Author Topic: Recommend a battery charger  (Read 5318 times)

Woofage

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Recommend a battery charger
« on: 15 November, 2013, 12:54:32 pm »
I've had a basic AA/AAA/9V charger for a several years and whilst this works perfectly well it has one slight drawback: it will only charge in pairs. Can the panel recommend a charger that will charge any number of batteries between 1 and 4, both AA or AAA please?
Pen Pusher

Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #1 on: 15 November, 2013, 01:07:29 pm »
Like a lot of others on the forum I've got a Technoline BL700

http://www.batterylogic.co.uk/technoline/technoline-BL700.asp

Works very well and does what you need for AA and AAA. It won't charge 9V batteries though.
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Biggsy

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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #2 on: 15 November, 2013, 01:26:29 pm »
*ting*  Technoline BL700 is the correct answer.  :)

I liked it so much that I bought another - so I can charge eight cells at once.  There is a fancier model as well that can charge faster, but fast charging is harder on batteries.

Use your old charger for your 9V batteries.
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Biggsy

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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #3 on: 15 November, 2013, 01:38:31 pm »
I've had a basic AA/AAA/9V charger for a several years and whilst this works perfectly well it has one slight drawback: it will only charge in pairs.

Actually, it doesn't work perfectly well because (presumably) it's not monitoring and charging each cell independently, so one cell may end up with less charge than the other.  Chemistry varies between cells even when new, so ideally they need charging independently.  Smart chargers like the BL700 do that.
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Woofage

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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #4 on: 15 November, 2013, 01:56:34 pm »
I've had a basic AA/AAA/9V charger for a several years and whilst this works perfectly well it has one slight drawback: it will only charge in pairs.

Actually, it doesn't work perfectly well because (presumably) it's not monitoring and charging each cell independently, so one cell may end up with less charge than the other.  Chemistry varies between cells even when new, so ideally they need charging independently.  Smart chargers like the BL700 do that.

I've long suspected that but I've not had any issues with my rechargeables so never felt the need to upgrade before.
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Kim

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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #5 on: 15 November, 2013, 02:17:28 pm »
*ting*  Technoline BL700 is the correct answer.  :)

+1

Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #6 on: 15 November, 2013, 02:27:08 pm »
*ting*  Technoline BL700 is the correct answer.  :)

I liked it so much that I bought another - so I can charge eight cells at once.  There is a fancier model as well that can charge faster, but fast charging is harder on batteries.

Use your old charger for your 9V batteries.

I've got two of the BL700 type family of chargers, the more modern one will charge much faster if necessary (I think 2A is it's maximum rate, for two cells only).  They work very well, and can also bring slightly knackered batteries back into a better state of operation (and completely knackered ones back to partial workability).

I'd love to find a similar answer for charging PP3s though.  The only chargers I have that can charger them, come under the category of cheap and a bit naff.
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Woofage

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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #7 on: 15 November, 2013, 03:35:17 pm »
BL700 it is then :).

I'm not too fussed about the 9V batteries. I use them so infrequently and for nothing important.
Pen Pusher

Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #8 on: 16 November, 2013, 12:55:32 pm »
I've just had a second BL700 delivered a couple of days ago, as well as a bagload of Vapex 2900mAh AAs.
Should keep me going through the winter.....

Valiant

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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #9 on: 17 November, 2013, 01:51:07 pm »
I bought a Nitecore i4 Pro v2. It does 1-4 Nimh, Nicad, lion from AAA to 18650 including any mix. A bargain for £18
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Wowbagger

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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #10 on: 17 November, 2013, 02:08:23 pm »
Occasionally a "duff" battery shows as "Null" in the BL700 and won't charge.

A blast in a cruder battery charger tends to cure that, though.
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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #11 on: 17 November, 2013, 05:19:35 pm »
Occasionally a "duff" battery shows as "Null" in the BL700 and won't charge.

A blast in a cruder battery charger tends to cure that, though.

Yes, below a certain voltage, the BL700 type chargers can't see that there's a battery there at all.  As you say, a brief charge in some other (cruder) charger will often put enough charge into the battery, that it can then be "seen" by the BL700.  A battery that has been discharged that much, is quite likely to be permanently dead anyway, or at best will have lost a lot of it's capacity.
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Charlotte

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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #12 on: 17 November, 2013, 05:42:04 pm »
I'm another BL700 user with a brace of them on my desk.  Bloody marvellous bits of kit.

