Battery Charger that AutoDetects Full Charge

Jaycar has a couple. Page 198 onwards in their catalogue. Rechargeable D cells aren't cheap.

"T.T." wrote in news:pdY3g.17162$vy1.6618@news- server.bigpond.net.au:

If it happens that you need the D cell for it's physical size and not it's capacity, then maybe those plastic D-sized shells that accepted an AA sized battery up the middle of them might be useful. Do they still exist?

GB

--
 "Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the 
  entrails of the last priest." (Diderot, paraphrasing Meslier)

or jaycar.com.au

Or very good. They lose charge very quickly. As they are usually in a torch this is a pain.

Michael

Thanx 4 the replies guys.

That sux! I wanted them for my torch too.

Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) D's are $25 each!

Nicad starts @ $7.50.

What is the difference between the 2 battery types?

Thanx again

I've had both types and they both lose charge quickly. I thought there was something wrong as every time I went to use the torch it was flat.

NiMHs hold more charge, cost more and supposedly don't have a memory effect.

Michael

Thanx for replying again Michael C.

One more question if I'm not stressing you too much, I don't use the torch very often. I thought the rechargeable batteries might run flat quicker than regular batteries when being used but are you saying the batteries in your torch went flat without even using them?

ni-mh self discharge is about 0.7% /day @20deg. self discharge rate is lower at lower temps, so store your torch batts in the freezer or charge before use.

ni-cd self discharge is lower. but alkaline last for years, and can be charged for a few cycles as well - with the correct charger

Jaycar had them two weeks ago.

Bye. Jasen

rechargables don't have the shelf life of disposaable batteries. they go flat while resting (but can be recharged)

Bye. Jasen

Absolutely. I'd leave the torch in the cupboard for a month and batteries would be dead flat. This happened with the $25 per battery D Cell NiMHs from jaycar as well as the cheaper D Cell NiCads. It doesn't seem to be such a problem with AAs.

There's no point in buying the NiCads because they have around the same

2000mAh rating as AAs. I just went out and bought a torch that ran on AAs. They output the same voltage, use the same globe (so presumably output the same amount of light) and last just as long.

Michael

from

NiMH batteries are known to suffer from self-discharge, considerably moreso than NiCad, although going dead flat in a month seems a bit severe.

Could be longer, I haven't actually timed it, although they are definately worse than the AAs which seem to last in the tv remote for a year (although again I never timed that either).

Michael

This is a great group. I'm really glad I asked for assistance. Thanx again to everyone.

I hardly use the torch. It would cost me $30 to buy 3 adapters to use AA batteries (or C batteries are also an option). It is probably more economical to buy alkalines whenever I need them. I could go through

12 alkaline batteries for that amount (that's running the torch batteries flat 4 times).

I searched the JayCar website for chargers that restore alkaline batteries but couldn't find any. Can anybody give me some more info? Are they much more expensive than regular chargers?

Do I need to take any precautions with storing batteries in the freezer? Is frost a concern? Should I put them in a ziplock or something?

Thanx again to everyone for helping me.