Good battery charger for AA and AAA batteries

Good battery charger for AA and AAA batteries

Technoline BC 700 Battery Charger black (Accessories)

Customer Review

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General information on the charger:
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This battery charger is offered under the names "Technoline BC 700", "Accu doctor BC700", "AccuPower IQ-128" or "Voltcraft IPC-1L". For all names is the identical device. So just choose the cheapest provider.

There are three charging currents can be adjusted 200/500 / 700mA
It is automatically unloaded at half power, ie 100/250 / 350mA
There can no other currents are adjusted. But that's enough available for all applications.
At higher currents there anyway increased risk of damage to the battery.
If you still want to load at higher currents, the battery charger "BC 900" or its successor may "BC 1000" view. These are exactly the same design, but offer higher charging and discharging currents.
The "BC 800" (identical to the AccuPower IQ328) appears the structure to be very similar, but has no single shaft keys, thus the charging bays can not be started with different programs.

When BC 700 each charging compartment is controlled separately from each other electronically. So each battery can be treated independently and loaded to its maximum capacity.

The device always has two shafts together a temperature monitor (metal contact over two bays near the positive pole). If the battery temperature exceeds 53 degrees, the charging is interrupted. It appears when charging current "000mA". After cooling, the charging is continued. If overheating noted, the charging current should be reduced.

The charger can be a deeply discharged battery does not recognize (that is, when the battery voltage has dropped below 0.5 volts). Then there are the following trick:. The dead battery and a fully charged (or half-full) battery side by side both to the negative terminal on a metallic surface (eg using a stainless steel kitchen sink) and the Plus pole about 5-10 seconds with a conductive object (eg Cutlery or key) connect. And then from the charger :-)

Only by determining the capacity can sort out bad batteries.
With this battery charger, the capacity can be measured, and at a very reasonable price-performance ratio.
I recommend only chargers with digital display and capacitance measurement!

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Information on the operation:
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Setting higher charging current (default is always the lowest power selected):
Installing batteries, plug in charger, now you have set within 8 seconds, the current with the CURRENT key. During charging, the charging current can not be changed. If a battery is reinserted, the charging current can be changed for 8 seconds, but it can have a maximum amperage be selected that was set when you turn in bay 1.

Setting function for all shafts simultaneously:
MODE button is pressed for approx 2 seconds until the next function is displayed, press MODE repeatedly until the desired function is selected 8 seconds wait until the display briefly flashes.

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Functional processes and displays:
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Function CHARGE:
Step 1: battery is fully charged so that it can then be used
(Views: CHARGE, previously charged in this charge cycle capacity, current duration of this charging cycle, current charge current)
Step 2: trickle charge, battery can be used
(Display: FULL CHARGE that charged in step 1 capacity, duration of the charging cycle in step 1, the current trickle charge current)

Function DISCHARGE:
Step 1: battery is completely discharged (up to 0.9V)
(Views: DISCHARGE, the previously discharged in this discharge capacity, previous duration of discharging cycle, current discharge current)
Step 2: battery is fully charged so that it can then be used
(Views: CHARGE, previously charged in this charge cycle capacity, current duration of this charging cycle, current charge current)
Step 3: Trickle charging, battery can be used
(Display: FULL CHARGE that charged in step 2 capacity, duration of the charging cycle in step 2, the current trickle charge current)

REFRESH function:
Step 1: battery is completely discharged (up to 0.9V)
(Views: DISCHARGE, REFRESH, the previously discharged in this discharge capacity, previous duration of discharging cycle, current discharge current)
Step 2: Battery is fully charged
(Views: CHARGE, REFRESH, measured in the first discharge capacity corresponding to the remaining capacity of the battery when inserting had previous period this charge cycle, current charge current)
Step 3: battery is completely discharged (up to 0.9V)
(Views: DISCHARGE, REFRESH, measured in the last discharge capacity, previous duration of discharging cycle, current discharge current)
Step 4: battery is fully charged
(Views: CHARGE, REFRESH, measured in the last discharge capacity, current duration of this charging cycle, current charge current)
Steps 3 and 4 are repeated until two consecutive discharge nearly the same capacity was measured. Thus, any increase in capacity by more cycles can be expected more and the refresh operation is terminated. This usually takes about 3-6 discharge-charge cycles.
Step 5: trickle charge, battery can be used (display: FULL CHARGE, REFRESH, measured in the last discharge capacity, duration of the last discharging cycle, current trickle charge current)

In order to determine the residual capacity of a battery, the capacity needs in the function REFRESH during step 2 or 3 (ie after the first discharge) can be read.
Unfortunately, there is the BC700 not comfortable way to determine the remaining capacity of a used or stored batteries.
Should only be loaded after reading the remaining capacity of the battery, without carrying out a complete refresh operation, then you have to manually switch the corresponding charging slot on the CHARGE function: Schacht select (display of the chute is flashing), press MODE repeatedly until CHARGE is displayed, wait until the display stops flashing.
In this way, at any time be switched to BATCH when the Refresh function to be canceled, for. Example, because the battery is needed. Alternatively, the battery can be removed and re-inserted.

