AA charger recommendation

Hello --

Can anyone help me narrow my search for a charger suitable for
traveling? I am not digesting all the technical information available
in this group.
My new camera is a Canon S5 IS. I assume the battery type to get in
NiMH.

Requirements for the charger:
- 100 - 240 V
- lightweight, if possible
- independent charging channels
- holds 4 batteries
- slow charge standard or as an option
- mAh rating ?
- USB capability not needed


I will appreciate any recommendations of specific brands of charger
and/or battery.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Larry Mehl

wrote:
Hello --

Can anyone help me narrow my search for a charger suitable for
traveling? I am not digesting all the technical information available
in this group.
My new camera is a Canon S5 IS. I assume the battery type to get in
NiMH.

Requirements for the charger:
- 100 - 240 V
- lightweight, if possible
- independent charging channels
- holds 4 batteries
- slow charge standard or as an option
- mAh rating ?
- USB capability not needed


I will appreciate any recommendations of specific brands of charger
and/or battery.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Larry Mehl

The short answer is Maha MH-C9000 (expensive) or Maha MH-C401FS (cheap).

See http://nordicgroup.us/chargers/ for other chargers that meet these
requirements, though every charger there also can work on 12V power
which you didn't specify.

If you don't need 12V input, I'd go for a charger that has an internal
power supply and flip-out AC plug. The Sanyo NC-MQH01 was ideal, but I
don't think it's still available in the U.S..

The Tenergy T60008 actually combines the internal AC supply with 12V and
5V input capability.

As to batteries, get Eneloop or Hybrio, not standard NiMH.

If you're near a Fry's, look for the Ultralast charger that comes with
Hybrio batteries, and which meets your other criteria, though it does
include USB capability you don't have to use it.

Steve
http://nordicgroup.us/chargers/

On Jul 11, 12:28 am, SMS wrote:
wrote:
Hello --

Can anyone help me narrow my search for a charger suitable for
traveling? I am not digesting all the technical information available
in this group.
My new camera is a Canon S5 IS. I assume the battery type to get in
NiMH.

Requirements for the charger:
- 100 - 240 V
- lightweight, if possible
- independent charging channels
- holds 4 batteries
- slow charge standard or as an option
- mAh rating ?
- USB capability not needed

I will appreciate any recommendations of specific brands of charger
and/or battery.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Larry Mehl

The short answer is Maha MH-C9000 (expensive) or Maha MH-C401FS (cheap).

Seehttp://nordicgroup.us/chargers/for other chargers that meet these
requirements, though every charger there also can work on 12V power
which you didn't specify.

If you don't need 12V input, I'd go for a charger that has an internal
power supply and flip-out AC plug. The Sanyo NC-MQH01 was ideal, but I
don't think it's still available in the U.S..

The Tenergy T60008 actually combines the internal AC supply with 12V and
5V input capability.

As to batteries, get Eneloop or Hybrio, not standard NiMH.

If you're near a Fry's, look for the Ultralast charger that comes with
Hybrio batteries, and which meets your other criteria, though it does
include USB capability you don't have to use it.

Stevehttp://nordicgroup.us/chargers/

Steve --

Thanks for all the suggestions and information.

There is a Fry's a few miles from me. Thanks for mentioning them.

Larry

wrote:

There is a Fry's a few miles from me. Thanks for mentioning them.

Fry's has a great many chargers, most of them pretty poor. I saw the
Ultralast charger there last week, bundled with the low-self-discharge
Hybrio cells. I don't remember the price. It seemed ideal on the
surface--three way power, LCD, and Hybrio, but I don't know the charge
rate because it isn't on the package, and the charger isn't on the
Ultralast web site yet.

On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:02:00 -0700, "
wrote:



Steve --

Thanks for all the suggestions and information.

There is a Fry's a few miles from me. Thanks for mentioning them.

Larry

Lary,

I have the Maha MH-C401FS and love it. 4 batteries on independant
circuits so they each will charge as needed. Fast and slow charge
options. I only use mine on 110 volt, but believe it came with a 220
volt adapter.

Bill

Bill wrote:
On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:02:00 -0700, "
wrote:


Steve --

Thanks for all the suggestions and information.

There is a Fry's a few miles from me. Thanks for mentioning them.

