How to Charge: Take a set of four batteries and color-code or label the bottoms of them with a sharpie or permanent marker.  These four batteries with the same mark or number are a fixed set.  Charge them together all the time.  Use them together all the time.  If you are using them in a device needing only two batteries at a time, put the two discharged to the side until all four are spent, and charge them all together as though they were in one battery pack.

Use a Smart Charger: The chargers that will take care of your batteries are going to be smart enough to know when they are full.  This is critical for battery care.

Battery Maintenance a Small Effort:  If you really want to have those hundreds and hundreds of uses out of each battery, there is an added important step.  To maximize how long your batteries last per use, condition your batteries.  When the batteries appear to be getting weaker, just throw them on the charger and condition them.  It will happen over night.  Even as the batteries move into their second and third year of use, conditioning will keep them running.  As batteries come to the end of their life-cycles, conditioning will still keep them working.  It is recommended by experienced photographers to not condition too much.  Probably every 10 to 15 uses of each battery set will do it.

Shallow Discharging is Best for Long Life:  When using NiMH batteries and you come to the end of your shooting day, check to see how long the batteries have been in your camera.  If they’ve been in there for what seems to be a brief time, it is recommended you put them on charge anyway.  Just switch them out.  Manufacturers encourage shallow discharge/charge cycles to give the NiMH batteries good long lives.

There is no need to be concerned.  If you do not follow these suggestions to the letter, no sweat.  They are guidelines.  After a while, you will become acquainted with your own rhythm in battery usage.  If in all your efforts you received only 500 charges out of each battery, you are way ahead of the curve down Battery Boulevard.

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A lot of the “mainstream” battery companies who we are aware of have been making batteries since before this baby boomer was born. I do not pretend to know more than them in their knowledge of batteries. As a lifetime user of batteries and chargers, I have veered away from them because I can see their lack of commitment to the consumer. Let me be clear — they do have the market share and they will more than likely keep it. They have earned it. But what keeps me from buying the Sony, Energizer, and Duracell is not because we do not sell them here. We would encourage their purchase if they had a couple of characteristics that are currently not available:

1) The plastic construction is fine in the beginning, but over time, it wears down. There appears to be a built-in wear factor, and with any real active use, the buyer will need to go out to purchase another one in a year or two.

2) There is no real indicator in the readout lights to tell the condition of the battery. They are on and then they are off. If the battery has a short or cannot charge, there is no way of knowing.

3) There is no reconditioning feature that allows rechargeable batteries to reset. This has nothing to do with the memory of the battery. It is just a way of keeping the batteries optimized and at optimum performance. Reconditioning is important in recharging batteries.

Sony battery chargers are inexpensive and easy to purchase, but aren’t you worth checking out just one or two steps further. When buying online, I, as a buyer, give myself at least a couple of visits to different sites before purchasing. What one buys and what it is like when I get it is important.

Check out our battery chargers here. We offer high quality and they will last. They will also be able to charge the higher capacity batteries that are yet to come.

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Reverse charging can happen in different ways, but the one most common is when the battery is inserted into the charger incorrectly, and the leads are connected opposite of what will charge the battery as mentioned above.

Be sure when you place the discharged batteries into the charger to just make sure the connectors are in contact with the proper end of the batteries. Also make sure they are in straight and are seated in well. You may hear a slight “snap” sound or feel the battery fit into place. You will develop a way of telling when they are in correctly by both sound and feel. Both safety and function are important and become second nature.

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Believe it our not, higher genuine qualifications are more attractive, and there is usually a slightly higher price, but the value far outweighs the added cost. When the rubber meets the road critical qualities must come into play in order for most dynamic things to be accomplished. When we handle batteries and chargers, we are handling what some might call “fire” because electricity is a type of harnessed and contained “fire”. We usually do not look at it that way.

After a long spell of no rain, when the downpour finally comes, there are often electrical fires that pop up in the neighborhood and the Fire Department goes into swift action. Why swift? Because electricity can burn down a building or possibly take a life if it gets exposed to the wrong elements. We’ve had some stories in recent times about poor quality batteries and battery charger construction. The end result is always the same. Someone gets burned or something catches fire. The chemicals inside batteries are sealed so there is little danger in handling them, but when they are put on a sub-standard charger we are romancing trouble.