Function test:
Step 1: battery is fully charged to measure a complete discharge, thereby the charged capacity will not be displayed
(Views: CHARGE, TEST, capacity: ---, previous duration of this charging cycle, current charge current)
Step 2: Battery is completely discharged determined (to 0.9V), and the output from the battery capacity, while the hitherto actual measured capacity is not displayed
(Views: DISCHARGE, TEST, capacity: ---, previous duration of discharging cycle, current discharge current)
Step 3: battery is fully charged so that it can then be used
(Views: CHARGE, TEST, determined at discharge in step 2 capacity, current duration of this charging cycle, current charge current)
Step 4: trickle charge, battery can be used
(Display: FULL CHARGE, TEST, determined at discharge in step 2 capacity, duration of the discharging cycle in step 2, the current trickle charge current)

In addition, at each step, the current battery voltage of each charging slot is displayed.
The trickle charge is approximately 5% of the selected charging current.

In each case the foremost point of the shaft displays can only show 1.
Therefore, the capacity appears to 1999 mAh, 2,00 it is displayed in Ah.
And the time display is only possible until 19:59, from 20 hours, the display starts again from the beginning. Such a long cycle time arises only when a battery is used with a large capacity with a small charging current. But this is not recommended, then you better choose a higher charging current.

All figures relate to the charger BC700 with software version 36 (is briefly displayed when the unit is in slot 4).

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Small disadvantages of this charger:
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- It can be loaded only AA or AAA batteries, no other sizes.
- The determination of the residual capacity of battery is somewhat awkward. It would have been nice if there would be for a function at the end of the remaining capacity will be displayed.
- The maximum charging current can be set within 8 seconds after plugging in the unit. Even after re-inserting battery, the charging current can be set within 8 seconds, but was a maximum as high as he set switch in Tray 1 right after.
- The operating instructions are a little in need of improvement.
- Fully discharged battery (with voltage less than 0.5 volts) are not recognized and not charged.
- The removal of internal batteries requires little skill.
- AAA batteries are the applied protrudes to the negative terminal on the small tongue into each well from below. Some AAA batteries with "insulation collar" to the negative terminal not come into contact. Then a little bit of insulation must be cut off at the battery there.

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Dealing with charger and battery:
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Charge current:
As a rule of thumb, it is recommended to load the 0.2- to 0.3-fold power, as an indication of the capacity of the battery. So with a 1000mAh battery set a charge current of 200-300mA. This battery charger so 200mA.
To ensure that the -deltaV shutdown of the loader also responds reliably, but the current strength should not be too small. That's why here's another rule of thumb with a slightly higher value: Select the stream so that the battery in the listed capacity is charged within 2-4 hours. So with a 1000mAh battery that would be 250-500mA.

Battery Packs:
If a device (eg. As camera, flashlight, etc.) operated with multiple batteries, and a weak battery is then no longer provides the entire battery pack after a short time enough energy, simply because of a weak battery has no voltage. In addition, the weak battery is totally discharged during operation over time, thus greatly damaged.
That is why it is very important to use only batteries with approximately the same capacity in a battery pack together. So the best overall capacity of the battery pack and thus the longest possible equipment runtime is reached.
These determine with "refresh" the capacity of all existing batteries and use only batteries of similar capacity together as battery pack.
But batteries are commonly used immediately after loading, is the following method still much more accurate (but somewhat complicated): With all batteries perform a refresh operation, record capacity, leave batteries lying about a week outside of the charger, then the remaining capacity all batteries determine (how to do that: see REFRESH function), then the battery packs with batteries put together where the capacity after loading and the residual capacity after a week are almost identical. Mark the battery of an assembled battery pack and then just load together, store and use.

CHARGING PROCEDURE:
To disable charging, the device operates according to the so-called "minus Delta U" procedure.
It works like this: When charging the battery voltage climbs steadily to about 1,47V, they can in unfavorable circumstances but also to rise to about 1.6V. If the battery is full, the input power is no longer chemically stored but converted directly into heat and the battery heats up more than the normal retail. By this heating, the cell voltage drops again slightly. Due to this voltage drop the charger detects that the battery is full.

