The battery driven lifestyle - Part II (The Charger)
Jan 12 '07
The Bottom Line The battery and charger combination is like a relationship that of a husband and wife, if the chemistry is good, it will be smooth sailing!
When I did the article on rechargeable batteries a few months back I had no idea how helpful it would be found by many readers as I was surprised at the number of feedbacks I received telling me how helpful it was and that so many of them were not aware of the correct way of using and charging the rechargeable batteries. The said article, The battery driven lifestyle I did based on my being a long time rechargeable battery user as well as the research I had done on the web especially on the rechargeable battery's behaviour and its working. The feedback helped me to recharge my personal batteries to enable me to write the part II of the article. This time I will concentrate on the battery charger itself and write about my experience on finding and using the right charger. I sincerely hope that this article will help the reader who finds it hard to choose the right kind of charger from the zillion choices available in the market.
WHY SWITCH TO RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES?
Almost everyone these days indulges in photography, as a hobby or simply to record the events in their lives and preserving the moments in shape of images. Most who use cameras need the batteries to power them, serious photographers need more since they may need to power their flashes and not just the camera's. Most point and shoot camera's these days accommodate AA cells and one of the best options to go for are the rechargeable ones, Alkaline batteries when initially introduced were the best choice since they lasted much longer than ordinary types and also were able to hold more charge than the rechargeable ones available in those days. Technology which goes into the rechargeable batteries has made a lot of progress and now the high capacity rechargeable ones are more useful than the Alkaline type available. Besides, Alkaline batteries are for one time use and that makes them expensive. The difference in price of an alkaline and a rechargeable is about 4 times but you do not use the rechargeable battery 4 times, even in the worst case scenario you use them for like 300+ times by recharging and recharging and using them! You just need to do a bit of calculation yourself and earmark some of it to buy a good charger, you will realise you still save a big amount in the process. Therefore, the rechargeable batteries today are a very good choice.
THE CHARGER
Using rechargeable batteries means you must also have a charger to charge them. There is a plethora of chargers available in the market and one can find various brands almost at any decent store. Prices vary from as little as $10 for a charger (which I would suggest you stay away from) to as high as over $100 (which in my opinion is too much for just a charger). How to find a good charger?
The main purpose of a charger is of course, charging the batteries, but, there are things which differentiate between a really good charger and the run of the mill type.
I have a charger in my household dating back to mid 80's which still works and charges the batteries. What it really lacks is speed above everything else. In those days the AA rechargeable batteries were having capacity of say around 500-600 mAH and the charger needed about 3-4 hours to charge the batteries which was OK. Today you find batteries having a capacity of 2700- 3000+ mAH, if I were to charge them in the old charger they would take something like 15 hours or longer to charge a set of 4 AA batteries at the rate of 180 mAH having a capacity of 2700 mAH. Certainly it is not a match made in heaven.
Today you find chargers that charge batteries of high capacity likes of 2700+ mAH within 1-2 hours. Not only they are quick but they also are microprocessor controlled to accomplish various functions that are needed to charge, rejuvenate, recondition, and also are considerably small in size. The old charger that I have is huge in comparison (9 times bigger in volume!)
A BAD CHARGER:
Will overheat the batteries which can result in capacity loss
Will not have variable charging capability
Will not have trickle charge capability to get the best potential from the battery
Will not have various power supply options (maybe limited to local supply which makes them a bad choice if you travel overseas)
A GOOD CHARGER:
Has built-in microprocessor technology to monitor the battery for various things like, heat, current, voltage, capacity etc
Has variable charge capability based on the capacity of the battery
Has trickle charge capability to charge the battery for those last few percent
Can rejuvenate used batteries for better performance while in use.
Can recondition the batteries by completely discharging and charging in one unattended cycle
Capability to keep the batteries fully charged if left in charger rather than overheating or deteriorating them.
MY PERSONAL CHOICE
After studying and using chargers I finally decided to opt for the Maha C-204W charger. The company makes few models and some are more expensive with frills attached but this charger serves my purpose and is easy on the pocket as well. It works on worldwide voltages and also has a built-in power supply which means I do not have to lug a separate power supply in my luggage when travelling. It has all the capabilities of a good charger as indicated in the foregoing paragraphs. This charger has been very favourably reviewed by many top photography sites and is considered as one of the best in the market.
CONCLUSION
When buying a charger make sure you know what you are buying and not just because it is labelled with one of the brand names which have become a household name. However, if you opt for the one I did, you can rest assured that it is a good investment for sometime to come. It will give you, not only better charged batteries, but, peace of mind in having the knowledge that it is a good investment which will pay off soon and ultimately be a source of savings for you.
May you be blessed with many happy charges!
Thank you for dropping by and reading what I write.
All text copyright Quadophile January 2007
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