#311644 - 29/06/2008 15:12
Do not use rechargeable batteries
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Roger
carpal tunnel
Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 4554
Loc: London, UK
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We've got a musical hanging mobile for Charlie's crib, and the instructions state "do not use rechargeable batteries". Apparently, it's a safety thing. Anyone know what they're talking about?
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#311646 - 29/06/2008 16:18
Re: Do not use rechargeable batteries
[Re: Roger]
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Phil.
pooh-bah
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2393
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Maybe more likely to leak or catch fire compared to alkalines and they just want to keep themselves covered? Unlikely that would happen but its all I can think of.
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#311648 - 29/06/2008 16:35
Re: Do not use rechargeable batteries
[Re: Phoenix42]
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hybrid8
carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 3575
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Duracell or Energizer or [insert popular brand here] are the parent of or aligned with that ma manufacturer or distributor?
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#311650 - 29/06/2008 16:56
Re: Do not use rechargeable batteries
[Re: Phoenix42]
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Phil.
pooh-bah
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2393
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Could it be that rechargeable batteries only put out 1.2V rather then 1.5V? Might make the music slooower.
Not a safety reason though.
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#311670 - 29/06/2008 20:59
Re: Do not use rechargeable batteries
[Re: Phoenix42]
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tanstaafl.
carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 3378
Loc: Mountain View, California
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Could it be that rechargeable batteries only put out 1.2V rather then 1.5V? Might make the music slooower.
Only if they're NiCads. Rechargeable alkalines are the normal 1.5--1.6 volts, as are the Lithium-Ion and NiMH batteries.
Somewhere on this bbs, probably more than 5 years ago, someone posted a wonderful tutorial about battery technology. Anybody know where it is?
tanstaafl.
"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"
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#311692 - 30/06/2008 15:18
Re: Do not use rechargeable batteries
[Re: Roger]
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Folsom
member
Registered: 12/08/2001
Posts: 131
Loc: Atlanta
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I asked a friend of mine this question once, and he claimed that NIMH had lower output resistance than alkalines. If a short were to occur more current could be output from NIMH, possibly causing a fire.
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#311694 - 30/06/2008 16:06
Re: Do not use rechargeable batteries
[Re: Folsom]
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tman
carpal tunnel
Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 4312
Loc: UK
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I can't think of any safety reasons that you wouldn't be able to use a rechargeable over a regular alkaline/whatever cell.
Most rechargeable batteries do have a lower internal resistance but if your product is shorting out anyway then you've got other issues.
The lower cell voltage shouldn't affect much either since the voltage of an alkaline battery will slow drop as well.
You get warnings about putting non-rechargable batteries into devices that are expecting rechargeable batteries but this isn't the case here.
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#311898 - 09/07/2008 05:36
Re: Do not use rechargeable batteries
[Re: drakino]
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Robotic
veteran
Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 1260
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area
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http://empegbbs.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=183668
Searched for "+battery +rechargeable" older then 3 years with the preview on.
I'm recently involving myself with some rather in-depth maintenance of NiMH batteries (primarily for my growing fleet of roombas, but also other cordless devices) and have been doing a lot of reading.
Some good sources:
Batteries In A Portable World
http://www.buchmann.ca/
and
Battery University
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/
Meanwhile, I'm seriously considering purchasing this Computerized Battery Analyzer.
Anyone into battery service that would care to comment?
10101311 (20GB- backup empeg)
10101466 (2x60GB, Eutronix/GreenLights Blue) (Woot!)
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#312613 - 31/07/2008 15:33
Re: Rechargable Battery Maintenance Equipment
[Re: mlord]
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Robotic
veteran
Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 1260
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area
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Well, unless you disassemble/reassemble the actual battery packs (to access the individual cells), I don't see how this product can help with that.
The DeWalt chargers are rather famous for being very very good at what they do, which is charging (fast/slow/trickle) and maintaining pretty much any NiCD battery packs.
Hi Mark!
Yes- it is my full intention to open the battery cases. I think that my growing mountain of 'useless' packs are only on the pile due to one or two cells in each battery.
The search for battery/cell "reworking" (as opposed to simple recharging) started over at the Roomba board.
I was wondering if anyone in the illustrious empeg BBS community had any experiences or tips to offer.
