Also, small BC-900 charger protip (courtesy of the aforementioned and totally awesome Mr. Lee):

--

BC-900 will not charge a completely drained cell (display says 'null' after you insert the cell). Follow the instructions here to 'jump-start' the dead cell, so that its terminal voltage is restored to about 0.5-1 volt. Then the BC-900 will charge it:

1. UNPLUG the BC-900!
2. Place a good cell and a 'dead' cell next to each other
3. Short the (+) terminals of the two cells together with a paper clip for a few seconds
4. Remove short, plug in the BC-900

--

I had the same problem (inserted cell, no response) tried this trick and it totally worked!

pic here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-images/B00077AA5Q/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_0

Ooh, somebody's getting Amazon.com kickbacks!!

I kid! I kid!

Good info, Jeff! We've been a rechargables household for a few years now. About the only things we don't use 'em in is our fancy-shmancy Crest SpinBrush toothbrushes. (Given the wet environment, I didn't wanna risk my prized rechargable batteries in those.)

I would have loved the BC900 a few years ago when I had a whole bunch of devices that used AA/AAA/C/D etc batteries. Unfortunately now, apart from TV/DVD remotes (which will go for well over a year even on yum-cha $2 for 50 batteres from a crap shop) I don't think I have any appliances that use them anymore.

I find myself stuck in the annoying position where every device (PDA, Laptop, Camera, Phone, Video Camera, Remote Control Car, Electric Shaver etc) has its own different batter, which comes a long witha different pack/charger.

I yearn for the day when Induction (or whatever they're called) chargers (and batteries/devices with charging capability) are the norm and I can simply throw all the things listed above on a big pad on my bedside table to charge them all.

> Unfortunately now, apart from TV/DVD remotes (which will go for well over a year even on yum-cha $2 for 50 batteres from a crap shop) I don't think I have any appliances that use them anymore.

And ironically those kind of TV/DVD remote use cases are exactly the sort of low-draw, long-run applications that NiMH cells are not very good at. Even if the self-discharge rate is very low, it's still high enough (compared to traditional alkaline batteries) to be a problem.

My first cellphone in 1996 had a NiHM battery. Any idea why these rechargable batteries still use NiMH while most gadgets have moved to lithium batteries?

Thank you for the informative article. It's nice to see some non-coding related articles once in a while, though that's not to say that I don't enjoy the coding related articles as well.
Keep up the good work!

@Joe

I did some digging into that very question myself this year.
The answer is safety. Basically, lithium batteries are not fool-proof enough for consumers.

These are pretty geeky:

http://usbcell.com/

I ordered a box of 10 packs. We've got 6 pc's in the house, 2 of which are on all the time so lots of places we can plug these in when they need charging. AAA cells will be coming soon.

We have a couple of cells always charged ready to replace flat ones. The flat ones get charged and go back on the shelf :)

The answer to your question...

"Is it really true that AA battery capacity has more than doubled in the last ten years?"

...is quite simply "No", since 2500 is certainly not "more than double" 1300. ;)

I have to say that i really enjoyed this article and that i learned alot from it.

Good writing as always jeff.

//Max

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to get this charger, or a similar model in the UK? Amazon are listing it as unavailable. I also can't find the batteries recommended here either.

I've been using a set of NiMH AA's with a generic free charger for my Wiimotes and am discovering that the batteries are discharging faster and faster. I'm assuming it must be the cheap generic charger.

If this is the sort of full-time blog post we'll be getting, I wish you'd quit sooner. Thanks for some great info.

Probably the best article you've ever written :)

Excellent post! Pure Jeff. Bringing the wisdom and real products recommendations to the geek masses (Who don't have time or energy to research into this things). Thanks!

"If this is the sort of full-time blog post we'll be getting, I wish you'd quit sooner. Thanks for some great info. Tom Clancy"

+1 to that

Does anyone have experience with rechargeable "D" batteries. I have a Roomba and the virtual walls take "D" size and I need to those replace those alkaline batteries frequently.

The problem I see with the BC-900 is that the adapter takes a AA and puts in a C or D case. That's like putting moped motor in a pickup. How long will that last?

According to the picture of that battery, it's 130mA for 14 hours. That would give it a rating of 1820mAh, not 1300.

Jeff's full-time blogging? What about the super-secret startup?

forgot to write: yes I do prefer more programming-based content, but this is good brain-trainging too.

The Eneloop batteries are fantastic.

Also, if you want a really cool charger, consider Rezap. It even charges Alkalines:

http://www.rezap.com.au/

Ben,

Check out http://www.component-shop.co.uk/html/standard.html

They sell the BC-900 in the UK...

Know what else is healthier for the planet? Fewer gadgets. :-P

I love Dvorak, but he's a bit of a crank. Apparently, he thinks electricity is free. How much energy does a recharger consume, and why isn't that part of the equation?

I'm not saying I think it won't be cheaper, but it should be included in the cost.

I used to use rechargeables, but got tired of the hassle. One more thing to plug in somewhere and find a home for.

Good information, but one thing sticks out at me.

You followed advice from John Dvorak? John C. Dvorak? Writer of tech tripe and misunderstander of everything? The guy who wrote this: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1987181,00.asp

I never thought I'd see him quoted in anything other than mockery.

I think the only place where I'd see a benefit with rechargeable batteries is at work, in my mediocre "noise-cancelling" headphones. The only other battery-operated gadgets I can think of are:

- Remote controls (self-discharge kills it)
- LED or MAG lights (used so infrequently that self-discharge is a problem here too)
- Digicam (uses its own special battery pack)
- Cordless phones and cell (use their own batteries/chargers)
- Various tools like laser levels and stud finders, again used infrequently

I think that's it. What else takes batteries? The only thing I can think of that really rips through batteries is a portable audio player, and since I don't take the bus, I don't need one of those.

Oh and josh, it's actually not like putting a moped motor in a pickup, it's more like filling the gas tank 1/3 of the way. It'll run perfectly fine, you'll just have to refill it sooner.

I would have thought the 'refresh' mode mentioned would just damage the battery more, with the memory effect and all. Or are NiMH batteries resistant to that?

I dont have ANY device using AA/AAA batteries. All devices I use have rechargeable batteries inside them.
I fear I am not a geek.

hey Jeff, just a minor pointer to the differing model number for us Europeans.

La Crosse Technology BC900 (US Model) / RS900 (European Model) Battery Charger

Found a UK stockist (http://www.ukweathershop.co.uk/acatalog/technoline_BC900.html) but sadly no stock currently.

