Blue lighting. Why you need blue light blocking glasses. What is so special about the perception of blue light?

Good and bad AA and AAA batteries

Batteries in sizes AA and AAA are divided into three categories, “branded”, “Chinese” and LSD(low self-discharge). The first two categories can be combined into one called “junk”. Don't look at big name such as Duracell or Energizer and the numbers 3000Mah - these are all batteries, so to speak, of instant use. I charged it, immediately inserted it into the device, clicked it off (or flashed it), and inserted it back into the memory. These batteries self-discharge very quickly, even without load (up to 20% in the first day and up to 50% in the first week), they cannot deliver high current and die very quickly (a hundred charge-discharge cycles and into the trash), and the worst thing is that Batteries from the same box may have twice the characteristics.

LSD batteries have low self-discharge and high current output. They are more expensive, the numbers written on them are half as large as on samples from the first category, but these are honest numbers and more than 1000 charge-discharge cycles. LSD batteries are also good because they can be used in low-power or rarely used devices (watches, remote controls, flashlights, etc.) - self-discharge is only 10% per year. The best batteries of the second category are Eneloop batteries.

Interesting fact: in chargers from SkyRC, which is known to produce the coolest charging device, there is a separate program for charging Eneloop batteries. Essentially, this is the same program as for charging conventional NiMH batteries, but it involves charging a used O higher currents. The Eneloop 2100mAh battery will easily charge in an hour with a current of 2A, which will simply boil ordinary nickel batteries.

Chargers for AA/AAA batteries

They are divided into three categories: “branded”, “Chinese” and good. We combine the first two categories into one. Chargers from Durasel, Varta, Energizer, etc. - this is the same consumer goods as, only five times more expensive. Even four-channel ones can’t do anything except charge. What else do you need? Control. As I said above, bad batteries may have twice the characteristics out of the box. But even good ones (let me remind you, these are LSD batteries) have characteristics that begin to change after some time of use, for example, a year or two. Imagine that you put 4 batteries in a flash, about which you know only one thing for certain: they are fully charged. But the trouble is, three batteries have a nominal capacity, and you accidentally dropped the fourth one and its capacity was reduced by half. You put it in the flash, and it stops turning on after 20 shots. The end of batteries, you think and throw the entire set into the trash, although you could buy one battery and use the set for many more years.

So, good memory they can show how discharged each battery is, how much was “poured” into each when charging, count the capacity of each battery, and the best ones can even restore it. The best Among the inexpensive chargers today are (aka Zeepin) and (aka Colaier). I would venture to call chargers from the early 2000s, like La Crosse (aka Technoline) and MAHA Powerex, ideologically outdated.

There are more universal chargers. For example, SkyRC iMAX B6, original or copy (the copy is much worse in measurement accuracy, firmware capabilities and software operation). Its plus is the ability to charge anything and how you want, from charging the batteries of radio-controlled models to lead-acid car and lithium camera batteries and mobile phone. The downside is that excessive versatility greatly complicates the device, and in general, full use requires a basic understanding of the basics of electrical engineering, and you need to purchase additional wires with connectors and sockets for each battery size.

The king of chargers for batteries of all (actually all) sizes today is, which can charge batteries of types NiCd, Ni-MH, LiIon, LiFePO4, NiZn in banks of sizes C, D, AA, AAA, 18650, 14500, 16340, 32650, 14650, 17670, 10440, 18700, 18350, RCR123, AAAA, 18500, 18490, 25500, 13500, 13450, 16650, 22650, 17500, 10340, 17650, 10500, 26 500, 12340, 12500, 12650, 14350, 14430, 16500, 17350, 20700, 21700, 22500, 32600, Sub-C. In addition, the MC3000 has a Bluetooth interface and can display battery status directly on your smartphone. The only negative is the price. On the other hand, two separate chargers for nickel and lithium cost almost as much.

My review of batteries and chargers

I used Varta, Duracell and GP and various China products for many years, and switched to Eneloop back in 2013, immediately after purchasing the LaCrosse charger to replace the defunct “cool four-channel” one from Duracell. With the help of La Crosse, I saw the mess that my “branded” batteries were after Duracelov’s charging - a range in capacity from 600 to 2200 mAh and a loss of 30% of charge during the first day.

The only batteries whose capacity matched the nominal value (surprisingly) and which held a charge normally were purchased at a sale in 2010 at the Gsyuasa Enitime household. After googling, I found out that they are manufactured according to the LSD standard and in some way are clones of the Sanyo Eneloop HR-3UTG. After googling some more I found that there are already HR-3UTGA and HR-3UTGB that hold a charge even better. In general, I had the money, so I switched to the latter, reasoning that the original is always better than the clone. Three years have passed - the flight is normal, the parameters have not changed. By the way, Gs Yuasa Enitime continue to serve (for the eighth year now) without complaints; out of 12 pieces, only one has lost capacity.

