Rechargeable Batteries

[AZ Prepper]

Rechargeable Batteries
http://newhampshirepreppersnetwork.b...batteries.html



Last year we spent some time both investigating as well as experimenting with small scale solar panels as well as rechargeable batteries. Although I do not have any pictures currently the two panels shown here keep a rotation of 3 separate 12V 105 amp hour deep cycles (from TSC) topped off and ready for use. A small inverter with two 110V plugs gets attached to the deep cycle and is ready when we need it. In the last few years, with the advent of CFL Compact-Fluorescent-Lights, you can now maintain a very good backup lighting system without the need for oil, propane lanterns and its 100% renewable for longer term use. Running these lights is not quite as efficient as running 12V lighting however having an inverter that will power up your more common household items has its advantages as well. Each of these is listed as a 15 Watt panel and under ideal conditions should be able to put 1 AMP of power back into a battery for each panel for each hour in the sun. Another example would be for every hour of Sun these panels have, we get 2 hours of light from a 40W equivalent bulb... The 105 amp hour battery can be used for approximately 27 hours or 20% draw down for optimal lifespan. During bad weather, car battery chargers do the work of keeping the 12Volts topped off.



Here is a tiny charge controller that can accommodate up to seven 15W panels and attaches to your 12V deep cycle.



Another side project was to start maintaining a supply of rechargeable batteries for flashlights, radios and other small devices. In case you have been out of the rechargeable battery world for a while (I know I was) you may find it interesting that they only come in the AAA an AA sizes, shown here. In the event you want to use the battery in a device that takes C or even D sized cells, most of the kits come with the plastic blanks that are the same size as normal C or D cells which keep the AA in the center as shown in the bottom left. A plastic Ammo carrier for large rifle cartridges keeps them nice and organized. + up means the battery is full and - side up means that it needs to sit on a charge next time its convenient. These are readily available from Amazon and you can add a few at a time every once in a while... In theory they should be capable of recharge up to 1000 times. If you end up getting a couple kits you can recharge 8 or even 12 at a time.



Being a 100% renewable option was important here as well for any kind of long term need. Run time on these rechargeables has been about equal with any of the standard throw aways, so I'm very happy with their performance.

[Kelly Alwood]

Very cool idea. What I have done is to make sure all of my electronic equipment work off AA. My radios, flashlights, night vision, phone charger, head lamps, gps, etc all use AA.
I do have others that do not, but everything I will count on for long term (more than ten days) situation, I make sure they are AA. I put a small kit together that I keep in my BOB/72 hour kit that gives me that capability.
A small solar pannel, charger, batteries, wire with aligator clips, and charts, to make sure I can charge my most needed equipment.
Alligator clips, charts and boxes are very handy. The charts on the paper let me know how to charge my cell phone, laptop, anything. I know the curent I need from what I have.
The boxes and clips are used to make my AA's charge these things. I can charge my cell phone and laptop from my AA's.

[BackBlast]

Another side project was to start maintaining a supply of rechargeable batteries for flashlights, radios and other small devices. In case you have been out of the rechargeable battery world for a while (I know I was) you may find it interesting that they only come in the AAA an AA sizes, shown here. In the event you want to use the battery in a device that takes C or even D sized cells, most of the kits come with the plastic blanks that are the same size as normal C or D cells which keep the AA in the center as shown in the bottom left. A plastic Ammo carrier for large rifle cartridges keeps them nice and organized. + up means the battery is full and - side up means that it needs to sit on a charge next time its convenient. These are readily available from Amazon and you can add a few at a time every once in a while... In theory they should be capable of recharge up to 1000 times. If you end up getting a couple kits you can recharge 8 or even 12 at a time.



Being a 100% renewable option was important here as well for any kind of long term need. Run time on these rechargeables has been about equal with any of the standard throw aways, so I'm very happy with their performance.

That's some good kit, eneloops are pretty much top of the line for rechargables. I have some reservations on the D cell adapters, they are a bit longer than spec and they've compressed the spring contacts in one of my MAG lights contacts such that normal D cells no longer work... So if you use D devices, be careful how you use these adapters. The C adapters are fine though.

