Hi all

Like just about everyone now, I have numerous devices that use AA
batteries: TV remotes; a camera; computer keyboard and mouse (what a
mistake *that* was!)[1]; even a nose-hair clipper...

I've always used rechargeables. Over the years I've acquired various
types as the technology has developed -- started out with 1800mAh
NiCads, and the latest are 2700mAh NiMh.

I've always believed that the bigger the ma number, the "better" the
battery: is this true? I'm half-expecting people to reply "No - for
your remotes you want "X" type whilst for the nose-hair trimmer you want
a "Y" type".

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...52518&ts=97838

Any advice? (Preferably brief and simple: my usage of terms like mAh
above is based *purely* upon reading battery labels!)

Cheers
John

[1] This is an Apple wireless keyboard (3 batteries (3, not 4 nor 2,
which would have been so much simpler!) and mouse (2 batteries). They
need replacing every few weeks; USB would have been infinitely better.

"John L" wrote in message
...
Hi all

Like just about everyone now, I have numerous devices that use AA
batteries: TV remotes; a camera; computer keyboard and mouse (what a
mistake *that* was!)[1]; even a nose-hair clipper...

I've always used rechargeables. Over the years I've acquired various
types as the technology has developed -- started out with 1800mAh
NiCads, and the latest are 2700mAh NiMh.

I've always believed that the bigger the ma number, the "better" the
battery: is this true? I'm half-expecting people to reply "No - for
your remotes you want "X" type whilst for the nose-hair trimmer you want
a "Y" type".

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...52518&ts=97838

Any advice? (Preferably brief and simple: my usage of terms like mAh
above is based *purely* upon reading battery labels!)

Cheers
John

[1] This is an Apple wireless keyboard (3 batteries (3, not 4 nor 2,
which would have been so much simpler!) and mouse (2 batteries). They
need replacing every few weeks; USB would have been infinitely better.

The hybrid types may have lower mAh ratings, but as they have significantly
less self discharge they will be a better option for equipment where you
don't want to be changing the batteries every couple of weeks.

Other than that, higher mAh should give a longer life for most use -
torches, radios and the like. The one exception may be digital cameras.
These tend to register 'low battery' when the voltage drops below a certain
level, so normal cells can cut out long before the cell has used all its
stored charge.

I have a set of 7dayshop branded 2800 mAh cells that only give about 60% as
many shots on my camera as a set of 2200 mAh Hybrios. This is in holidays
and periods of intensive use when I expect to be recharging every couple of
days or so.

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:28:50 +0000, John L wrote:

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --

Bloomin heck. 4 x 2500mAHr NiMH from Lidl £2.58 (when they have them,
they go fast...)

Any advice? (Preferably brief and simple: my usage of terms like mAh
above is based *purely* upon reading battery labels!)

Low power stuff like remotes, clocks etc your are probably better off
using alkaline batteries as the self discharge from NICd and NiMH
rechargeables is so high. The newer hybrid batteries are supposed to
have a very low self discharge they would be better.

High power stuff cameras, GPS, torches etc then the larger the mAHr
number the longer the runtime, in a given appliance, will be.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:28:50 +0000, John L wrote:

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --

Bloomin heck. 4 x 2500mAHr NiMH from Lidl £2.58 (when they have them,
they go fast...)

I've bought what sounds similar from Aldi in the past (branded "FiF" and
they've been completely and utterly useless (ie, losing their capacity
within a few months of light use) compared with others I've owned, lie
Uniross.

David

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:56:58 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

Low power stuff like remotes, clocks etc your are probably better off
using alkaline batteries as the self discharge from NICd and NiMH
rechargeables is so high.


Lithium batteries seem to last several years in remotes. I haven't
tried them in clocks.

On 29/12/2009 20:56, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:28:50 +0000, John L wrote:

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --

Bloomin heck. 4 x 2500mAHr NiMH from Lidl £2.58 (when they have them,
they go fast...)

Any advice? (Preferably brief and simple: my usage of terms like mAh
above is based *purely* upon reading battery labels!)

