Battery Charger for AA, AAA, 9V, D, C etc

cormie

Hey folks,
I used to be a frequent user of battery chargers and rechargeable batteries in the days when portable audio players needed cell batteries. I haven't used my charger in years but I just took it out and see that both the ends of some of the batteries, and the metal bits that they touch on the charger itself, seem to be corroded a slight green colour. I tested it to see if it would charge and it doesn't seem to work now. I'm thinking either the batteries are all gone, or the batteries and the charger are gone

I much prefer the idea of using rechargeable batteries than buying disposables so was thinking to get a replacement charger. Speed isn't a priority, and I'd rather something that would charge as many types of batteries as possible.

This is the best I've found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/EBL-Upgraded-Universal-Rechargeable-Batteries-Black/dp/B01AXZDGCU/ref=pd_rhf_sc_p_img_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=N3W8XCXMV2NFJNW94EJ8

However, I see some other charges mentioned charging Li-ion batteries and this doesn't appear to charge them. From what I know, Li-ion are a newer technology battery and if they perform better and last longer than the other types, I'd rather upgrade and use these if it's possible to get the likes of AA, AAA, 9V etc in Li-Ion?

If anyone knows of a charger that will charge all types of Li-ion batteries as well as being able to charge the older type, please share. Also, does anyone know the max MAH of each size? I used to have 2700MAH on AA batteries I had and found these performed better than the lower MAH so again, I'd rather spend a little extra to get quality.

I don't like buying multiple devices so if I can get one device that does all types, and does li-ion, nimh and nicd, that would be great. I'd then buy whatever is suggested as the best type of each battery (li-ion by the looks of it if it's newer tech)?

Does anyone know why the corrosion may have happened and will this be less likely to happen with Li-ion?

Any feedback would be great

witnessmenow

If you arent in a major rush Lidl and Aldi have chargers a couple of times a year that fits the majority of what your looking for.

They support all the sizes you listed, but they do not support Li-ion as far as I know. It might be worth checking in your locals to see do they have any. Off the top of my head they are about E10-12 or something.

Aren't Li-ion batteries normally a higher voltage? (3.7v as opposed to the 1.2v of the other rechargeable ones). As far as i know it is possible to get li-ion batteries in AA size, but they are not interchangeable. Dont take my word for this though.

I cant really find any links for them, but here is a picture of a Lidl one



Specs here

I think mine is an older Lidl one (could be Aldi though) and its a bit different to that one. It can charge 6 AA/AAA at a time or 4 D/C or 2 9V (I think these need to be separate to the other guys, unlike the above picture they have their own two slots above the other batteries) You can also have a combination of them (e.g. 4 AA and 2 Ds)

They all charge independently of each other , so if one battery is full its light will turn green and the rest will keep charging away.

I must have mine 5 years and is still working great.

cormie

Thanks a lot for the reply. Yeah the one I linked to on amazon sounds like the one you got from Amazon. I'd have no problem with only being able to charge 4 as opposed to 6 at a time and I believe they all charge independently too, so you don't need to be charging 2 or 4 at a time in order for one to charge, this was the way you needed to do it on a previous charger I had.

I don't understand about the voltage, does this mean you couldn't use the 3.7v AA where you would typically require a regular AA?

If the one I linked to on amazon also did Li-Ion I'd buy it, the reviews look great, but I just wouldn't like to buy something if there's something ou tthere that does the newer tech Li-ion batteries too as I'd like it to last me years.

witnessmenow

Ya basically. Devices are designed to run on certain voltages and are likely to either not work or break if you try use something that is significantly different. Some more basic things may work fine (like a torch, but even with newer LED ones now probably not), but I don't think you could easily tell.

