Rechargeable batteries

goodday truckster kids gave me a grandcell set charger and 4 batteries works well for camera need to be replaced but they are 3 yrs old i alternate them with original kodak ones also use them in keyboard and mouse change over in the mouse about once a month havent changed keyboard yet 5 mths but as i say nearly due for some newies

steve

Try www.mittoni.com.au for some reasonably priced NiMH rechargeables, perfect for digicams. Maybe your charger is no good, if you've had such bad luck with the batteries?

Cheers

Bruce, what size batteries do you need. If it's AA size then the new Sanyo 2300 maH are the best ones at the moment.
I'll be looking at getting some of those for my Magellan Platinum soon and they'll be the best for your Magellan Colour as well.
I believe they are around $30 for 4 AA batteries.
Or are for sale on ebay for $25 http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1200&item=3192103912&tc=photo
If you decide to get some for your gps, let me know and I might get some at the same time.
Regards Andrew.

we use arlec cheap as chips and really good in the digi get em at big w

Maha cells are fantastic, Sanyo cells are bloodly good also as someone else mentioned. Energisers are damn good, I read somewhere they are made by Sanyo so it's not suprising.

You could try your local hobby shop, electric flight (models) is really taking off. Most hobby shops are starting to stock electric accessories.

Truckster,

I have been using the Energiser 2100mAh NiMH from Kmart coupled with the Energizer Rechargeable Compact Charger. It is the 15 hour controlled cutout model and I think I paid $29 for that and 2 batteries. Then I brought 16 batteries and I use them for my GPS, Canon Powershot A70 Digital and the daughters Fuji Digital Camera. Very happy with them and the more that you use them the better they seem to get. I get more pictures [well over 200 at full rating with the 3.2 Canon] and I can't be more specific because I stopped counting when it got past [by heaps] what the throwaways were getting [and costing].

Same deal with the GPS [Garmin 176] which eats batteries. Used to get about 4 or 5 hours out of the throwaways {Duracell or Energizer] and now get 10-12 out of the recharged ones.

Steer away from Nicads though. Cheap and nasty and actually not that good for cameras in any event.

I think maybe your not charging them properly or something else is wrong as I have had no issue with any of them.

Dave

I have the Jayco ones that you mentioned (Powertech NiMH) in both AA 2000 mAh & AAA 800 mAh and haven't had a problem with them. run them In Digital cams, headlamps, GPS etc and worked fine altho with the GPS I always carry a few spare fresh batts as back up.

As someone else said the main thing is to pay for a decent computer controlled charger, which is great for getting them fully charged at home before you go anywhere. I also have one of the quick chargers for in the car use but the charge it gives is no where near as good, and merely a back up for while away.

Bruce,
I agree with other posts here.
I'd be looking at your charger, as I suspect that's where your problem is.
A dud charger can fail to charge properly, or worse still, overcharge and ruin your batteries.

(these comments are the same for AA, AAA, D etc) an important consideration is what battery you are meant to have - the standard rechargeable AA ones are only 1.2v - so they seem to run most things, but a lot of new gear, including my remote controlled minis i run in my office, will only run properly off 1.5v batteries. A problem people i know have with the typical AA etc size non-alkaline batteries is they whinge their gear don't work long enough, but i suspect that is because their gear wanted 1.5V and really struggles and then fails early at the lower voltages, just like our fridges. The only 1.5v rechargeable battery available as far as i have seen is the grand cell series. They are terrible batteries that quickly degenerate and can leak within a couple months, BUT they are a genuine 1.5v rechargeable battery and even if they last 10 recharges they are worth the money - just don't leave them inside anything to be safe, when the leak they leak quickly. I have a few, 2 -3 failed within 6 months, 1 is left a year later. but they did get flogged, and they are cheap for that amount of use. I wouldn't put one in a torch but would use it for walkmans, etc on a use then charge straight away and then don't put it in until you use it sort of basis.

2 x GPSs, 2 X digital cameras ,4 x handheld tranceivers, 2 x Gameboys, 4 x LED headlamps, walkmans, discmans etc etc. Yes we use the odd NiMh cell or two.

Our experience can be summarised by

1/ Use a decent charger. We use a 10 cell intelligent charger from Jaycar. It is billed as a computer controlled smart NiCd & NiMh Battery charger V-6988. This charges up to 10 cells at time "individually". That means that each cell is treated as an individual using the correct charging algorithms. If you watch it towards the end of the charging process each cell will switch from bulk charge to trickle charge at different times depending on its needs. This charger can also be used with an adaptor cord to run from 12VDC from the car.

2/ Use the right charger. Don't expect to use a NiCd charger to charge NiMh cells and visaversa, it won't work!!! You will end up with cooked cells or undercharged cells.The charger we use automatically detects the size and type of cell and automatically adjusts to use the correct charge algorithm.

3/ If you can at all help it, don't use a "fast" charger, they will not give as good a charge and most will overheat the cell in the process. Overheating will dramatically reduce the "life" of the cell. A simple rule of thumb is if your cells are too hot to touch during charging then you are charging them to quickly.

4/ If you can at all help it, don't charge batteries in appliances. Take them out and charge them "individually" in a charger as per 1/. Since no two cells are ever identical you can never really expect to charge them in series as one will always end up being overcharged and the other undercharged. In most cases the charger will also be better ventilated and hence cooler than in an enclosed appliance.

5/ Cells have a limited life, but if you treat them with respect they can and will give you literally years of service. We are still using our original AA NiMhs that came with our first digital camera (now some 2.5 years old) and they are still giving good service.

6/ We use a variety of different brands, (Nikon CoolPix, Powertech, Powerbase) and really couldn't pick between their performance (they are all 2000mAh). Our Cannon A70 will quite happily fill a 256Meg Flash Card on a single set of cells.

Hope our experience is of some use.

Cheers