pampasound Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Hi all, I recently purchased 8 eneeloop batteries (2000 mAh) to power my sd302 and G2s. However, after putting fully charged batteries on the 302 I have noticed that the LED lights show only 3/4 of charge. This doesn't happen when I use non rechargeable Duracell and the likes.... Can somebody explain why is this is happening... Thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebeaudry Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Hi all, I recently purchased 8 eneeloop batteries (2000 mAh) to power my sd302 and G2s. However, after putting fully charged batteries on the 302 I have noticed that the LED lights show only 3/4 of charge. This doesn't happen when I use non rechargeable Duracell and the likes.... Can somebody explain why is this is happening... Thanks for your help! Rechargeable batteries have a lower starting voltage than throw aways. Usually 1.2 volts compared to 1.5 volts. I've got a 302 but I don't recall if you can set the meter for various battery chemistries so you have an accurate reading. Do a run time test so you know exactly how much time you'll get out of your rechargeables. With iPower nine volt rechargeables in my Lectro transmitters I get a little more run time than I get with a fresh throw away. Read the manual (available on line if you don't have one) for info on your 302 and battery power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Southern Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Hi all, I recently purchased 8 eneeloop batteries (2000 mAh) to power my sd302 and G2s. However, after putting fully charged batteries on the 302 I have noticed that the LED lights show only 3/4 of charge. This doesn't happen when I use non rechargeable Duracell and the likes.... Can somebody explain why is this is happening... Thanks for your help! I believe Bernie is right on the nose about this. I also use a 302 w/ Eneloops and I've noticed the same thing. To me, it's a worthwhile sacrifice. I also use Eneloops in my G3s and even with a fresh charge they show 2/3 bars, but they still end up lasting a good 10 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 They'll last longer than alkalines, they'll save you money, and are better for the environment. Don't let the LEDs fool you. Lower starting voltage, as mentioned. Same will be the case if you move to Lectro SM series. Red battery LED is almost instantaneous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atheisticmystic Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Red battery LED is almost instantaneous. Thank you Robert, saved me a post...wait a minute...well, you know what I mean. Best, Steven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toy Robot Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 I can't use Sanyo Eneloops in my 552 - I know you're on a 302 - just saying. Causes startup locks and sometimes complete failure to start during cold winter days. I've switched to ProCells and the 552 hasn't locked up now in ages. I cannot explain it, but for my machine at least, it's fact. So in sum, if they (Eneloops) work for you then that's awesome, they'll save you a bomb and Mr. Sharman is right. But if you begin to have power up issues, etc. then you might want to consider replacing your power source with Alkaline. My $0.02. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 " To me, it's a worthwhile sacrifice. " what sacrifice ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 I can't use Sanyo Eneloops in my 552 - I know you're on a 302 - just saying. Causes startup locks and sometimes complete failure to start during cold winter days. I've switched to ProCells and the 552 hasn't locked up now in ages. I cannot explain it, but for my machine at least, it's fact. Weird. Have you checked with SD? Functionality with rechargeable batteries is high on the list for manufacturers in our industry. I'd think SD would like to know if it's a design flaw, or I'd think you'd like to know if your machine is flawed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pampasound Posted July 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Thanks everybody for making this clear as I was unsatisfied with my rechargeables purchase. So basically the reason is because they are 1.2v instead of 1.5v...?...is there a way to change the LEDs reading...?.. I checked on the manual but for what I understood it can only be done for external powering options... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Karlsson Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 You are right in that you can only change the reading for external power. I used to power both my 442 and 302 with the Eneloops until I switched to a BDS. My take on it is that the reading doesn't really matter, as long as you know what is going on. The voltage will stay at a certain point for a long time with these batteries vs. alkalizes that drop the voltage gradually as they discharge. IIRC the 302 will run a full day on 3 batteries with one P48 engaged. I timed the 442 once and it gets about 16 hours (it has a 4 battery slot). Just make sure you start with fully recharged batteries in the morning and you should be good for most days. (of course keep the spares with you, just in case...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Spaeth Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 My charger shows between 1.45 and 1.52 volts when my Eneloops are fully charged. My G3s show three bars with fresh Eneloops. Maybe try another charger - one that charges each battery on its own, as opposed to a (cheaper) charger that stops charging all batteries as soon as one of them is full. There are other rechargeables that have a higher capacity, up to 2700 mAh compared to 2000 on the Eneloops, but Eneloops claim to go for 1500 cycles, where others usually claim 1000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toy Robot Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Weird. Have you checked with SD? Functionality with rechargeable batteries is high on the list for manufacturers in our industry. I'd think SD would like to know if it's a design flaw, or I'd think you'd like to know if your machine is flawed. Oh trust me, they are aware. I sent the unit in, had multiple phone calls with their support team, etc. There is even a detailed post somewhere on this site about my experience. The flip side of the whole shenanigans was that it was a problem solved with either Alkaline batteries or BDS. Simple, effective, fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 My charger shows between 1.45 and 1.52 volts when my Eneloops are fully charged. My G3s show three bars with fresh Eneloops. Maybe try another charger - one that charges each battery on its own, as opposed to a (cheaper) charger that stops charging all batteries as soon as one of them is full. There are other rechargeables that have a higher capacity, up to 2700 mAh compared to 2000 on the Eneloops, but Eneloops claim to go for 1500 cycles, where others usually claim 1000. Other rechargeables stick in the 302. