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A real smart battery charger (for AA trail cam batteries)?

SonicAndTails
13/10/2022 15:04

Hi.

I am looking for an actual REAL smart battery charger to charge up AA batteries for my trail camera (it eats up 8 of these things).

I have bought 2 in the past and had to send both back as they were not "smart battery" chargers as they had advertised.

The problem was that I charged my batteries to 100% then as a test I put them back in immediately and they started charging from 75% and took a long time (i.e. - one could expect they may charge up for a number of seconds upon reinserting them, but no longer).

If It was really a smart battery charger it would have detected when my batteries were fully charged to 100% not just "guessed". As any old normal battery charger can do that.

Anyway, I am sure at least someone on here knows what I am talking about. 

So my search continues. Can anyone here recommend one. . . .

Thanks.

  • 14/10/2022 06:26
    Can't specifically recommend a charger, I've not tried your experiment with mine to see what it does - though you may find that reporting fully charged when it's not really is actually normal (depending on the battery type). However, most trailcams recommend you don't use rechargeable batteries in them - the voltage is a bit lower than normal batteries and they can cause poor performance. The best batteries are usually lithium - Energizer Ultimate Lithium are very good. They are expensive but last ages (many months in my Browning cam) and cope with the cold much better.
    The other option, if you're using the camera in your garden, is to run a cable back to a power supply in the garage etc and run it from there. Or set up a small solar panel and 12v battery in a nearby shed perhaps.

    ___

    Find me on Flickr / All about your camera - The Getting off Auto Index

  • 14/10/2022 08:30
    I have tried many batteries and chargers for my headtorches and lights.
    One of the best I have found is the Nitecore Intellicharger. It's worth looking at. The Nitecore batteries are pretty good as well.
    There are several models, designed for 2, 4 and 8 batteries, the i2, i4 and i8.

    Richard B

  • 14/10/2022 12:37
    Ah, good point.

    I forgot to mention I would need one that charges 8 batteries at a time.
  • 15/10/2022 13:42 in reply to Richard G B
    Does the Nitecore Intellicharger (which exact model do you have btw?) charge batteries individually and show a charging level?

    I.e. - I could charge a battery that was 50% and one that was at 75% and it would show (ideally) one that then fully charges to 100% whilst the other would be showing 75%.

    Also do you know it is has a "full drain"?

    When I researched batteries I read all kinds of stuff that to conserve life they should be fully drained and also that a slow charge is best etc.
    Thanks.
  • 16/10/2022 06:54
    The memory effect (where the battery loses capacity if you only part-charge) only affects NiCd and (to a lesser extent) NiMH batteries - Lithium rechargables aren't affected (hence you don't need to flatten your phone every time nowadays). You can still get a temporary effect with NiMH but the full-drain should fix that (but you shouldn't need to do it every single charge). You can either get a charger with the draining facility or simply bung the batteries in a torch and leave it on (use one with a bulb, not LED, it'll drain quicker).
    Panasonic Eneloop chargers have a drain feature I believe, so may be an idea to look at those - their batteries always seem to get top scores too, so they should know what they're doing with this stuff

    ___

    Find me on Flickr / All about your camera - The Getting off Auto Index

  • 16/10/2022 10:36

    As the others have said, its difficult to comment on the battery charger in question.

    One thing I have noticed, is often metering is relative, and to what.....

    The photographers among us will know what I mean when we see (often digital quotes) zoom magnifications as a 6x, 10x etc, rather than relative to the accepted 35mm camera optical zoom.

    It might be indicating the batteries have dropped to 75%, but they may actually not have dropped that much in reality over the initial voltage. What you will get with all rechargeable batteries is what's called surface charge and sometimes this is measured as the main charge, which will be considerably above the nominal voltage, and will naturally deplete once the charge has been removed.

    The best way to check whether a battery is fully charged or not, is using a voltmeter, and if the voltage after a period of time, around an hour or so, and definitely not when the battery is warm after a charge, is around the nominal voltage, then the battery is deemed to be fully charged.

    Mike

    Flickr: Peak Rambler

  • 16/10/2022 18:29 in reply to SonicAndTails
    This is the one I have.
    It charges each battery individually, showing their respective charges.

    www.nitecore.co.uk/.../nitecore-new-i4-intellicharger.html

    Richard B