Where we discuss rechargable batteries

BTP

Hold it, let's be sure of this. That charger and battery set I linked....there won't be a problem if I used that for the 360 and Wii controllers, right? Or do we not know this for sure yet?

BTP

Anyone? Hello? Bueller?

Does anyone know how long it takes to charge up a 360 battery pack using the Play and Charge kit?

Lord Jezo

RandomEngy wrote:

Man that's the shadiest web site I've seen in a while.

It you are talking about Thomas Distributing link that I posted then you have no reason to worry. They are one of the biggest sellers of batteries on the internet and everyone who uses them reccomends them to other people. They might have an old fashioned non fancy looking website but their price and service can't be beat.

To the poster about the Energizer price question:

Mr. Thomas has a better price. $36 after shipping. Plus you get a battery tester and they might throw in a battery case as well. And "2500 NiMH mah", so yes, the batteries you linked are the same.

The question about the 360 thing, do they use AA batteries?

Daedalus

BTP wrote:

Hold it, let's be sure of this. That charger and battery set I linked....there won't be a problem if I used that for the 360 and Wii controllers, right? Or do we not know this for sure yet?

Um. They're AA batteries. Assuming the 360 and Wii controllers take AA batteries, you're in the clear.

BTP

Okay, thanks. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong due to a different chemical design or if 2500 mAh vs. 2100 mAh made a difference when recharging.

I've already made it known to my family the batteries I want for Christmas.

Daedalus

BTP wrote:

Okay, thanks. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong due to a different chemical design or if 2500 mAh vs. 2100 mAh made a difference when recharging.

I've already made it known to my family the batteries I want for Christmas.

The amount of milliamp-hours has to do with how long they last. It's the voltage that would make a difference. Alkaline cells are 1.5V each while NiMH cells are 1.2V each. But most consumer electronics (certainly the X360 and Wii controllers) made in the last few years will work with either. The only thing I remember having trouble with was my Game Gear, back in the day.

BTP

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know how to properly clean up a battery explosion? I found an old "portable" air hockey table with pinball style flippers instead of the standard paddles. It used a couple of C's or D's to create the air flow. The batteries that were inside have exploded/leaked out but it had to have been a while ago because nothing around it is wet. Also, the majority of the leak went onto the side of a TV, as the air hockey table was on top of the TV. The TV still works perfectly, but it's just a little unattractive now. :P

Any ideas?

Epiphyte

BTP wrote:

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know how to properly clean up a battery explosion? I found an old "portable" air hockey table with pinball style flippers instead of the standard paddles. It used a couple of C's or D's to create the air flow. The batteries that were inside have exploded/leaked out but it had to have been a while ago because nothing around it is wet. Also, the majority of the leak went onto the side of a TV, as the air hockey table was on top of the TV. The TV still works perfectly, but it's just a little unattractive now. :P

Any ideas?

Rubbing alcohol will probably do the trick, but be sure to wear gloves. You don't want to smear cadmium all over your hands.

Threepio

The Panasonic R2s are new and pretty impressive. They come pre-charged and over the course of six months will retain 80% of their charge even if not in use.

We tested them out yesterday (I'm at a CE conference right now)

1200 shots with a digital camera with the flash on. Nuff said.

BTP

Epiphyte wrote:

BTP wrote:

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know how to properly clean up a battery explosion? I found an old "portable" air hockey table with pinball style flippers instead of the standard paddles. It used a couple of C's or D's to create the air flow. The batteries that were inside have exploded/leaked out but it had to have been a while ago because nothing around it is wet. Also, the majority of the leak went onto the side of a TV, as the air hockey table was on top of the TV. The TV still works perfectly, but it's just a little unattractive now. :P

Any ideas?

Rubbing alcohol will probably do the trick, but be sure to wear gloves. You don't want to smear cadmium all over your hands.

Really? Just rubbing alcohol? I thought it might've required something a little more uncommon.

Iz-GOod

I have Duracell Rechargeable Accu NiMH AA batteries. I use them with my Gameboy Color (yes I still use a GBC) and digital camera and I have a feeling they last about as long as normal Duracells.

I'm like them, but they were kind of pricey.

blikbok

Another issue with capacity: Ni-MH batteries over about 1800 mAh are slightly larger than standard alkaline AAs (50mmx14mm). In most cases it's only a half mm or so, but that can mean the difference between fitting and not. I have a lot of 1700 mAh cells because they are the right size where 2500's won't always fit.

See the table:
http://www.tnrtechnical.com/Sanyo/SanyoSeriesNimh.htm#4/5AA

I highly recommend Maha for batteries and chargers (especially the 401S) and Thomas Distributing for sales. Grab one of their battery and charger combos (with neat little 4-battery cases) and you will be very happy. Tip: remove the clear lid to the charger to help the batteries charger cooler. Heat is the battery-killer.

Sanyo makes the best batteries in my opinion, but I'm not thrilled with their chargers. Energizer batteries marked "Made in Japan" are also good.

