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Archive 2016 · Rechargeable battery replenishing

  
 
grizz9
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


I just read the rechargeable battery thread going on here and have a question about the life of rechargeables. I have a Tenergy v-6988 charger that is 4 years old and 20 tenergy 2600 batteries. I leave these in the charger all the time (months at a time). These batteries are now only giving me 10 or so pops of a flash before needing recharge. I have read that they can be recycled to be working again. My charger says it is smart but it seems it might not be. from the other thread I was thinking of getting the Powerex" Maha MH-C 9000 charger as it seemed to be the hands on winner. Will this charger bring these batteries back or should I just pitch them and move on. I also recently grabbed two packs of eneloop 2000mah batteries with bq-cc17 chargers. These chargers did not recognize my Tenergy batteries. I get that the Tenergy batteries I have are old but if I can re fresh them why not. If not Is the bq-cc17 a good enough charger or should I still spring for the Powerex and use the bq-cc17 as backup/travel charger. And since it will be asked I use these in 4 speedlights. A Canon 420ex, 2 Yongnuo 560's and a Yongnui 568. I shoot infrequently where I need all of these and the batteries will spend much time on the shelf. Did I do harm to the Tenergies but leaving them in the charger for months on end? I was under the assumption it just switched to trickle charge. I added a pic of the Tenergy charger. I am unsure if it works or not at this point. Thanks, John







Jan 14, 2016 at 04:29 AM
howardm4
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


My personal experience w/ high-cap NiMH AA is similar. Even if they were on trickle for a loooong time, the chemistry and physical form of trying to jam so much capacity into an AA (usually by thinning the various layers) leads to that kind of 'sudden death'. It didn't take me long to give up on them and go w/ 2000 capacity Eneloops.

Batteries are NOT forever. Ever. They die. The best thing you can do for a battery is to use it or cycle it on a intermittent basis. You can try to revive them but I dont think you'll be particularly successful.



Jan 14, 2016 at 07:09 AM
Vinnie_VdB
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


The MAHA charger has a break-in feature that indeed will drain the battery, charge ,drain and charge again. This will tell you if the battery is good or bad as it is able to monitor the charge of each individual battery.

My approah to this? Buy one or 2 MAHA chargers and get Eneloop batteries and dispose yourself from these old batteries as I would not like to see them explode
Low discharge batteries keep over 90% of their capacity over a 3 months period but I do every year a break-in procedure.

Furthermore, I label a set of batteries by colors so i am sure I always have the same set in my gear and the same set on charge and keep them in a holder like these:
http://eu.nkon.nl/powerpax-cases/powerpax-8aa-case.html





Edited on Jan 15, 2016 at 09:52 AM · View previous versions



Jan 15, 2016 at 07:42 AM
sjms
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


the average optimal use lifespan of the current standard rechargeable NiMh and LiIon battery packs is approx. 2-3 years. there is a constant chemical reaction going on in these products


Jan 15, 2016 at 09:18 AM
Paulthelefty
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


As others have said, they die. Probably keeping them on a charger constantly is not the best idea.

I have fallen in love with these storage cases:
http://www.amazon.com/Storacell-Powerpax-Battery-Orange-4-Pack/dp/B0067KSR34/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1452876031&sr=8-4&keywords=Storacell

Paul



Jan 15, 2016 at 11:42 AM
grizz9
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


So it sounds like I should just pitch the old batteries. Since I have 8 eneloop 2000 and two bq-cc17 chargers I will use them for a bit. I will add more of these batteries. Are these chargers good for the long haul or is it worth it to get the powerex for it reconditioning options? I am assuming the eneloop kit at 4 batteries and the charger for $16 means these bare basic chargers. Plus they take forever to charge the a set.


Jan 15, 2016 at 10:31 PM
Chris Court
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


I ditched the charger that came with my first set of Eneloops (don't recall the product designation, but it was a basic white Sanyo thingummy), and currently use the PowerEx MH-C9000 and the MH-C801D. They both seem to do a fine job of keeping my eneloops charged and healthy, however I tend to use the 8-cell unit more often, simply because I usually end up with more than 4 dead batteries at a time.

Eneloops are great. I have somewhere around 50 of them, and never a single failure.

