AA Batteries and charger that lasts the longest? (1 Viewer)

[jeff lam]

I have been having battery issues with my remote and it has been sucking the life from the batteries too fast so I thought I'd try the rechargable batteries. Anyone have experience in this area? What AA batteries last the longest when charged and what charger is good? I haven't used rechargeables since I was a kid so any info would be great.

 

[James Zubb]

I have experience with NiMH batteries I use for my R/C car. NiCd are not really good for electronics, they have lower capacity and memory effects (they are good for racing R/C cars, higher discharge rate, but I don't race just for fun). I have no experience with rechargable Alkalines. The NiMH battery comes in different mAh configurations. The bigger the number the longer they last.

I am using some Lenmar 1800mAh AA & 700mAh AAA NiMH batteries for my R/C car. They were about $12/$8 (AA/AAA price) I think for a 4-pack at Fry's (I think that was the price, they were the cheapest ones). They have worked well, last long on a charge.

I have a Rayovac 1 hr charger that I got at Target for about $30. You can get the regular chargers for less money ($10-$20), they take about 8-14 hours or so to charge, so if you don't need a quick turnaround then go for the less expensive one.

 

[Ken Seeber]

A really good source for Nimh batteries, as well as information about rechargeable batteries in general, is Thomas Distributing, which is in my home town, Paris, Ill.
Go to Link Removed .

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

I've had great luck using Ray-O-Vac rechargeable Alkaline AA batteries in my Sony receiver's 2-way LCD remote. It takes 3 of them and I'm still on the original set of 3 I installed over 30 months ago (the original set of standard alkalines lasted approx. 2 months). I use the Sony's remote daily with the backlight on and I still get at least 3 months between charges (the remote retains settings even without battery power, so I just charge them overnight when the warning comes on and reinstall the next day). I also use the Ray-O-Vac charger for rechargeable Alkaline C batteries for my son's tape player and a number of other devices and it has served me very well. I haven't bought throw-away batteries for nearly 3 years (other than 9 volt ones for the smoke alarm). I've gotten at least a year with heavy use on the C-cells and with AA-cells in a DiscMan (25 charges or so). Considering the cost savings, these batteries and charger have saved me a lot of $$$.

 

[jeff lam]

Peter,
Those sound good, where can I get them and how much do they cost. I figure I'll need 6 AA batteries, since my remote takes 3, I'll just charge 3 while the other 3 are in use and swap them when required.

 

[John Royster]

I just by 25 packs of AA batteries from walgreens for 9 bucks, alkaline of course. They work great!

I too used to race RC cars and got sick of the lack of power from rechargibles.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Jeff, I've seen the Ray-O-Vac Rechargeable Alkaline unit on sale at Home Depot so I assume it's available at similar stores. A desktop charger (which can do sizes from AAA to D) should be around $20, 4-pack of AA's around $7.00.
Here's what they look like: http://www.rayovac.com/products/recharge/rec_alk.shtml

 

[Martin Fontaine]

I used Rechargable Alkalines for about a year and a half then switched to NiMH... Sure the rechargable alkaline last longer per charge than NiCad but only charge so many times. They do have the advantage of not slowly discharging when not in use + supplying 1.5v as opposed to 1.25v so I guess for remotes this can be a good choice. But for my Discman (Panasonic Shockwave, the 10 sec buffer one which I bought in March 98) used way to many of these. I bought a pack of 4 AA NiMH Radio Shack (The Radio Shack breand even (!)) only 1300 mAh and after 2 and a half years I can still do 1 week/charge (I use 2 at a time)

My dad's Digital Camera also uses NiMH AA's and they are 1800 mAh... So when my 1300s start getting tired, I'll buy new ones at the same place as my dad's!

Another thing that might influance lasting power... The Recharge Time! The Ultra-Quick chargers that can recharge 4 AAs in an hour will wear out your batteries a lot quicker and you won't be able to recharge them many times, I'm using a charger that recharge in 13 hours so maybe that helps...

 

[Chu Gai]

I ran across this information which may or may not guide you in selecting the 'best solution'

As a rule, the more often you use rechargeable batteries, the more you get out of them. So, they wouldn't the best choice for items that are rarely used like flashlights or smoke alarms. Also, you can't stash rechargeable batteries in a junk drawer for years, or even months, as they self-discharge much faster than non-rechargeables and may be dead by the time you really need them.

For high drain devices that are used often, rechargeable batteries do not last as long, per single use, as alkalines and you may find the frequent changing and charging of batteries a nuisance. So where do rechargeable batteries fit in? They are most cost-effective when used in medium to high drain devices that you use moderately.

Predominant chemistries for rechargeable batteries in AA, A, C, D
and 9-volt size are Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and alkaline.

Currently, NiCd batteries are the most common rechargeable batteries. They are easy to use, economically priced and will last for 500 to 1000 cycles. The main drawback with NiCd batteries is that they are prone to the "memory effect" (formation of crystals on the interior plates that shorten life) which requires monthly exercising to prevent.

NiMH batteries handle the "memory effect" much better than NiCd
batteries and require less exercise to prevent it. Consumers looking for long run-time over long lifetime choose NiMH batteries because they have 30% higher energy density than the standard NiCd which means, pound for pound, they have more power. Per single use, NiMH batteries will outlast NiCd, yet the lifetime of NiMH batteries only reaches up to 500 charge-discharge cycles, shorter than that of NiCd batteries.

Even with higher energy density, NiMH batteries do not perform as well as NiCd in high drain applications such as power tools or remote control cars. In addition, NiMH takes longer to charge and discharges on its own faster than NiCd batteries.

Reusable alkaline batteries initially provide the long run-time of an alkaline battery, longer than equivalent NiCd and NiMH cells. The energy density of a reusable alkaline, however, drastically decreases after the first recharge. They will last 20 to 25 fewer cycles than NiCd and NiMH batteries. The life of the reusable alkaline depends on the depth of discharge; the deeper the discharge, the fewer cycles the battery can endure.

Another limitation to reusable alkaline is its low current drain capability. For most portable AM/FM radios, flashlights, CD and tape players, reusable alkalines are adequate, but when used in higher drain items, reduced service life may offset any cost advantage over standard alkaline batteries.

 

[Jay_E]

Here is a good review of NiMH batteries. It is interesting that according to this test the top rated 1800 mAh battery lasted twice as long a the top rated alkaline (Duracell Ultra). I just bought (for my digital camera) the Maha C204 charger with some Powerex batteries that were discussed in the review. The manual for my Canon Powershot A40 also states that you will get approx. twice the number of shots with NiMH batteries vs. alkalines. I always thought there was a trade off with using rechargable batteries, but with the NiMH batteries you seem to get the best of both worlds - longer life and much lower cost.
Jay

 

[Mark_Ken]

The best place for batteries that I have found is Link Removed They sell some of the best NiMH batteries I have found. There Powerex 1800 are the best you can buy.
Just remember that NiMH batteries have a high discharge rate when not being used. If you charge them you only get about a month to use them. On the other side they put out more power. With Alkaline batteries in my Diga Cam I get about 60 Pics with the Powerex 1800 off a new charge I get about 150 Pics.

 

[Jay_E]

Newegg has the Maha C204 charger kit w/1600 mAh batteries and car charger for only $28 w/ $4 shipping. They don't have quite the selection that Thomas Distributing does, but that are about $7 less expensive on the above combo.
Jay