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General discussion

Lifeless Rechargeable AA NiMH Batteries

by wright02 Sep 1, 2005 4:50PM PDT

After charging my alternate sets of AA NiMH batteries to provide power for my A70, I am finding the camera's weakening power signal flashes after minimal use.

Does the power of these batteries greatly diminsh if they remain idle for a month or so, even if very few pictures were taken with them?

I also did find an instance recently where the batteries were supposedly charged via the charger's indicator lights but resulted in lack of power to begin with

I've looked at the Troubleshooting section of my manual and none of the problems mentioned seem likely.

The charger I'm using is the Lenmar Pro711 Rapid Charger - NimH Or NCd for AA & AAA. and I have three sets of four NiMH batteries --2 Lenmar & 1 Duracell.

Could the outlet I am plugging in for charging be weak and, even though the charger says the batteries are ready, a potent charge has not been completed because of a faulty power connection?

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2 Posts

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Most are 1.2V where alkalines are 1.5V

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Sep 1, 2005 9:39PM PDT

That's a big difference since a 1.2V alkaline is considered to be near dead.

Also, it is true the NiMH does self discharge. My observation over the years gives me an guesstiment of 1 or 2% per day discharge. NiCad was superior in that department with me measuring nearly a full charge months later. I don't see this effect in LiOn batteries.

I'm always hoping that I'll find some 1.5V NiMH batteries...

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NiMH Batteries

by snapshot2 Forum moderator Sep 2, 2005 12:10AM PDT

I have had some NiMH batteries go bad.

After charging the batteries, I immediately tested each battery with a volt meter and found one of the four that did not read 1.2 volts.

I tossed that battery and replaced it. Then the set of 4 worked fine.

In a set of 4, all it takes is one to be bad and it affects the whole set.

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If your camera sits for a month, you need to recharge the batteries before taking photos.

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