Jump to content

9 Volt Rechargable Batteries -- Ipower VS MAHA


Tyler Cook

Recommended Posts

Has anyone here done a test between the "Ipower 9 Volt 260 mAh" and the "MAHA 9 Volt 300 mAh" batteries?  Or, how about the Ipower VS MAHA chargers? 

I have MAHA AA's and they work great, so I'm leaning towards the MAHAs for 9 volts... I just wanted to see if anyone has used both before and noticed a huge difference. 

Also, it looks like there are two different MAHA 9 volts available: The 9V 300 mAh and the 9.6V 230 mAh .  On the Thomas Distributing website it says that "most commercial 9V rechargeables are actually 8.4V and don't work well in paintball hoppers and many other applications."  I'm assuming there isn't a problem with the 9V 300 mAh from MAHA though, because it specifically says "Excellent for Pro Audio, Wireless microphones..."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Vin.  Actually, I did do some research on the forums before posting.  But I couldn't quite find what I was looking for.  I am looking for something a little more specific, such as, an A-B test between the newest Maha / Ipower 9 volts.  I doubt anyone has had the chance to use both, and they're probably really close in comparison anyway, but I figured it was worth a shot.  

I guess if you own a MAHA 9v charger/battery, or an Ipower 9v charger/battery; feel free to post how long your battery approximately lasts and the average charge time.  (and specify what you are using the battery for)  

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have changed the title....

generally the production sound community uses the iPower 500 / 520 LiON 9 volt batteries, with about 500mAh at 9 volts, they typically last at least as long as the alkalines.

"we" actually have not discussed the NiMH 9v type batteries in at least a long while.

NiMH 9v type batteries are usually lower voltage, often only 7.2V -based on the nominal 1.2 volts per NiMH cell; the available capacity of them is also lower, along with the usual, well known limitations of the chemistry; they are generally unsatisfactory for "our" production sound typical needs

Both MAHA and iPower are reputable companies, and iPower has been particularly helpful dealing with "us" and our needs regarding their LiON 9 volt battery product.

Thomas Distributing has been a respected supplier of batteries, and has an excellent reputation. Thomas's web site offers clear information, which is pretty complete, and certainly should be considered reliable, as they support their products well. (and, say, you could get in touch with them...)

8.4 volts is more than 7.2 volts, and 9.6 volts remains greater than 8.4 !!

(BTW, no NiMH or NiCad chemistry produces 9.0 volts -nominal- batteries!)

Since Ohm's law has not been repealed, the voltage and wattage information are available, and, in concert with the specifications (current, min voltage) of the equipment to be used, determining the most (cost) effective choice is fairly straightforward.

generally speaking, "faster" chargers for these chemistry's are both more expensive, and harder on the batteries themselves, a price to consider for rapid charge capability and convenience.

I do not believe many of "us" would actually go out and purchase both systems to compare them,(I have not!) but I could be wrong...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried the MAHA Power X 9.6v rechargeable in a lectro UM200B tx and it seemed to overload it, as it would shut down. I thought it

might have blown an internal fuse? or worse? So i'm not gonna take a chance with them again unless i hear different.

KKS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting and informative post 'studiomprd', thanks. 

So it seems like the general consensus here is that nobody likes the NiMH batteries when it comes to 9 volts.  I personally own the AA Maha NiMH batteries, and I think they're great.  They definitely don't last as long as regular batteries, but I feel like they are still worth it.  I take it the technology for 9 volts are just a little behind???  When was the last time somebody tried one out in a Comtek? 

"I used an earlier generation of 9v NiMH batteries before the iPower was available... They do not run a Comtek with small headphones for a full production day.  I found that to be pretty useless.  Money wasted."  <--- How long ago was this? 

http://www.thomasdistributing.com/shop/maha-9v-300-mah-nimh-rechargeable-battery-p-503.html?SP_id=&osCsid=qh39gjiqm5l6nup6od11bac2n0

This new battery (see link) specifically says, "excellent for pro audio".  i wonder...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"I used an earlier generation of 9v NiMH batteries before the iPower was available... They do not run a Comtek with small headphones for a full production day.  I found that to be pretty useless.  Money wasted."  <--- How long ago was this? 

It's probably been at least 3 years, but it was the same brand of battery and charger.  I properly charged and discharged the batteries to start with.  If I remember they were 270mAh.  The were simply not good enough to trust, I felt.  I also remember putting them in Lectrosonics gear.  The higher starting voltage truly confused the units, but I did call Lectrosonics at the time and was assure it would not damage their units.  It was more of an issue in the receiver, carrying 2 batteries, than it was in the transmitter.

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone posted about Maha 9 volts before this thread?

Tyler, but i was wondering why one would want to use a batt with less capacity...it's pretty obvious that 500/520 mA is better than 260/300 mA... Thomas Dist may be saying 'excellent for pro audio' which could mean in DI boxes, Ph power units, etc - pro audio means a lot more than just us! :)

AA is a whole different scenario - of course the NiMh is better than the alkalines. there are no li-ion AA's so far because of certain restrictions in the way these li-ions are manufactured...

As of now, iPower is the ONLY manufacturer of rechargeable 9V batts that we can use in our Lectros, AFAIK.

-vin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess this is just the hippie part of me that wanted to go green instead of contributing to the pile of battery waste.  I was unsure about the quality of modern NiMH 9 volts, but now I'm glad I asked : ) 

After reading this, I'll probably not end up going the NiMH route now.  But if I do, I'll be sure to post my results. 

Thanks again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"the AA Maha NiMH batteries, and I think they're great.  They definitely don't last as long as regular batteries, but I feel like they are still worth it.  I take it the technology for  9 volts are just a little behind???  "

PAY ATTENTION:

NiMH and NiCad cells are about 1.2 v each cell...

the 9v type configurations are usually 6 cells, each about the size of an AAA naked (do the math!).

sometimes, they squeeze a 7th cell into the same size package, or even get up to 8, to have higher voltage, but that means less power (use Ohm's law) as smaller cells=less capacity...

so what we have been saying is that the technology for 9v type rechargeable batteries is, in fact, now ahead, as the typical 9 v Alkaline has less than 500mAh.  as I noted when I tried to rename the topic, the OP is looking at NiMH 9v types, which are rarely 9v, and in the rare case of the 9.6 version, they have a very low capacity, along with all the other characteristics of the chemistry.

As for AA NiMH's, the 1.2 volts usually will work, and the latest chemistry's of NiMH can exceed the capacity of Alkaline AA's, tand approach the capacity of the AA Lithium batteries available (note they are a different Lithium chemistry than the rechargeable LiON...

remember that rule: "Generally speaking, you get what you pay for !"

so, go green with 9V iPower's and hi-capacity (2500mAh+) NiMH AA's

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, I'm an idiot!  

Well, I'm obviously not a battery guru.  But, I also miraculously ignored the fact that the lithium Ipower battery that you all were referring to was, in fact, actually rechargeable!  This whole time I thought the lithium 9v you were referring to wasn't rechargeable... :/

So, now I look like a fool... and therefore this thread should be deleted at once!!!

Seriously though, I'm sorry about that.  And really, thanks for the help and information guys.  The choice is actually as clear as day now.  Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

not to bring it back up but the lithium-ion is a rechargeable and recyclable battery.  My research on lithium polymer batteries are that they are rechargeable but not recyclable.  Essentially you have to drain them with a lightblub, put them in water and toss them in the dump.  You're still being green just taking a step into the world of rechargeable and given the price vs 9v alkalines. 

take the ipower.  200 9v alkalines after a production take up way more room in a landfill then do a coiuple of ipowers. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...