Rechargeable NiMH batteries....

[MamaParrotHead]

Got a nice, new camera for Christmas and am wondering about these rechargeable batteries. Since the things supposedly take 6 hours to charge (with the charger that came with my camera), I was curious as to how long they HELD the charge when not in use. Say, could I charge the extra sets, then store them in my camera bag until ready to use, would they last very long?

 

Any thoughts? Much appreciated!:)

[Scooter-n-GB]

No type of rechargeable battery will hold a charge like other non-rechargables do (i.e. no shelf life to speak of), so I would suggest throwing them in the charger before you go.

 

I personally recommend Ni-MH (from the list below), and I believe you will find that most electronic devices that take batteries will be compatible with this type. That is, assuming your camera did not come with a proprietary battery "pack".

 

When purchasing rechargables, look for a higher mAh (milliamp hour) rating, as those will last longer in your camera. I believe either 2300 or 2500 may be the high end of the capacity. Here's some more info also

 

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES

 

Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) – Charge prior to use. Your new Li-Ion battery may need to be cycled (a cycle is defined as one discharge and one charge process) a couple of times before it will give you the full run time expected. Charge after each use. Charge every couple of months when not in use. Do not leave in equipment while not in use. This chemistry DOES NOT need to be completely discharged after each use.

 

Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) – Charge prior to use. Your new Ni-MH battery may need to be cycled (a cycle is defined as one discharge and one charge process) a couple of times before it will give you the full run time expected. Charge after each use. Charge every couple of months while not in use. Do not leave in equipment while not in use. This chemistry DOES NOT need to be completely discharged after each use.

 

Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cad) – Charge prior to use. Your new Ni-Cad battery may need to be cycled (a cycle is defined as one discharge and one charge process) a couple of times before it will give you the full run time expected. Do not leave in equipment, when not in use. Ni-Cad batteries SHOULD be fully discharged every 4-5 cycles.

 

Sealed Lead Acid (Pb) – Charge prior to use. Charge after each use, never leave your battery in a discharged state. Charge every couple of months while not in use. Do not leave in equipment, when not in use. This chemistry DOES NOT need to be completely discharged after each use.

[mountainhouse]

Agree with all the good info. Would just add that ONLY the larger battery companies warranty their NiMH batteries for damage to your equipment. I'm not sure if they leak or not, but because of this I purchased Ray-o-vacs, even though they're not the highest capacity.

http://www.rayovac.com/consumer/warranty.htm

 

Also, most of the companies make fast charging versions now. Duracell has a 15 min charger. http://www.duracell.com/products/rechargeable.asp

 

Also, Ray-o-vac claims to have new batteries that hold a charge longer.

http://www.rayovac.com/recharge/hybrid_products.shtml

[miami]

Don't forget Energizer.... 15 minute charger

http://www.energizer.com/products/rechargeables/

[MamaParrotHead]

So now I'm considering a faster charger...it stands to reason that if NiMH batteries are universal and I could use the Duracell rechargeables on my (slow as mud) Sony charger, could I use the Sony batteries and charge them on a faster charger? I'm 99% sure it's just scare tactics, trying to get people to buy their products, but in the manual it talks about using any batteries OTHER than Sony batteries on the charger "May cause injury or death", as they might explode, leak or cause the apocolypse. :D

[mountainhouse]

Call me chicken... not sure I'd try other brands of batteries in a given brand's 15 min charger. Seems I recall Ray-o-vac having special batteries for their 15 min charger. Those were selling at the time you could still get non-15 min batteries from them.

[Hot2Travel]

Is there any way to determine if my NIMH batteries are bad and need replacing. Had discontinued using them a few months ago as they would not hold a charge. Would like to use them again at this time.

[Hot2Travel]

Is there any way to determine if my NIMH batteries are bad and need replacing. Had discontinued using them a few months ago as they would not hold a charge. Would like to use them again at this time.

