-
Welcome to the new forums! Please read this first. For known issues we are working to resolve, click here.
Battery charger dilema: RayoVac and Maha
- Thread starter Eric Carlson
- Start date
Bernard Cawley
New member
Enjoy! I had the privelege of being one of the advisers of a team at the third such competition (in 1995 - finals in a more humble high school gym in Manchester NH) and I don't think I've ever had so much fun.
On the topic of the thread: I use any one of a number of the fast chargers I have for my electric powered R/C airplanes to charge the AA sized NiMH cells used in our D-460 and C-2100UZ. As long as I don't bring them up any faster than in 45 minutes or so they don't get upset - but the DO get warm as they reach the voltage peak at those charge rates.
And - I will chime in that NiMH cells have no voltage depression or so called "memory effect" that dates from overcharge abuse of NiCds. I will also corroborate that NiMH cells - whether they're the AAs used in our cameras, or AAAs or SubCs I used for drive batteries in some of my planes - don't give their best until they've been cycled a few times. In particular Ray-O-Vac AAs won't even take a really fast charge until they've been cycled two or three times. I don't think I've tried to charge the ones that came with the UZI with one of my really fast chargers yet - just the Olympus charger that came with the camera as well.
I have had the Maha for 2 yrs and it takes about 2-3 hrs charging. Last month I bough the Rayovac at Walmart because I did not beleive it will take 1 hr to charge FOUR (may be TWO) batteries. Well, it did it so fast (less than 1 hr) that I even suspected they were not charged right. I put the 4 batteries in the Maha to get more charge but the Maha indicated the batteries are fully charged. Woa! the Rayovac has separate chamber and charges each battery individually. One thing I've noticed is that the batteries are much hotter after a fully charge from the Maha than the Rayovac. Now, that's what I call an hour charged. I remember last yr during the Vegas trip, I had to get up in the middle of the night just to replace the 2nd set of stupid AA batteries from the Maha because it took 2-3 hrs for a full charge. Even last month, I used to charge the batteries at night for the next morning use. Now, I don't charge batteries at night any more. I just charge it 1 hr before the shooting event. So, far I have not noticed any deterioration from the batteries by using the Rayovac.
If you think $29 is expensive for the charger, trying waiting 2-3 hrs by the Maha when you need 2 sets for a shooting event.
Rayovac charger rules.
If you think $29 is expensive for the charger, trying waiting 2-3 hrs by the Maha when you need 2 sets for a shooting event.
Rayovac charger rules.
Herb70676
Well-known member
Yes, but does it do so Violently?
Thanks, Eric for the info on the 9V. I have not bought one to try in my Ray-o-vac yet.
Based on other posts. I think we should be more gentle with our batteries. We should charge our car batteries with 2 amp motorcylcle chargers instead of those 10 amp jobs that violently makes them bubble.
Actually, it seems like my Olympus BU100 charger heats up the batteries just as much as the Ray-o-vac.
Eric Carlson
Veteran Member
Thanks for the info. I'll post my charger results from my trip to Epcot soon.
--
--
Eric Carlson
Veteran Member
For the Epcot trip, I took the new Maha C204F charger and Powerex 1700 & 1800 batteries (and my old batteries and charger).
I decided not to take the new RayoVac charger and new Energizer batteries.
After the first charge in the Maha charger (about 3 hours), the Powerex batteries performed about the same as my old RayoVac and Olympus 1600 batteries performed in the Olympus charger. With my C-2100uz, I could fill one and a half 64.Meg cards (about 200 HQ shots) per charge, using a little flash, and a little view screen. They also performed about the same on the second and third charges.
The batteries do get hot in the Maha charger, just like they did in the Olympus charger.
My conclusion so far: They're batteries and it's a charger; they do what they're supposed to do.
--
I decided not to take the new RayoVac charger and new Energizer batteries.
After the first charge in the Maha charger (about 3 hours), the Powerex batteries performed about the same as my old RayoVac and Olympus 1600 batteries performed in the Olympus charger. With my C-2100uz, I could fill one and a half 64.Meg cards (about 200 HQ shots) per charge, using a little flash, and a little view screen. They also performed about the same on the second and third charges.
The batteries do get hot in the Maha charger, just like they did in the Olympus charger.
My conclusion so far: They're batteries and it's a charger; they do what they're supposed to do.
--
T. Carriker
Member
'UZ'pShoot'ERS'
Veteran Member
I don't know but I most often remove them but have left them in also...
I don't know if the rayovac does it but I've never had any probs with any of my Nimh batteries...I personally don't think "conditioning" is as big a deal with Nimh as it seems to be for other kinds of batteries
--
'Happy Shootin' !!!
'UZ'P'Shoot'ERS'
http://www.pbase.com/rrawzz http://www.pbase.com/otfgallery/uzpshooter
Me & My UZI, Strollin Down The Avenue. Me & My UZI, Focusin On Somethin New. To 'UZe' Or Not To 'UZe'? That 'IS' The Question. Ask not what your Uzi can do for you but what you can do for your Uzi c2100uz/e100rs (in that order) & a B-300
I have been using the Quest Q2 charger with various brands of 1700 & 1800mh batteries and the batteries barely get warm. It does take approx. 1 1/2 to 2 hours to fully charge them. I will try the Olympus charger that came this week with my Uzi to see how hot the batteries get in that. It probably isn't anything to worry about, call me old fashoned, I prefer cool over warm. Here is the information on the Quest.
http://thomasdistributing.com/nimh_battery_chargers.htm
--
http://www.pbase.com/1075/rookie_page
D40Z, Uzi, A-200
Read this.
http://thomasdistributing.com/maha-mh-2a4-faq.htm
--
http://www.pbase.com/1075/rookie_page
D40Z, Uzi, A-200
http://thomasdistributing.com/maha-mh-2a4-faq.htm
--
http://www.pbase.com/1075/rookie_page
D40Z, Uzi, A-200
Eric Carlson
Veteran Member
The RayoVac doesn't provide conditioning, but conditioning shouldn't be necessary, especially if you occasionally use the batteries until they are dead.
If you usually recharge your batteries before the camera shuts off due to low batteries, then once a month or so, you might want to use the camera until the batteries die, then charge them. But don't charge them immediately after they die, because they will probably be warm (at least in an UZI). Give them about a half hour to cool first.
--
If you usually recharge your batteries before the camera shuts off due to low batteries, then once a month or so, you might want to use the camera until the batteries die, then charge them. But don't charge them immediately after they die, because they will probably be warm (at least in an UZI). Give them about a half hour to cool first.
--
Keyboard shortcuts
- f
- Forum