[Kelly Alwood]

http://www.depoteco.com/SPD/sbc--nim...1218519664.jsp
Do these work? and what wall charger can you use with them?
thanks

[AZ Prepper]

http://www.depoteco.com/SPD/sbc--nim...1218519664.jsp
Do these work? and what wall charger can you use with them?
thanks

Yes, those solar chargers work. In fact, I have one just like that. It's not the best, but it works.

You can get them for about $7 cheaper here ($12.99 vs. $19.99): http://uspreppers.com/alternative-en...-charger-p-697

Also, if you get the Eneloope battery pack from Costco, it comes with the charger like the one posted in the first post's picture. I'm not positive, but I'm sure any rechargeable battery charger would work.

[BackBlast]

Eneloops work with any standard NiMH charger.

[Kelly Alwood]

Good news..so my energizer and Duricell chargers will work?

[BackBlast]

Yes, they will. I like the Maha C9000, but then, I've been known to be a battery nerd :-) I like data...

[skiddlyarcus]

http://www.depoteco.com/SPD/sbc--nim...1218519664.jsp
Do these work? and what wall charger can you use with them?
thanks

Define "work" ... last time I saw one like this used to charge a battery, it took approx 18 hours of daylight. AZ Prepper - how fast does your charger like this charge in AZ sun?

[BackBlast]

Define "work" ... last time I saw one like this used to charge a battery, it took approx 18 hours of daylight. AZ Prepper - how fast does your charger like this charge in AZ sun?

IMHO, there is no substitute for a quality charger. Trickle chargers are slow, and okay for occasional use. All single-unit solar/charger are likely to be trickle chargers. My preference would be to have a 12v charger plug into a dedicated solar panel (you don't need a 12v battery in between, but you can do this also if you like).

Good 12v chargers are the Maha C9000 and duracell 15 minute charger. The 15 minute charger can be a little hard on cells, but it is a good quality charger. But it can also take a large panel to run directly. Probably at least 12-15 watts per cell you want to charge at a time. The C9000 can adjust the charging rate, 200ma-2000ma in 100ma steps. Which gives you somewhere between a 10 hour recharge and a 1 hour recharge for Eneloops. Typically AA NiMH cells like 1000 ma charge or above, or a trickle charge for the correct set amount of time. The reason for this is smart chargers have a really hard time detecting the end-of-charge signal for the battery when you do low charge rates. If you charge the cell too long, you will "cook" it. Cooking cells is not good for them and will shorten their lives.

In the hot sun during warm months, I would keep batteries and chargers in the shade.

I like the C9000 because it gives you an internal resistance meter, lets you know the exact charge the cell took, can discharge cells and tell you what capacity they have, can cycle cells to recover capacity, and it runs on 12v so you can run it straight off a panel or from a vehicle, 4 independent slots with good spacing to allow for cell cooling, really low trickle charge so if you "forget" about cells and leave them on the charger they won't cook (very very few chargers won't cook your cells if you don't remove them in a timely manner). I also like the Duracell 15 minute because it needs to be very sophisticated and good to correctly complete a 15 minute charger. You're unlikely to "forget" about cells if they're done in 15 minutes. I don't know if the energizer 15 minute runs on 12v, but I know the duracell does. I like the duracell design a little better between the two.

[Kelly Alwood]

Ok guys, I have taken your advise and ordered some Eneloope batteries, adapters, and solar charger. They will be here next week.

[Kelly Alwood]

Just got my new batteries today, and solar charger. Gonna give em the test. Thanks for the recommend.

[skiddlyarcus]

I'm in the process of doing a discharge/charge cycle on all of my stored batteries and I've been checking the stats on the charger as I pull them off.
One thing I noticed is that the AAA batteries are very fast to charge and discharge compared to AA batteries.

As I run the numbers, it's averaging out to about 5 AAA batteries to get the same amount of power as 2 AA batteries. So, it's solidified my decision to leave the AAA batteries back at camp with the family and only carry AA batteries for charging.