I've found it is also known as the Technoline iCharger in the UK. I believe Technoline are the German company who actually produce the charger, and it is sold rebranded by La Crosse.

My experience is identical to Jeff's, the charger is fab and the new 'ready to use' cells (I use Sanyo Eneloop) are the way forward.

Apart from the the lack of toxic Cadmium and the higher capacity, NiMH cells don't have a 'memory effect'. So you don't need to discharge them completely to maintain their capacity. If you have more than one in series, you are likely to damage them by doing so.
http://www.dansdata.com/gz011.htm

Ben,
In the uk, it is marketed is the iCharger.
I got mine here
http://www.ukweathershop.co.uk/acatalog/Selected_Products.html
but you can also get them here
http://www.batterylogic.co.uk/technoline/technoline-i-charger.asp

Your succinct summary of NiMH cells hits the nail on the head. When I discovered the La Crosse BC-900 charger and Eneloop cells over a year ago, I was delighted that they solved the two main NiMH problems you mentioned. A battery engineer's dream, the BC-900 does every battery management task perfectly by the book. In August, 2006, I bought four Eneloop cells, which I use occasionally and never have recharged. They are still usable today. Sanyo (my favorite battery manufacturer) truly nailed the self-discharge problem and raised the bar with the Eneloop cell.

Just for the sake of nitpicking, I bought my first 2800 mAH AA cells about two years ago, and AFAIK they are quite common these days. 2500s are sooo yesterday ;-)
In my experience NiMHs are much better towards self-discharging (read: lesser self-discharge) than the old NiCds. I rely on them almost every day for bicycle lights and other things I use regularly (even if it's only once per month, just recharge time and again); if you've got a gadget you use very infrequently (e. g. emergency lights) I'd still recommend non-chargebles.

it is obvious that the people posting about not using batteries much any more don't have kids. if they did, they would have 8000 toys that run on batteries and have to include batteries as a category in their budget.

Where to use batteries... well I have a few consoles sitting next to my TV, they all have wireless controllers, and they all are using eneloop rechargable batteries. I think I have about 16 batteries in there along with the batteries for my wireless mouse and keyboard.
So there is still plenty of gadgets that use em. Of course I have to recharge them but its worth it, and most importantly I never need to go out to 7/11 in the middle of the night to buy new batteries.
Long live rechargable batteries!!!

Not only am I a geek, but I also have toddlers and a preschooler. We go through batteries. I haven't done any comparisons of battery brands or rated mAH, I generally buy whatever batteries are at the store I'm in when I realize "We just bought another toy that requires batteries". Plus I like to keep a reasonable amount of charged batteries ready to go for when I pull batteries out of something to charge them.

Because of the wide variety of form factors in kids toys I needed a charger that could charge C, D, and 9-volts as well. The only one at the time was a Radio Shack that was a fast charger (or claimed to be, it wasn't particularly fast in practice). I also bought Radio Shack batteries. I blame sleep deprivation. About a year ago it died and I found the Energizer Family charger which is a slow charger and has worked like a champ.

Does look cool. Anyone one a canadian source that doesn't cost more than double the US price?

If anyone knows where can I buy it in Argentina, please let me know!

I couldn't find it anywhere...

Does anyone have any experience with using NiMHs in game console controllers (i.e. wireless GH3 guitar for the 360 or Wii remotes)? I've been using regular Energizer alkaline AAs in the wireless guitar controller but I'll go to use it after letting it sit around unused (for a few weeks or so) and the batteries always near death.

How about 9v batteries?

As to why we don't use Lithium Ion AA cells, it's because they're the wrong voltage. A lithium chemistry cell has a 3.7V nominal voltage. Nickel-based batteries are 1.2 - 1.25V, pretty close to the alkaline and zinc-carbon's nominal 1.5V. Make an AA cell with lithium chemistry and you have a recipe for disaster. Some devices that otherwise take two or three AAs have a lithium-based rechargeable pack, so the voltages are a lot closer.

There's a large amount of information about rechargeable batteries at http://www.batteryuniversity.com/

Man you're psychic. Just last night I had to change the batteries in my camera, and I lamented our drawer full of rechargable batteries that just don't seem to hold a charge anymore. I know the cheap Energizer charger we had was crap, and thought, "I should look in to getting a decent battery charger some time, might be able to save those batteries."

And today, here's the article. :) Ordered the charger, thanks for the great info!

@Jeff - I have the BC900. From memory, I don't think it has two mAh displays. I think there's one mA display, which is charge/discharge rate and one mAh display, which is the total energy that has been stored/discharged.

But anyway, I definitely agree that it's a great charger, and likewise that Eneloops rock.

@Craig - I routinely use NiMH batteries in my normal 360 controller with no problems. I don't have the guitar hero controller so I can't speak to it.

Lithium cells are no good for AA/AA use as the voltage of a cell (~3.6V) is far too high.

Also when looking a battery capacity self-discharge isn't necesserily the problem, it's the amount of current your drawing. Capacity vs. current draw isn't linear, and the amount of deviation from the linear relationship varies from battery to battery. Capacity thus isn't a terribly useful measure - a 2000mAh labelled battery might well perform better that a 2800mAh battery at high draws.

I got a BC-900 and some Eneloop AAs for Christmas, and they are indeed very good.

I've been using the Eneloops in a cordless mouse. That's a relatively low-drain device, which has traditionally been a weak spot for NiMH batteries. But the Eneloop cells seem to last at least as long as alkalines do.

It's a shame that just as we've finally figured out how to make really good standard-size rechargeable cells, so many gadgets are moving toward proprietary, expensive, hard-to-replace custom battery packs.

Speaking of energy, my oil heating bills are bankrupting me! I'd really appreciate a well-researched article on how to replace my heating system with solar energy. Just one of my oil bills could probably pay for some solar panels.

Hey Now Jeff,
AAA & AA's huh, learned more than I ever could about them by reading this one.
Coding Horror Fan,
Catto

I used to be a rechargeable battery geek.

If you buy online, ordinary alkalines are a lot cheaper then they used to be. I just bought 200 AA alkalines for $30 from a seller on eBay. They work great in radios, cd & mp3 players, kids toys, etc.

For the high drain items, get the single use Eveready AA lithiums. They are more expensive, but they last a long time. The only thing I use them for is the DSLR and flash. A set is good for 800-1000 captures. Not bad for $6.00 at Sam's Club. And the best thing: they weigh about half of a typical NiMH battery. Makes the camera noticeably lighter.

They are also good if your rechargeables die unexpectedly, since they are available everywhere.

No more AA/AAA battery and charger hassles for me.

