soundtrane Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 TITANIUM-MD-1600L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 I use one of these chargers, best purchase ever for my NiMh. When disciplined charging / discharging cells, this has definitely increased the usable life of my batteries and increased daily capacity. Was there supposed to be a question? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted October 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 Hey Tom, no questions really, but just thought this should be introduced out here, for people who dont know about its existence. But I am glad to know you have used it and it works well. I just ordered one from batteryjunction.com who will ship to kazakhistan but not india!! so i had to order it and send it to a good friend in NY who's coming down to India. On another note - I got some SANYO Harmolattice NiMh 2500 mA which i was told were better than the SANYO 2700 mA. This was a local India purchase. Will report back on this after some usage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTA Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 I use one of these chargers, best purchase ever for my NiMh. When disciplined charging / discharging cells, this has definitely increased the usable life of my batteries and increased daily capacity. Was there supposed to be a question? Hey Tom. Do you always discharge you batteries after every use with this charger or do you just slap them on and recharge? It looks like charging time is at least 6 hours and discharge time is 12, or is the discharge feature a discharge and then it automatically charges afterward? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 Hey Tom. Do you always discharge you batteries after every use with this charger or do you just slap them on and recharge? It looks like charging time is at least 6 hours and discharge time is 12, or is the discharge feature a discharge and then it automatically charges afterward? I really try to run my batteries down to a point close to maybe 10% or 20% or so. I generally attempt to prevent them from getting to the point that they fail to provide voltage to the equipment they are supplying power to, which in my case is SD MixPre-D, Zaxcom TRX900LTA/LT, ERX-1TCD, and Lectro Quadra, but sometimes is unavoidable. Just pulling the cells out at the end of the day, the batts tend to be at about this condition anyways, with things like TRX units requiring 2 or 3 changes throughout the day. Then I use the discharge feature of the charger to bring them down more if needed and do a full charge. This usually is done in the AM, if I put my batts on the prior evening. I don't have a good sense of the exact number of hours, but 6 to 8 seems reasonable. It is important to remember that if you don't have time to fully charge the batteries, you might as well just hold off on charging them until you do. Partial charges can be harmful to the overall life of the batts, especially if you interrupt the very final stages of charging. If I think I have enough of a charge in the cells to reach lunchtime the next day, I'll just keep them in the gear. If I know that I have a couple days before they will see use again, I'll go ahead and do a discharge / charge cycle on my partial cells. If I have cells that have been sitting for awhile, I'll resist the urge to top them off as I know this can also be more harmful than helpful and will just use the cells as normal next time, with a slightly diminished capacity. I had some lifespan / quality issues with the Sanyo eneloops when I used the factory charger, but when you have a fleet of 50+ batteries, and don't always keep the batteries paired with other cells of like condition, the limited logic built into the factory charger which can only charge cells as a pair without individual logic per cell and no discharge feature, it all added up and felt that my cells would eventually become unserviceable much sooner than they should have. I've had to throw out whole batches of cells because of bad charge discipline, or leaving cells too depleted / dead for too long. Since purchasing this charger, I've been a happy camper. The features are perhaps only bested by the Powerex charger, but that can only handle 4 cells and I really need something that can handle the capacity that I go through in a single day. So the answer to your question, yes, I almost always use the discharge feature as I normally have a small residual amount of charge left in my cells when I charge them, but I normally don't discharge / charge my cells when they are above 50% of capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 ...as an aside, for devices that don't require frequent battery changes, like my Ambient ACD301RFA slate, I used to use the Sanyo's in that too, but the fact that I don't bring it on all jobs and that the slate could last a couple days on a single set, decided to eventually stop using NiMh chemistry with that. I don't like storing Alkaline cells in anything at all of value, so for my slate, it's Lithium primaries all the way. Using this same logic, I wouldn't necessarily use NiMh in remote controls or other things that last for days / weeks / months. At least for someone in my position, I tend to have a counter full of 25% to 75% good Alkalines sitting in my kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Spaeth Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 seems like the current isn't adjustable - how much is it - no info on that. I suppose 200 mA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 seems like the current isn't adjustable - how much is it - no info on that. I suppose 200 mA? I'm not sure exactly, but NiMh chargers have to or are supposed to vary the current depending on where the cell is in it's charge state. Lower current for general charging, and then a sprint to the finish line for the final stage, in a state that very much resembles overcharging the cell - but done in a controlled way to maximize capacity, reduce memory effect, without overheating the cell and damaging it. The Titanium charger is certainly not a "fast" charger, but the fact that it does it's job in between wrap and next AM call, that's good enough for me. If you feel the batteries during normal charge, they are mostly cool to the touch. The last hour or so before they are finished charging, the cells get quite hot to the touch. It is this "sprint to the finish" that is why getting a charger that controls the charge cycle per individual cell is so important and why I stopped using the factory Sanyo charger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean McCormick Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 Just ordered the TITANIUM-MD-1600L. Looking forward to knocking out 16 at once. Thanks Vin and Tom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomboom Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 200mAh seems a little low to charge; aren't we supposed to go with 30% of total capacity as a lowest charging level so we're sure the cycle closes properly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Hirtenstein Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 i've been using this with eneloops for months without issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 200mAh seems a little low to charge; aren't we supposed to go with 30% of total capacity as a lowest charging level so we're sure the cycle closes properly? powerex recommends MA values half of the MAH value. 