| Common NiMH batteries have a high rate of self-discharge,
which means that in most cases they need to be charged before (and after)
use, and also at fairly frequent (2 month) intervals as they don't like
being stored when discharged. New "hybrid" or "low self discharge"
types overcome these problems. I asked around for some samples to
review. |
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| Varta (Uniross) sent me a pack of these "ready 2 use" batteries.
A few weeks back I realised at the last minute that I needed to use my old
minidisk recorder. Its always been a problem because the high
current drain means Alkalines don't last two minutes. However if I
put in an NiMH it only ever shows just over 3/4 full on a freshly charged
battery, and doesn't run very long. And if they aren't freshly
charged - forget it! Well I was very impressed - not only did it
show full on the meter, it's still showing above 3/4 full 2 weeks later after about an
hours use. |
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| The technical manager at GP sent me a pack including a
charger. He says: "The Re-Cycko+ does give some benefits over
regular rechargeable batteries and normal alkaline cells:
- 4 times longer lasting than standard alkaline cells
- Can be recharged and re-used up to 1000 times
- Holds 85% charge after 12 months left unused (This is not possible
with normal rechargeable)
- Can take 4 times more pictures than standard alkaline batteries when
used in a typical digital camera application
When charged with our AR05 charger, they can be re-charged in 2 hours.
They are most economical when used in high current drain equipment.
For low drain equipment, that spends a lot of time switched off – then
alkaline (5/7 year life) or possibly lithium (10 year life) is the best
option."
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| So far both of these sets of batteries have lived up to
the manufacturers claims for them. I'll let you know how they work
out in practise as compared with conventional NiMH when I have more
information, but so far they are looking really good. |
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