Low power stuff like remotes, clocks etc your are probably better off
using alkaline batteries as the self discharge from NICd and NiMH
rechargeables is so high. The newer hybrid batteries are supposed to
have a very low self discharge they would be better.

Er, Dave, hybrid in what sense, please? And, how does one recognise such
at the store? My wife uses 4 in her camera and they are always flat
sob unless she charged them yesterday.

--
Tim

"That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines
imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted"

Bill of Rights 1689

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:02:06 +0000, Lobster wrote:

Bloomin heck. 4 x 2500mAHr NiMH from Lidl £2.58 (when they have
them,
they go fast...)

I've bought what sounds similar from Aldi in the past (branded "FiF" and
they've been completely and utterly useless (ie, losing their capacity
within a few months of light use) compared with others I've owned, lie
Uniross.

The Lidl ones are "Tronic" branded, which I think is their own
electronics brand. The ones I have are fine, irregular use in a
camera, in fact they are the best set we have now. Self discharge has
done for a set of 10 year old GP industrials and some others maybe 5
years old (that weren't that good to begin with).

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:28:50 +0000, John L wrote:
Hi all

Like just about everyone now, I have numerous devices that use AA
batteries: TV remotes; a camera; computer keyboard and mouse (what a
mistake *that* was!)[1]; even a nose-hair clipper...

I've always used rechargeables. Over the years I've acquired various
types as the technology has developed -- started out with 1800mAh
NiCads, and the latest are 2700mAh NiMh.

I've always believed that the bigger the ma number, the "better" the
battery: is this true? I'm half-expecting people to reply "No - for
your remotes you want "X" type whilst for the nose-hair trimmer you want
a "Y" type".

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...52518&ts=97838

Any advice? (Preferably brief and simple: my usage of terms like mAh
above is based *purely* upon reading battery labels!)

I treat the mAH rating of batteries (esp. the cheaper or unknown branded ones)
like MPG figures for cars: more as a number used for marketing purposes, rather
than as any sort of practical measure of their usefulness.
One reason is that (cheap) cells have a self-discharge that limits their
usefulness in low power devices (e.g. never use them in smoke alarms).
Another is that even if they weren't completely fictitious, they probably
only refer to one particular usage curve in ideal, laboratory conditions,
which I doubt any of my kit adheres to.


Cheers
John

[1] This is an Apple wireless keyboard (3 batteries (3, not 4 nor 2,
which would have been so much simpler!) and mouse (2 batteries). They
need replacing every few weeks; USB would have been infinitely better.

John L wrote on 29/12/2009 :
Hi all

Like just about everyone now, I have numerous devices that use AA
batteries: TV remotes; a camera; computer keyboard and mouse (what a
mistake *that* was!)[1]; even a nose-hair clipper...

The larger the mAH, the longer they can run an item for, but they
should not be used for things which draw a relatively tiny current or
are not charged then consumed almost immediately. Basically they self
discharge, so running low current things like remotes is rather
pointless.

If you charge batteries for your camera, use them straight away and use
until flat - that would be a sensible use. I used to have a wireless
mouse which came with rechargeables, that was designed to plug into the
USB when not needed. My current wireless mouse runs on throw away cells
- they only need swapping every year or so and it really would not be
worth the messing about with rechargeables.

It is very much 'horses for courses'.


--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Tim Streater wrote:

On 29/12/2009 20:56, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:28:50 +0000, John L wrote:

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --

LOL

Er, Dave, hybrid in what sense, please? And, how does one recognise such
at the store? My wife uses 4 in her camera and they are always flat
sob unless she charged them yesterday.


Sanyo eneloop, i use them in my camera, they have only needed a recharge
once a year.***
http://www.stefanv.com/electronics/sanyo_eneloop.html
\0

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:23:46 +0000, Tim Streater wrote:

Er, Dave, hybrid in what sense, please? And, how does one recognise such
at the store? My wife uses 4 in her camera and they are always flat
sob unless she charged them yesterday.

The easy way is that they are the only rechargeable battery that
doesn't need to be charged before first use.

