Cycling UK Forum

Some time ago some members kindly offered advice on battery chargers. After some research I finally choose a La Crosse RS900 “Ultimate Charger” from Component Shop and wanted to briefly feedback. Very flexible and intelligent charger particular useful points are
1.Offers varying current charge (200, 500, 700, 1000 or 1800mA) for fast. medium or slow (better for battery life)
2.Each cell can be treated differently if required in terms of mode, charge etc.. Goes to trickle after full charge.
3.Modes for auto discharge and recharge again to maintain battery life etc. and can then tell you the measured battery capacity
4.Identifies if an individual battery no longer works [shows NULL on start] - useful when one of of set of 4 dies.
5.Only works with AA and AAA but comes with cases to use as C etc.
6.Comes with 2 pin plug but complete with adaptor. Also set of x4 AA included in the carrying case

For about £37 with all its functionality seems well worth it compared to the cost of some "basic ones" - you just don't see this model around much but has been often recommended in photographic arena. Component shop were very good and also have really good deals on the Vapex Instant (i.e. low discharge - like the Sanyo Eneloop) AA with low P&P. They perform well in tests see here at bottom of page

Hope this may be of help to some others.

Paul

I had one of those once.
It fried itself, plus a set of batteries (i.e. overheated to the stage of part melting the casing), so I swapped to a WizardOne.
The low power version (BL700, up to 700mA charge rate) is more common.

Thanks - The Technoline BL-700 I think from spec is the similar to mine (case is identical) just a different brand with lest current options. Looks good value and at least I know what to get if this one stops working - so far has been ultra reliable but then only using it for just over one year.

I have the BL700 too.

Some of the features are gimmicky and just the basic features remashed.

It does however tell you what each battery is capable of and enable you to know which batteries are good and which are due for the bin.
I have retired quite a few batteries that were down to 30% of their stated capacity.

I use the refresh function on the batteries to rate them but it doesnt actually improve their capacity much at all.

I found out that my new Ansmann AAA were only 70% of the stated capacity even after going on refresh repeatedly for a month.

Energiser and Panasonic are at or above stated capacity.
Uniross are near to capacity.

Lidl's Tronic batteries are very variable.

I have a BL700 too.
Works very well with Sanyo Eneloop AA batteries. Only 2000mAh but they hold their charge with time, which means they can be kept charged as spares.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-Eneloop-P ... B000IDUOQO

Prompted by this thread I almost ordered a Technoline BL700. But then I noticed it said it only charged batteries with capacities up to 3000 mAh. AA cells already are up to 2700, it can't be long before they become available at >3000, and what happens then - does the BL700 become redundant, or does it still work?

I am led to believe that NiMh batteries are approaching some theoretical limit before 3000mAh. As it is I am not even buying the highest capacity ones now available.
When they release another higher capacity range I will be able to afford the present top range. There is still a lot of room for improving the long shelf life batteries' capacities.

I am not sure what will actually happen if you stick a battery in to the machine which exceeds its capacity.

The machines greatest use is in testing what a battery actually can deliver as the numbers written on the side can be totally wrong. Like some Ansmann AAAs that I bought which took months of refresh to reach even 70% of the stated value. Or if you have one bad battery in a set and dont know about it.

swansonj wrote:Prompted by this thread I almost ordered a Technoline BL700. But then I noticed it said it only charged batteries with capacities up to 3000 mAh. AA cells already are up to 2700, it can't be long before they become available at >3000, and what happens then - does the BL700 become redundant, or does it still work?

You can already get AAs that say they are 3000, though in real life they are closer to 2600 or 2650 usable capacity.
I'd guess that the 3000 limit is because there's a timer in the charger, and it will turn itself off after it's put about 3300mAh in