Nimh "AA" battery and charger recommendations.

[militarymaxx]

I am looking at upgrading the batteries in my controller
(JR Racing XR3i). I have been using regular alkalines but want to move up to Nimh's. I don't want Nicd, they've got to be Nimh's.
I have been to the powerex website and their stuff looks good.
Also, what would be a good size (1800mAh, 2000mAh, 2200mAh)?Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[El Pirata]

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=247

http://www.nimhbattery.com/lm-pro88.htm

 

[militarymaxx]

Great site EP and great prices. I went with this one.

https://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=587

Thanks.

 

[militarymaxx]

Just got them in the mail today. Can't wait to charge them and use them in my controller. Thanks to El Pirata for the recommendation.

 

[FastEddy]

Thats a great price for the bats and a charger.
Let us know how long it take to fully charge them.
If you would, during the charging process feel the bats and let us know how bad they heat up during the charging process. Most interested in the last 1/2 of the cycle.

Are they Cool, just warm, warm, quite warm, or hot?

 

[militarymaxx]

K, done with all the charging. The initial charge times are long, but shouldn't be too bad down the road as I will only need to top them off now and then. Anyways, here are the temps FastEddy wanted:

00 min 80 deg
30 min 85 deg
60 min 87 deg
90 min 85 deg
120 min 89 deg
150 min 91 deg
180 min 90 deg
200 min 109 deg

These are rated at 2250mAh and I did 4 at a time. Temps were good, I think. Now it's time to see how long they will last in my controller compared to standard alkalines.

 

[robriguez]

just curious, how did you measure temps?

 

[GilBeQuick]

You can hit them with the same temp gun you use to check your engine's temp. Just point and shoot!

 

[militarymaxx]

Yup, used my Raytek gun.

 

[robriguez]

Thats what i fugred but i dont like assuming.

 

[FastEddy]

Temps aren't to bad. Looks like we may have a winner.
I was leery about the charger at that price seemed to cheep. If all is as you say, We may just have a new source for bats and chargers.
Nice job on temp taking. At first I thought maybe you you shoved a thermometer up their........:flaming:

Does the charger have an automatic shut off and / or peak trickle charge?

______________________________
Edit,
I gues it helps to read..... At least I know what questions to ask. :shhh:

Built in "intelligent" microprocessor controlled charging, identifies defective cells and a safety timer for complete overcharge protection. It is a real smart charger.
Red LED indicates charging, green LED indicates charging completed or the charger is in "trickle charge" mode.

 

[militarymaxx]

It's micro-processor controlled. Has a RED led that indicates the charge process. After a full charge is detected, a GREEN led will light indicating that it is on a trickle charge. RED flashing for wrong polarity or wrong battery type. I just got back from a couple hours of running. I threw them in the charger and they were back to a full charge in no time. It's Ni-Cd as well as Ni-MH.
Looks like money well spent. Again, got to Thank EP for showing me the way !!

 

[GilBeQuick]

What is a bad temperature for your cells to get to when it's charging?

Military, I just placed an order for the same battery/charger that you got. $32 total w/ shipping.

I like that the charger has a DC jack for it, that's a nice feature.

If anyone else buys from batteryspace.com, enter the discount code "batteryspace" and save 5% off of your order!

 

[FastEddy]

I'm not exactly sure if there is a "Good or Bad" temperature measured in degrees. When a battery gets hot it means its loosing or decapitating its charge. If your trying to charge a battery faster than it can take the charge it will decrease the life of the cell and potentially damage it. For this type of battery a slow charge is optimal. I had concerns with the label 'Fast Charge' coupled with the price they are selling it for. Faster isn't always better.

109 degrees isn't cool (Temp Cool Not James Dean) by any means compared to a trickle charge over a 8-10 hour period but for a fast charge its well within acceptable levels for a full charge.

Gill,
Will you take the temp on a "Top Off" and the time?
I'm sure we will see the temps much lower this time.

The prices have dropped like a rock in the last 4-5 months. A few years ago I purchased my first Ni-MH for $5.00 a Battery for AA and thought it was a bargain. Up till just a few month ago I was paying around $1.00 each give or take on an inside deal for Ni-MH AAs and now WOW! Loving life. I have been using This Charger for several years with the same results as the charger being talked about here. For the same price but no batteries. I like the fact that it charges 8 at a time. If I had to do it over again I would get two from battery space. I like the fact that they have a car charger.

I honestly think we have a winner.

 

[GilBeQuick]

As soon as it all comes in I'll do a temp check and we can compare it to military's results. It'll be probably the end of next week before it gets here though.