Where to get eneloop + charger?

mfm, which chargers do you own (or use)?

i'm on a C9000. that's better than eneloop original chargers because the C9000 has a LCD display.

I have lots of chargers, some of the newer Sanyo Eneloop models and some others. But mostly I use the Sanyo MQH02 Super-quick Charger (Korea model) and also the USB-powered Sanyo KBC-E1A (2xAA individual channels, can charge USB devices, Japan model).

thanks for letting us know!

hmm. instead of several NimH chargers maybe 1 good charger with display wouldve been less cost-intensive? the mobility of travel chargers is cool if you really need a mobile charger in addition to the 8-pack of AA's in your pocket.

ever thought of buying a proven charger with display? (rebranded copy of BC-700, or the C-9000)

I always thought that those super fast chargers are batt killers :(

It's OK to charge Eneloop at 1C, that's what's specified in the datasheet.

Thought of it, but I'm not a big enough battery nerd to justify it. Also the chargers have different purposes, like I use the USB model to charge my gadgets during intercontinental flights (and then charge the batteries back using the USB output of my laptop).

I usually use 0,5C for Eneloops.

BTW, just tested one pair of my oldest ones. Constant use in Peltor Alert for about over one year. Potentiometer broken, so cannot turn them off (charge every week). So, at minimum some 60 cycles easy, still they clock 1940 and 1924 and they are the 1st gen...

Yep, the 1C is the "2000mA" specified in the datasheet for AA, and it's called "Fast Charge". And for achieving the utmost capacity, i.e. between 1900 and 2000 mAh, we would have to charge with 200mA (=0.1C) which would take a whole night!

we cant call ourselves "nerdy" if we're interested in the specs, capacity and runtimes of our flashlights (incl. their expensive LiIon cells). btw, the new price of the C9000 is 37.91€. The best original Eneloop charger (MQR06) costs at least 22€. Eneloop chargers cant be called inexpensive ;)

Hey, kreysler, thanks for that info :) I thought 1C was =1A.

MFM, it's OK to charge them @1C. But... will faster charger kill battery faster than low mA charger? I don't mind to let my batts a few hours more in charger if that will help to make them last longer :| (I mean entire batt life, not the capacity)

true, even that is mentioned in the Eneloop handbook. slowly charging (but not too slow!) is healthier. charger manuals recommend not to charge slower than 0.33C (for reasons i didnt understand) and their chargers performo the 0.1C charge process only in special occasions ("break in").

optimal speed is considered to be 0.5C. Since the slower the better, i would probably go for 0.34C haha (i.e. for an Eneloop AA 2000mAh-cell an amperage of 680mA).

hey, here the reading with the background info and recommendations: C9000 manual (PDF)

Very nice link to that MAHA-deal! Too bad for me, the shipping of 17€ ruins it :D

oh, shipping was free for national customers only sorry!

( jus'saying that the Maha has a reduced price, see amazon.com )

Ahh, so it seems! I bet they will sell tons of them (that one cannot be shipped to Finland either but no worries, got one already).

Hm, these are charging times written on my GPs:

"Standard charge: 16 hrs @ 200mA"

and these one on Varta Ready 2 Use:

"Charge 15 h. @ 210mA • quick charging possible"

And those Varta came with "Varta Easy Energy Pocket Charger". Specs are:

"PRI: 220-240V ~50/60Hz 5W

SEC: AA-2x (3V=160-185mA 0.555VA)

AAA-2x (3V=70-80mA 0.24VA)"

What do you think? Very slow charger? :|

Costco is currently selling an Eneloop kit for $26. It includes a charger, 8xAA, and 4xAAA.

Same kit is selling for $39 on Amazon

A good amount of professional Eneloop info is listed on cpf.

slow is healthy. it is very instructional to compare the current Eneloop charger (www.eneloop.info) models. Charging speeds are given in the PDF/PDFs:

---------------------------------------------------------------

see pic below, the old charger MDR02 suggests

AA: 550mA/cell => 230min.

AAA: 380mA/cell => 135min.

---------------------------------------------------------------

See pic below, the USB charger NC-MDU01 what a f***ing name ha suggests:

AA: 850mA/cell => 140min.

AA: 450mA/cell => 280min.

AAA: 850mA/cell => 60min.

AAA: 450mA/cell => 120min.

---------------------------------------------------------------

see pic below, the charger MQN04 nice name suggests:

AA: 250mA/cell => 10h.

AAA: 120mA/cell => 8h.

