I want to replace my very old MH-C204F charger with a new one to be used with my AA and AAA eneloop batteries. I’m looking at the Panasonic CC17 and Nitecore i4. Any recommendations and would you order the Nitecore from a seller on eBay? Thanks.
Seems like some of the Nitecore chargers overheat NiMH’s, so if you’re going to use it primarily for NiMH batteries, I would get the Panasonic charger (see if you can get one that includes some Eneloops for a few dollars more; I know Amazon sometimes only charges a little more for a charger with 4 Eneloops).
If you want to charge lithium-ion batteries, the Nitecore should be pretty good. If you’re in the US, get the Nitecore from illumn.com instead of chancing it on eBay. But if you’re not in the US, just make sure the dealer is reputable. You could probably post a link to the listing here and people might be able to help out.
The Panasonic charger will take approximately 6 hours to charge a AAA cell, and approximately 7 hours to charge a AA cell. One to four cells inserted will not change the charge time. This should be no problem if you put your cells in the charger for the night shift. I have this charger, but have not used it yet (thinking it will be a good travel charger). I think it will get the job done.
I assume you have read about the Panasonic, possibly here:
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BQ-CC17SBA-Advanced-Individual-Indicator/dp/B00JHKSLM8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
The i4 charges at 375mA × 4 / 750mA × 2. That is good for 4AAA, while at the upper limit for one or two AAA. The i4 will take approximately 5 hours to charge 4AA cells. The recommended amp charge rate range is 0.3-1 times the capacity of the cell (Powerex recommendation). That equates to 240-800mA for a standard Eneloop AAA cell, and 600-2000mA for a standard Eneloop AA cell. And yes, the lower charge rates will charge the cell, but at a leisurely pace.
I am mostly using the Powerex C9000, which can charge your cells in about two hours, at a charge rate that theoretically does not endanger the cell. I find the other functions of the Powerex useful. I charge AA at the default rate of 1000mA, and AAA at a user selected 400mA. I believe the eBay dealer below is username danaco, on this forum.