Mind you, I still toss a cheap 7DayShop 8xAA fast charger in my kitbag when I'm off to a day-long shoot and I think I might need to get several sets on to charge.  Probably does awful things to my cells, but very useful to zap them up to full whack in an hour without needing to press buttons and read LCDs.
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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #13 on: 17 November, 2013, 05:43:14 pm »
BL700 it is then :)....
I bought one a few years ago, & have never regretted it.

Occasionally a "duff" battery shows as "Null" in the BL700 and won't charge.

A blast in a cruder battery charger tends to cure that, though.

Yes, below a certain voltage, the BL700 type chargers can't see that there's a battery there at all.  As you say, a brief charge in some other (cruder) charger will often put enough charge into the battery, that it can then be "seen" by the BL700.  A battery that has been discharged that much, is quite likely to be permanently dead anyway, or at best will have lost a lot of it's capacity.
Yeah, I do that. A quick blast in my old Maplin fast charger (three cells only, since one slot died), then the BL700. It keeps some batteries going for low importance tasks. They don't get used in backup sets for overnight rides, but it means I don't have to junk 'em & buy new ones - yet.
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Kim

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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #14 on: 17 November, 2013, 05:57:53 pm »
Mind you, I still toss a cheap 7DayShop 8xAA fast charger in my kitbag when I'm off to a day-long shoot and I think I might need to get several sets on to charge.  Probably does awful things to my cells, but very useful to zap them up to full whack in an hour without needing to press buttons and read LCDs.

The other advantage of the 7DayShop fast chargers is that they will happily run from an automotive 12V supply (and for obvious reasons, charging the cells as quickly as possible is usually desirable if you're using one of those).  And hey, at least they're still charging cells individually.

rr

Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #15 on: 18 November, 2013, 11:22:13 pm »
Lidl have some good charges at the moment, they do 6 AA(A)s or 4 bigger cells plus 2 pp3s and a usb. Fast intelligent charging and cycling to revive iffy cells too. £14.99

ian

Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #16 on: 19 November, 2013, 08:06:11 am »
Occasionally a "duff" battery shows as "Null" in the BL700 and won't charge.

A blast in a cruder battery charger tends to cure that, though.

I find that if I leave them in the BL700 they eventually get recognised and charge.

As others have said, the BL700 is fantastic. Just as an example, the batteries in my Apple keyboard would probably last less than a week after charging in a bog-standard Uniross affair. With the B700 I get a few months per charge.

Biggsy

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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #17 on: 19 November, 2013, 10:34:05 am »
Sometimes just removing and reinserting a battery a few times gets the charger to recognise it.

I guess warming it up could help, too.  Stick it in your underpants.  That's how I was taught to warm things in the Cub Scouts.  Nothing dodgy about that, eh?
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Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #18 on: 19 November, 2013, 11:16:42 am »
Powerex C9000 is an alternative to the BL700 - and it runs off 12v if you need it to.

I *think* it also handles completely flat cells, and has a max charge current or 2A (I think that's for all cells). ISTR there's some additional charge cycle modes over the BL.

http://www.mahaenergy.com/mh-c9000/

Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #19 on: 19 November, 2013, 11:16:49 am »

I guess warming it up could help, too.  Stick it in your underpants.  That's how I was taught to warm things in the Cub Scouts.  Nothing dodgy about that, eh?

It probably is dodgy if you're warming up the scout master's hands.


Re: Recommend a battery charger
« Reply #20 on: 31 October, 2014, 07:25:25 pm »
Just seen this  -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/battery-charger-version-Youshiko-YC4000/dp/B00NSMXYVE/ref=sr_1_9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1414783013&sr=1-9&keywords=technoline+bl700

Looks like a souped-up BL700, with a USB port. Since the BL700 is also sold as the LaCrosse BC700 in North America & Russia, & a Voltcraft something-or-other, I have no problem believing that whoever in China makes it can produce a new model & sell it to another firm that re-brands it.
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