[Imamom]

Rechargeable Batteries
http://newhampshirepreppersnetwork.b...batteries.html



Another side project was to start maintaining a supply of rechargeable batteries for flashlights, radios and other small devices. In case you have been out of the rechargeable battery world for a while (I know I was) you may find it interesting that they only come in the AAA an AA sizes, shown here. In the event you want to use the battery in a device that takes C or even D sized cells, most of the kits come with the plastic blanks that are the same size as normal C or D cells which keep the AA in the center as shown in the bottom left.

Go to all-batteries.com they have rechargeable C and D batteries.

[filibuster]

I'm with Backblast on recommending the Sanyo eneloop AA batteries as the best rechargeable cells currently available. I also have the C9000 charger and use it often at home.

However, in evaluating battery chargers for use with solar panels, car or other 12v source I really like the Accumanger 20 charger. The C9000 works wonders and will work with a 12v adapter, however, it also has a high self power consumption when its charging making it an electric power hog if you have limited solar or 12v storage batteries.

In looking for the "ultimate" solar capable battery charger the Accumanger 20 comes close. It charges all sizes of NiMH batteries even 9V and does it really well without the bells and whistles and excess power demands. It also has a wider tolerance for high voltages which is needed if you are going to use solar panels that are rated at higher than 12v nominal. The charger handles 15v input which is better than others but a charger that could handle 18v-20v would be even better. The down side of the Accumanger is size. It's big compared to other AA/AAA chargers and wouldn't be too practical for a backpack.

For portability and mobility the dedicated all in one AA charger made by Powerfilm is one option. Make sure you get the version with five (5) individual solar panels because it will charge faster than the one that only has four. This panel is light weight and compact and can recharge 2AA batteries in a standard day. It has room for 4AA but you would need a very good long summer day to consistently charge 4AA batteries.

My getter done option for portable solar would be a 20 watt Uni-Solar or Powerfilm folding solar panel and a AA charger like the Lenmar 2 hour charger that will run off of AC, 12v DC or 5V USB. It also has an alarm clock and thermometer.

Another option for a cheaper charger to go with the 20 watt folding solar panel would be two or more Sanyo eneloop USB chargers and a 12v to USB adapter plug. The Sanyo USB charger is around $15 to $20 and comes with two AA eneloop batteries. It will charge 2AA in about 4 hours of sun using 4 watts of power (including the inefficient USB adapter plug).

I mentioned charging 2AA in 4 hours using 4 watts of power, the hardest thing with solar is maintaining an average of 4 watts of power over a four hour period using small portable solar panels. The solar charger mentioned by Kelly above produces about .3-.75 watts at high noon on a good sunny day. If it takes about 12-16 watt hours to charge two AA batteries, it would take that solar charger 16 hours of full sun minimum to charge 2AA cells.

I recommend a 20 watt solar panel as a good minimum wattage because it gives you some backup capacity if there are clouds in the sky or short winter days and will still output enough power to charge a couple AA cells in a day or two of even medium to bad days.

[BackBlast]

In looking for the "ultimate" solar capable battery charger the Accumanger 20 comes close. It charges all sizes of NiMH batteries even 9V and does it really well without the bells and whistles and excess power demands. It also has a wider tolerance for high voltages which is needed if you are going to use solar panels that are rated at higher than 12v nominal. The charger handles 15v input which is better than others but a charger that could handle 18v-20v would be even better.

A 12v LDO or other similar power regulator can fix a voltage-is-too-high issue. They are not expensive.

How much extra power does the C9000 use? I haven't measured it yet..

Brandon

[BackBlast]

How much extra power does the C9000 use? I haven't measured it yet..

Another question, how did you measure it? If you did it with a kill-a-watt at the 110v line you got an inaccurate reading as it includes the power sucking walwart.. The right way to measure it is with a 12v power supply.. I need to break out my stuff and measure mine.

Brandon

[Northmountain]

It looks like Costco still has the Sanyo Eneloope package. $49.99 with 10 AA's, 4 AAA's, C and D spacers and a charger. http://bit.ly/9ssHVr Good price for that selection.

