2800 mah batteries

[Rustyjuan]

What brand would be the best? For the Explorer.

 

[Travis]

I replied to your post on the other forum, but I will post it here too for other peeps and thier input.
These are supposed to be the best on the market right now, and will be my replacement when mine crap out. They come charged for immidiate use (no biggie there), and will HOLD a charge ALOT longer than standard NMHa batteries. Pleas note though, a GOOD charger will make a big differince in rechargeable life cycles. They need to be conditioned. The La Crosse BC-900 is one such good charger.
HH
Travis

 

[Rustyjuan]

n/t

 

[migolddigger]

check out the Sanyo batteries. I think there available at Radio Shack. All the information I have gathered so far say they are the best on the market.

Tom

 

[LowRider]

n/t

 

[cachenut]

What they often say about battery chargers is true. Get a good one. Some monitor individual batteries and adjust charging for each battery charged and shut off automatically when fully charged. Most just stay on till you take them out or shut off after a predetermined time.

Many of the 8 battery chargers work better with four batteries and the last 4 batteries do not charge as much.

 

[Travis]

Sorry, I tell you ALL about 'em then forget to tell you WHAT they are. LOL
They are called Sanyo Eneloop batteries. They are just released in Japan, and hopefully will be here soon.

As for a good charger, I recommend:

LaCrosse BC-900 : It holds only 4 AA or AAA cells (has 4 adapters to convert THESE cells into "C" or "D" cells). You may need two of these to charge all your batteries at once. Comes with 4 2000mAh and 4 700mAh cells with case and the 4 "C" and "D" adapters for about $45.

Maha C-801D: Can charge from 1 to 8 AA/AAA batteries at once. Gives option of fast or slow charges and conditons batteries also. Includes 4 2000mHa batteries for about $70.

Maha C-808M: Same as above model, but can charg AA, AAA, C, or D cells, any combination. Includes 8 batteries for about $100.

 

[Jay- oldcoins]

For you who are REALLY interested in batteries, try this site- the creator has set up elaborate testing methods that show the real output of NiMh batteries of all brands and power ratings. Very informative- comparisons of many brand names and powers, and compare them to standard old alkalines!!! Not all 2300 mAh batteries produce the same power. Granted, his tests are for the sudden heavy drains and bursts of power needed for digital cameras, but many of you have those too (check out all the great photos in the postings). If anything the batteries should perform even better under the steadier power consumption of a detector.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM

 

[Mike Livingston]

My main concern with NiMh batteries is not necessarily their run time under load but rather how long the shelf life of the charge is. Nimh batteries will loose their charge just by sitting there unlike other batteries. Since my detector sits unused far more than it is used I find it rather inconvenient to grab my machine every once in a while and have to wait two to four hours for the batteries to charge. I have bought NiMh batteries before and forgot about charging them every month and when I finally did remember they were ruined. My experience with the newer Maha brand batteries show they can sit a couple of month's and still have a decent charge in them. I am hoping the Sonya batteries have been markedly improved in this area.

 

[LowRider]

I'm sorry I can't answer that question for you. In R/C car racing which is held once a week the batteries are charged up the night before the race. After the race they are discharged and stored until next week. Sanyo has made great strides in how much can be held in a battery. When I started racing they were using 1200 mha batteries and now they are upto 3000 mha batteries in the same size battery. As for how long they will stay charged I can't tell you. You could try searching the net for Sanyo and see if they have information on the web page or ask Sanyo the question.

Mike

 

[Travis]

Visit this site, it addresses the issues you have with these new batteries. LONG charged shelf life, they even come charged. Unfortunately, they are not in the US YET!
http://www.sanyo.co.jp/koho/hypertext4-eng/0511/1101-2e.html

HH
Travis