I used rechargable batteries ever since I started to use a digital camera, which uses up batteries in two hours or so. Now I use rechargable batteries for nearly everything, and it's an excellent way to save money (and the planet). Believe it or not, in Argentina rechargable batteries weren't widely available until last year (that is, you couldn't get them at any supermarket). Now, every single supermarket has them, and now Sony recently launched rechargable batteries which have very low discharge them (according to them). Now, if I could get that awesome recharger...

The 'magic smoke' escaped from my 3 month old BC-900. I called LaCrosse and they offered to replace it no questions asked.

I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this issue?

I just bought a BC-900 from thomasdistributing.com about a month ago and I'm loving it.

If you're thinking about getting one, there are some precautions to be taken, though.

This charger uses a -dV primary charge termination algorithm, so it's highly, highly recommended that you don't charge at a rate below C/3. It's actually better if you charge anywhere between C/2 and 1C. That means for a 2000 mAh battery, your charging rate should be at least 1000mA (C/2) but not greater than 2000mAh (1C). If you don't do this, you run the risk of missing charge termination and damaging your batteries to the point that you'll get way fewer cycles out of them.

Also, the circuitry inside this charger is pretty inefficient, so quite a bit of heat is generated at higher charge rates. It's a good idea to prop the back of the charger up on something to increase air flow under it. Otherwise, you'll get your batteries so hot that the thermal cutoff point will be hit and charging will temporarily stop to let the cells cool.

And finally, there have been several reports of people with firmware v32 having melted batteries and charger because of the aforementioned thermal problems. Please make sure that you get this charger with v33 firmware. The thermal cutoff is lower and therefore safer on the newer version. I don't know about amazon, but thomasdistributing only keeps the latest firmware version in stock.

Anyway, it's just good to keep in mind that all rechargeables are *somewhat* dangerous, especially so when charging. NiMH are not nearly as dangerous as Lithium-based chemistries, but it's still a good idea to keep an eye on your batteries when they're recharging.

Great writeup, as always Jeff. I completely agree that Eneloops or any other hybrids with low self-discharge are the way to go.

besides remotes, I can't think of anywhere i use replaceable batteries.

@James

There's a recent report here on CandlePowerForums of a guy with a meltdown. See pics in Post #6, 7 and 8. His charger was a v32, though.

grrr, here's the link

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=191052

I did a bit of googling to find out where I can buy the charger too and found lots of reports of this charger actually melting.

Here:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=103802

and here:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=21320289

That is quite scary, most people leave their chargers on during the night or when they're at work. The last thing you want it coming back (or waking up) to a house on fire.

So let me be a smartass for a moment. Did you also run out and post an article on the internet about how great the rechargeable batteries were in 1998, like you're doing now?
Aren't you unwillingly participating in the evil marketing? Caveat Venditor, Jeff, Caveat Venditor!

That's why I'm a geek lagard - I like the toys, but i want to see everybody else screw it up first. I'm a shrewd geek.

Thanks Jeff!

Can you use the BC-900 as a poor mans VOM? IE can you put a alkaline battery in the BC-900 just to check the voltage level without charging it (or at least without harming it assuming you pull it out after seeing a reading)?

oh, and fwiw I remember reading that same dvorak article back in the day.

I slapped together a low-power pc, 10 recharchable batteries and a head-mounted display. Now I've got a "laptop" which runs on standard batteries for 6 hours.

The batteries I used are D-size cells with 7000 mAh, five euro each.

@dhanson865

How's this for a poor man's VOM http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92020

I use Lenmar's 8 minute charge batteries. They charge in 8 minutes and seem to hold their charge for a long time. They need Lenmar's 8 minute charger if you want to charge that fast.

For other batteries look for long memory batteries which means they hold their charge when not in use for a longer time.

If you really like charging batteries, you should get into electric aircraft - big monster batteries with high voltage and discharge rates, and they are not exactly safe :)

http://jazzyflight.blogspot.com/

Anyway... I know a little bit about batteries and I'm not sure if this is what you're saying or not, but the capacity posted on the label is not 'misleading' if you understand what it really means. It has nothing to do with the self-discharge rate... it only means the battery can deliver that much power over the course of its discharge cycle... which it does. If you weren't there to use the power when it came out... that's your problem. NiCad and NiMH cells have fairly high self-discharge rates, so we tend to avoid them on model airplanes because you have to charge them right before you fly, and that is inconvenient, and they are heavier than Lithium-Polymer type batteries. They do have higher discharge rates though, so if someone needs 100 amps or something, they do use NiCad, NiMH or "A123" cells.

We generally use Lithium-Polymer batteries in aircraft, but they need to be handled with care as there is a risk of explosions and fires, so they are not viable as a supermarket-type consumer item. It would be nice if they could be made a little safer though, because they have very low self-discharge rates. I'll charge mine up and let them sit for months sometimes and they only lose maybe 2-5% of the charge, over the winter for example.

@Jasime

And they have very little memory effect! I really hope they get the safety issues of Lithium-based rechargeables worked out so we can see these become more consumer friendly. The LifePO4s look good except for their crappy capacities.

I got an Energizer recharger (http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-CHM4FC-Battery-Charger-Energy/dp/B00000JGNB) on sale at Best Buy a couple years ago. Charges AAA, AA, C, D, 9V NiMH and NiCd which is nifty. It works for me. Of course, I don't think they even make devices any more that take a C or 9V, but you know... maybe one day.

This thing must have quite a learning curve (or maybe it's just unsuitable for "slower" people). Lots of reports on the Amazon reviews of the thing melting, batteries melting, causing fires, etc. Also complaints of it not working as well as it should -- undercharging batteries, inaccurate displays.

I usually try to read the good and bad reviews about something, and every product seems to have *some* bad reviews., A lot of times it's trolling and people with defective products, and once in a while it's someone with a real complaint. But these seem legit enough to be worrisome. I understand the v32 and v33 firmware issue, although there doesn't seem to be any good way to ensure you actually get the 33.

Read the Amazon reviews: the LaCrosse BC-900 charger has the potential to burn down your house. For this reason I did not buy it.

Do get the Maha chargers (thomasdistributing) which also charge controlled (measuring voltage and battery temperature) and are even cheaper than the BC-900 charger.

Jeff,

I must have thrown away like 6 good batteries in the last year cuz my BC-900 said null :-( ...awesome tip, no more null display for me...

@SM

The BC-900 does have a bit of a learning curve. It's more than just a charger, though. It's an analyzer/conditioner as well, and as such is the least expensive charger I know of with those capabilities.

