Is This a Smart Charger?

rakkihizoku on 31/03/2015 - 21:43

So throughout the year i've been seeing alot of eneloop deals and never really jumped the boat. But now that i need the batteries they have changed from sanyo (japanese) to panasonic (chinese). And then reading through more posts i've learnt about these things called smart chargers that charge each battery individually compared to in pairs or all at once. But at the price they start at is quite steep for me.

So i looked at all my old chargers to see if they were smart chargers and i came across an old one i own. Anyone that has any knowledge about it can you tell me if you recommend using this to charge some eneloop batteries? Are there any downsides to using this charger?

image 1 - front
image 2 - back

Thanks!

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 31/03/2015 - 22:20
    +1

    Nope, this is a dumb charger.

    http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Basic-Charger-Batteries-Incl…

    An excerpt of a review left on the page:

    This package (Energizer Basic Charger with 4 AA Batteries Included) contains the Energizer CHCC-A charger, and four 2000mAh rechargeable AA cells.

    The Energizer CHCC-A is a timer-based dumb charger. It simply charges each cell at a fixed current until the built-in timer expires after about 8 hours. The charging currents are:
    - 360mA for AA cell
    - 150mA for AAA cell
    - 30mA for 9V cell

    So let's say you want to recharge a set of exhausted 2400mAh AA cell. The required charge time is approximately 7 hours (2400mAh/360mA = ~7 hours). It is not too bad if you just leave the batteries in there for the full 8-hour charging session. The real problem is that you have to wait for the cells to be fully drained before recharging. Otherwise, if the cells were only half-empty, then they will be badly overcharged after 8 hours. In the long run, overcharging will cause the battery capacity to drop. But lower capacity means the cell will get overcharged even more by a dumb charger. This inevitably leads to a downward spiral that kills your batteries quickly.

    You should avoid using this charger, UNLESS you make a habit of fully draining your batteries prior to charging. This charger doesn't monitor the charge level of the batteries — it's purely time-based.

    • rakkihizoku on 31/03/2015 - 22:25

      Thanks for the info! I thought it was a smart charger simply due to the 4 lights it had.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join