«

In storage, as spares, that is. Having spare batteries with no charge,
which has
happened to me twice now, can be annoying when the first set of batteries
finally run down. Bad batteries, or bad strategy on my part in when to
change,
when to recharge?

"Anthony Buckland" <> wrote in message news:HM6dnbd5EqawzifdRVn-...
> In storage, as spares, that is. Having spare batteries with no charge,
> which has
> happened to me twice now, can be annoying when the first set of batteries
> finally run down. Bad batteries, or bad strategy on my part in when to
> change,
> when to recharge?

Recharge them once a month, or at least every other month.

Rick

Anthony Buckland wrote:
> In storage, as spares, that is. Having spare batteries with no charge,
> which has
> happened to me twice now, can be annoying when the first set of batteries
> finally run down. Bad batteries, or bad strategy on my part in when to
> change,
> when to recharge?
>
I've heard that NiMH batteries lose about 2-3% of their charge/day.
My own experience confirms this. Closer to 2% than 3%.
Maybe it depends on how old the batteries are.
I always give my spares a fresh charge before I go out on a shoot.
Bob Williams

"Anthony Buckland" <> wrote in message
news:HM6dnbd5EqawzifdRVn-...
> In storage, as spares, that is. Having spare batteries with no charge,
> which has
> happened to me twice now, can be annoying when the first set of batteries
> finally run down. Bad batteries, or bad strategy on my part in when to
> change,
> when to recharge?

I recharge mine before going out. This is especially important if you are
using them in a flash unit. When they are freshly charged, the flash cycle
time is noticeably shorter. The self-dishcarge rate seems to be higher with
some of these than what is advertised/claimed. I notice a siginificant
difference after 2 weeks of non-use. Four weeks makes a big difference and 2
months means they are almost dead!

<< Bad batteries, or bad strategy on my part in when to
change,
when to recharge? >>

Anthony-

You'll have to work it out by trial and error. Your batteries may be better or
worse than others. I have four sets, some holding their charge longer, but all
will self-discharge given enough time.

I find that it is necessary to recharge my spare NiMH batteries every two
weeks. After three or four weeks, there is a good chance they will fail almost
immemiately.

It has become such a hassle, I've switched to using expendable Lithium
batteries where possible. It is somewhat more expensive, but they do not
self-discharge.

Fred

Charles Schuler wrote:

> "Anthony Buckland" <> wrote in message
> news:HM6dnbd5EqawzifdRVn-...
>
>>In storage, as spares, that is. Having spare batteries with no charge,
>>which has
>>happened to me twice now, can be annoying when the first set of batteries
>>finally run down. Bad batteries, or bad strategy on my part in when to
>>change,
>>when to recharge?
>
>
> I recharge mine before going out. This is especially important if you are
> using them in a flash unit. When they are freshly charged, the flash cycle
> time is noticeably shorter. The self-dishcarge rate seems to be higher with
> some of these than what is advertised/claimed. I notice a siginificant
> difference after 2 weeks of non-use. Four weeks makes a big difference and 2
> months means they are almost dead!
>
>
Self-discharge in NiMHs is a function of temperature, which is bad news
for chargers which roast your cells, leaving them ultra-hot for an hour
or so after charging. Comparing a charger like this with a Delta-V
trickle maintenance charger, I found that my Ansmann battery tester read
up to the 75 per cent (over 'full') mark on trickle charged cells (cool)
and rarely over zero (full) on 'hot' cells after cooling down.

Stick your NiMH cells in the fridge along with your film, and they will
hold their charge.

David

Anthony Buckland wrote:
> In storage, as spares, that is. Having spare batteries with no
> charge, which has
> happened to me twice now, can be annoying when the first set of
> batteries finally run down. Bad batteries, or bad strategy on my
> part in when to change,
> when to recharge?

I recharge my batteries, including the ones in the camera, at least once
a month. Unlike the NiCads you can recharge them as often as you like. Of
course it is best to have a smart charger (generally having a separate
indicator light for each cell, rather than one for each pair of cells)
helps.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

I recently discovered two packs I have that contain NiMH cells that
held at least some of their charge for very nearly a year. I can't
say how much charge, I do know it was enough to confirm operation of
the equipment. Each pack contains 6 AA cells. YMMV

I recharged both packs at that time.

On Sun, 30 May 2004 14:33:26 -0700, Anthony Buckland
<> wrote:

>In storage, as spares, that is. Having spare batteries with no charge,
>which has
>happened to me twice now, can be annoying when the first set of batteries
>finally run down. Bad batteries, or bad strategy on my part in when to
>change,
>when to recharge?

"Marvin Margoshes" <> wrote in message
news:...
>
> "Anthony Buckland" <> wrote in message
> news:HM6dnbd5EqawzifdRVn-...
> > In storage, as spares, that is. Having spare batteries with no
charge,
> > which has
> > happened to me twice now, can be annoying when the first set of
batteries
> > finally run down. Bad batteries, or bad strategy on my part in
when to
> > change,
> > when to recharge?
> >
>
> I routinely recharge all my NiMH batteries after three weeks, if
they
> haven't been used.
>
There is quite a bit of variation in the quoted shelf life of charged
NiMH batteries. Estimates of 1% charge loss/day can be found and also
1 to 3 months. My own practice is much the same as Anthony Buckland.
I assume one month shelf life but, if possible, I try to recharge
before using. I have found this to work reasonably well both for
digital cameras and my cordless computer mouse.


--
James V. Silverton
Potomac, Maryland, USA

"Anthony Buckland" <> wrote in message
news:HM6dnbd5EqawzifdRVn-...
> In storage, as spares, that is. Having spare batteries with no charge,
> which has
> happened to me twice now, can be annoying when the first set of batteries
> finally run down. Bad batteries, or bad strategy on my part in when to
> change,
> when to recharge?
>

I routinely recharge all my NiMH batteries after three weeks, if they
haven't been used.