The Maha equivalent, the C9000, is highly regarded and slightly more featureful and safe. It's more expensive, though.

Maybe a better idea for those not wanting to mess with the complexity is Bart's suggestion of a Maha. I've heard the C204W and C401FS are great chargers, but don't have personal experience with them.

Regarding the BC-900, there is another workaround that I've been trying. Some people on CandlePowerForums suggested putting a small fan to blow on it while charging. This may not be practical for some, but it's working for me. I just got through running mine for 5 days straight with no problems this way. It keeps the charger and cells at a very cool temperature. The drawback is, it becomes even more important that you don't charge at a low rate. You need at least C/2 so you'll have a nice pronounced voltage drop when the battery reaches full charge. Otherwise, you'll miss termination and pump way too much into your batteries.

I've been using rechargables for years, starting with my old nomad mp3 player that used AAA's. The only problem I have with rechargables is their voltage of 1.2 versus the alkaline 1.5v.I have 3 mindstorms sets that need a combined 18 batteries but running them with rechargables makes the motors run slower.
(after a quick google search): http://www.philohome.com/nxtmotor/nxtmotor.htm

I still use them on my xbox 360 wireless controller but I wonder if the rumble on them is less than they would be on alkalines. I know the rumble on a wired controller is much more pronounced compared to the wireless, yet to try 1.5v vs 1.2 v.
Perhaps I'll start recharging alkalines, unfortunately they don't last through many recharges.

@Forrest

No, that is not a poor mans VOM. It requires a 9V battery. I have a VOM now that I use a couple of times a year but the 9V battery is always low. Pretty much the only reason I use it is to test AA and AAA batteries and pretty much the only reason I buy 9v batteries is to power the stupid VOM.

Does the phrase "theres a hole in the bucket dear Liza" mean anything to you?

I learned to loathe rechargable batteries after using a sony digital camera that used AAs. My theory was that if the batteries ran out I could always hit the store or anybody had AAs, right?

The problem was that the camera would drain a nice newly recharged battery in a few hours, so you just got used to carrying around a few extra AAs. I've since switched to a Canon with a much nicer rechargable LI battery, and I almost never have problems.

I think part of the problem might have been our crappy battery charger, and the geek in me is just drooling over that BC-900 so I just might give them another shot! :)

Ordered, enjoy your commission :P

I also ordered some choose your own adventure books for my son. Get out of my wallet!

@dhanson865

haha, good point

>>bows out<<

I can't believe that noone has mentioned Maha Energy. http://www.mahaenergy.com Excellent chargers and batteries.

Nothing wents over my Li-Ione-Accuj powerer Canon Ixus, or other gadgets with this type of accu like nearly all handys or the ipod touch (ok, there the accu is hard to replace).
They live longer than 6 years, and up to now no malfunction, just a little bit less power over the time. NiMh is junk, go for Li-Io!

The the poster above about game controllers, I'm using 2700mah AAs from greenbatteries.com in my Wiimotes right now. They seem to last much longer for me than your experience. I get weeks out of them.

I also second the good words about Maha.. the new "slow-discharge" Imedion AA rechargeables are fantastic:

http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=122_104_106&products_id=1020&SP_id=68

-Mick O

I just checked and my LaCrosse BC-900 has a firmware version of "33". It was purchased in December 2007.

In case you're curious, upon power up, there are three numbers on the display:

channel 1: temperature sensor #1
channel 2: temperature sensor #2
channel 4: firmware version number

I hadn't heard of any complaints about the BC-900 melting down until now; supposedly firmware 33 reduces the shutdown threshold temperature. It is true that the batteries are pretty close together on the BC-900 with little room for air circulation, so if there was a lot of excessive heat from rapid charging, and something went wrong.. I could see it.

I just picked up a Maha Wizard, and like it quite a bit. It also has a built in stand to lift it off the work surfce. Otherwise, it is quite similiar to the BC-900 (not quite as nice looking, I admit) :-)

@Andre -> I had some of the original recharables from the 80ies, dynacell or some such. Every one in a while, one would go sour and short out. Not a comfortable experience if it happens in your pocket, but that is just the risk you take of rearranging all those electrons.

Even the NiMH batteries have pressure release holes in case they short out to keep them from just exploding.

Regardless of the technology, they are just fancy capacitors, and occasionally all the electrons run back to the otherside all at once, and without permission or regard for the consequences. More of a battery defect in most cases.

charging without cords
http://www.wildcharge.com/

> It turns out that massive 2500mAh capacity of the Energizer rechargeable battery doesn't mean much when the battery drains itself within a month.

Too right! I have about 5 different brands of rechargeables of similar age and the Energizers (2500mAh) are the only ones almost guaranteed to have discharged when I want to use them.

I have the Maha C204W. It's small, works great, needs no external power brick and is happy with 100V or 240V.

So they drain in about a month.

I guess I'll have to stop complaining to Mrs Engtech about replacing all of the charged batteries with discharged batteries.

Coding Horror saves relationships.

My favorite lie-with-numbers bit are the 36 packs of Mountain Dew which say, in bold letter, "36 Pack - 50% MORE" and then in small letters "than a 24-pack." (No, they don't cost the same as a 24 pack.) Thanks for doing the math for me, marketing dudes.

Thank you! I have three (lost one) of the 2500mAh Energizer you show, and they've been getting weaker and weaker and I had no idea why. Now I know, and knowing is half the battle. I see a new battery charger, and maybe some Eneloops, in my future.

Nice article :).

It's amazing how much of our lives could be dramatically improved if all the best technology was widespread.

~Jason (stalepretzel)

I'm amazed that so many people still buy disposable batteries. Myself and my family are a few of the culprits. It's just not convenient to have to re-charge batteries after re-use, it's so much easier just to throw them in a drawer and make others figure out whether or not they have any juice left in them ;D. On a more serious note though, this has woken me up to just how much re-chargable batteries would save in the long run.

I have this charger!!! I'm glad it's being reviewed so positively. I'm so glad I made the choice to buy this charger!

Awesome article. Thanks for the info!

Oh my god, Meyer is in da house, this interwebs is crazy stuff.

Great article Jeff. I have been using only rechargeables for years. Rechargeable batteries is the only way to go with digital cameras and any multimedia device. Just keep an extra set charged and on standby and you be fine.

