We have a smart charger with slots for 8 batteries, and each battery is
charged individually. It knows when they are charged, and has an
indicator that says so.
bp
<part15sbs{at}gmail{dot}com>
On 10/4/2021 1:13 PM, Nate Burke wrote:
Is there a limit to how long they can stay in the charger? Like could
we put them in the charger whenever they're not in use so they'll
always be full?
On 10/4/2021 3:04 PM, Bill Prince wrote:
We have a half dozen or so trail cams for spotting wildlife around
our property. They all take between 8 and 12 AA batteries.
Regular alkaline AA batteries do OK, but have to be tossed after 3
months or so.
So we have been using NiMH batteries, which are rechargable. They
last as long or longer than the alkaline and can be recharged
hundreds of times.
We have learned a few things about the NiMH vs alkaline.
First, and possibly the most important is that NiMH run at a nominal
1.2 volts, while alkaline run at a nominal 1.5 volts. Some devices
just won't tolerate the lower voltage, so you have to test them to
see how they work. In the favor of NiMH batteries, the voltage holds
longer and does not go below 1.2 volts until they are about done.
Alkaline OTOH will continuously degrade from their nominal voltage.
Second, don't get just any NiMH batteries, get Panasonic Eneloop Pro
(black). They last the longest, and will hold a charge longer while
sitting on the shelf.
Finally, the NiMH "AA" batteries are a tiny bit larger diameter than
alkaline. Most devices are OK, but we have a few where shoe-horning
the NiMH into the same space is a bit of a challenge.
Also, as another alternative, you might look at Lithium
(non-rechargable) batteries. They are the same size and voltage as
alkaline, but will last 5-10 times longer. They are also the most
expensive.
bp
<part15sbs{at}gmail{dot}com>
On 10/4/2021 12:47 PM, Nate Burke wrote:
At Church we use a some wireless microphones, they all use 2 AA
batteries. There is a battery indicator on the units, but
Invariably, they will start to alarm in the middle of using them.
I'm pretty sure the indicator is logarithmic, like my gas gauge, so
it will spend %75 of the time reporting full, and then quickly fail
after that. So I'm thinking about just mandating that all batteries
are replaced at the beginning of each use. We're not talking about
a ton, ~20 batteries per week.
How good are Rechargeable AA batteries, It's been years since I've
last used them, would they be worth looking into? Does anybody take
half used alkaline batteries and do anything with them other than
throwing them out?
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