So I have mostly Sanyo and Energizer (Japan) batteries and Maha chargers. I run them in all sorts of gear: cameras, flashlights, GPS, test meters, etc., even RC models.

Dave at Imaging Resource has a lot of experience and data to back up my preferences:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM

Hope this helps.

STEVOtheGREAT

Energizer 2500s work well for my 360 controllers.

Bamelin

STEVOtheGREAT wrote:

Energizer 2500s work well for my 360 controllers.

I have the Engergizer's and 2500's BTP linked in his post.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10059598&catid=11416&test%5Fcookie=1#

These batteries have worked consistantly well for almost a year.

The way I have used the batteries, I have 2 in the (360) controller and 2 sitting in the charger at all times.

Only one issue has popped up: The one's I put in the controller right after charging I get a full charge from, the one's sitting in the charger (the backup batteries) seem to have started dieing really quickly when I go to "switch" batteries.

This is a recent issue after almost a year of continual use. My guess is the batteries are starting to die. I figure a year out of rechargables used almost daily is not bad.

Edit: One other note -- ALWAYS wait until the controller clicks off before replacing your batteries. If you switch up right when the controller gives the low battery warning I believe you are shortening the lifespan of your rechargables.

Kriz

I remember reading an old Popular Science about batteries and battery tech; such as how the chemistry for basic AAs haven't changed much in a long time, and that hydrogen fuel cells will replace most batteries soon.

BTP

This thread needs a RECHARGE! AN EXTREME RECHARGE!



If only that was a battery and not an energy drink.

Anyway, just wondering if, now that the holidays have ended and we've all got new systems or whatever to use, if there's anything more we can add here. Maybe you got some of the batteries mentioned here and can share how well they've been for you. Or maybe we now have more people looking to get some rechargables, in which case I'll go "Hi there, read the thread."

I'm thinking of getting those Energizer 2500 mAh we were talking about before. I've been fine with my Wii with the pair of AA's that came with it, and one last set of AA's I had lying around, but I'm really going to need some soon.

Is Future Shop still the best place to go to get them? Is there an alternative to these Energizer's that are just as good in performance and price? Or does anyone know of a good deal to buy some regular AA's in bulk for a similar price?

(I wish I thought of this for Boxing Day. )

Pompa

has anyone tried these ?

what im hoping is to use them in the Wii then pop them in the usb ports when they run out for a couple of hours. anyone got any impressions?

jackal

Threepio wrote:

The Panasonic R2s are new and pretty impressive. They come pre-charged and over the course of six months will retain 80% of their charge even if not in use.

We tested them out yesterday (I'm at a CE conference right now)

1200 shots with a digital camera with the flash on. Nuff said.

Sanyo Eneloops are more expensive, but they retain 85% after a year.

Pompa wrote:

has anyone tried these ?

what im hoping is to use them in the Wii then pop them in the usb ports when they run out for a couple of hours. anyone got any impressions?

I wouldn't recommend paying $10 per 1300 mAh battery for the novelty of charging in a USB port.

Flesh Into Gear

I have this:
http://tinyurl.com/yny9jv
it works!

Ketherial

reading this thread reminds me of how much more i like corded controllers. wireless controllers for all the new consoles was such a turn off for me.

fragglefart

Ketherial wrote:

reading this thread reminds me of how much more i like corded controllers. wireless controllers for all the new consoles was such a turn off for me.

If it really bothers you that much, just buy the corded controllers for the 360.

They are cheaper, nicely weighted with even better rumble. I have one, but never use it. Personally, I love me some wireless. I just buy a load of batteries when I see them on offer somewhere, on the cheap like, and I'm set for months.

FyreWulff

I've had the same 4$ set of 2500mh batteries from Wal-Mart for like, the past 2 years.

Haven't died on me yet and they last forever.

bernbaum

I had my Wii remotes fuck up for the first time earlier this week.

After turning the console on with the remote, the console wouldn't respond. The hand cursor on the screen wouldn't appear, and no matter which buttons I pressed or how many times, all that would happen is the blue lights would flash on the remote. After turning the system off, the console could no longer be turned on with neither of my two remotes.

After much frustration with changing batteries and trying to re-sync the controls, I rang customer support. The lady very kindly explained that rechargeable batteries are not recommended by Nintendo, rather we should use high-quality Alkaline batteries. After putting in some non-rechargeable batteries, the system started up just fine BUT the second control was also working, without needing to have the batteries changed. I found this quite odd, as the system was responding to neither remote before I changed batteries for only one of the remotes.

I have been using the same quality rechargeable batteries ever since I churned up the batteries that came with the console and never had this problem before. I'm a little peeved that I'm going to have to keep paying for normal alkaline batteries. This will all be negligible once those spiffy-looking recharge bays become available, but has anyone else had this problem ?

Unknown

This content has been removed.

scootch

Ketherial wrote:

reading this thread reminds me of how much more i like corded controllers. wireless controllers for all the new consoles was such a turn off for me.

after using 360 cordless for so long, I don't think I can go back to cords. my brothers sony recharables work great.