I like my solar battery chargers that I bought for about $15 each. They don't have the fun features of the touted charger, but they do charge slowly. Considering the source of energy is solar cells, slowness is to be expected. However I do notice that battery life is short, especially using them in my portable sound recording device and digital camera. This is probably because of the particular brands of batteries I've used more than anything, but maybe also because I'm impatient about taking them out to use. I also wish it would meter how much power is in the battery while charging. As is, the charger does meter the level of power it is drawing from the sun.

http://www.ccrane.com/more-categories/batteries-chargers/solar-powered-battery-charger.aspx

Here're my 2 cents:

Batteries: Sanyo Eneloop hands down - I use them for everything: wireless mice, xbox controllers, digital cameras, walkman, digital radio, LED flashlights, etc. They don’t self-discharge significantly even after 1 year which automatically extends their lifespan considering that you don’t have to charge them as often due to self-discharge. You can even use them for remotes. In BC, Canada, Costco has them.

Chargers: I used to use La Crosse, but currently using something much better:
Lightning Pack 4000N aka TurboCharger 4000 Smart Battery Charger and Conditioner:
http://greenbatteries.com/tu40smbach.html
Originally introduced by these guys (check the page for details and reviews):
http://www.ripvan100.com/products_recharger.htm
I know it's hard to believe that something cheaper, simpler, and smaller performs better. Although I liked La Crosse displays and measurements, it'd would run batteries quite hot even with proper charge/discharge current settings. High temps can shorten their lifespan significantly. LP400N keeps them cool as microprocessor adjusts the current automatically based on temp sensors readings. Very simple to use. By the way, this charger automatically detects completely drained cells (mentioned in the first post) and fixes them for you.

Enjoy.

Going slightly sideways so apologies up front.
Rip off Britain is alive & well in 2008
La Crosse $39.99 in America.
La Crosse £39.99 in the UK
Current exchange rate £1=$2
Damn things are made in Germany our European Union "Partners" for crying our loud!

For the true battery geek a computer battery analyzer is a worthwhile investment:

http://www.westmountainradio.com/CBA.htm

Enjoy

@dave

Yes your problem was the crappy charger. I have three cameras now which run on AA's, an old HP c500, a nikon 5600 and canon S3 IS. Each can take 400-500 pictures from a set of Sanyo Eneloop AA's. I have learned to never buy any device which uses a Lithium Ion battery if there is an AA device available. Imagine how many cords/power supplies/chargers I would need for three cameras, gps, scanner, two way radio, etc, instead I have only two, one for the maha c9000 and one for the maha c401 and only one of those gets used at a time as the 401 is stored in my travel bag so by careful research into producuts and their power supplies I was able to eliminate a dozen different chargers, not to mention needing to replace those lithium Ion batery packs every couple years in a dozen different devices.

What I found was #1 self discharge was an issue so i was having to take batteries hot off the charger to get any decent run time from them and #2 some smart chargers are not all that smart and would terminate the charge early resulting in a not fully charged battery. Since i bought low self discharge batteries like Sanyo Eneloop that fixed #1 and the maha chargers fixed #1.
My maha chargers have paid for themselves already by me not having to replace several older NiMH that I now use in my sons toys where he runs them down faster than they self discharge anyway.

looks cool, thanks

but

an Amazon referral link? Are you fucking serious? disgusting...

I'm also a self-confessed geek with a bevy of gadgets of my own and two small children, who have really increased the battery demand in my household. I'm also a fan of the LaCrosse charger and Eneloop batteries, but needed a solution for the C/D-cell eating devices that my kids have. I was unwilling to pay $75+ for a decent C/D cell charger and $7-13 per battery for a NiMH C/D cell solution.

I found a decent compromise for D-cells to pass along. If you look hard around the web, you can find AA->D cell adapters that take two AA cells, so you'll get roughly 5000mAh which is much closer to an alkaline cell than using an D adapter that only takes one AA cell. One source of these adapters in here: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3228. I'm not affiliated with this company.

@feast So he's got an Amazon link. So what? It doesn't cost you any more and he gets a bit of a reward for passing on good info and some support for the site. Big deal.

"I'm not sure what the exact definition of geek is, but I think "enjoys recharging batteries" has to be very high on that list."

lol, literally :)))

Fantastic! I got so frustrated with my rechargeables that I went back to the environmental nightmare kind. Thanks for the tips! I'll pick up some better batteries and that lovely charger and try again.

In Germany and in France, this charger is sold as VoltCraft IPC-1.
You can find it here:

http://www.conrad.de
http://www.conrad.fr

User guide is available too (in 4 languages):
http://www1.produktinfo.conrad.com/datenblaetter/500000-524999/512266-an-01-ml-LADEGERAET_IPC-1_de-en-fr-nl.pdf

59.95 € (VAT included)

:)

This is such a good tip that I passed it along to Clark Howard (clarkhoward.com). You never know, you might end up on radio!

Your blog was timed perfectly. I was just looking at getting into rechargable batteries having spent my entire life disposing single use batteries. Thanks for your help!

loyal reader,
D

The only thing I have that needs batteries are the controllers for my Wii. Still, even though it'll take a couple years for me to break even on the cost it was good enough for me because now I won't have to worry about always having a decent supply of AA batteries.

I didn't realize the slow chargers are better for battery life than fast ones. Now I'm glad I skimped out on paying an extra ten bucks for the 30 min charger vs. the 2 hour one I got.

I really wish I'd read this a couple years ago, before I started using my "fast charger" and wondering why I was wearing out rechargable batteries so fast.

However, nowadays, despite a plethora of gadgets, I'm a little low on things that take AA or AAA batteries (with the exception of the tv remotes which, as have been pointed out, are long-use, low-draw, and need to be changed about once every couple years).

Currently, as far as juiced devices, I have 2 remotes, 3 Wii-Motes, a cellphone, a DS, and a couple digital cameras, both of which take proprietary (and therefor awkardly shaped and necessitating specialized recharging stations) lithium batteries. The Wii-Motes traditionally take AA, but I bought the recharger packs for them (not AA batteries- actual packs, so you "dock" the wii-mote to charge it).

However, should I ever have need of AA batteries again- I'm definitely getting that charger. Thanks for the excellent heads-up:)

if your looking for the item in europe, check conrad website of your contry ( if there is one ) and seartch for product: 512304-TH (thats the one without extra bataries, just the charger, cheepest option if you have bateries allready)

found mine on conrad.nl (number via conrad.de) for 34.95 euro, 41.90 including shipping.

;)

Great write up. I have the La Crosse charger as well (got it after graduation) and it works great.

chris
http://www.yoursash.com

You've got to be kidding me. These Amazon stores charge $6 shipping per item plus $.99 per order. I was going to order 3 sets of batteries until I found out that my shipping charges for that one order would be $19!