1. Out of competition in February of this year, Panasonic Eneloop - in the Panasonic brand store on Aliexpress.
2. Among the inexpensive ones, first of all, this is the green PKCELL. Holds two amperes, which, together with a small self-discharge, allows them to be classified as LSD.
3. Of course, “branded” manufacturers also have LSD batteries. For example, Varta Longlife Ready2Use, Duracell StayCharged or GP ReCyko+. But although they are prohibitively expensive (more expensive than the same eneloops), their characteristics are no better. The same applies to “simple”, non-LSD batteries - some green ones are no worse than Duracell 2650, which cost much more (three sets of Soshine and Duracell were purchased at the same time, lasted two years and were sent for recycling). In my opinion, Soshine and Duracell batteries are generally made at the same factory, they are so similar in characteristics.
4. Eneloop Pro are batteries with increased capacity. Like simple Eneloops, they can hold high currents and work fine in the cold, but they last 4 times less: 500 cycles versus 2100 for the Panasonic BK-3MCCE. And they self-discharge faster (-15% per year for Eneloop Pro versus -30% over 10 years for white Eneloop fourth generation).

And finally, a piece of advice. The basic rule when switching to good batteries is to choose just one and buy several sets of them at once, since the use of batteries different manufacturers(albeit of the same capacity) is ineffective due to different characteristics.
Let's say, all of them, when discharged from nominal to 0.9V (this is considered a full discharge), give out 2000 mAh, but some batteries discharge faster in the range of 1.2–1.1 V, and others in the range of 1.1–1.0 V. Or they heat up differently under load. When installing them in one set, due to different discharge curves, a situation may arise when one battery is discharged to zero and the remaining elements begin to charge it at reverse side, which will lead to instant battery failure. Today you have four 2000mAh batteries, and tomorrow you have only three.

In 2013, I bought the first smart charger La Crosse BC 700 and Sanyo batteries, then, for lithium batteries, a universal charger, I immediately felt the difference. Since then, I regularly test chargers and batteries from other manufacturers, constantly update my battery fleet and keep an eye on new products, so I can talk about batteries not just speculatively, but based on their use in field conditions.

Batteries and chargers from China, relevant for 2018

The article is already 4 years old, but I constantly update it, so the above remains true for 2017. I just want to add that the production of Sanyo batteries was bought by Matsushita and now the same batteries are sold under the Panasonic Eneloop and Fujitsu Eneloop brands. Exactly the same ones, they can even be safely used together with the old ones in one device.

Second point: Chinese universal chargers that I purchased in 2015 turned out to be very high quality, this is for $14.99, which can charge 3.7V/1.2V AA/AAA 18650/26650/16340/14500/10440/18500 batteries, and best in terms of price/quality ratio super-universal. In version 2.2 it is completely free from childhood diseases and is by far the best device. Sometimes found on sale under the Zeepin brand with the same markings. A big plus of the Opus 3100, in addition to the ability to charge lithium and nickel batteries simultaneously (a switch is provided for charging Li-FeO4 and other exotics 4.2V/4.35V/3.7V), is forced cooling during charging, which reduces the likelihood of overheating of the cans (and this miracle can charge them with currents of up to 2 amperes, which implies significant heating). The second plus is the ability to use this charger in a car with direct power from the on-board 12 volt network. Well, everything else too high level- training, internal resistance measurement, DC charging for lithium and -ΔV for nickel batteries.

Liitokala is similar in functionality to Nitecore D4, since it cannot automatically train batteries, but it charges excellently and is cheaper.

A few words about chargers for 8 or more AA/AAA batteries

With few exceptions, 8-battery chargers are either one four-channel charger (two batteries per channel) or two separate four-channel chargers in one case.

For example, for $8 (like its noname brother called C808W for $7) it charges batteries in pairs (that is, it does not have 8 slots of 1.2 volts, but 4 dual slots of 2.4 volts). And, despite 8 slots, the charging current for AA batteries is only 200 mA, which is five times less than that of normal chargers. Thus, while TangsPower T - 808C charges two sets of batteries, Opus will have time to charge five sets. Another limitation: you cannot charge one battery, minimal amount- two. Moreover, if you want to use the batteries longer, they must be equally discharged. Otherwise, the one with more charge will be overcharged. This is rubbish, I mentioned it to demonstrate that more is not always better.

For $45 it can charge lithium! This, in fact, is all its advantages. From the intellectuality in it - the name, yes 8 separate channels 650 mA each. There is not even a screen on it that will show you that the charger has correctly understood the type of battery. It costs as much as three Liitokala, but does not even have a small screen to show the voltage and the amount of current poured in, not to mention big screen, internal resistance testing, battery training, etc.

And finally, the champion of eight-cell chargers, . Price $63, excellent informative screen, ability to charge Ni-MH 1.5V, LiFePO4 3.6V, Li-ion 4.2 V / 4.3 V / 4.35 V batteries of almost all sizes. Charge current is 1A for each slot, the ability to set the charging mode for each slot separately. And you can even use it as a Powerbank. Worth as much as two Opuses. But it cannot train and test batteries, since, first of all, this is a device for charging lithium batteries in the field (from the vehicle’s on-board network), to which the ability to charge nickel has been added as an option.

