On Wed, 22 May 2019 04:52:09 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

So the choice of $2.50/ cells was not a good one. Try 50 cent cells.

The cheap NiMH cells have a high self-discharge rate. They are quite
suitable for some applications, such as devices that are left almost
permanently in a charger, such as home cordless phones, some power
tools, but area a giant pain for devices that are left off for long
periods of time, such as flashlights, cameras, test equipment, etc.
Before LSD NiMH cells, I still recall practicing my profanity when I
had to charge a device before I used it. No thanks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel%E2%80%93metal_hydride_battery#Self-discharge
The self-discharge is 5-20% on the first day and stabilizes
around 0.5-4% per day at room temperature. But at 45 °C it
is approximately three times as high.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558