Photographers use tons of rechargeables. A 4 cell charger is worthless. Maha Energy makes smart chargers that can charge 8 at once.

WOW!

Well, Jeff, I guess you've really made it now.

I define "success" by causing the price on Amazon to go up by >$5 after mentioning a product in your blog. The charger you pimped is now on back order there and at least $5 more than it was when you first posted. Thomas Distributing still has it for the older price though.

"A 4 cell charger is worthless"

I have this cool technology in my house called a power strip. It allows me to install multiple battery chargers in parallel, effectively allowing me to charge 4, 8, 12, or even 1,247 batteries at a time, all based on how many separate chargers I buy!

Think of it like a rack mount server with truly efficient multi-processor scaling.

FWIW, my family and I use a lot of (standard size) batteries, and have a total of two 4-cell chargers supporting us. Between low-self-discharge batteries (eneloops rule), reasonable organization (if 12 batteries need to be charged, 4 sit next to the charger and the chargee checks back to swap their set in the next day), and healthy supply of extra batteries (aforementioned chargee generally just grabs another set of batteries from the bin), it all just seems to work.

BTW, anyone looking for eneloop batteries, the best place I've found for them is Costco (and I just checked today to make sure they are still selling them). They sell a large pack of them, including a throw-away charger and more useful carrying case, for $26. That's $10 less than Amazon charges for the identical set, and you pay for the gas to/from Costco instead of shipping. For crying out loud: don't buy the $60 set of 8 batteries which Amazon seems to be hawking (alongside 4 batteries for $14 ...)!

I'm sure you all know this but regularly using the full capacity of a NiMH Battery destroys it (severely reduces the number of recharge cycles). Priuses use only 2/3 of the capacity of their batteries.

using an nimh full capacity does not destroy it, it simply counts as a full charge. An NiMH is good for 1000 full cycles so if you only use 50% of its capacity then you get 2000 half cycles, its a way to extend the life.

I got the USB charger for the rechargeable AA alkalines (pure energy) I use, also got a NiCD/NiMH slow charger.

I've had good experience with my NiMH/NiCD batteries (NiCDs used in clocks) but the memory effect is outrageous!! The 2 NiCDs I got have been draining since 8 months now with a good memory effect.

My PDA's Li-Ion battery suffered a major memory effect for 3 months before I had to replace it. Yes, almost ALL batteries have the memory effect. I even tried to drain it fully, but it only charged for 10 minutes then stated it was FULL. Unplug the charger, it dies after 3 minutes. Thankfully, it's been cleared up 3 months ago :)

The duracell 2500mha battery I found in wal-mart acutally overheated and melted one of my disposable cameras. I couldn't care less anyways. That disposable camera was one I took apart and used as a flash instead.

I also got a ton of (recycled/reused/boosted) non-rechargables. I do boost and attempt to recharge them with the usb charger I got. It works. None of my "non-chargeable" have ever leaked or exploded at all, like the stupid company said would happen. One did leak, maybe cause it was dampened (found outside after the rain, inside a paper cup) and I just tossed it out.

Have you had any experience with boosting and renewing dead, non-rechargeable batteries before?

Don't try it on a NiCD/NiMH charger cause they won't charge, since they're alkaline.

Pop me an e-mail and/or a video on youtube if you wish.

I'm glad to give you my experiences.

PS. DON'T ALWAYS BELIEVE THE STUPID SCARE TACTICS THE BATTERY COMPANYS USE TO STOP YOU FROM CHARGING THEIR DISPOSABLE, 1 TIME USE BATTERIES. It's just bull shit.

You'll find my e-mail addresses in 2 of my videos and the description of my 2nd oldest. You gotta scroll to the LAST page to find the second oldest video to get them from the description.

ChEeRs!!!

Nothing beats lithium AA batteries when it comes to performance. They have much wider operating temperature range, higher discharge current, lower self-discharge, and they weight half as much as other types.

Other batteries have failed me. Countless times I had an absolutely stunning photo waiting to be taken, I turn the camera on, and I discover the NiMH discharged itself by just doing nothing, the camera dies, I curse. In the end, alkaline is what I use mostly, and lithium in mission critical places. I use the rechargeable nimh batteries only in my cheapo $5 electric screwdriver.

Lithium batteries are not to be confused with rechargable Lithium-Ion and LiPoly, they're different. I use LiPoly exclusively for my model planes and helicopters, but that's a whole other bowl of enchilada...

great article! now does anyone know where a BC-900 can be found in Australia?

@emre

You need to try some decent NiMH, I too had given up on them and was using lithium in our cameras but I tried eneloops and decent charger and now have great results. Our cameras can take just as many pictures on a set of eneloops as they can lithiums and I have plenty of gear which sits in the closet for 6 months and still has full charge thans to the low self discharge of eneloops. Then also hold their charge better in cold weather than traditional NiMH.

There are actually Lithium-Ion in AA size, but they're actually called 14500. They have a nominal voltage of 3.7, which means they're about 4.2V when fully charged. This makes them unsuitable for directly replacing alkaline and nimh in most devices, though if you have a device that takes 2 or 3 AA, you can use 1 14500 Lithium-Ion rechargeable and 1 or 2 dummy cells. Not much sense in doing that, you'll have more energy in 2 AA eneloop.

Safety is probably the main reason why we aren't seeing standardized sizes for Lithium rechargeables used. Considering that consumers today already ignore the warnings on alkaline and nimh batteries, putting Lithium-ion in their hands would be disastrous. While nimh or alkaline at most leaks a bit of corrosive electrolyte, lithiums "vent with flame" when mistreated... The situation is not made easier by the fact that there are about half a dozen different lithium-ion rechargeable chemistries, each preferring a slightly different charge algorithm. If consumers have more than two kinds of lithium and use the wrong charger, they might find a new fountain of flame in their living room.

That a nimh battery's label says "1300mAh, Charge 130mA 14 hours" is entirely correct. When charging at a rate that is one tenth of the battery's rated capacity, the charge efficiency is somewhere roughly around 70%, meaning that you have to put in 1.4 times the battery's capacity in order to fill it up. The "missing" 40% warms up the battery.