I agree that the DeWalt charger does a great job of maintaining the battery packs, but in this case I'm going beyond maintenance into the realm of repair.
10101311 (20GB- backup empeg)
10101466 (2x60GB, Eutronix/GreenLights Blue) (Woot!)
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#312619 - 31/07/2008 17:01
Re: Rechargable Battery Maintenance Equipment
[Re: Robotic]
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StigOE
enthusiast
Registered: 28/10/2002
Posts: 391
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I'm thinking seriously about the BC6 because:
1. it plugs into the wall
2. cheapest of 3 options
3. suits needs
You can find a clone of it, except that it needs am external power supply on DealExtreme for US$ 50 shipped. I don't know if the quality is the same, though.
Stig
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#312623 - 31/07/2008 18:12
Re: Rechargable Battery Maintenance Equipment
[Re: Robotic]
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StigOE
enthusiast
Registered: 28/10/2002
Posts: 391
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I know. I've spent quite a lot of money on that site the last two months. And it's all Mark's fault! Talking about it all the time... 
Stig
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#312636 - 01/08/2008 01:43
Re: Rechargable Battery Maintenance Equipment
[Re: StigOE]
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mlord
carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 9841
Loc: Canada
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#312637 - 01/08/2008 01:43
Re: Rechargable Battery Maintenance Equipment
[Re: StigOE]
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Robotic
veteran
Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 1260
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area
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For some odd reason the dealextreme site isn't opening for me tonight.
I did a bit more googling on the 'Mystery' charger and (among other things) found this informative thread at an RC board:
are they identical?
Can you confirm me that the following battery charger are the same products and the only difference is the cover ?
they have always the same specification and same user manual (same words one by one).
If they are not exaclty the same, and have some little differences, which one is the best and why ?
Imax B6
Elite 6i BC
Equilibrium
Bantam BC6
Liproplus
UTM808B
GT Power A6
Hotpower h6016
iCharger IC 6
Rc-Power 601BC
Mystery B6
Max e6
...interesting.
The Bantam stands alone as a dual-power unit and seems to have the highest (or most consistent) quality in design, build, and calibration.
Hmmmm... I need to decide if $100 more is worth it for NiMHs and NiCds.
10101311 (20GB- backup empeg)
10101466 (2x60GB, Eutronix/GreenLights Blue) (Woot!)
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#312646 - 01/08/2008 06:31
Re: Rechargable Battery Maintenance Equipment
[Re: mlord]
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Shonky
veteran
Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 1272
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
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For some odd reason the dealextreme site isn't opening for me tonight. Working fine here right now.
Yeah it was definitely broken this morning but it's back now.
I'm pretty certain I started buying stuff from there based on one of Mark's posts 
Christian
#40104192 120Gb (finally in my M3)
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#312749 - 06/08/2008 17:19
Re: Rechargable Battery Maintenance Equipment
[Re: Robotic]
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Robotic
veteran
Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 1260
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area
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I'm going to buy this one-
MAX E6 Digital Lipo Charger
It's not as cheap as the one from DealExtreme, but they only deal with PayPal and I don't like to share my bank account info with folks on the internet, so PayPal is out for me.
I also like how the Max E6 comes with a bunch of wires, temp sensor, and software.
I found a 12V 2.5A power supply in the garage that will get me started.
Another option and one that looks very enticing is this
Mega Power Infinity-960SR w/ Balancer 12S
Also a copy of a high-end charger, but able to balance 12 cells! Perfect for the roomba batteries, but $200 and I'd probably have to get an upgraded power supply.
If things go well enough with the Max E6 and I feel the need down the line for the fancy-shmancy stuff then I'll spend more money for the better equipment.
One thing that has me confused is that each of these 'cell balancing' chargers only talk about being able to balance Lithium-style batteries. They don't say that they can *only* balance lithium batteries, they *only* say that they can balance lithium batteries. Subtle.
It's my impression that lithiums are very sensitive to being unbalanced during charge or discharge and other chemistries not so much (certainly without the danger).
So- I'm assuming that the ability to balance lithium cells should extend to being able to balance other cells, too, but the documentation doesn't say this explicitly.
I'll keep you guys posted how this system works out with my battery projects.
10101311 (20GB- backup empeg)
10101466 (2x60GB, Eutronix/GreenLights Blue) (Woot!)
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