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Rechargeable batteries

BallmanBallman Registered User regular
edited November 2007 in Moe's Stupid Technology Tavern
Specifically, I'm looking for rechargeable options for my Guitar Hero 3 controller, which takes AAs. (Also, if the price was right, I'd get several and use them for my regular 360 controllers as well.) I've had some rechargeable energizer NiMHs for a while, but either my charger or the batteries themselves have worn out, because I can't get more than an hour of playtime from a full charge.

I know that Red Octane have released their own battery pack for the controller, but I've heard it's $20, and won't work with regular controllers. So, I'm looking rechargeable AA batteries that have a decent lifetime and will last a decent amount of time between charges. If they charge quickly, that'd be nice, but if it damages the life of the battery, I'll pass.

Also, if anyone has general tips for extending the life of the batteries themselves, I'd be glad to hear them.

Ballman on

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    SeptusSeptus Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Not too long ago I saw a Gizmodo article on some new Duracell rechargeable batteries that not only have good storage capacity, but will hold a charge far longer than standard rechargeables, they're about $12 bucks for a pack of two I think, but I've never been able to find them.

    Septus on
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    Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    energizer_15_min_charger_240.jpg

    Energizer 15 minute charger, comes with 4 2200mAh NiMH batteries. Can pick it up at Radio Shack, Best Buy, heck, even your grocery store or Target, for around $30.

    Doc Holliday on
    PSN & Live: buckwilson
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    ArcSynArcSyn Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Doc Holliday wrote: »
    energizer_15_min_charger_240.jpg

    Energizer 15 minute charger, comes with 4 2200mAh NiMH batteries. Can pick it up at Radio Shack, Best Buy, heck, even your grocery store or Target, for around $30.

    I can vouch for those. I use them in my Wii controllers and they are awesome! Much better than the cheapo Radioshack rechargeables and charger I got before. They last a very long time and charge quickly. When my Radioshack ones die I'm going to replace them with another one of these. (4 Wiimotes is killer on batteries)

    ArcSyn on
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    BallmanBallman Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    But the rechargeables I use now are Energizer 2500 mAh NiMH. Do you think it's the charger, and not the batteries, that went bad? I'm not sure if the charger wore out the batteries or whether the charger is just bad and won't charge them.

    Ballman on
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    EliteLamerEliteLamer __BANNED USERS regular
    edited November 2007
    You can get some cheap generic ones online for about 75 cent each.

    EliteLamer on
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    ArcSynArcSyn Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Ballman wrote: »
    But the rechargeables I use now are Energizer 2500 mAh NiMH. Do you think it's the charger, and not the batteries, that went bad? I'm not sure if the charger wore out the batteries or whether the charger is just bad and won't charge them.

    Huh, odd. How long have you had these batteries?

    ArcSyn on
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    Torso BoyTorso Boy Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    ArcSyn wrote: »
    Doc Holliday wrote: »
    energizer_15_min_charger_240.jpg

    Energizer 15 minute charger, comes with 4 2200mAh NiMH batteries. Can pick it up at Radio Shack, Best Buy, heck, even your grocery store or Target, for around $30.

    I can vouch for those. I use them in my Wii controllers and they are awesome! Much better than the cheapo Radioshack rechargeables and charger I got before. They last a very long time and charge quickly. When my Radioshack ones die I'm going to replace them with another one of these. (4 Wiimotes is killer on batteries)

    I've got one as well and it's a great solution...I'm not a fan of the grip on the back of the Nyko set anyway. Lately though, sometimes the batteries won't make it light up, and refuse to charge. Sporadically, but it's still a pain.

    Torso Boy on
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    shotimeshotime Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    http://www.eneloop.info/

    Sanyo Eneloops. These things are fantastic. They come fully charged, and they don't lose their charge by just sitting around for a while. I use them all the time in my Wiimotes, 360 controllers, camera, whatever, and they're always ready to go. You can get a pack at Costco for $26 that comes with 8 AA's, 4 AAA's, a charger and two each of C and D size adapters. It's by far the best deal for rechargeable batteries.

    shotime on
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    BallmanBallman Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    ArcSyn wrote: »
    Ballman wrote: »
    But the rechargeables I use now are Energizer 2500 mAh NiMH. Do you think it's the charger, and not the batteries, that went bad? I'm not sure if the charger wore out the batteries or whether the charger is just bad and won't charge them.

    Huh, odd. How long have you had these batteries?

    I'd say no more than two years. But then again, I'm a complete idiot when it comes to charging them (I frequently let them sit in a charged state or keep them on the charger for too long), so it's possible that I killed them. :(

    shotime wrote: »
    http://www.eneloop.info/

    Sanyo Eneloops. These things are fantastic. They come fully charged, and they don't lose their charge by just sitting around for a while. I use them all the time in my Wiimotes, 360 controllers, camera, whatever, and they're always ready to go. You can get a pack at Costco for $26 that comes with 8 AA's, 4 AAA's, a charger and two each of C and D size adapters. It's by far the best deal for rechargeable batteries.

    Now that is the kind of thing that I was hoping for when I started this thread. I wonder if these batteries live up to all of the claims on that site.

    Ballman on
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    RandomEngyRandomEngy Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I remember an old thread talking about how it's better to charge batteries more slowly and that 15 minute chargers will wear out a battery more quickly. Is that the case? Is there a comparison out there for different chargers?

    RandomEngy on
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    Doc HollidayDoc Holliday Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    What's the difference between the Sanyo batteries and the Energizer ones?

    Doc Holliday on
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    Recoil42Recoil42 Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I hear constantly hear very good things about Eneloops. I don't own any myself, but only because I have too many rechargeable batteries already on hand, so I don't need any more. :P They're definitely the next brand I buy, though, because I hear they last FOREVER.

    If you're in Canada, NCIX sells 'em: http://www.ncix.com/search/?q=eneloop&minprice=Min.+Price&maxprice=Max.+Price
    RandomEngy wrote: »
    I remember an old thread talking about how it's better to charge batteries more slowly and that 15 minute chargers will wear out a battery more quickly. Is that the case? Is there a comparison out there for different chargers?

    It's not so much about how fast you charge the battery, as it is that the faster you go, the more 'sensitive' you have to be in the walking-the-tightrope sense, and more complex circuitry you have to include so you don't overload the batteries.

    That's why slow-charge chargers are a dime a dozen, they're really easy to make, and take not that much science and monitoring.

    If you really want a good charger, and use batteries constantly, I hear Maha's are the best:
    http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/listcategoriesandproducts.asp?idcategory=11

    Pricey, but apparently the best chargers in the world in terms of charge quality, and keeping battery lifespan up.

    Recoil42 on
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    StregoneStregone VA, USARegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Check wal-mart for ray-o-vac hybrids. Same thing as eneloops but cheaper. 9 bucks after tax for a pack of 4. Get this charger. 40 bucks seems expensive, but its closest competition is 70 bucks, plus you get 4AA and 4 AAA that don't suck free with it. You also get a nifty carrying case and some adapters that let you use AAs where you need C and D cells.

    Stay away from any 2500mah cells, they ALL have serious self discharge issues.

    Stregone on
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