[jerseyjk]

Is there any way to determine if my NIMH batteries are bad and need replacing. Had discontinued using them a few months ago as they would not hold a charge. Would like to use them again at this time.

 

You could get yourself an charger / analyzer like this one http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/viewitem.asp?idproduct=423

[pierces]

Some advanced chargers, like those from MAHA (http://www.thomasdistributing.com/nimh_battery_chargers.htm) have the ability to analyze the status of your batteries. Drawback: They can be pricey.

 

Keep in mind that NIMH batteries will self-discharge in about 30 days. This is normal. Many people that buy NIMHs are not aware of this and will charge them up, put them in a camera and toss it on the shelf for 15 or 20 days before the next use. By that time, 50% or more of the charge is gone. This makes a perfectly good battery look like it's failing. I always keep mine in the charger until I need them. I use an older MAHA charger that charges and then drops to a trickle to keep them topped off.

 

Hope this was helpful.

 

Dave

[pierces]

You could get yourself an charger / analyzer like this one http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/viewitem.asp?idproduct=423

 

 

Great minds....eh? :D

 

Dave

[jerseyjk]

Great minds....eh? :D

 

Dave

 

Yeah ... but I didn't offer any helpful info to go along with the link so I beat you to the punch. ;)

 

I only know about that analyzer in particular because it handles batt packs like the en-el1 that my old coolpix 5700 takes. That's still my travel camera of choice due mainly to it's portability, decent zoom, nikor optics and reasonable resolution. I just wish it would take NiMH batts without having to purchase the large(ish) and pricey external battery pack.

[johnql]

Is the following true?

 

Here's the set-up:

You start recharging your rechargeable NiMH batteries. It normally takes, say, 6 hours to recharge them. But instead of waiting until the 6 hours are up (when the indicator light goes off), you take the batteries out of the charger and use them.

 

I was told that once you've done the above, the batteries will never again be able to fully charge - that the next time I recharge them, that even if I wait until the indicator light has gone off (theoretically meaning that the batteries are fully charged), that the batteries will only charge partially (up to the point that I stopped charging them in the above scenario).

[jerseyjk]

Is the following true?

 

Here's the set-up:

You start recharging your rechargeable NiMH batteries. It normally takes, say, 6 hours to recharge them. But instead of waiting until the 6 hours are up (when the indicator light goes off), you take the batteries out of the charger and use them.

 

I was told that once you've done the above, the batteries will never again be able to fully charge - that the next time I recharge them, that even if I wait until the indicator light has gone off (theoretically meaning that the batteries are fully charged), that the batteries will only charge partially (up to the point that I stopped charging them in the above scenario).

 

There's quite a bit of argument about that. "Memory" phenomenon is typically associated with NiCd batteries. NiMH are usually advertised as "free from memory effect" or some other such term. There are those that say there's no such thing, others that explain it with crystal formation on the battery's internal plates, etc. etc.

 

A brief google found this article

The memory phenomenon can be explained in layman’s terms as expressed by Duracell: “The voltage drop occurs because only a portion of the active materials in the cells is discharged and recharged during shallow or partial discharging. The active materials that have not been cycled change in physical characteristics and increase in resistance. Subsequent full discharge/charge cycling will restore the active materials to their original state.

 

Although there are those that argue that memory effect has been used to describe a situation of voltage depression where the battery voltage drops to a point that the device (which monitors voltage to estimate remaining capacity) thinks the battery is dead when actually there is significant capacity left, although it's at a depressed voltage.

 

Then you can get into discussions of stronger cells reversing weaker cells in a battery that has not been completely discharged ... this reversal ends up killing the weaker cells ... blah, blah, blah ... it's science I simply don't care to understand.

 

Short answer ... no the situation you describe theoretically doesn't really happen ... I would get a good trickle charger / conditioner though, just in case everything I just said was bunk.

[johnql]

Thanks, jerseyjk, for the reply. I'm not sure if I understood more than half of it. But thanks for trying.