Accordingly, increasing the number of slots does not positive effect. In the first case, the device will charge the batteries in pairs (there is no talk of any intelligence of such a device), in the second and third it is more efficient and cheaper to buy two separate chargers. For example, as I had before: one only for nickel AA/AAA, with the ability to restore batteries (and train them once every six months), and the second without such an opportunity, but with support for lithium batteries. The advantages of this scheme:

• Eight NiMH batteries can be quickly charged simultaneously ( keyword“fast”, since the charge current in eight-cell charges is usually lower);
• if necessary, train them (in free time, 4 at a time);
• charge lithium batteries with a second charger (lithium does not need training)
• saving money and the opportunity to buy one device first, and then buy a second one.

Today, the scope of application of AA and AAA batteries is quite extensive. Such batteries are installed on MP3 players, many models of cameras, children's toys, and even on the TV remote control. However, for constant maintenance normal level charge, it is necessary to charge them regularly. And for this you need to have a special memory. In this article, we will learn all the features of such a tool as a battery charger and consider its functions.

Characteristic

The term “charger” implies a special device for charging from external energy sources. As a rule, such tools convert the voltage into 220 Volts at 3.6 V (or whatever charge your particular battery model has), thereby charging the device to the required level. Absolutely all memory devices of this type operate on this principle.

Availability of slots

Often, a standard battery charger (instructions for its use are included with each model separately by the manufacturer) has from 2 to 4 connectors for charging batteries. In this case, the number of slots and their number are always a multiple of two. In addition, there are memory devices that can simultaneously work with different types batteries. In this case, the device has 2 slots: for AA type batteries (finger batteries) and the same number of connectors for AAA type batteries (the so-called little finger ones). Moreover, the design of such chargers provides one connector intended for the rechargeable Krona. Its voltage is usually 9 V. batteries that work with several types of batteries are called combined.

Has protection against overheating and reverse polarity

This function is available on almost all models of modern memory devices. It is very useful and even necessary, as it protects the charger and the battery itself from overheating and failure. If you forget about the operation of this device (which can lead to overheating and overcharging) or install a battery with the wrong polarity, the presence of such a function will help you avoid such consequences.

Battery charger with LCD display

Unfortunately, not all battery charger models are currently equipped with a display. There are options with (exclusively black and white), but they are much more expensive than others. The price for this for batteries is about 1.5 thousand rubles. And if you have several devices powered by batteries of this type, purchasing a device with such a “device” will not be superfluous for you. This display provides complete information about electric current, charging time and voltage. This is very useful feature, which allows you to monitor the condition of the battery without removing it from the connector.

Choosing the right charger for your battery. What to look for when choosing a battery charger? Types and modes of chargers

Most often, a simple consumer charges batteries for cell phones and cars, sometimes for cameras.

Typically, a standard charger is used for cell phones, so there is no need to select it correctly.

If it breaks down, purchase a model with similar connectors from the same manufacturer. When choosing a charger for AA batteries, you need to take a closer look at whether their sizes match the available sockets.

Quite the opposite is the case with car batteries - to make the right choice, you need to know the main rules for charging them.

It must be borne in mind that almost all modern automatic charging devices use combined method charging.

In this case, first the charging current is maintained at a certain level, then the voltage, which allows you to charge the battery in an extremely gentle mode, without overheating the electrolyte or not fully charging the battery.

You need to know that all chargers are divided into 2 types: charging-starting and charging-pre-starting. The latter are intended only for recharging the battery; as a result, they are equipped with relatively thin wires.

When using them, it is not necessary to disconnect the battery from the vehicle's on-board power supply - just connect the charger.

This is especially important for foreign cars, in many models of which blackout is undesirable.

Charging and starting devices operate in 2 modes - starting and charging.

With their help, you will be able to not only charge the battery, but also start the car, which is especially valuable in winter.

Moreover, in charging mode, you need to disconnect the battery from the on-board network, otherwise you can harm the electronics.

When choosing a charger, pay attention to the charging current indicated in its passport - it must have a certain reserve in comparison with the battery charging current.

If necessary, you will not only be able to easily charge a large-capacity battery, but also guarantee gentle operation of the charging equipment.

Chinese equipment should be avoided - its cheapness will not compensate for poor quality.

By saving on the price of such a device, you can then quickly render the battery unusable. Buy domestic or European models.

Choose a charger with a simple dial scale. It may not look as modern, but it gives accurate readings.

In this sense, LED scales are quite inferior.

Remember that not every charger is suitable for all types of batteries.

Before purchasing, be sure to get advice from the seller, then carefully read the passport for the device - it must support the type of battery used in your car.

Do not use homemade chargers - they usually cannot provide desired mode charging the battery, which negatively affects its durability.