AAA Battery Charger
Rechargeable NiMH batteries are becoming increasingly popular since we use so many different power demanding gadgets today. By recharging your batteries you can save considerable amounts of money in the long run, and it is also very convenient to know that you always have the right type of batteries ready.
Choosing the right AAA battery charger is important, since an improper or malfunctioning AAA battery charger injure your batteries and shorten their lifetime significantly.
A low-quality AAA battery charger can also leave your batteries incompletely charged and force you to constantly recharge them. The AAA battery charger can be a somewhat expensive purchase compared to the batteries themselves, and setting some time aside to investigate the available chargers is therefore a recommended. It is also a good idea to learn a little about what’s actually going on inside a charger and how the quality of the AAA battery charger can affect your batteries. This way, you will increase your chances of choosing the ideal AAA battery charger from the start.
The AAA battery charger performance will have a large impact on the battery performance. If you dislike rechargeable NiMH batteries since they “become empty so fast and need constant recharging” or “are really expensive when you consider their miniscule lifetime”, then you might very well have a poorly performing AAA battery charger that keep injuring your NiMH AAA batteries and cause them to under perform.
The tree most important aspects of the AAA battery charger are time, damage rate and how completely the battery cells will be charged. The time it takes to charge the batteries can vary greatly from charger to charger, and some chargers will allow you to select between fast-charge and slow-charge. For some consumers, this aspect is highly important. Others leave their batteries to charge over night and are not interested in paying for a fast charger if they can get a high-quality slow charger for less.
The damage rate is another factor that will vary significantly from charger to charger. When you purchase an AAA battery charger, you naturally want one that causes as little damage as possible when charging the batteries. Each charge will always reduce the lifetime of the battery, but the extent of the reduction varies. A major part of the cell damage is caused by heat, so you should stay away from chargers that heat the cells a lot during a charge. The heat rate is however only a rough indicator and can not tell you exactly how much damage that particular charger will cause.
Finally, you naturally want an AAA battery charger capable of completely charging the cells in the battery. If your AAA battery charger leaves the cells half-empty, you will need to recharge them much more frequently. This is not only annoying for you; it will also reduce the lifespan of the batteries.
When trying to select your ideal AAA battery charger, you will probably notice that the various chargers come in very different sizes, shapes and designs. The technical solutions will also vary. You can for instance get an NiMH AAA battery charger capable of detecting the cell condition of your battery and adjust the charge rate accordingly. There are two main types of AAA battery chargers: desk chargers and travel chargers. Travel chargers are typically light weight and have built-in AC power supplies. The desk chargers can be bigger as well as heavier, and will usually require external power supplies. You will also need to decide how many batteries you want your AAA battery charger to be suited for. Some chargers have independent single cell charging capacity, and can charge one or several cells at a time. Others will have two charge channels, and be capable of charging either two or four cells at a time.