It is unfortunate we have to do business with companies in countries where the enforcement of certain health and safety standards are not upheld. The only enforcement is often when we vote with our dollar. If I buy cheap batteries and chargers because I saved $15 dollars, I may be putting myself and my loved ones in unnecessary jeopardy. Rechargeable batteries are electrical instruments used to manipulate electricity so we can utilize its power. They must have certain qualifications or we can be at risk. We offer only sound, quality rechargeable batteries and chargers here.  Please charge safe and live long.

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The “depth of discharge” has a critical effect on the life expectancy of a battery. Life expectancy of a rechargeable battery is measured in two ways. One is the ability to charge to full capacity, and the other is the number of cycles expected in the battery. When the capacity of a battery, or its runtime, begins to fade, it is an indicator that it needs attention. With NiMH batteries, very often reconditioning will bring it back to nearly full capacity life. You can think of reconditioning a battery much as “reformatting” it. Having a quality charger that reconditions your batteries is a great way to extend their use.

Reports tell us if a battery is normally discharged only 80% of its total capacity, it will last longer than one regularly discharged all the way down. Daily use and recharge is not as apt to bring about the “deep discharge” that comes from infrequent use and seldom charging. Batteries that are recharged frequently before they totally discharge, are reported to take 25% more cycles than those totally emptied before charging.

What does this mean? It is better to put the rechargeable batteries right on the charger after use instead of leaving them in the device to self-discharge. If the device is used daily, or even several times a week, there is no need to do anything except just charge them when they naturally run down. You can tell when cameras get slower in response, and radio devices start to get static, that the batteries need to be changed. The important feature about NiMH rechargeable batteries is the way they hold their strength almost all the way to empty. This is in contrast to alkaline batteries that start a slow, steady dropoff of voltage and capacity right away.

If batteries are kept inside a device in storage for long periods (more than a month), it is better to remove them and charge them up for the next time. Keeping a bit of life inside the battery before recharging it is better. A small bit of life in the battery makes it charge up more smoothly and keeps the power coming.

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A “smart” or “intelligent” charger the fully after the batteries have charged will switched over from full mode to “trickle charge”. This is a great feature on a charger because it will not allow the batteries to burn up.

A “trickle charge” is a maintenance charge that compensates for the battery’s self-discharge. Self-discharge is a natural occurrence. It is what batteries do when they are not on a charger. Self-discharge is the capacity decrease in the battery, usually during storage, due to internal loss between the positive and negative cell plates.

If batteries are being used regularly the self-discharge is negligible and not noticeable. Batteries can sit on a smart charger in “trickle charge” mode for quite a while and remain safe. It is good to take any full battery off the charger when it is full. But with smart or intelligent chargers, there is much less danger of burning up the batteries and destroying the whole charging system if they sit there for awhile.

If the batteries are put in storage for several weeks, self-discharge can take place. This can be remedied by putting the batteries on the charger. In a short time the batteries will be filled up again.

A charger with a “trickle charge mode” will give excellent performance and help protect your batteries. Your portable power is a very important investment.

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Here is some more information to help build on this:

Capacity Dictionary Definition
From http://www.thefreedictionary.com/capacity

CAPACITY

1. The ability to receive, hold, or absorb.
2. Abbr. c. A measure of this ability; volume.
3. The maximum amount that can be contained: a trunk filled to capacity.
4. Ability to perform or produce; capability.
5. The maximum or optimum amount that can be produced: factories operating below capacity.
6. The power to learn or retain knowledge; mental ability.
7. Innate potential for growth, development, or accomplishment; faculty. See Synonyms at ability.
8. The quality of being suitable for or receptive to specified treatment: the capacity of elastic to be stretched.
9. The position in which one functions; role: in your capacity as sales manager.
10. Legal qualification or authority: the capacity to make an arrest.
11. Electricity Capacitance.

Capacity is the ability to hold, receive, absorb, produce; the potential to contain substance. We need good capacity in most things in order to get anything done. The same goes for capacity in electric power.

In batteries, capacity is the electrical energy expressed in ampere hours or “amp hours”. It is energy referencing to the discharge current for a measured period until it reaches what is called “cut-off voltage”.

An “amp-hour” capacity is the amount of electrical current measured in an hour. A current of one amp (or ampere) for one hour is equal to 1AH or 1AmpHour.

With conventional rechargeable batteries such as AA, AAA, C-cell, D-cell, and 9Volt, the measurement is in “milli-amp-hours”, which is just breaking down the “amp-hour” into one-thousandths. A milli-amp is 1/1000th of an amp, e.g.: 1.0Ah = 1000mAh.