A quick google shows Uniross Hydrio, Sanyo Eneloop and Rayovac
Hybrid.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 29/12/2009 22:51, Mark wrote:
Tim Streater wrote:

On 29/12/2009 20:56, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:28:50 +0000, John L wrote:

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --

LOL

Er, Dave, hybrid in what sense, please? And, how does one recognise such
at the store? My wife uses 4 in her camera and they are always flat
sob unless she charged them yesterday.


Sanyo eneloop, i use them in my camera, they have only needed a recharge
once a year.
http://www.stefanv.com/electronics/sanyo_eneloop.html

Much appreciated!

--
Tim

"That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines
imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted"

Bill of Rights 1689

In article , "Tim
Streater" wrote:


Er, Dave, hybrid in what sense, please? And, how does one recognise such
at the store? My wife uses 4 in her camera and they are always flat
sob unless she charged them yesterday.

They have a very low self-discharge rate, so have a long shelf life and
so are OK for intermittent use devices.

Google for Sanyo Eneloop. I use them in my camera flash which doesn't
get used for months at a time, but they keep their charge for a good
year or more. Worth getting a good, programmable charger for them, to
maximise the number of recharges.

I see 7-day-shop have some AAs:
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...ucts_id=105241

Alternatives are Uniross Hybrio.

--
John W
I you want to mail me, replace the obvious with co.uk twice

"OG" wrote in message
...

"John L" wrote in message
...
Hi all

Like just about everyone now, I have numerous devices that use AA
batteries: TV remotes; a camera; computer keyboard and mouse (what a
mistake *that* was!)[1]; even a nose-hair clipper...

I've always used rechargeables. Over the years I've acquired various
types as the technology has developed -- started out with 1800mAh
NiCads, and the latest are 2700mAh NiMh.

I've always believed that the bigger the ma number, the "better" the
battery: is this true? I'm half-expecting people to reply "No - for
your remotes you want "X" type whilst for the nose-hair trimmer you want
a "Y" type".

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...52518&ts=97838

Any advice? (Preferably brief and simple: my usage of terms like mAh
above is based *purely* upon reading battery labels!)

Cheers
John

[1] This is an Apple wireless keyboard (3 batteries (3, not 4 nor 2,
which would have been so much simpler!) and mouse (2 batteries). They
need replacing every few weeks; USB would have been infinitely better.

The hybrid types may have lower mAh ratings, but as they have
significantly less self discharge they will be a better option for
equipment where you don't want to be changing the batteries every couple
of weeks.

Other than that, higher mAh should give a longer life for most use -
torches, radios and the like. The one exception may be digital cameras.
These tend to register 'low battery' when the voltage drops below a
certain level, so normal cells can cut out long before the cell has used
all its stored charge.

I have a set of 7dayshop branded 2800 mAh cells that only give about 60%
as many shots on my camera as a set of 2200 mAh Hybrios. This is in
holidays and periods of intensive use when I expect to be recharging every
couple of days or so.

I used to have a camera where the display would show 'low bat' after only a
few shots. Rotate the batteries (clean the contacts) and they would go much
longer. This could occur 2 or 3 times before needing a charge. Dunno whether
the buzzword 'contact rectification' had anything to do with it.

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:28:50 +0000, John L wrote:

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --

Bloomin heck. 4 x 2500mAHr NiMH from Lidl £2.58 (when they have them,
they go fast...)

Any advice? (Preferably brief and simple: my usage of terms like mAh
above is based *purely* upon reading battery labels!)

Low power stuff like remotes, clocks etc your are probably better off
using alkaline batteries as the self discharge from NICd and NiMH
rechargeables is so high. The newer hybrid batteries are supposed to
have a very low self discharge they would be better.

High power stuff cameras, GPS, torches etc then the larger the mAHr
number the longer the runtime, in a given appliance, will be.

given up totally on nickel technology. Its all crap.
low power runs longer on primaries, and anything else had better be LIPO
or I dont buy it.

