AA/AAA battery charger

[Happy Joe]

Is there a reason you like this charger over others?

It will operate with a 12 volt input (using the optional vehicle adapter)
It is a smart charger (automatic) so it minimizes chances of damaging NiMH batteries (easily ruined by over charging)
It will charge 1, 2, 3 or 4 batteries at a time.
there are other capabilities but these are the things that I have found most useful.

Enjoy!

 

[dms1]

I would look into a Nitecore D4 charger

https://www.amazon.com/Nitecore-dig...F8&qid=1518074663&sr=8-4&keywords=NiteCore+D4

 

[jonyjoe101]

the opus btc-3100, is the best of the small cell chargers. I use it to test capacity on the laptop batteries (18650) . for those batteries it can charge 2 of them at up to 2 amps each or 4 of them at 1 amp each. It can also discharge 4 of them at 1 amp each, that the highest discharge rate of any chargers I tested, most top off at 1/2 amp discharge. If you build lithium battery packs this is the charger to get, I own 2 of them. I charge/discharge at least 500 cells through them. I ran these chargers literally 24 hours straight, they are definitely build for heavy duty work. It has a built-in fan which many chargers don't have. The LCD screen tells you how much amps you put into, how long they been charging, volts, amps. You can test capacity of the cells, it will fully charge it, then discharge it, and it will read the battery capacity. With that knowledge you know which are your good cells and which have lost capacity.

It has 4 banks, each is independent, you can charge in one, discharge in another. Though its excellent for 18650 lithiums, it will do nicads and nimh just as well and test there capacity also. Cost is about 40 dollars well worth the price. It comes with an AC charger, but you have to buy the 12 volt plug separate. The unit itself runs off 12 volts, thats what the wallwart puts out.

 

[pdxfrogdog]

the opus btc-3100, is the best of the small cell chargers. I use it to test capacity on the laptop batteries (18650) . for those batteries it can charge 2 of them at up to 2 amps each or 4 of them at 1 amp each. It can also discharge 4 of them at 1 amp each, that the highest discharge rate of any chargers I tested, most top off at 1/2 amp discharge. If you build lithium battery packs this is the charger to get, I own 2 of them. I charge/discharge at least 500 cells through them. I ran these chargers literally 24 hours straight, they are definitely build for heavy duty work. It has a built-in fan which many chargers don't have. The LCD screen tells you how much amps you put into, how long they been charging, volts, amps. You can test capacity of the cells, it will fully charge it, then discharge it, and it will read the battery capacity. With that knowledge you know which are your good cells and which have lost capacity.

It has 4 banks, each is independent, you can charge in one, discharge in another. Though its excellent for 18650 lithiums, it will do nicads and nimh just as well and test there capacity also. Cost is about 40 dollars well worth the price. It comes with an AC charger, but you have to buy the 12 volt plug separate. The unit itself runs off 12 volts, thats what the wallwart puts out.

View attachment 434687

Apologies in advance for the thread drift, but whatcha doing with all those 18650s? Sounds like some mad scientist ********!

 

[jonyjoe101]

18650's are probably the best rechargeable batteries for flashlights. they outlast any of the AA batteries. Even if you only need to charge AA, maybe later you might move up to the more powerful 18650. They hold their charge extremely well.

 

[cruxarche]

Jonyjoe,
For that opus charger, do you need anything special to run it off 12v? Or just find any plug That fits th charger, feed it 12v, and you are good to go?

 

[jonyjoe101]

on mine I just cut the plug and put a quick disconnect connectors on the plug wire, so I can hooked it up to a cigarette adapter or the wallwart, whichever is more convenient. The unit uses a max of about 3 amps even with all 4 batteries charging.
If you can find a 12 volt plug that fits the charger that will work. Just make sure the polarity on the plug matches the polarity on the unit, there is a picture where you put the plug in that shows you the center pin is either plus or negative.

 

[cruxarche]

on mine I just cut the plug and put a quick disconnect connectors on the plug wire, so I can hooked it up to a cigarette adapter or the wallwart, whichever is more convenient. The unit uses a max of about 3 amps even with all 4 batteries charging.
If you can find a 12 volt plug that fits the charger that will work. Just make sure the polarity on the plug matches the polarity on the unit, there is a picture where you put the plug in that shows you the center pin is either plus or negative.

Good deal. Thanks.

 

[rayra]

Sorry you think I snubbed your advice... it was just not clear to me what you were getting at. I didn't know why you posted info about a straight 120v charger... I thought maybe I missed something in that linked info.

Wrong again, I don't think you 'snubbed' anything. You seem to have missed that I was suggesting the 120v charger as your AA/AAA charging solution and for that your' need an inverter (too). I hadn't found a direct 12VDC -> AA/AAA solution that had a solid reputation
(shrug)

 

[DLTooley]

I had a Lacrosse Smart Charger, but it had lots of false negatives on 'bad' batteries and the charging cells stopped working with fairly small impacts - like slipping off the dash.

I now have a Tenergy 'semi-smart' charger. Though it does charge each cell individually, it doesn't do the discharge/recharge stuff, nor display actual voltage. It is solidly built and will do i8650's, lithium ion and LiFePo4, and up to D size. I like the arrangement on the charge plugs, I leave the 120 plugged in at home and the 12v in the car. I'm most familiar with the Tenergy brand as a value competitor in rechargeable batteries and they seem like a solid, hard working, company.

https://www.amazon.com/Tenergy-Intelligent-Universal-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B00L4HNGQS?th=1

 

[woytovich]

FYI: https://smile.amazon.com/s?node=17714885011&ref=dotd_lm&ref_=pe_837390_278143470

 

[dms1]

The Nitecore I suggested comes with both a 12v and 110V power cords. The Opus recommended is good too, I own two of them, but it does not come with a 12v cord.