So why do they make one amp out to be one thousand milli-amps? 1000 milli-amp-hours? 1000mAh? It is not clear to say except perhaps it is easier to compare the capacities on batteries, and it is easier to read “2700mAh” instead of 2.7amp-hours or 2.7ah.

This information is not needed to use the batteries. However it is good to know that the higher the capacity of the battery, the longer the battery will last.

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20 IMPORTANT POINTS TO SIMPLIFY RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES

It is not my intention to put you to sleep. This article is somewhat mundane, but important to look at from time to time. Once you are set up with rechargeable batteries you can forget about them. They will just be there and you will not have to run to Safeway or Von’s or Walmart to replenish your supply.

Here are important things to help you get used to rechargeables. They are very simple, and most of them are common sense. This will hopefully take some of the mystery out of rechargeable batteries:

1- I strongly dislike reading manuals. Read the manual. Once I read one, I find other manuals are very much the same. Always follow equipment warnings.

2- Keep the battery contact surfaces clean.

3- Remove batteries from the charger if they will not be used for an extended period of time.

4- Store batteries in a cool, dry place at normal room temperature. We do not recommend storing batteries in a refrigerator. If you do put them in the refrigerator, be sure the batteries are brought back to room temperature before using them. Avoid the freezer.

5- Avoid putting batteries where they can be in contact with fire. They can leak or rupture or explode.

6- Avoid dropping rechargeable batteries. The impact from hitting a hard surface can damage the insides of the batteries and can diminish their capacity or their ability to charge. They are not as delicate as a teacup, but just do your best to keep them undamaged.

7- Charge only batteries marked “rechargeable”. Putting a non-rechargeable battery on a charger may cause leakage or rupture or even fire.

8- Be sure to know the type of batteries you are using and use the proper charger. Not all batteries can be charged on the same chargers. Care must be taken to be sure the correct charger is being used.

9- Keep different types or makes of batteries separate from each other. Mixing old and new batteries or different types of batteries can set up problems. Rupture, leakage, personal injury or property damage from fire can result.

10- Check the polarity of the battery slot on each device. Batteries incorrectly inserted can overheat quickly, resulting in venting, leaking or explosion, or may damage your electronic device.

11- Take discharged batteries out of equipment or devices to avoid leakage and damage to the device or appliance.

12- Replace all batteries at the same time inside an device. Use the same kind of batteries together. Do not mix and match. Partially charged batteries and fully charged batteries in a device can result heat and fire, and even rarely but possibly an explosion.

13- Always use batteries together that have the same capacity or strength. For example, in my Walkman I use two AA rechargeables that have 2700 mAh each. I do not use one battery with 2200 mAh and one battery with 2700 mAh together. This is not good for the device nor the batteries.

14- When the terminals of a battery are in electrical contact with each other, the battery will short-circuit. Avoid carrying batteries in the same pocket or bag with metal objects such as coins, paper clips, etc. Contact with metal can cause the batteries to short-circuit, which can cause leakage or heat that can burn.

15- Heating a battery will cause it to explode.

16- Keep batteries in one piece. Dissembling a battery can cause you harm from exposure to the components inside.

17- Soldering batteries should be avoided. It is dangerous because of potential short-circuiting, leakage, venting, and even fire or explosion.

18- Avoid mixing unpacked batteries. One battery contacting another battery can easily cause short-circuiting, especially button-type batteries. Heat and explosion can occur.

19- Mark your rechargeables so you know where they are. Discharged and charged batteries look exactly the same. If they are numbered and/or coded with a date, you will be able to see how many you have left and when you brought them on board. I keep two cases when I use them. One case is marked “discharged” and the other is marked “charged”.

20- Supervise children in the use of batteries. Keep them out of the reach of children unless they are old enough to understand the dangers. Small children need to be watched carefully because often a child will swallow a battery. If a child swallows a battery the adult on watch should seek medical attention immediately.

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One can invest in some very nice rechargeable AA, AAA, 9Volt, C-cell, or D-Cell batteries, but if you continue to use the “simple” charger or “timer-based” charger you have on your charging table, the batteries will more than likely eventually weaken or burn up.

An effective charger’s job is to put electrical current back into your batteries. “Simple” or “timer-based” chargers are being replaced by better technology that will not only protect the batteries during the charge, but will also have features to recondition or renew the batteries from time to time. A worthy battery charger will not stop at being able to charge batteries up to 2500 mAh capacity. Quality manufacturers are selling chargers that will continue to charge batteries as their capacities increase for years to come. All the chargers we sell here at Battery Boulevard have this characteristic. They are all advanced intelligent chargers.