On 29/12/2009 23:13, John Weston wrote:


I see 7-day-shop have some AAs:
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...ucts_id=105241

Alternatives are Uniross Hybrio.


Anyone tried their 'own brand' ones?

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=&products_id=107341

Price is appealingly lower - but are they any good?

--
Rod

On 29 Dec, 22:59, "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:
A quick google shows Uniross Hydrio, Sanyo Eneloop and Rayovac
Hybrid.

Also GP ReCyko+ (e.g. CPC order code BT04285).

Richard.
http://www.rtrussell.co.uk/

There's a comparison between the Eneloop and the Recyko he

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=223842

However, as has been noted elsewhere, comparisons of the 'out of the
box' capacity are pretty meaningless because the manufacturers may not
initially charge them fully.

Richard.
http://www.rtrussell.co.uk/
To reply by email change 'news' to my forename.

On Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:10:08 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

given up totally on nickel technology. Its all crap.
low power runs longer on primaries, and anything else had better be LIPO
or I dont buy it.

Not seen any LiPo AA cells or a suitable charger that doesn't need an
arm and leg to purchase.

My experience if Li technology batteries isn't good, the one in my
Minolta camera is nearly always flat or virtually so when ever I want
to use it. The one in my HP iPAQ has a habit of lying about it's
state of charge, both Li Ion according to the packaging but as they
are both thin things they could be Li Po. The only one that hasn't
given any trouble is the labled Li Po in my phone.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In message , John
Weston writes
In article , "Tim
Streater" wrote:


Er, Dave, hybrid in what sense, please? And, how does one recognise such
at the store? My wife uses 4 in her camera and they are always flat
sob unless she charged them yesterday.

They have a very low self-discharge rate, so have a long shelf life and
so are OK for intermittent use devices.

Google for Sanyo Eneloop. I use them in my camera flash which doesn't
get used for months at a time, but they keep their charge for a good
year or more. Worth getting a good, programmable charger for them, to
maximise the number of recharges.

I support this entirely. I have been using Eneloop and a MAHA MH C401FS
charger for a couple of years with excellent results.

--
Robert

Hi
It might just be worth pointing out that rechargeables are mostly 1.2V
per cell, I think, so they might seem a bit gutless in your nosehair
clipper. (Not that I want to make any insinuations about the state of
your nose hair!).
Dave

On 30 Dec, 09:57, "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:
On Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:10:08 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
given up totally on nickel technology. Its all crap.
low power runs longer on primaries, and anything else had better be LIPO
or I dont buy it.

Not seen any LiPo AA cells or a suitable charger that doesn't need an
arm and leg to purchase.

My experience if Li technology batteries isn't good, the one in my
Minolta camera is nearly always flat or virtually so when ever I want
to use it. The one in my HP iPAQ has a habit of lying about it's
state of charge, both Li Ion according to the packaging but as they
are both thin things they could be Li Po. The only one that hasn't
given any trouble is the labled Li Po in my phone.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 29/12/2009 20:56, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:28:50 +0000, John L wrote:

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --

Bloomin heck. 4 x 2500mAHr NiMH from Lidl £2.58 (when they have them,
they go fast...)

Any advice? (Preferably brief and simple: my usage of terms like mAh
above is based *purely* upon reading battery labels!)

Low power stuff like remotes, clocks etc your are probably better off
using alkaline batteries as the self discharge from NICd and NiMH
rechargeables is so high. The newer hybrid batteries are supposed to
have a very low self discharge they would be better.


Yes - I've been using GP ReCyko+ 2050 in a few things like bike lights,
mouse and remotes for the last year and they seem fine so far. Expensive
- but I'd imagine I'm not far off break even.

In article 8bc39775-5b26-49ed-bc6c-79eef4692073
@s3g2000yqs.googlegroups.com, "gbr1918" wrote:

Hi
It might just be worth pointing out that rechargeables are mostly 1.2V
per cell, I think, so they might seem a bit gutless in your nosehair
clipper.