I'm after doing some more looking at it looks like 1.5v Li-ion AA/AAA do exist, they seem very expensive though. High capacity (3000mAH) pack of 4 AA (with a basic usb charger) is $27 on Aliexpress . A pack of 4 AA 2500mAH Ni-MH can often be bought for less than E5

Mind me asking what types of things you are powering? Some things it doesn't make economic sense to use rechargables in e.g. TV remotes. 2 AAA from even somewhere like dealz (10 for E1.59 or whatever) would last a year, so there isn't much point buying rechargeable batteries for them when you could get 5 years worth of battery for E1.59!

cormie

Thanks again for the reply. What sparked me to look at getting a new set is I'll be needing bicycle lights charged frequently, so nothing like remote controls for the tv.

I saw this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/EBL-999-Display-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B00SMI622M/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1470661377&sr=8-5&keywords=ebl+li-ion+charger

It seems to only charge 9v Li-Ion, so even though it can do AA/AAA nimh/nicd, it won't do AA/AAA Li-ion?

One charger to rule them all.



PSU and cell holders not included.

Lithium ion cells do not come in a 1.5v format it defies chemistry. Some have a dc-dc converter inside but I'd run a mile from those Aliexpress jobs.

Most things that run on AA/AAA Alkaline are also designed to run on NiCd and NiMH.

The green krudd I suspect is electrolysis....wire wheel/sand paper. Charger is probably ok, the cells are probably deceased.

There is no mAh limit on a charger it will just take longer (despite what manufacturers may say...often its a recommendation). If the charger is in danger of overheating from working too long then it was destined for failure anyways.

NiMH are better than lithium if you ask me, more cycles, full discharge capability, substantially less volatile, not damaged by complete discharge. Look for Eneloops.

cormie

Thanks a lot for the input!

That thing looks a little too technical for what I'm after, I'm not very good when it comes to electronics so something I can just slot a battery into until it's charged is better for me.

I ordered earlier today anyway and happy to say, I went with eneloops for the cells. They aren't the highest MAH rating out there, but I read a few other forums stating that although their MAH rating isn't as high as others, that the cells tend to be better quality overall and have better long term performance, which again is best for me.

I don't actually have anything that uses C or D batteries and I just luckily came across spacers, which allows you slot the AA cell in, I had never known about these until today and I much prefer the idea rather than spending more money on C/D cells which I may never use and will be deceased by the time I may have use for them. At least if I just keep it to AA/AAA I'll be more likely to know the condition of the cells.



This is everything I got:
Charger: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01AXZDGCU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
AA: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JWC40JY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
AAA: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JWTCK62/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
C/D Spacers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01EYIIE5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
9v: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=141535538309

Eneloop didn't seem to have a 9v rechargeable, or at least I didn't see any on eBay or amazon, so I went with EBL 600MAH.

I think this should be enough to keep me going for another 10 years or so at least

ozmo

cormie wrote: »

Hey folks,
...I haven't used my charger in years but ... seems to be corroded a slight green colour.

Charger is likely fine if you clean it off - but batteries will be toast if left discharge for a long time.

I bought one of these a while back - its great - its much more than a charger - it tells you the exactly how much to expect from a charge (the exact mAh value after charging - always much lower than whats written on the battery- and decreases as the battery gets older)

Allows you to slow charge to get the most life from batteries - and It also has a function to bring old rechargeable batteries back to life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCtgsIXSdYY

I also have a charger that can recharge standard (non rechargeable) Duracell and other Alkaline batteries - works well to top up a half used battery, but I don't use it often as it can take a while to charge.

ozmo

ozmo wrote: »

I also have a charger that can recharge standard (non rechargeable) Duracell and other Alkaline batteries - works well to top up a half used battery, but I don't use it often as it can take a while to charge.

They're totally rechargeable but if you overheat them they explode.
Low current long time with staged off charge cooling works fine.

Two ways to get fancy; thermostatic switches or detonation chambers. :pac:

cormie

That opus charger looks decent alright. I think the EBL one I bought will do me for now anyway and it does 9v ones too. I'm not too clued into the electronics side of things so wouldn't want to risk blowing up any regular batteries