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccsnd Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 1.2v sounds right on for most rechargeable batteries (that are not 9v) Which means at 3 batteries you will be running 3.6v rather than 4.5, which means you will be drawing a few more amps out of those batteries than if you had throw-aways, which means you may be ending up with worse battery life than the throw aways. an entire volt will be a pretty dramatic change in amps drawn, I would stick with throw-aways or external power source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 1.2v sounds right on for most rechargeable batteries (that are not 9v) Which means at 3 batteries you will be running 3.6v rather than 4.5, which means you will be drawing a few more amps out of those batteries than if you had throw-aways, which means you may be ending up with worse battery life than the throw aways. an entire volt will be a pretty dramatic change in amps drawn, I would stick with throw-aways or external power source. Or... Have a whopping 9 Eneloops, and change them out every 6 hours. They don't have to drain all the way. They're rechargeable! Swap them out as often as you like. Still better for the environment. Still saves money. Still better than throwing away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 a small Sony L-mount (2200 mah) would last a long time running a 302. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Karlsson Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 1.2v sounds right on for most rechargeable batteries (that are not 9v) Which means at 3 batteries you will be running 3.6v rather than 4.5, which means you will be drawing a few more amps out of those batteries than if you had throw-aways, which means you may be ending up with worse battery life than the throw aways. an entire volt will be a pretty dramatic change in amps drawn, I would stick with throw-aways or external power source. I believe the Eneloops actually last longer than Procells. I charge them with the Maha Powerex charger/analyzer, which shows the voltage at 1.45-1.47 when fully charged. It drops down to 1.4 prretty quick and stays around 1.3-1.35 for a long time. 1.2v is empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 I've had no problem with the Eneloop AA's on wireless. I did just have a failure after only 2 hours with the Powerex AA's the other day -- expecting at least 3.5-4 hours on a Lectro SMa -- but I think my mistake was assuming the charge was good from the day before. My suspicion is that the residual shelf life charge is not great on the NiMH's, even after only a day or two. I'm also using the Maha 801, and it's been a champ so far. Ditto with the 1090 unit for 9VDC (which I haven't used as long). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccsnd Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 Or... Have a whopping 9 Eneloops, and change them out every 6 hours. They don't have to drain all the way. They're rechargeable! Swap them out as often as you like. Still better for the environment. Still saves money. Still better than throwing away. yeah... that works too... Just for the record I always have a battery recycling bin on or near my cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resonate Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 I use black SANYO XX ENELOOPs in my Sennheiser G3 hops all the time, and they last a whole day . Really, once i tested them at my house and after 12 hrs they still showed 2 bars, and i got bored :-=_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryF Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 [snip] I did just have a failure after only 2 hours with the Powerex AA's the other day -- expecting at least 3.5-4 hours on a Lectro SMa -- but I think my mistake was assuming the charge was good from the day before. My suspicion is that the residual shelf life charge is not great on the NiMH's, even after only a day or two.[snip] Hi Marc, I've had the same thing happen with batteries that were charged at high rates and then allowed to sit for just a day or so. This was common with batteries that had been "hit" with a high rate charger such as the Eveready 15 minute charger. Very high capacity batteries such as the 2700mAh Sanyo's were particularly vulnerable. They were permanently damaged as far as high self discharge. Also, if batteries have been laying around unused for a while, the first charge cycle can be as low as 10% of rated capacity. Having said all that, I've not had low capacity show up with an Eneloop battery unless they had been unused for a year+. Give the manufacturers another fifty years and they will have all the bugs worked out of the NiMh's. Best, Larry F Lectro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryF Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 Hi Jim, Great post particularly #3: 3. Re-charge @ the "appropriate rate." As there are many 'schools of thought' on this ... What I have found, for myself is -- If possible, I always try to charge any of my batteries @ the lowest rate available on their respective charger(s). (YMMV.) Best, Larry F Lectro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 yeah... that works too... Just for the record I always have a battery recycling bin on or near my cart. Hate to harp on this, but alkaline batteries are very rarely recycled, even when collected and dropped off to a collection facility. They are non-toxic and do not contain anything which makes recycling them profitable, so they typically end up in a land fill. Rechargeable batteries contain useful and toxic materials, and are recyclable, so are typically recycled after use. So better in first life and second life. This goes way beyond batteries. The solution to not producing waste ISN'T recycling. It's re-using. Even if recycling alkaline batteries were a reality, single use items require energy to produce, recycle, and re-manufacture. Thus the term - Reduce, re-use, recycle - in order of importance. Stepping off soap box. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 Excellent points, Robert. some of us may feel better putting Alkaline batteries aside, but they are just trash... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Spaeth Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 2. A complete discharge* of the AA NiMh, after each use I have had some problems with Eneloops used in Lockits (yes I provide rechargeables to the camera dept. for their lockits even though I don't have to) - If we forget to take them out and the lockit box stays on over night they are completely discharged the next day, and then my charger sometimes can't seem to charge them for some time. So I try to never fully discharge a battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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