How many mAh is reasonable for rechargeable...

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AA batteries? I had no idea that there were different grades (cheap junk, low mAh), but on the other hand, high mAh (Duracell 4000 mAh) can be recharged far fewer times than the el cheapos. So what is a good compromise in mAh's and recharge counts? Also, considering the frustration of the batteries losing their charge and the tedium of changing them out, is another factor.

They will be going in a Mac Magic Mouse which consumes batteries at a prodigious rate (one month, tops with the most expensive batteries) and a hand held GPS which i can only muster about 16 hours again with the best batteries.

Bonus question for extra credit: How many mAh's do throw away batteries have?

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng....tt=rechargeable
 
Whatever eneloops have is good enough. Get them from a reputable source.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Whatever eneloops have is good enough. Get them from a reputable source.


+1 to Sanyo Eneloops, the best of the best. If you want the highest capacity the XX version offers it, but the good ole' white wrapper eneloops can be recharged many more times.

For those of you interested in chargers, battery testing and lights check out this guys stuff, the best stuff to compare.

http://lygte-info.dk/


Here is the link for the AA test

http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/CommonAAcomparator.php

http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/CommonAAIndividualTest UK.html

The eneloop 2450's are pretty sweet though.
 
sorry but there are no 4000 mah nimh aa yet.2700 is the highest verified capacity.
and eneloops all the way.
can be had as duracell pre charged MADE IN JAPAN!only
Originally Posted By: Nayov
AA batteries? I had no idea that there were different grades (cheap junk, low mAh), but on the other hand, high mAh (Duracell 4000 mAh) can be recharged far fewer times than the el cheapos. So what is a good compromise in mAh's and recharge counts? Also, considering the frustration of the batteries losing their charge and the tedium of changing them out, is another factor.

They will be going in a Mac Magic Mouse which consumes batteries at a prodigious rate (one month, tops with the most expensive batteries) and a hand held GPS which i can only muster about 16 hours again with the best batteries.

Bonus question for extra credit: How many mAh's do throw away batteries have?

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng....tt=rechargeable
 
I see that alkaline batteries range from about 1700 mAh to 3000 mAh, according to Wiki, so that's what I should shoot for i suppose.
 
Originally Posted By: kc8adu
sorry but there are no 4000 mah nimh aa yet.2700 is the highest verified capacity.
and eneloops all the way.
can be had as duracell pre charged MADE IN JAPAN!only


Yes I see that now. Duracell has a 4000 "ion speed" charger, so that's were that number came from.
 
I use eneloops mainly, which typically hovers around 1800mA to 2200mA.

To maximise the charge/recharge cycles and useful service life of your NiMH rechargeables, make sure you use delta T with -delta V detection type intelligent chargers (microprocessor-based). Cheep/low grade constant current chargers will overcharge your cells, which will lead to very short service life.

Q.
 
Originally Posted By: kc8adu
sorry but there are no 4000 mah nimh aa yet.2700 is the highest verified capacity.
and eneloops all the way.
can be had as duracell pre charged MADE IN JAPAN!only


+1

The thing with NiMH is that standard types self-discharge REALLY fast, which is why the eneloop type is very attractive.

The latest eneloops are up to around 2400mAh, from 2000, which is really great.

Some devices like remote controls can work off of a very wide range of input voltages, and the load is very low, meaning that the voltage drop will not occur. Then the cheapos can work well. But I suspect that for a sustained-use device that needs to illuminate, process and transmit, would need sustained voltage and current capability, so I would go for the eneloops.
 
Eneloop pro are up to 2550 for AA, the older xx were at 2400. Also, beware if you buy from other sellers on amazon, i got some xx that seemed to have been for overseas, same exact battery but with some differences in the packaging.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2

The thing with NiMH is that standard types self-discharge REALLY fast, which is why the eneloop type is very attractive.

This.

I used to use the 2700mAh ones in my camera, but they self-discharge so fast they're almost always nearly dead when you actually want to use the camera. The eneloop/precharged ones are much better.
 
Originally Posted By: Nayov
AA batteries? /////////So what is a good compromise in mAh's and recharge counts? Also, considering the frustration of the batteries losing their charge and the tedium of changing them out, is another factor.

They will be going in a Mac Magic Mouse which consumes batteries at a prodigious rate


Panasonic Eneloop standards are 1900 mAh minimum when new. The Eneloop Pro set that I just bought tested at over 2500mAh each. The Pros are allegedly good for about 500 cycles, and the standards are claimed to be good for 2100 cycles.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?364607-Overview-All-eneloop-batteries-2005-2014
 
Eneloops are great, and I've heard that the Amazon brand rechargeables are just the previous version of Eneloops, but I never bought any to verify it myself.
 
I been happy with the Eneloop 2000mAh and recently bought to try Amazon Basics which seem to be doing well so far. Both are LSD.
Go with a good smart charger too.
 
Short answer: just buy eneloops

Long answer:
First you need to calculate reasonably if this question matters to you. Otherwise it's like calculating the lifespan of your computer's CPU.
If it's 500 charges versus 1000 charges, and you're charging it weekly, does it matter if it makes it 5years or 10years?

Or are you really putting that battery into a situation where it's going to matter and you're charging it daily.

A lot of flashlight reviews have done runtime tests for standard alkaline vs eneloops vs lithium to demonstrate real world tests.

In general,
lithiums have 30% more usuable runtime then a eneloop
eneloop has 30% more usuable runtime then a good alkaline.

The actuals depend on the circuitry and draw of the device, but eneloops contain more useful "energy" than alkalines; at least in higher powered flashlights.

The http://lygte-info.dk/ mentioned above is good.
 
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