Myths about rechargeable batteries

gregmcc said:
Not true.

Normal batteries are 1.5V. Rechargeable batteries are 1.2V. I've got some stuff that doesn't work with rechargables as the voltage is too low.
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Not completely true anymore, I have a few sets of 1.6v AA rechargeable batteries now.
 
abzo said:
Those are NiZn. Not as widely available yet.
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Yes, NiZn, I'm lucky enough to have a few local shops selling them. I keep them for high drain items like camera flashes and LED torches.

On the torches, they are noticeably brighter with the NiZn rechargeables in.
 
Pada said:
Cool article, but it definitely lacks technical detail.

Unfortunately the capacity of NiHM rechargeable PP3 (aka 9V) batteries are like 1/3 of non-rechargeable Alkaline (~565mAh) ones. Like one of our church's microphones uses a PP3 battery and the 220mAh Uniross Hybrid battery has died on us a few times in the middle of the service, where as the non-rechargeables has never given us any issues like that. I only realized this when I stumbled upon the following wiki page that showed the capacity of the different battery types: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-volt_battery

If you don't use PP3 batteries for something as critical as a live church service, then it is most definitely worth while to go for a rechargeable one ! Like chrisc4290 said: non-rechargeable one costs R50 and the rechargeable one cost R80.
Fortunately we can source our non-rechargeable PP3 batteries for like R20 ;)

The alkaline AA batteries typically starts at 1.6V and then rapidly drops to 1.5V, and then it slowly goes down. A fully charged AA NiMH rechargeable battery starts at around 1.4V and then slowly drops to like 1.1V.
Our Sennheiser microphones does not like AA batteries below 1.25V.
The Energizer 2450mAh AA batteries' capacity are pretty close (50-70%) to Alkaline (non-rechargeable) batteries, so they work pretty well in our Sennheiser microphones.
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We no longer trust rechargeable batteries, they are faar too irregular, what we do though is buy the toysRus batteries which cost like R50 for a pack of 20 and they really work a charm, they last a full service and also a band practice then they go into my Mac's mouse and keyboard.
 
grim said:
Name one, everything in my house runs off 1.2v 2500m/Ah NiMH rechargeable batteries and works fine.

Clocks, TV/DVD/DSTV/Hi-Fi/Surround Sound System Remote controls, Xbox Controllers, Wii controllers, laptop mouse, RC cars, digital camera. Never had a single issue using rechargeable batteries with any of them.
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Childrens toys. My child has a walking dog that just doesn't work with rechargeable batteries. Have to keep buying new batteries for that damned thing.
 
My camera take 4x1.5v AAA betteries. Rechargeables do not cut it, as 4x1.2v seems to little for it to opperate.
 
gregmcc said:
Most semiconductors require 5V to function correctly which is why they give problems with some devices.
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New semiconductors now require 3V, yes you still get the old 5V chips but they are being replaced.

Myth: Rechargeable batteries cannot be used in any electronic device, particularly old ones.
Fact: Any device can use rechargeable batteries, even old devices.
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This is not a myth this is a fact.some devices just will not work with rechargeable batteries, in other devices you can cause harm to the device itself. Internal resistance between alkaline and rechargeable is different, if the device depends on this resistance then you can easily damage it.

go read this
http://www.ehow.com/info_12181484_wont-nimh-batteries-work-older-gadgets.html

Original article was badly researched article imo.
 
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Rechargeable are fine for a while but I found that if I forget to charge a battery directly after use or don't give them a top up charge on a regular basis they become useless pretty quickly.

Tried several brands, all with the same result.
 
AstroTurf said:
Rechargeable are fine for a while but I found that if I forget to charge a battery directly after use or don't give them a top up charge on a regular basis they become useless pretty quickly.

Tried several brands, all with the same result.
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Yup. Even with my Uniross 2700mAh AA batteries I have to charge them directly/the night before I use them.
They work very well with my current regulated mountainbike light and my Canon SX110 IS camera.
 
Some more fun facts.

In what state should rechargeable batteries be stored?

Since rechargeable batteries lose their charge within a few months, in principle it makes no difference with NiCd batteries and NiMH batteries as to what state they are stored in. However, in the event of longer periods of storage (more than six months) an NiMH battery should be stored in a fully charged condition. In addition, it should be recharged at least once every 12 months. By contrast, Li-ion batteries have active electronics that fully discharge the battery over the course of time. For that reason lithium-ion batteries must in general be stored fully charged and recharged again within no more than 12 months, otherwise the battery can be destroyed.
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http://www.battery-faq.com
 
If you cycle the battery a few times it sometimes comes back to life, most often it is just a waste of time.
 
warwickw said:
I've never seen 4 batteries and the charger for R125. Does anyone know where ?
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The cheap Game Logik batteries. They are only 1200mAh... but they work great for low drain scenarios.

I also find that cheap alkaline batteries work better in wall clocks than any rechargeable.
 
gregmcc said:
Not true.

Normal batteries are 1.5V. Rechargeable batteries are 1.2V. I've got some stuff that doesn't work with rechargables as the voltage is too low.
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They dispelled that myth in the article. On average, an alkaline battery will deliver 1.2V. Same as a rechargeable.
 
COMPUTEK said:
My dad have been charging all his disposable batteries for donkey years ...

±10min in the recharger ... let them sit a while & test with a voltmeter ... most of the time they'll read 1.5v, if not, a second charge of 5-10min will do the trick.

he says he has had more success charging non-rechargeable than rechargeable batteries over the years.

I suppose it's all a money-making secret :p
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Those rechargers were all the rage in the 90's - Verimark or one of those guys sold them. They work, but the battery only comes to life with like 10% of its life. You spend more time feeding the charger than using the batteries.
 
chrisc4290 said:
Thereafter, the useage after charge drops off, until after 100 recharges, the battery will last 40% of the time when it was new. This is in slow discharge items like a kitchen scale, a continuous use device like a portable radio or a DSTV remote, and PP3s in a multi-meter. PP3s seem the best. Maybe it is because there is more material in the battery.
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Rechargeables aren't good in slow-discharge items, because they discharge themselves even when not in use. Sanyo Eneloops are what you want in slow discharge items. Here's a really good article about it, done by someone with far too much spare time on his hands: http://www.stefanv.com/electronics/sanyo_eneloop.html
 
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