2700mah are charged at 1300ma. 2400mah at 1200ma. Tom, few questions: Can you set the battery to discharge first and then charge as one cycle or you have to first set to discharge and then charge? also is charging individual or it goes in pairs or fours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 powerex recommends MA values half of the MAH value. 2700mah are charged at 1300ma. 2400mah at 1200ma. Tom, few questions: Can you set the battery to discharge first and then charge as one cycle or you have to first set to discharge and then charge? also is charging individual or it goes in pairs or fours? the discharge / refresh button is per set of 4 batteries. you could put in 4 batteries, discharge, and once discharged, it would always automatically start the charge cycle. you could also put in 2 batteries, press discharge, and then put in 2 more cells in the same group, and they would start charging while the others discharge. the actual logic for discharge / charge cycle, once the cells are put into a discharge or charge mode, is handled on an individual per cell basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 this is what i found about the charger online: Charging Times: Capacity Type Ni-Mh 1-16 Cells 850 mAh AAA Approximately 4.7 Hours 1000 mAh AAA Approximately 5.6 Hours 2000 mAh AA Approximately 5 Hours 2500 mAh AA Approximately 6.3 Hours 2700 mAh AA Approximately 6.8 Hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan H. Chang Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 How is this compared to the Maha 8-bay chargers? I've got 6 of those that I want to slim down to 3 units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 Lots of user reviews on Amazon ($50 with shipping if you have Amazon Prime membership): http://www.amazon.co...L/dp/B005UNPM3M I'm happy with my Maha charger, but I gotta say, once you have 50 or 60 batteries to charge the day before a shoot, it's nice to have multiple chargers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 I use a Titanium MD-1600L charger with Tenergy NiMh 2600 mAH AA's for about a year now for my wireless. I think it was something like $80 for the charger and 16 AA's. Holding up well so far. I don't have any scientific data, but a pair of these AA's in a Sennheiser G3 Tx or Rx hold up for around 6 hours. You could probably get 8 hours if you were anal about powering down when not in action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 I've also used them to run my HD-P2, which takes 8 AA's. Those 16 batts would keep me going for a 12 hour day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 I can't find a listing of the TITANIUM product in the UK but this seems identical: http://www.amazon.co.uk/TI-1600L--microprocessor-intelligent-individual-monitoring/dp/B007P3KRGM/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351172824&sr=8-1-fkmr0 any thoughts? dan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 I can't find a listing of the TITANIUM product in the UK but this seems identical: http://www.amazon.co...24&sr=8-1-fkmr0 any thoughts? dan. The "none more black" British version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 thanks Tom. maybe i should continue the theme with some complementary batteries: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-eneloop-HR-3UWX-8BP-batteries-Mignon/dp/B004HFKVR6/ref=pd_bxgy_ce_img_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Spaeth Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 It seems to be 400 mA. Good for overnight charging, not enough for during shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 It seems to be 400 mA. Good for overnight charging, not enough for during shooting. agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryF Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 I'm not sure exactly, but NiMh chargers have to or are supposed to vary the current depending on where the cell is in it's charge state. Lower current for general charging, and then a sprint to the finish line for the final stage, in a state that very much resembles overcharging the cell - but done in a controlled way to maximize capacity, reduce memory effect, without overheating the cell and damaging it. The Titanium charger is certainly not a "fast" charger, but the fact that it does it's job in between wrap and next AM call, that's good enough for me. If you feel the batteries during normal charge, they are mostly cool to the touch. The last hour or so before they are finished charging, the cells get quite hot to the touch. It is this "sprint to the finish" that is why getting a charger that controls the charge cycle per individual cell is so important and why I stopped using the factory Sanyo charger. Hi Tom, The reason the batteries warm up at the end of the charge cycle is not due to a current increase. All the chargers run constant current until the cycle is finished. Some will then switch to a lower trickle charge to maintain or top off the battery as it cools. Hot batteries have less capacity than cool ones. From Wikipedia "When overcharged oxygen produced at the positive electrode passes through the separator and recombines at the surface of the negative electrode. Hydrogen evolution is suppressed and the charging energy is converted to heat." This is what causes the battery to become very warm. This is a normal part of the charging cycle. Some chargers measure the change in temperature- delta T- and terminate the charging cycle. Others use a small drop in voltage at the end of the charging cycle, delta V. Best, Larry F Lectro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryF Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 In general, it is not necessary to discharge a NiMh battery to achieve full capacity unless it has been sitting unused for for weeks or has been only lightly used over a period of weeks. For batteries in transmitters, for instance, the usage is heavy and the battery will be discharged 20% on some days to 90% on others. It is not necessary for batteries that are exercised like this to be completely discharged to restore their capacity. It just wears them out faster. However, if a battery's history is unknown or if it has been stored for some time, then a charge-discharge cycle will guarantee its full useful capacity. Best, Larry F Lectro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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