Here is a quick list of different battery chargers to choose from:

The Simple Charger - The simple charger will not adjust the rate at which it charges a battery based on length of time, or how much charge the battery needs. It works defensively by charging very slowly so there is less chance of burning up the battery. These chargers do not cost much and if not watched vigilantly they can weaken the batteries by over charging or just simply burn them up.

The Timer Charger - With the timer-based charger, charging of the battery ends after a pre-determined amount of time. Often these chargers are specifically designed to match certain battery capacity and will not be able to sufficiently work for batteries above or below a certain power strength. They are limited in the scope of capacity they can serve. This limits anyone who wants to progress to better batteries. They also do not work based on feedback from the battery being charged.

The intelligent Charger - The charger adjusts to the battery’s capacity. It monitors variables such as voltage, temperature and time under charge to determine the optimum charge current it needs instantly. The charging will stop when the correct combination of voltage, temperature and/or time is reached indicating the battery is fully charged.

Here is an example of how the Maha Energy MH-C204W Intelligent Battery Charger’s 4 Stage Charging works.

Four Stage Charging Process:
1) Ramp-up - jolts the rechargeable batteries to revive old batteries.- a series of carefully timed high current pulses to activate the batteries
2) Rapid Charging - charges your NiMH ( Nickel Metal Hydride ) and NiCD AA / AAA rechargeable batteries with microprocessor precision technology. Designed with two independent circuits, one or two independent sets of rechargeable batteries can be charged at the same time.
3) Top-off charging - briefly putting batteries on charger after sitting for 30 days.
4) Maintenance Charging - an extremely low current pulse charging the batteries with a brief pulse charge periodically complete charge but not overcharge. Because of this the batteries can stay on the charger when completed without fear of over-charging. You can see more information on this charger here:MH-C204W Intelligent Charger

With Intelligent Chargers for both Ni-CD and NiMH batteries, the voltage increases gradually until charging is complete. After which voltage decreases, which for the charger is indication of a full charge. These chargers are often labeled as “delta-V” or ” ?V”, which means that it monitors voltage change. Intelligent chargers usually have separate stations or charging slots for each battery, giving each battery separate circuits to charge on.

The Fast Charger - This charger uses control circuitry in the actual battery to quickly charge it without damaging it. Many fast chargers have a cooling fan to keep the temperature of the cells down. Charging is done strictly based on the circuitry of the batteries and the Fast Charger does not monitor the condition of each battery. These chargers may work, but at the operators’ risk. They will not keep the batteries in their optimum condition.

Be sure the charger you have is the correct one for your batteries. The days of throw-away alkalines are numbered. We can benefit from our brainpower by becoming more educated on the great selection of batteries available. We will need to just pay a small amount of attention on what we are buying and using, and reap the great rewards.

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In America we are taught from early age to recognize brand names. Energizer and Duracell are names I grew up with. Without saying anything bad about the products these companies manufacture, I will tell you the advantages of the Maha MH-C204W AA and AAA Battery Charger over most mainstream battery chargers.

Both Energizer and Maha Energy have spent years in research and development of batteries. These two companies are among a group of top companies who have had a large hand in pioneering the modern battery technology we enjoy today.

Both battery chargers mentioned do what they claim. There are features offered by the Maha MH-C204W that are not found in the Energizer CHDCWB-4 NiMH Charger. Maha builds their chargers with special abilities that have to do with the maintenance of the Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries they charge. The Maha MH-C204W NiMH Charger does not just charge batteries.

The MH-C204W Charger also has the ability to recondition the batteries whenever they need it. A cycle is the complete charge and discharge of a battery. We recommended reconditioning the Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries every 10 cycles. Reconditioning them insures their best performance. Although it is true that NiMH batteries do not have a ‘memory effect’, it is good to recondition them in order to maintain their overall condition, not just to maintain the capacity of each battery, but to help sustain a long life which will give literally hundreds of charges.

The Maha MH-C204W Charger will also be able to charge future batteries that will come out with higher capacities. You can find more details here: MH-C204W NiMH Battery Charger

You will not find these chargers at Walgreens, K-Mart or Walmart. These are not as expendable as some of the chargers seen at the convenience stores. They are meant to last. We do have them here.

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