Regarding the cost of electricity, if we assume you treat your battery well and will thus get about 500 cycles out of it, you'll have put in 500 cycles * 1.2volts * 2AmpHours * 1.4 (charge efficiency losses) = 1680 watthours of energy. That's 1.68 kWh. Assume that the charger and its AC adapter are somewhat inefficient, say a very pessimistic 50% efficiency 3.36 kWh. A kWh costs less than 50 cents in most parts of the world, but let's assume you're paying 50 cents, round it up, about $2 in electricity costs to charge a Eneloop AA battery 500 times. This is why people rarely factor in the electricity cost, even with this pessimistic calculation it is insignificant. How much does 500 AA alkalines cost? ;-)

Btw, to those of you who have the "null" problem with the BC-900, do keep in mind that it's generally a bad idea to drain nimh completely empty. Cameras and such shut down long before the batteries are empty, but less "high tech" devices such as flashlights can be run past the point where it goes dim. If the flashlight uses more than one battery, it is likely that one of the batteries will go empty before the other, this results in the remaining battery "reverse charging" the empty battery. This is quite harmful for a nimh battery, and will greatly decrease its lifetime. nimh batteries also don't like to wait around in a discharged state for very long, so charge as soon as possible, and it's okay, even recommended, to recharge the batteries as soon as you notice the flashlight dimming. The old urban legend about running flashlight until it's completely dead in order to maximize rechargeable performance is wrong.

Many people use the term "memory effect" to describe all kinds of loss of performance, but the truth is that such a thing doesn't really exist in real life. The harsh reality of it is that batteries will die, and often it's a long and slow death. Lithium Ion rechargeables degrade and lose capacity (i.e. you get less and less talk time / laptop runtime even on full charge) over time. It used to be as high as 50% degradation in 2 years, hopefully research and progress has managed to improve this a bit. There's no memory effect involved, the battery just becomes weaker over time. Completely discharging Li-Ion wont magically make it perform better, it's even outright dangerous to use a Li-Ion that has been discharged past the point where the device no longer operates on it.

So many issues, still so many rumours and false tips floating around about "memory" and similar, it's no wonder people just find it simpler to continue throwing money into the alkaline pit..

Does anyone know where to get this charger in the Toronto, Canada area? I'd really like to buy one but I can't seem to locate anyone who sells them here.

from Amazon.com 39.00 free shipping
"La Crosse Technology BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger" [Lawn &
Patio]
Estimated arrival date: 06/05/2008 - 06/11/2008

I ordered this last week and i received this today!!!

I canceled and per one of the persons above i bought it from http://www.thomas-distributing.com 57.97 the shipping is 8.?? but the one i ordered as the 8 Sanyo eneloops,ordered 4 MAHA IMEDION too it came to about 76.?? i think i may have paid 10 over but i was just mad at Amazon, plus I wanted it for my birthday. :P

> I have learned to never buy any device which uses a
> Lithium Ion battery if there is an AA device available.
> Imagine how many cords/power supplies/chargers I would
> need for three cameras, gps, scanner, two way radio, etc,
> instead I have only two, one for the maha c9000 and one
> for the maha c401

I can't imagine *not* having a lithium ion battery in my camera. I got it almost a year ago, and it is still working fine on its *initial charge*. I have not had to recharge the battery even once yet, and I have taken over 1000 photos, many with the flash.

In a device that can handle the higher voltage, Li Ion makes a lot of sense. You probably wouldn't want to use it in a TV remote control, for example, because you can get probably 3 years out of a standard alkaline AA cell at 1/10th the cost.

However, larger universal remotes with LCD displays, whose cost is great enough to include the cost of a more expensive battery, coupled with the fact that it will drain the battery faster and actually need recharging in a matter of days or weeks, make a lot more sense with a Li Ion or NiMH rechargeable battery.

@ilmari

You're spot on with most points and have a commendable knowledge of battery characteristics. But...the simple fact is that "memory effect," or voltage depression, does in fact exist for nickel-based batteries. Sure, its effect is so small in lithium-ions that in all practicality it's not there. But in Ni-Cad and NiMH batteries it is a very real condition.

The term "memory effect" actually refers to crystalline formation on the positive electrode (in Ni-Cads it also happens on the negative electrode, hence the reason Ni-Cads have a greater tendency to develop memory). When these crystals form, they block some of the surface area of the active electrode from being able to absorb Hydrogen from the electrolyte. This translates to less energy for you, the end user to pull from the battery and a decrease in the mid-point voltage.

However, there is no need to ever suffer from memory effect. All you have to do is make sure to fully discharge your batteries down to 1.0 volt once every 3 months (every 1 month for Ni-Cads). If you are in the habit of running your batteries down completely in a digital camera, cell phone, or whatever before recharging them, then you'll never notice a decrease in capacity from memory. And the good news is, most memory effect that does build up is reversible. Just put the batteries through a "Refresh" cycle on the BC-900 and you'll get most if not all capacity back.

Here are a some references that confirm my point:
http://batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-33.htm
http://batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-31.htm
http://www.duracell.com/oem/Pdf/others/TECHBULL.pdf (section 5.9)

Interesting comment about increasing NiMH battery capacity from the LifeHacker link to this article:

--
[Hybrid batteries] are not made from NiMH, they are NiMH just with a thicker insulating layer. If you dissect any NiMH you see its a roll of material. Manufacturers have been going to higher capacity making those layers thinner which causes the higher self discharge. So for the low self discharge they have went back to a better insulating layer. There is nothing hybrid about them and all NiMH are 1.2v and all have the flat discharge curve with sharp drop off at the end, that is a NiMH characteristic.
--

Those energizer rechargables are worthless IMO, within a week you are down to about half the runtime in a flashlight or whatever. No point in having 2700mAh if you have to use it all immediatly straight from the charger.

Older GP 1800mAh cells I have are performing much better - and some must be up around the 300 cycle mark by now. I can take them from the charger, and a month later still get some use. Whereas the energizers would be at the point where the digicam will turn on move the lens out, let you line the shot up and then shutdown before you get the first pic taken.

The conspiracy theorist in me says that they make them crap intentionally to put people off the idea of rechargeable so they go back to the old faithful alkaline cells which haven't let them down yet.

Item is currently (March 27, 2008) NOT available on Amazon. It is shown as a preorder item with an April 2008 ship date

I can confirm that using the BC-900 as a poor mans VOM works. IE you can put a alkaline battery in the BC-900 just to check the voltage level without charging it.

I'm assuming the BC-900 doesn't begin charging until the 8 seconds are up (the period you have to choose a charging rate). Even if it does start charging before the 8 seconds are up it only takes a few seconds to see the voltage and pull the battery out and assuming the battery isn't hot or unstable for other reasons before you checked it out in the BC-900 a couple of seconds receiving 200mA is relatively safe.

This means I won't be buying 9v batteries for my VOM anymore.

It also means I don't have to charge two batteries at a time as I did with my old charger. Having 4 independent charging circuits is another plus.

