On 10-Dec-05 1:23 AM, SteveB wrote:
I ask this question here because between everyone we have the sum of human
knowledge ............

I bought some nimh rechargeable batteries and a charger for my camera. They
are AA 1.5 v. size.

When I need to test batteries, I use a pretty good Craftsman tester. On
alkaline batteries, when new, they test up to 1.6 volts. I had some of
these nimh batteries on charge for a good while on an automatic charger.
The indicator light had gone out, indicating a full charge.

I wanted to see how much they read. They read from 1.42 to 1.45 volts. Is
this normal?

IIRC the nominal voltage for a AA NiMH is 1.2V so your figure was
probably obtained from a cell direct from the charger and off load.

Do they just last longer, but don't charge up as much? I know
they last a LOT longer in my GPS, and have saved me money already in
batteries. In my radios, the nimh runs circles around alkalines or nicd for
lasting.

NiMH batteries are better suited to high discharge applications (digital
cameras are a prime example) where they significantly out perform
alkalines. The discharge curve is also 'flatter' than NiCAD or alkaline
which means they provide max power for longer but then suddenly go
'flat'. NiMH batteries (like NiCADs) are prone to self discharging and a
fully charged battery will discharge while sitting even if it is not in
any equipment.
A very useful source for battery information can be found at the
following link.....

http://www.buchmann.ca/

HTH

--
Larry Green