I can't seem to find an NiMH charger that will keep a bunch (preferrably at least 8, if not 16) of NiMH cells topped off and ready to use. I have a couple of 4-cell Radio Shack chargers that seem to work OK, but unless I use the batteries with a few days of charging them, I always get them with incomplete charges.
This stymies my attempts to stop using disposable cells, and has completely eliminated my wife's cooperation with that desire.
How much abuse would NiMH batteries get if I hooked a few chargers (to reach my preferred "always charged" cell count) up to a household timer and had the timer cycle "ON" for the charging period and then "OFF" again? By power cycling the charger, I would get it to start charging the batteries, preventing the problem of discharched batteries sitting in the charger.
My concern is that without a charger capable of "top-off" charging, I'd kill the cells real quickly by putting them through too many unnecessary cycles.
If anyone is aware of a trickle charger/maintenance charger, especially for AA batteries, I'd love to hear about it.