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Dick Smith Ni-Cd/Ni-MH Charger $19.98 (50% off)

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Dick Smith Ni-Cd/Ni-MH Charger $19.98 (50% off)
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Trishool on 03/08/2012 - 16:01 dicksmith.com.au (432 clicks)

The Dick Smith Ni-Cd/Ni-MH battery charger is designed to accommodate and charge five different size Ni-Cd/Ni-MH batteries: AA, AAA, C, D and 9V. Simple and easy to use, features include LED charging indicator.

Product Features:

Simple and easy to use.
Designed to accommodate and charge five different size Ni-CdD Ni-MH batteries: 'AA', 'AAA', 'C', 'D' and 9V.
2 or 4 x 'AAA', 'AA' , 'C' or 'D' andDor 1 or 2 x 9V can be charged at the same time.
LED Charging indicator.
Polarity reverse protection.
Electrical & Electronics Battery Charger

Related Stores

Dick Smith / Kogan
Dick Smith / Kogan
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closed Comments

  • wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww on 03/08/2012 - 16:11
    -1

    Is this a smart charger?

  • Click_It on 03/08/2012 - 16:12

    How good are these? I've owned one for the last 15+ years, the design hasn't even changed in all that time! I don't have any decent batteries like Eneloop etc though so I figure it's good enough for the cheapy older tech batts.

    EDIT: To the person above I'm pretty sure there is nothing smart about this charger, come to think of it I thought these have always been $20…

  • Daedalus on 03/08/2012 - 16:27

    i got one, works fine. its not one of those rapid chargers though

    its smart in the sense it wont overcharge batteries, i have left my batteries in for a week before and it was fine

    • Click_It on 03/08/2012 - 16:45

      Oh yeah it does stop once charged, I'm not sure if it's smart enough to go to a trickle mode though (I think not) as I have also left batteries in there for days before. The only thing I've noticed over the years is batteries seem to become useless quicker than they should, I'm not sure how many cycles we're talking but I have gotten years out of most so I'd still be way out in front.

      • Russ on 03/08/2012 - 19:40

        Very unlikely this is a smart charger, almost certainly a timer-based cut-off.

        There are three ways to know if a charger is over-charging your batteries. Note this doesn't apply to "fast" chargers. You may only see one of these signs, depending on your battery:
        - towards the end of charge, if your batteries are too hot to hold your finger on them.
        - if you can see fine blue "fuzz" or powdery coating near the positive terminal.
        - if the insulator around the positive terminal becomes crumbly.

        If you see any of these signs, it is likely your charger is over-charging your batteries.

        When NiMh and NiCd batteries are charging, the energy goes into changing the batteries chemicals back to the charged state. After the chemicals have changed back to their charged state, the energy from further charging gets converted into heat. This heating indirectly cases the dV/dT change that smart chargers sense, so they know when to stop charging. However, a smart charger shouldn't let your batteries get so hot that you can't hold your finger on them. If they get that hot, the electrolyte in the battery expands, rupturing the pressure relief seal near the positive terminal of the battery, and some electrolyte escapes. Dried electrolyte looks like blue fuzz, and the electrolyte is caustic, so it often makes the insulator go crumbly.

        This is a viscious circle - a battery with less electrolyte has lower capacity, so it charges faster. Timer based chargers will then be overcharging it for longer, so it loses even more electrolyte.

  • shabzbd on 03/08/2012 - 17:22

    Can this detect FULL CHARGE on NiMH batteries? If so, it has some sort of smartness in them. Otherwise, it could be one of those timer-out chargers. You could leave them for days. It will time-out after a given period of time. That is not detecting when the NiMH batteries are charged.

    • SSJX on 04/08/2012 - 09:43

      No, it can't. I've had one of these previously, and I've put in a fully charged Ni-MH battery and it would charge for another 18-20hrs then the LED would go out. Very sure it's a timer based charger and not a smart charger.

  • mikk on 03/08/2012 - 19:52

    Used to use one of these. I think it senses one of the deltas, but it isn't very good at it. I suspect that it might be temperature.

    Unless these have been upgraded, the output of these chargers is almost low enough that it could be considered a trickle charge, especially for high capacity cells and ones that are tolerant of high charge rates. I remember it used to take something like 28hr to charge my batteries :S

    Anyone have the specs?

  • no_mercy on 03/08/2012 - 20:10

    aldi had the similar one for $7!

    http://www.aldi.com.au/au/html/offers/2827_21885.htm

  • [Deactivated] on 03/08/2012 - 21:27

    If it's the same as my 'Digitor Model HL20', which was bought years ago, there is nothing smart about it - i have never noticed it cutting out.

    While it works, i'm in the market for a smart charger given i've now got some eneloop's/LSD's.

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