"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
Per Dave Platt:
There's a tradeoff. The low-self-discharge NiMH cells have a lower
capacity than "standard" ones of the same form-factor. I've seen
differences of 20-25% in practice. For high-quality AA cells,
the low-self-discharge ones I've bought tend to top out at
around 2000 mAh, while "standard" versions from the same manufacturer
run up to 2400-2500 or so.

So, if you tend to charge your NiMH cells and then use them
immediately (e.g. taking lots of photographs while on a trip) standard
cells are the way to go. For "standby" applications, low-self-
discharge cells work out better.

I guess the truly-obsessive could look at a chart of the self-discharge,
note where 20-25% happens, and then choose one or the other type battery
based on one's expectation of how long they will sit before use.

viz: http://www.stefanv.com/electronics/eneloop/graph.gif (from
http://www.stefanv.com/electronics/sanyo_eneloop.html)

Looks like the crossover point happens after about 20 days and the
regular ones need re-charging on a monthly basis to assure 50% capacity
when needed.

Nickel chemistry might be on the way out, precisely because of self
discharge.

An ever increasing number of cordless devices are appearing on the market
with lithium instead of nickel.