I’m pretty sure it flashes the LED if you try to charge a bad cell. So far I haven’t had an issue with bad cells
Yes, it will flash if the cell is bad. I get this on some very very old NiMH cells. Basically, it just measures the internal resistance, and if it’s too high it won’t charge the cell. This is also how it detects alkaline batteries, and won’t charge them.
Is the Ikea charger any good? I have one bought in a pinch during a road trip.
I use Ansmann for my RC needs and thought the quality was excellent. also have the VC4 (xtar) but it is a slow charger, at least for me (usb vs. ac)
Another vote for Panasonic BQ-CC17. It’s a simple and overall a great smart charger. Might be slow, yes, but doesn’t overheat batteries, is easy use to use, does not trickle charge and can detect dead batteries. I don’t think the slow charging is such a big drawback. I just plug it and let it charge batteries overnight or in the morning, before going to work. Have been using it for 10 months, and it’s a rock solid charger.
Which one do you mean? HKJ tested 3:
Ikea Ladda YH-990BF
Charger Ikea Vinninge
Charger Ikea Storhögen
I use the first one if I just want to charge some batteries fast (it charges at 1A) and don’t care about analyzing. The batteries do get a bit warm though, so not sure whether it fits the requirements of the OP.
The second one I take on holidays as an emergency charger, but I haven’t needed to use it yet. I wouldn’t use it unless really needed.
Just to bump this thread, but what would be second choice for similar criteria? The BQ-CC17 isn’t available in a UK plug and EU>UK adaptors never work very well for big plug mounted devices.
Something that also did C and D batteries would be ideal.
You’re into a bigger charger, once you want C and D cell charging. For NiMH only, I use an Accumanger 20. It’s an old charger (not sure if they still make them, but you can still find them for sale), and will do all kinds of NiMH cells (AAA, AA, C, D, and 9v). 4 slots, and you can mix cell types if you want.
Or, for an all chemistry charger, I like the Nitecore SC4. It does 3 kinds of lithium-ion chemistry, as well as NiMH. It’s a 4-slot charger, but you can only charge 2 D cells at a time because of their width. This is a new charger, and definitely easy to buy.
If you don’t need to charge D cells often, I’d go with the Nitecore.