When charging, the charging capacity is displayed (the capacity that has already issued the charger in this slot at this charge cycle). This includes the capacity of the battery and takes the losses incurred during loading (in the form of heat). Therefore, the capacity to load is always higher than the capacity discharged during unloading and just often higher than the rated capacity of the battery. This is physically normal.
However, if a battery is still charged even after a long charging time and a loading capacity of more times its rated capacity, it is probably so damaged that it can no longer be recognized as fully from the charger.

REFRESH:
By REFRESH only good batteries can reach their rated capacity again. In older or damaged batteries can be found with this function, which have maximum capacity batteries currently still. The performance improvement can be seen if one during the refreshing of after each discharge cycle reads the determined capacity. Here a significant increase should be recognized.

If even after several refresh operation a battery has only less than half the printed capacity, he has been severely damaged and may be disposed of.

If the inserted cells in the refresh mode would physically exactly the same (the same charge, the same chemical state, etc.) would have to the cycle times to be almost identical. But in practice, all batteries are different, new batteries from the same package. So it is normal that there are different cycle times, even with the same batteries. The higher the quality the batteries (eg new Eneloop batteries), the narrower these times lie down together.

SANYO eneloop:
"Sanyo Eneloop" battery pack is highly recommended for the operation of digital cameras. Where other batteries making limp after a short time, they still hold by long, because they can keep the voltage stable up to the end capacity. Compare your battery offering with an 8- or 16-Piece Pack Eneloop Amazon. Let somewhat higher capacity data from other manufacturers do not irritate. It depends on how much capacity a battery after many recharges or prolonged storage still has. Since the Eneloop battery cuts off pretty good. Are only required in the model when extremely high currents it is possibly not as well suited.
Sanyo eneloop AA Mignon batteries (8 Pack)
Sanyo eneloop batteries AA Mignon 16er Pack - New version HR 3UTGA with up to 1500 charging cycles + 4 White - More Power + transport protection boxes

DISADVANTAGES OF CHEAP BATTERIES:
- Lose after a few charging cycles a lot of their stated capacity.
- Large differences in capacity.
- High self-discharge.
- High internal resistance (ie large internal voltage drop and therefore lower available voltage during operation).
- Large production tolerance (scatter)
- Reduced power when the temperature fluctuates.

MORE INFO:
Who wants to deal more with the issue, should look at the "accu-select.de" page. There are very good and detailed information about the care and handling batteries. Even those who have concerns about the overcharging of batteries and a more mature (but also more expensive) examined battery charger, should be on the optimized charger "MEC AV4m" inform there (for the content of the said website is the local provider responsible).

Bicycle headlights for 4 AA batteries:
Those looking for a good light for his bicycle, which should pull this super bright LED headlights by Busch + Müller are: B + M IXON IQ 192QM with close-range illumination, switchable, roading permitted between 40 lux and 10 lux. Included is a mounted without tools handlebar holder with quick release, although this makes a slightly unstable impression, but at normal handlebars keeps them quite well. Then the spotlight is very easy attachable and removable. Required 4 AA batteries instead of the mediocre battery that can be system sold at B + M, but should Eneloop batteries are used. The batteries can then be charged with the BC700 charger. The matching lamp charger from B + M is also okay, then you need to load every time to pick up the batteries from the lamp, but every six months, the batteries should be maintained in the BC700 with REFRESH. The lamp is really very bright, but also has some minor drawbacks:
- Expensive (about 50 Euro)
- The electronics are sensitive to moisture, so the lamp should not possible be used in the rain. Was it then then dry the lamp immediately, remove the battery and let them dry with battery compartment open, still wet.
- Somewhat unstable, wobbly handlebar mount
- Not so well suited to bumpy tracks and potholes
- Not robust, lamp goes fast break when they fall down, so handle with care
- The locking mechanism of the battery compartment is not particularly solid (not suitable for frequent battery replacement), so after closing always check if the tray is locked and properly
- In the front glass some light is reflected upward and appears the cyclist himself (possibly with some black electrical tape, cover)
- The flashing charge LED is a bit annoying
- The power switch must always be pressed very strong and has no precise pressure point
- When the lamp is turned on it disrupts the function of some wireless bike computers
Busch & Müller lighting LED headlamp Ixon IQ up to 40 LUX, black

Review last updated on 12.08.2012

Class 62 Rank: 5/5
August 4
No problems 8 Rank: 5/5
December 1
Useful in the amateur Rank: 5/5
September 10
for cars Rank: 5/5
October 24
Classic 11 1 Rank: 4/5
August 26

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