On Sun, 3 Apr 2016 11:22:46 +0100, RJH wrote:

On 03/04/2016 11:11, pamela wrote:
On 19:18 1 Apr 2016, T i m wrote:

On Fri, 1 Apr 2016 18:56:43 +0100, wrote:

snip

I think mine is a 'BC 700' although they may appear under
different names.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/La-Crosse-Technology-Battery-
Charger/dp/B000RSOV50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tynI28X7M_Y

I think 7DayShop have the Uniross which I believe is the same
hardware. It's much cheaper there, £18.99.

Yes, sorry, I didn't spot the price of that one till I looked
again! Yes, the Uniross seems to do the same sort of thing but
goes to higher currents.

This is the sort of thing I've got:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/hmkmmj3

But it too could be an 'uprated' version as I got mine a while
ago now.

I bought one for a good mate who was regularly 'cooking' his
batteries on a rapid charger and he uses his every day (but
really just as a good charger).

Cheers, T i m

That charger looks like a bargain at £20.

Would it be worth getting that unit if you already have the Lidl
Tronic charger?


Yes, I'd be interested to know - I've got the Tronic too.

It's based on the Ansmann Energy 8 Plus.


Didn't know that!

http://www.ansmann.de/en/products/ch...plies/battery-
chargers/energy-8-plus


Is the battery capacity readout of Tim's useful/accurate?


I also have the Ansmann Energy * and 16 models and think they are
great chargers. They will also do C and D cells of course.

As for accuracy on the BC 700 type units, I would have to say 'yes',
they do seem to be pretty accurate.

By that I mean if I put a batch of 4 x AAA's that are marked as say
900mAh, if they are on spec the charger will typically report
capacities around that value (+_ maybe 2% on good quality cells).

As I tend to do the full/ refresh test it can keep cycling the cells
until it stops seeing an increase in capacity, it can take a while (a
day / days), especially if you set the rates low so as to keep the
temperatures as low as possible.

When testing both AA and AAAs I try to mark the tested capacities on
the cells themselves with a fine Sharpie, that way I can use
combinations (or the same make and model) that have similar tested
capacities.

The tester can be very revealing ... both informing you of any cells
that are being 'oversold' but also the condition of any sets of cells
you are using as one 'battery'. I have been able to discard a few duff
cells that I wouldn't otherwise have been able to isolate, giving the
remaining cells a better life.

The BC 700 I gave to my (non technical) mate was to try to get him to
understand that just taking any combination of (typically) different
(marked) capacity cells and using them together wasn't a good idea.
The idea was for him to test all his cells, mark them and then use
them in matched sets (2's and 4's typically). I think he may have
tested a couple but judging by the mix of cells I often see in the
charger, I'm guessing he isn't using them as I suggested. At least he
isn't cooking the cells like he was before in a rapid charger (as seen
by the number of cells with split or crinkled skins). ;-(

Cheers, T i m