Which is also why they quickly give a battery warning in devices that
expect the 1.5v non-rechargeable cells that are clapped out at 1.2v.
With 1.2v rechargeables you can safely ignore the initial warning with
these as they'll stay at 1.2v for months, depending on use - and
providing they have a low self-discharge rate, like those being
recommended.

--
John W
If you really want to email me replace the obvious with co.uk in both
places

Dave Liquorice wrote on Dec 30, 2009:

My experience if Li technology batteries isn't good, the one in my
Minolta camera is nearly always flat or virtually so when ever I want
to use it. The one in my HP iPAQ has a habit of lying about it's
state of charge, both Li Ion according to the packaging but as they
are both thin things they could be Li Po. The only one that hasn't
given any trouble is the labled Li Po in my phone.

My Canon camera takes 4 AAs and at first I used NiMH rechargeables which gave
me a lot of trouble. They always seemed to give out at a crucial time and I
was endlessly faffing around recharging them. I then discovered
non-rechargeable Lithium AAs which I find fantastic. One set gives me around
1500 shots (I think - I've never really counted), which lasts me around 2
years - so I really don't have to bother much about batteries now.

--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire
email: mike_lane at mac dot com

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Harry Bloomfield
saying something like:

The larger the mAH, the longer they can run an item for, but they
should not be used for things which draw a relatively tiny current or
are not charged then consumed almost immediately. Basically they self
discharge, so running low current things like remotes is rather
pointless.

I must tell my clocks that.
They've been running on rechargeables for years (in total, recharged
twice a year, if that) and it seems that a tiny current drawn keeps the
charge up much longer than otherwise expected. The unexpected winner on
the clock battery rechargeable front is a set of ancient green 900mAh
AAs - each of those lasts for nearly a year in a clock.
Same goes for my remotes. I ignore the Sky remote's dire warning of
battery state until I can stand its interfering nagging no longer, than
I'll change them out, but other remotes are just fine.

On Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:10:08 +0000, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:28:50 +0000, John L wrote:

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --

Bloomin heck. 4 x 2500mAHr NiMH from Lidl £2.58 (when they have them,
they go fast...)

Any advice? (Preferably brief and simple: my usage of terms like mAh
above is based *purely* upon reading battery labels!)

Low power stuff like remotes, clocks etc your are probably better off
using alkaline batteries as the self discharge from NICd and NiMH
rechargeables is so high. The newer hybrid batteries are supposed to
have a very low self discharge they would be better.

High power stuff cameras, GPS, torches etc then the larger the mAHr
number the longer the runtime, in a given appliance, will be.

given up totally on nickel technology. Its all crap.

I disagree. I use Sony/Panasonic NiMH AAs in my camera and they last
ages.

low power runs longer on primaries, and anything else had better be LIPO
or I dont buy it.

Can you get LiPo AAs?
--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking most articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.
[Reply-to address valid until it is spammed.]

Mark wrote:
On Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:10:08 +0000, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:28:50 +0000, John L wrote:

The prices seem to have gone up steeply since last I bought some -- for
example at present Screwfix are selling 4x2700 for £12.71 --
Bloomin heck. 4 x 2500mAHr NiMH from Lidl £2.58 (when they have them,
they go fast...)

Any advice? (Preferably brief and simple: my usage of terms like mAh
above is based *purely* upon reading battery labels!)
Low power stuff like remotes, clocks etc your are probably better off
using alkaline batteries as the self discharge from NICd and NiMH
rechargeables is so high. The newer hybrid batteries are supposed to
have a very low self discharge they would be better.

High power stuff cameras, GPS, torches etc then the larger the mAHr
number the longer the runtime, in a given appliance, will be.

given up totally on nickel technology. Its all crap.

I disagree. I use Sony/Panasonic NiMH AAs in my camera and they last
ages.

low power runs longer on primaries, and anything else had better be LIPO
or I dont buy it.

Can you get LiPo AAs?

Nope. Li-ion or A123, which is LiFE something or other. BUT they are not
1.5v, they are 3.3 or 3.7 per cell.



So I dont use AA type stuff at all, if its high power. low power the
primary cells have the best charge retention anyway.