Larry

Lary,

I have the Maha MH-C401FS and love it. 4 batteries on independant
circuits so they each will charge as needed. Fast and slow charge
options. I only use mine on 110 volt, but believe it came with a 220
volt adapter.

It used to come as either the "regular" edition with 110V only, or the
"International" edition with 110/220, not sure if Maha still does this.

Since it's rather an old design, "fast charge" is really not all that
fast (1000mA) though it's fast enough for a lot of people that don't
care about super-fast charging.

It has a lifetime warranty, something almost unheard of for this sort of
product.

On Thu, 12 Jul 2007 01:28:48 GMT, Yuki wrote:

I will appreciate any recommendations of specific brands of charger
and/or battery.

I'm very happy with a Sony BGC-34HRMD that meets all of above,
has a LCD display and refresh function. It uses a short cable for
power, no wall wart. Weight 5oz/139g. Medium charge speed, around
4 hours for 4 depleted AA batteries.

Seems that the current incarnation has the reference BCG-34HRMF4,
comes bundled with 4 2700mA Sanyo made batteries, priced around $30.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...d_i=B000H8XGJC

I've also been very pleased with that charger, also a BCG-34HRMD.
When I got it several years ago it included, IIRC, four 2050mAh NiMH
cells. I checked your link and although the price is $30.99, there
are three alternates in the "More Buying Choices" box on the right.
Adorama and Gigabyte are selling it with the four Sony NiMH cells
for $24.99. When I got mine several years ago in Sony Style it sold
for about $40. Discounting the included batteries, it's an
excellent charger selling for only $15, a pretty good bargain.

Yuki wrote:

Seems that the current incarnation has the reference BCG-34HRMF4, comes bundled
with 4 2700mA Sanyo made batteries, priced around $30.

It's okay, but the charge rate is pretty low with four batteries, only
525 mA. With NiMH batteries, there's a fine line between too low of a
charging current and too high of a charging current. Too low, and it may
not detect end-of-charge correctly. Too high, and it may heat the
batteries to the point where it reduces their useful life.

I'd avoid that charger just because there are much better chargers
available now. It's a fairly old design. While the LCD display is nicer
than just an LED, such as what's on the Maha MH-C401FS, the MH-C401FS is
a better choice.

It's rather amusing that they call it "Super Quick." Hopefully the Sony
spec is incorrect and the charging voltage is _not_ 1.2V!

I know someone that had one of these chargers, and they said it was fine
except that it would occasionally proclaim that a cell was bad when in
fact the cell charged just fine on other chargers.

Steve
"http://nordicgroup.us/chargers"
"http://batterydata.com"

-----------------------------------------------------
The problem with arguing with a crazy person is that
onlookers will have trouble telling which is the nut.
-----------------------------------------------------

wrote:
Hello --

Can anyone help me narrow my search for a charger suitable for
traveling? I am not digesting all the technical information available
in this group.
My new camera is a Canon S5 IS. I assume the battery type to get in
NiMH.

Requirements for the charger:
- 100 - 240 V
- lightweight, if possible
- independent charging channels
- holds 4 batteries
- slow charge standard or as an option
- mAh rating ?
- USB capability not needed


I will appreciate any recommendations of specific brands of charger
and/or battery.


Maha MH-C401FS

http://www.thomasdistributing.com/mhc401fs.htm

It comes in white or black.

--
Thomas T. Veldhouse

We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from the
machinations of the wicked.

SMS wrote:

As to batteries, get Eneloop or Hybrio, not standard NiMH.


That completely depends upon usage pattern. If you are travelling and
planning to shoot a lot of pictures for instance, the higher capacity standard
NiMH (i.e. 2700mAh) might make more sense. Also, consider the Rayovac Hybrid
over the Hybrio batteries if you live in the US as they are made by the same
manufacter [Spectrum] in China and are otherwise the same battery, but easier
to find an probably cheaper ($8.99 for four at Walmart).

If you're near a Fry's, look for the Ultralast charger that comes with
Hybrio batteries, and which meets your other criteria, though it does
include USB capability you don't have to use it.


Target and Walmart [and Circuit City] sell Rayovac batteries and chargers and
Circuit City sells both Rayovac and Eneloop.

--
Thomas T. Veldhouse

We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from the
machinations of the wicked.