AA rechargeable batteries: advice

[gbr1918]

[Rob]

Yes - I've been using GP ReCyko+ 2050 in a few things like bike lights, mouse and remotes for the last year and they seem fine so far. Expensive

- but I'd imagine I'm not far off break even.

[JohnW]

Which is also why they quickly give a battery warning in devices that expect the 1.5v non-rechargeable cells that are clapped out at 1.2v. With 1.2v rechargeables you can safely ignore the initial warning with these as they'll stay at 1.2v for months, depending on use - and providing they have a low self-discharge rate, like those being recommended.

[Mike Lane]

Dave Liquorice wrote on Dec 30, 2009:

My Canon camera takes 4 AAs and at first I used NiMH rechargeables which gave me a lot of trouble. They always seemed to give out at a crucial time and I was endlessly faffing around recharging them. I then discovered non-rechargeable Lithium AAs which I find fantastic. One set gives me around

1500 shots (I think - I've never really counted), which lasts me around 2 years - so I really don't have to bother much about batteries now.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Harry Bloomfield saying something like:

I must tell my clocks that. They've been running on rechargeables for years (in total, recharged twice a year, if that) and it seems that a tiny current drawn keeps the charge up much longer than otherwise expected. The unexpected winner on the clock battery rechargeable front is a set of ancient green 900mAh AAs - each of those lasts for nearly a year in a clock. Same goes for my remotes. I ignore the Sky remote's dire warning of battery state until I can stand its interfering nagging no longer, than I'll change them out, but other remotes are just fine.

[Mark]

I disagree. I use Sony/Panasonic NiMH AAs in my camera and they last ages.

Can you get LiPo AAs?

[The Natural Philosopher]

Nope. Li-ion or A123, which is LiFE something or other. BUT they are not

1.5v, they are 3.3 or 3.7 per cell.

So I dont use AA type stuff at all, if its high power. low power the primary cells have the best charge retention anyway.