---------------------------------------------------------------

see pic below, the charger NC-MQN09W suggests:

AA: 300mA/cell => 7.5h.

AAA: 150mA/cell => 6h.

---------------------------------------------------------------

and finally, see pic below, the charger NC-MQR06W suggests:

AA: 1680mA/cell => 75mins.

AA: 1120mA/cell => 110mins.

AA: 560mA/cell => 220mins.

AAA: 840mA/cell => 65mins.

AAA: 560mA/cell => 100mins.

AAA: 280mA/cell => 200mins.

---------------------------------------------------------------

see pic below, the official specs for Eneloop AA suggest:

AA: 1C == 2000mA/cell => 1.1h.

AA: 0.1C == 200mA/cell => 16h.

---------------------------------------------------------------

see pic below, the official specs for Eneloop AAA suggest:

AAA: 1C == 800mA/cell => 1.1h.

AAA: 0.1C == 80mA/cell => 16h.

---------------------------------------------------------------

If we collect the above 10 data points for AA and for AAA respectively and visualize them in a graph, then by visual inspection we can tell that the points are consistent (they both form a smooth curve with no outliers):

AA: relationship between input amperage/cell (mAh) vs. charge time (mins.)

AAA: relationship between input amperage/cell (mAh) vs. charge time (mins.)

It also means that we could choose any input amperage-per-cell from the blue curve, i.e. an amperage which lies between 0.1C (the "Break-In") and 1C (the "Fast Charge"):

Freedome for everyone!!
So following the Maha recommendation of min. 0.33C we get from the graphs:

I have just bought these Eneloop AA batteries in Germany http://www.kq-shop.de/Akkus/Sanyo-Eneloop/SANYO-16er-Akku-eneloop-AA-HR-3UTGA-Neueste-Version::451.html .

But next week there are Top Craft "Ready to use" batteries in the Aldi (Belgium), these have about the same capacity as the Eneloops (a little bit more), and they are much cheaper (4,99 euro / 4 AA). I am using Top Craft AA and AAA "Ready to use" batteries for more than 2 years now, and they are still very good.

I am also using the Maha MH-C9000 to charge the batteries, it is probably the best AAA and AA charger on the market at this moment.

To charge 2000mAh AA batteries, 1000mA charging current is perfect. With higher currents they will heat up too much and that is not very good for the lifetime of the batteries. It is possible to charge the batteries faster with the Maha-charger, but for me it is fast enough at 1000mA (= standard setting).

U da man, kreisler ;) Thanks you very much for that info :)

I was thinking on buy some AAA to replace in my Panasonic phone, and will try to buy slightly faster charger with AAA (pack). Don't want to buy brand batts from DX and such.

(algun español por aqui que sabe donde se pueden comprar Eneloops u otras como GP, Varta y tal en España u Europa, y baratas?? :) )

la bahia no te sale¿

los comerciantes de la plaza de amazonas venden su kagada tambien ahi al mismo precio

super baratas menos de dos euronas por kada pila enelupa jaja krxxj

mi espaniol todo kagón gg

The problem with charging too slow (like less than 0.33C) is that it makes it harder for the charger to detect that the battery is full, and it's more important the older the battery gets. So while the actual slow charging is OK, the big chance of overcharge (BAD!) makes it less desirable. Also remember that the "Eneloop handbook" is written by European marketers, not by the Japanese engineers.

The ONLY reason any of these Eneloop chargers charge with a lower than 0.85C rate is to maximize profits for Sanyo/Panasonic, there is no technical reason (except slow is cheap to build). Eneloops don't need forming charges either, they're already charged from the factory.

I think it was Duracell engineers that wrote a long document on NiMH charging where they stated that Fast Charge at 1C with delta termperature termination (terminate if temperature change is more than 1 degree per minute) was absolutely the best charging method.

I compared the Sanyo MQH02 with one of the newer Eneloop chargers and found that the MQH02 could do the "perfect" Delta-Temp termination. So why discontinue this model for more expensive ones that are slow and have unreliable termination?

To maximize quarterly profits.

lol :bigsmile: (no te esfuerces que yo te entiendo en ingles perfectamente :bigsmile: )

The thing is... too many cheap chinese crap out there (and for the same price as original one!!!), at least in eBay. If someone who bought legit Sanyo can tell me good vendor, I will be very grateful ;)

What about Amazon? Legit?

I bought all my batts from CorteIngles or MediaMarket. So far so good.