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-- NiMH Battery Charger ??? (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=3569)

I would appreciate any input in regards to NiMH chargers:

I currently own the MAHA MH-C204F "SMART" CHARGER in conjunction with NexCell batteries. The charger features fast charging, conditioning, and trickle charging. Am I better off with a slow charger? (ie. MAHA MH-C124S)? I usually use my VDx one to two hours daily. Will fast charging have a significant impact on battery life, or is it something negligible? Does conditioning have any benefits to NiMH cells? Any feedback would be apperciated. Thx.

I always slow charge for 24 hours. My Visor gets heavy use...(those games wear down the battery). I get much better life on the long slow charge. The Nexcells are supposed to be good for 500 charges.

I have the 124S or whatever model that is, and I'm happy with it. My gf and I each have 2 sets of batteries (So 4 AAA batteries total) and at only 2.50 a battery, that's perfect for me. I have one set in use and when I know it's getting somewhat low, I throw it in the charger for 24 hours and Put the others on my desk until the new set runs down. Works for me

I would avoid fast anything, really. With something like the visor that doesn't really drain anything THAT fast, you have no real need for something that can charge them in a few hours. A CE or colour device, maybe.. gameboy, etc, but with the visor you'll have plenty of days' notice before your batteries are dead.

I have the 124S too (slow, non-auto-shutoff). There are a couple of schools of thoughts on NiMHs.

One is: "No matter how you charge it, it's always a way better deal than buying disposables, so just do whatever fits best in your schedule." That's what I do.

Another is: "Fast chargers and leaving cells in chargers 24/7 without auto-shutoff will reduce the number of charges you get out of your NiMHs, so get a slow charger, either one with a auto-shutoff or take them out after charging."

Another point, NiHMs loose, I think, about 5% charge per day sitting on the shelf.

Personally, I have 2 pairs of cells. I keep a pair in the charger and a pair in the Visor. Sure, I could take the pair out when they are done charging, but they wouldn't be at 100% in the 8-10 days when I use them. Alternatively, I could put them in the charger overnight when my Visor says the batteries are low, but that takes a certain level of attention.

I've read that you can get 500 charges from NiMH if slow charged and shut off. If I get half that, I'll be thrilled, and I always have a fresh pair waiting.

Yeah I have to agree with PDAENVY - I used to charge my NiMH batteries overnight and then take them out, but by the time I need to use them, I find that they are not at full power already. So, like PDAENVY, I now leave a set in the charger while I am using a set. Anyway, I am such a heavy user that I need to change batteries every three days (alkalines only last me about 4 or 5 days!. This was a problem even when I was using the Palm IIIe (a review unit sent to me by Palm Computing)