C



Jan 15, 2016 at 11:22 PM
Vinnie_VdB
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


grizz9 wrote:
So it sounds like I should just pitch the old batteries. Since I have 8 eneloop 2000 and two bq-cc17 chargers I will use them for a bit. I will add more of these batteries. Are these chargers good for the long haul or is it worth it to get the powerex for it reconditioning options? I am assuming the eneloop kit at 4 batteries and the charger for $16 means these bare basic chargers. Plus they take forever to charge the a set.


Get yourself 2 of these chargers:
http://eu.nkon.nl/charger/nimh/maha-c9000-eneloop.html

And a couple more Eneloops (those white ones, not the black colored model) and you never look back
Get rid of that charger of yours as well. Will be one of your best investments in this new year



Jan 16, 2016 at 12:56 AM
15Bit
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


There are a number of smart chargers on the market. I have a technoline/lacrosse BL 700 that does "refresh" on batteries, and it did indeed seriously revive some old AA's i have. It works by repeated charging and discharging the cells until they show a stable capacity. It can take several days to do this, so if you have a lot of batteries you definitely want a charger that takes 8 or more at a time.

The most useful feature is that after the refresh the charger tells you the cell capacity, which gives you a good idea of how bad a state it is in, and helps with matching up sets.

One thing though - if you get a smart charger, keep your old dumb one too. If cells become too discharged and can't give a voltage, the smart chargers won't charge them. 5 mins on a dumb charger then gives enough charge for the smart charger to recognise them.



Jan 16, 2016 at 07:57 AM
Vinnie_VdB
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


15Bit wrote:
There are a number of smart chargers on the market. I have a technoline/lacrosse BL 700 that does "refresh" on batteries, and it did indeed seriously revive some old AA's i have. It works by repeated charging and discharging the cells until they show a stable capacity. It can take several days to do this, so if you have a lot of batteries you definitely want a charger that takes 8 or more at a time.

The most useful feature is that after the refresh the charger tells you the cell capacity, which gives you a good idea of how bad
...Show more

Also an excellent charger indeed. We pay top money for top photo gear so why nibble on a charger and good batteries?



Jan 16, 2016 at 08:08 AM
Gochugogi
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


I've been using the La Crosse BL1000 for a couple years and the recondition cycles actually work, reviving many batteries barely able to hold a charge. However, the "cure" often takes days to complete. Even so, none of these revived batteries are as long lasting as the Eneloop for power hungry electronics but are okay for computer mice, TV remotes, etc.


Jan 16, 2016 at 11:54 AM
skid00skid00
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


I have the c9000, it's a fantastic charger for geeks. I use eneloops.

I fried AAA ene's in a charger that sent 1,000 ma thru them, instead of the 500 it should have. You can't bring them back after the electrolyte is boiled out...

You can try to refresh your old batts in the c9000, it has a variety of programs. Some military outfit 6 or so years ago did a study on really old rechargeables, and found that they could be brought mostly back after MANY charge/discharge cycles.



Jan 16, 2016 at 02:52 PM
skid00skid00
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


Vinnie_VdB wrote:
Furthermore, I label a set of batteries by colors so i am sure I always have the same set in my gear and the same set on charge and keep them in a holder like these:
http://eu.nkon.nl/powerpax-cases/powerpax-8aa-case.html


Sets can still get out of sync. The refresh cycle will tell you two very important facts. The first is the 'resistance voltage'. This flashes on the display once at the start of the refresh cycle. It will be a voltage HIGHER than 1.5v. The higher the number, the more worn out the battery is. The second number is the capacity of the batt. You'll find 2,000 ma AA eneloops dropping down to 1,600 or lower as they get really old.

I match my batteries on that capacity number, and secondly on the resistance voltage. That way, you avoid a stronger (more capacity) battery reverse-charging a weaker battery. That's really bad!

I write these numbers on the batts after aging them 6 months. Then I revise them as time goes on.



Jan 16, 2016 at 02:57 PM
grizz9
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Rechargeable battery replenishing


Thanks for all the replies. I will get the c9000 and keep the new ones that came with the eneloops for travel. I'll pitch the old charger but am going to give the c9000 a shot at replenishing the ok battered. If it doesn't work ill pitch them.


Jan 17, 2016 at 05:29 PM





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