I now know more about batteries than I ever wanted to know thanks to Forrest's batteryuniversity links and a few other articles I googled up.

My BC-900 was a v33, and completely melted itself while charging 4*AA cells (the ones supplied with the charger) at the lowest current setting. This isn't just a case of missing charge termination (the batteries had only been in for an hour or two, and at 200mA they shouldn't get that hot even if they'd been in there for days). Fortunately I was in the room at the side and smelt burning, otherwise who knows what could have happened.

I'd suggest anyone who uses a BC-900 keeps it away from anything flammable while using it. I won't be buying another.

I've got one of those chargers. What you don't say is how stupidly difficult it is to use. Here's a quote from the user manual:

---

By pressing the MODE key within 8 seconds after inserting the rechargeable batteries the Refresh mode can be selected (The mode key shall first be pressed and held for about 1 second to activate the mode change. The subsequent pressing of the mode key will enable to toggle between the "charge", "Discharge", "Test" and "Refresh" mode). The user may also select different discharging current by pressing the CURRENT key (See "note" in Discharge mode and Table 2), within 8 seconds after inserting the batteries.

---

And what's with the "NULL" readout when a battery is dud? It's really sad that the designer decided to use a geek word on a consumer product.

ps In other countries, these chargers sometimes are branded TechnoLine BL-700/BC-700

I also had a BC-900 (v33), which melted itself while charging 4*AA cells (the ones supplied with the charger) at the lowest current setting - the first time it was used!

Switched to Maha, had no problems.

I find it weird that the BC-900 has a temperature sensor but still gets very hot. It's very simple logic to have it stop charging at a pre-set temperature.

I like my Ultra rapid charger that has an LCD readout for each battery as well as a discharge function.

There is a cool product called the Noma pocket power charger (found at Canadian Tire in Canada) that accepts 4 AA batteries and has a USB plug on it plus 8 telephone adapters for charging anything that uses a USB plug for power ()eg: ipods. It comes with low end 1400 mAh NiMH batteries, but you can put in your own.

I use it with a USB power adapter for the Nintendo DS. It has a Datel Games and Music card which has a MicroSD solt so I can listen to mp3 with it. Cool feature - it has a "time slider" so you can go pack to a half-listened podcast or audiobook and not have to play "fast-forward and guess" for 2 minutes, just tap roughly where you left off, then adjust with 2 or 3 more taps. This is good if you go to sleep listening to audiobooks.

Great article, but some things about the article and especially the comments, make my skin crawl.

Firstly - "The world runs on AAs", and even more disturbingly, those who actually recommend cameras and gadgets that use AA in preference to Li-Ion. This is totally insane. Li-Ion is a far superior technology than AA NiMH. If given the choice, why would you choose the AA version? The "proprietary battery" issue is far outweighed by the better performance, and the fact that the chargers are better and specifically designed for those batteries.

It's hard to believe some of the design choices. The Xbox wireless controller uses AA batteries? That's insane. Why doesn't it use a lightweight, compact, high-performance Li-Ion battery?

I recently needed to purchase a wireless mouse. I could have purchased an Apple Bluetooth mouse. But unfortunately, it used AA or AAA (can't remember which) batteries. Instead, I went for a Logitech Bluetooth mouse, which came with two lightweight Li-Ion battery packs, and a USB charger. Of course, it requires a USB Bluetooth dongle and won't work with the Mac's built-in Bluetooth - but I'd rather use up a USB port or add a USB hub than have to fill a goddamned *mouse* with AA/AAA batteries, whether they are rechargeable or not.

When it comes to cameras, there is no competition. Why would you buy a camera that took AA/AAA batteries? It makes no sense. If you are doing any kind of strategic planning with your tech purchases, you shouldn't have very many devices (apart from DVD remotes) that require those things. MP3 players with AA batteries? Ridiculous.

Now, in my professional work, there are still a few devices that require AA or 9v batteries. But many of those suffer performance issues with the 1.2v of a rechargeable battery. But the really important ones (wireless microphone transmitters & receivers) tend to use 9v batteries anyway. That's a whole other kettle of fish. But how many people use professional microphone systems?

I don't know about you, but in my world, the AA/AAA battery is becoming largely irrelevant. If it isn't in your world, then maybe you need to assess what you are doing wrong that leads to a reliance on this cell type?

The other issue that disturbs me about the comments on this article are all the people who are religiously talking about the "memory effect" as if it were something real. The "memory effect" never actually existed. Not for Ni-Cad, not for NiMH, not for Li-Ion. It's a complete myth, and those who believe in it are similar to those who believe in fairies, ghosts, or the boogeyman.

@Harvard Irving & others:

What is with the hate for NiMH AA batteries? Are those who espouse Li-ion rechargeables really *that* eager to spend more to put single-task devices in their houses? Are those who are using AAs but find NiMH "undependable" really *that* eager to produce that much waste by using mass quantities of alkalines?

I'll take a couple of small, portable 'tube-velopes' (8xAA) of Eneloops and a couple of Lightning Pack 4000Ns on a trip any day, fueling our Canon A80, A630, and Pentax K100D Super. Back home, I'll put the AAs in our 2 LaCrosse BC900s and top them off - because even after a heavy day of shooting, the 4xAA usually aren't discharged and don't require changing out.

We're not doing anything 'wrong' by choosing to rely on a single, universal cell type and charger(s). Did the Li-ion users ever consider assessing what 'wrong' choices they're making that leads them to need so many different proprietary chargers and batteries? (The product makers don't think you're wrong at all, by the way - they LOVE you. They get to sell you a new charger and new spare batteries every time, after all! I suspect this is part of why cameras that can be fueled with AA or AAA batteries are getting rarer...)

Please note that the reports of problems with the BC900 are necessarily over-represented in reviews - the many, many people who are using them without issue generally are not the ones who take the time to post a review. I have two and have never had a single overheating issue (though I have taken some precautions, e.g. keeping them on textured silicone mats to allow airflow beneath).

I'd be the first to say that the user interface on the BC900 is a pain, with a steep learning curve, but just take a look at this (about the Maha C9000 charger) and imagine having to do forty-eight button presses to configure a set of 4 batteries to charge.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R2HVC0OSW2R8SM/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

The BC900's no great shakes, but the C9000 is a textbook example of testing an interface with too few users. (Did they test those functions with ANY users, I have to wonder?)

"Seriously, just look at this thing. It's a geek's dream."

"Please make sure that you get this charger with v33 firmware. "

Yep, geeky indeed. :)