Recently I realised how advantageous it is to use rechargable batteries. A pair of Duracell batteries for example AA size, capacity 2,500 mAh, costs only £3 which is around $5.5, (the corresponding disposable ones cost £1) and can be recharged hundreds of times with a recharger that costs £15 and in fact works with all standard sizes (AAA, AA, C, D, and the square shaped ones). This not only saves money but if done by many people it is really good for the environment because there will be that much less used batteries to pollute it. Also it saves on resources. I am really glad for this choice, I use them in my digital camera, wireless mouse and keyboard, personal CD player/radio set, and the square batteries in the kitchen scales.
Went over to rechargable batteries
by greendawn 8 Replies latest jw friends
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wanderlustguy
I agree...switched a couple of years ago and will never go back.
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rassillon
ME2
I use these http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000334.php
Only takes 15 min to charge.
They don't last as long as regular batteries but they are not as bad at developing a memory and you can top them off whenever you want, you don't have to drain them.
I like them, they have performed well.
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greendawn
Rassillon that's a terrific recharging time at 15 minutes, the charger I use takes 7 hours but I intentionally chose that one because they told me it's better if they take longer to charge. The other one I had in mind from Energiser takes 3 hours.
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MadTiger
I agree...switched a couple of years ago and will never go back.
Same here. -
tim hooper
"I use these http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000334.php
Only takes 15 min to charge.
They don't last as long as regular batteries but they are not as bad at developing a memory and you can top them off whenever you want, you don't have to drain them."
No NiMH battery (that I'm aware of) will stand up to this level of abuse for very long, especially in the tiny AA/AAA sizes, as they are unable to dissipate the heat produced by their own internal resistance. Which is why they don't last as long!
Charging them at a lower rate (1C for an hour) will yield much longer overall life.
Another characteristic of NiMH cells is their propensity to self-discharge over time. In fact, they may lose up to 15% of their stored energy overnight, when first taken off charge, which may render them unsuitable for low-discharge applications (clocks etc).
tim -
rassillon
well, they are advertised to allow charging up to 1000 times.
I don't know how many charges I will get out of them but they work well for me and have a good life. they also retain a charge for quite some time.
They have already paid for them selves and the charger so I am happy.
If something better comes out and these stop working I will switch but until then these are the best I have found.
Thanks for your interest tim.
:)
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mia_b
Yeah I like em too but hubby likes to throw away so I use rechargable and he doesn't!
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greendawn
As Tim pointed out further up, rechargeable batteries tend to self discharge at about 30% per month which means they are no good for devices that use batteries over a long period of time eg smoke alarms and TV remote controls. However Sanyo brought out about a year ago rechargeable batteries that lose only 25% of their power (through self discharge) even after one year. So even this aspect is going to improve with time. The other thing, is good to have a charger that automatically switches off when batteries are fully charged because otherwise they can be damaged if left on for many hours after fully charged.