Enercell Battery Charger Question

Paul,

   Yes this is the technology you want, the batteries once fully charged are given a trickle charge to keep them fully charged for immediate usage.  I do not own this particular unit however it looks to be a good one.

PCRR/Dave

Based on what you wrote, it doesn't sound like it is a smart charger.  It sounds like a timer-based charger.  My smart charger never takes the same amount of time to charge any two of my batteries.  Here is a simple definition from Wikipedia about what makes a charger "smart":

A smart charger is defined as a charger that can respond to the condition of a battery, and modify its charging actions accordingly.

The manual might offer more clues as to its capabilities.  Here is a link to the Wikipedia article on chargers that describe the various types.

The trickle charge at the end of the cycle is a good thing, but if it doesn't have circuitry to determine what the battery actually needs or when the battery is in danger of being over-charged, then the trade-off will be a shortened life for the batteries.  With a timer-based charger, you have to be careful not to put batteries with a partial charge in the charger or you will over-charge the battery (if no circuitry to prevent it is present).

Andy

Andy,

   I thought a smart charger had to have the trickle charge ability, along with the

quick charge ability, to be designated a Smart Charger.  Am I wrong about this?

PCRR/Dave

Andy - I'd like to buy the La Crosse model BC700 but after watching the youtube videos it seems so complicated.

Dave,

Smart chargers do use trickle charging at the end of charging cycles to finish and maintain the batteries until they are taken off the charger, but is not the trickle charging that makes the charger smart.  I think all modern chargers of all types now use trickle charging at the end of charging cycles.  It is the ability to analyze the condition and needs of the battery and to respond accordingly that make the charger smart.

Having a smart charger is not all that important when dealing with fresh/new batteries, but after the batteries go through a number of charging cycles, they start to lose some of their capacity to hold the charge and they will get progressively worse over time and more charging cycles.  This is where the smart chargers really earn their keep.  Older, stale batteries can almost always be refreshed to a near-new state, but this requires a smart charger.  Using a smart charger from the beginning with fresh/new batteries will prolong the time it takes the batteries to get stale since the smart chargers are actually testing the batteries as they charge and making adjustments to avoid the things (over-charging, over-heating) that accellerate the rate at which the batteries go stale.

Andy

Andy,

   Ok, which smart charger do you recommend that I pick up and where?

My chargers right now are the energizer auto shut-off type, I purchased at Sams

PCRR/Dave

Paul,

My experience is with the La Crosse BC1000, but I imagine it is not that different from the BC700.  For normal charging, you just plug it in, pop in the batteries and take the batteries back out when the display reads "full."  Using some of the more advanced features (testing or refreshing) will take a couple of extra button pushes, but the manual makes it pretty easy.  All of the capabilities of the charger do make it a little overwhelming to process all at once, but looking back, I wish I had bought it sooner than I did (it would have saved me from a lot of frustration).

Andy

Dave,

I use a La Crosse Technology BC-1000, and I bought it off of Amazon.com (and I used gift cards purchased at Giant Eagle so I could get the Fuel Perks  ).  Both it and the BC-700 model (slightly fewer features) get very good reviews on Amazon - I suggest reading some of them, especially the ones by "NLee the Engineer" - I learned a lot from his articles.

I went with the BC-1000 just because I wanted all available features (whether I will ever need them or not).  And I wouldn't trade my BC-1000 for any other charger out there.

Andy

Dave - found the La Crosse charger (BC1000 and BC700) on E Bay and Amazon - E Bay seems to have a better deal - found the BC700 for approx. $37.00 with free shipping.  I'll send you the link as soon as I refind it.

Dave - here's the link to the BC700 - sounds like Andy convinced both of us!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/La-Crosse-Technology-BC-700-Battery-Charger-Tester-AA-/320696442526?pt=Battery_Chargers&hash=item4aaaff5e9e

Andy & Paul,

  Just checked with Sams they have the Energizer Smart Chargers $28.28

with 12 rechargable batteries, with Sams replacement guarantee

   I will purchase this particular Smart Charger and battries next time I am in the store which is right over the hill from my home.

Andy thanks for the education on Smart Chargers

PCRR/Dave

Dave and Andy - buying mine tonite - thanx, Andy for sharing your experience.  Also ordered 8 Eneloop AAA rechargeables.