household, so if you buy two packages and you get $10 back plus the two chargers, the batteries are practically free, and so far I am very impressed with these batteries though I haven't tried them underground yet.
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Postby YuccaPatrol » Mar 23, 2007 5:38 am

That is awesome werewolf! For a total of $4, I'll go pick these up, throw away the charger, put them on the MAHA MH-C9000 charger and see what kind of performance they really offer.
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Postby Tim White » Mar 23, 2007 1:59 pm

Thanks for the beta on that one, werewolf. I picked up 4 sets at Wal-Mart. 2 for me (will use the office address for rebate) and 2 for Berta.
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Postby erebus » Mar 24, 2007 8:10 am

I've had very bad luck with the Powermax NiMh batteries. At one point I had about a dozen of them; now I'm down to two.
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Postby werewolf » Mar 27, 2007 12:24 pm

The rebate directions for those hybrid bateries was particularly obnoxious. The nearest I could figure out, they want the entire packaging returned to them, plastic shell and all. Anyway I did it. Next they'll probably demand a notarized signature or something! Everybody hates mail in rebates, still it's a good deal if they actually send me my $10. I noticed that Amazon is selling this for $!9.

http://www.amazon.com/RAYOVAC-PS32-4BW- ... 961&sr=1-5
Last edited by werewolf on Mar 28, 2007 1:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Dane » Mar 27, 2007 12:47 pm

Just a tad off subject, but I found this interesting

Sugar-fueled batteries
A Saint Louis University research team has developed a process that generates electricity from sugar. The team expects future applications of the process to extend into biodegradable batteries capable of running on everything from tree sap to sodas.
Read more at
Yahoo!/LiveScience
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Postby werewolf » Apr 18, 2007 1:07 am

Just a little note: I received my two $5 rebates ($10).
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