This is a reply I got from another list:
nope.
what you do get is very expensive non-rechargeables. You can get
rechargeable li ion batteries for video cameras, but they are not standard
in size or voltage.
what you can get (and quite cheaply) are metal hydrides, which are almost as
good as lithium ion, and these cost only 200% of a disposable alkaline
battery. with a proper charger you get up to 70% as much mAh as you do out
of a disposable, and they last for a very large number of recharges. they
have no memory effect and can be used in conjunction with a constant
recharging current such as from a DC plug of a car during travel or a solar
panel. these days you get up to 1600mAh capacity, which gets expensive but
is up there with disposables.
do not confuse these with rechargeable alkali manganese batteries, sold in
some chain stores. whilst these are not a bad product, they have three
problems:
1. They tend to be quite high in voltage when fresh (up to 1.7 v), and four
of them can burn voltage regulators on small devices such as digital
cameras.
2. They are no good for most applications, as despite having a high voltage,
they only put out a small current (very high internal resistance). This is a
good thing for a headlamp, for instance, as it prevents a surge of current
through a low-resistance bulb, which only heats it and drains the battery
with no extra light to speak of. But most things like GPS devices and
transceivers require fairly high currents and will simply fail to work with
RAMs.
3. RAMs' storage capacity declines very quickly as a function of recharge
cycle number. As they deteriorate, their internal resistance climbs even
higher, which means that they take ages to recharge.
overall MH are the best value for money. Jaycar has 1400mAh ones ($5), which
are pretty good. Ted's cameras sells the 1600mAh by Kodak ($$). Must have a
proper MH charger - the old nicad won't do it right ($100).
IE
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Giddy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2001 12:51 PM
Subject: Re: [aus-soaring] Lithium ION Rechargable batteries
> Hi Peter,
> They certainly give good capacity, however it would be good
> to check whether the charger for your Icom A22 can
> reliably/safely charge Li ion as well as NiCad.
> I believe there are differences in the charging regime
> between the two types.
> Cheers, John G.
>
> John Giddy Mangalore Gliding Club Inc.
> 5/287 Barkers Rd. http://www.gfa.org.au/vic/mgc/
> Kew, Vic. 3101
> Australia
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Peter Stephenson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: Soaring List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; *Nat. Div.
> List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2001 10:30 AM
> Subject: [aus-soaring] Lithium ION Rechargable batteries
>
>
> > Are Lithium ION rechargeable batteries the way to go these
> days? I need 10
> > AA size batteries for my radio-transceiver (ICOM A22).
> >
> > PeterS
>
>
>
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