Aren't rechargeables for high current applications?

Name the last time that you didn't come across as a total jerk.

Nothing in some stupid user manual has any bearing on the FACTS of the matter.

...... Phil

...... Phil

Actually, a "dead" alkaline is about 1.0 volts, while a "dead" NiMH is about 1.15V, so it should be the opposite. That's the problem with metering the NiMH batteries, they have an extremely narrow voltage for most of their capacity, around 0.1V, while the alkaline have about a

On the AA cameras I have, you wouldn't want to be using alkaline batteries because they have such high internal resistance.

That shows how little you know about batteries. An alkaline battery that appears to be "dead" with some digital devices is not even close to being dead with others, especially analog devices such as portable radios, clocks, etc. When they're nearly dead, some radios can only play at low volume, others start to produce distorted sound, and this is at or slightly below 0.5volts. You've also got it wrong with respect to NiMH cells. There's still a reasonable amount of capacity left at 1.15v, although some digital devices are designed (intentionally or inadvertently) to shut down near that point. Haven't you noticed that battery chargers that have a discharge function as well as digital readout of cell voltages continue discharging quite a while after 1.15v is reached? They switch back to "charge" mode when the cells reach 1.0 volts.

Camera makers and most electronics device makers have a whole nuther point of view !!!

Even a near flat NiMH *initially* shows virtually the same terminal voltage as a near fully charged one - after an hour or two of non use. Confounds any attempt to quickly determine remaining capacity from cell voltage.

Alkalines recover cell voltage during rest periods too, but not a fully as NiMHs do.

Fresh alkalines ( from one of the top brands) work fine until they have lost about half their capacity - then the fall in cell voltage and simultaneous rise in internal resistance puts them out of the game.

The other issue is that alkalines suffer a dramatic loss of capacity at high discharge currents while NiMH cells do not.

The end up result is that a 2000mAH rated NiMH cell way outlasts a circa

..... Phil

I see. Canon's manual lies and there is no such indicator. I guess that my eyes lie and there is no such on my Coolpix 990 either.

..... Phil

No answer, as expected.

Without being told, a camera cannot tell the difference between disposables and rechargeables. That is exactly the point I was making many messages above before Jack know-it-all butted into the conversation.

Unholy piddling crap, where on this green earth did you get the idea that something being illegal would even slow down a crook with a profit to be had.

Ah, the naivete is *so* adorable. I've bought two replacement notebook chargers from two different suppliers in the US, and both have adhesive labels covering up the brand names (one is HP and the other is Dell). I had to import a Chinese one from Hong Kong to get an honest no-name charger with a unique non-copycat design.

There are a bunch of Duracell-look-alike batteries, but I don't think they're actually all that bad (and Duracells are generally overpriced). Lowes was dumping boxes of 48 quite good Panasonic non-look-alike real alkalines for cheap (something like $7 or $8).

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

This thread has somewhat degenerated, but I would like to respond to the OP. The newer hybrid NiMH cells (I like Sanyo Eneloop) transform AA NiMHs from being completely useless to being an almost universal replacement for alkalines. I have not purchased an AA alkaline cell in almost a year since converting to Eneloops. With older NiMH, you would charge them up, and then when it was time to use them they'd be dead. Also, no one mentions that this subjects ordinary NiMH cells to many more charge cycles (recharging cells that self discharge) than they would otherwise need, and prematurely reduces their life.

With Eneloops I have two boxes labeled "good" and "bad". I have my family take from "good" and put the dead ones in "bad". This never worked before, because if the cells sat in the "good" tub for a month, they would be way down. Now they can sit for a year if necessary. I also try like hell to standardize everything on AAs: Mini Maglites, wall clocks, remotes, cameras, etc. It helps that the video game controllers my kids use are AA powered. Sure, a few things might be better suited to alkalines (like clocks and remotes) but I still use Eneloops in them because I'd rather not buy throwaways for anything. I may have to replace the remote batteries a bit more often than with alkalines, but the difference is not noticeable.

Hybrid NiMH have completely transformed the utility of rechargeable AAs for me.

Thanks. The stores where I am are just starting to stock the "precharged" NiMH batteries. My wife has already abandoned all the rechargeable's in favor of alkaline's (which she recharges until they leak) because they hold a charge longer.

That's what I'm planning to do around here. It's an interesting scheme IMO. I wonder if testing and charging batteries for others has been tried on a wide scale, seems like it would be similar to recycle programs. Maybe that will be implemented for electric car batteries.