Yes, those solar chargers work. In fact, I have one just like that. It's not the best, but it works.

Also, if you get the Eneloope battery pack from Costco, it comes with the charger like the one posted in the first post's picture. I'm not positive, but I'm sure any rechargeable battery charger would work.

[Imamom]

Will the charger that comes with the Eneloop battery pack from Costco work with solar panels?

If so, would I need anything else to go with it to use the charger safely?

Also, with the standard charger that comes in the Costco package, How do you know when the batteries are done charging so you can take them out before they overcharge?

Thanks

[filibuster]

Another question, how did you measure it? If you did it with a kill-a-watt at the 110v line you got an inaccurate reading as it includes the power sucking walwart.. The right way to measure it is with a 12v power supply.. I need to break out my stuff and measure mine.

Brandon

I measured it using a DC Watt's Up meter on a 12v system.

At 1000ma charge rate for 4 AA batteries the C9000 would pulse to just over 22 watts every second and a half and then drop down to one watt or so. The wattage varied each time it pulsed but during the course of 3-4 pulses it would consistently hit the peak draw of up to 22.9 watts.

I dialed down the charge rate to 600ma which is what the Accumanger uses, at the 600mA rate the Powerex Maha C9000 would draw at peak 20 watts.

Sitting idle with no batteries in the charger it would draw .3-.5 watts

The Accumanger 20 draws 8 watts peak during it's pulse charging with an idle draw of .2 watts.

I've also been evaluating the Sanyo USB charger which should charge 2 AA eneloops in under 5 hours at a charge rate of 450mA
It draws 2.5 watts of power from a 12v battery including a USB to 12v adapter.

[filibuster]

Will the charger that comes with the Eneloop battery pack from Costco work with solar panels?

The charger that comes with the eneloop packs are designed for AC power so they are not directly compatible to plug into a solar panel. You unfortunately would have to purchase a separate charger to work directly with a solar panel if you bought the eneloop battery & charger kit.

with the standard charger that comes in the Costco package, How do you know when the batteries are done charging so you can take them out before they overcharge?

Most battery chargers today including those in the Costco package have an automatic shutoff to stop charging the batteries once they complete there charging cycle. The chargers will typically drop down to a trickle charge once the batteries are fully charged and the batteries can sit in the charger for some time without overcharging.

[filibuster]

It looks like Costco still has the Sanyo Eneloope package. $49.99 with 10 AA's, 4 AAA's, C and D spacers and a charger. http://<a href="http://bit.ly/9ssHVr....ly/9ssHVr</a> Good price for that selection.

That's a different eneloop battery pack from what Costco has sold in the past. The old packs only had 8 AA and 2 AAA and a 4 AA charger, the new pack listed as you said has 10 AA's, 4AAA and a 2AA charger. The price is also $20 bucks more from what I remember them being before, though they maybe cheaper if they are sold inside the warehouse.

The old eneloop packs are still available for close to the same price they were at one time at Costco http://www.getpreparedstore.com/enel...B002NSX60I.htm and to me they still seem like a better deal than the new pricing shown on Costco website.

[Northmountain]

I like the package from getpreparedstore better than Costco. The charger handles four batteries at a time rather than the two in the Costco package. Of course the battery count is lower in the getpreparedstore package, but it still seems to be the better 'deal'.

[BackBlast]

The best AA battery just got an upgrade. Sanyo makes these claims about the improved new Eneloop line

* Improved cycle life, 1000 -> 1500.
* Improved charge retention (85% after one year to 75% after 3 years).
* Improved low temperature performance, from -10C to -20C

Basically, Eneloop's biggest strengths and reasons to use them just got better. And by the claims, significantly better. I won't know how they compare exactly until I've seen a few independent reviews that will probably surface months from now. But based on reputation, I would probably buy these new cells if I were in the market to buy rechargeables. They are available at Costco for $26 (or soon will be if you can't find them quite yet) and Amazon for $37. I would suggest using Costco if you can manage it.