Batteries......

[Greg B]

In today's Green Guide

http://www.theage.com.au/news/reviews/q ... 29662.html

Couple of interesting points. The AA rechargeables that come out of the pack fully charged, and
have reduced inactivity drain (15% p.a.) and a 9v battery that lasts 10 years.

Also a general discussion on choosing the appropriate battery type for the situation.

[Big Red]

I've been doing a test on the Sanyo Eneloop's
http://www.bigred4x4.com/sanyo-eneloop-ni-mh-batteries

[Matt. K]

I believe that soon you will be able to buy AA batteries that have nano technology inside of them....hollow carbon tubes. They will recharge almost as soon as you plug them in and never leak any power. They will never wear out as there are no chemicals or heavy metals inside them. They will always deliver full power. These batteries are actually capacitors and it is the nanotubes that give them the required surface area. We live in exciting times.

[digitor]

These Eneloop batteries are reported to have an excellent shelf life! That will enable me to use them to replace one of the last applications I use alkalines for. I might get a set from Dickie's tomorrow.

Lithium batteries are great - I've had some lithium AAs in an emergency led torch for about 7 years now, kept in the glovebox of my landcruiser, and it still works full strength even though the environment is less than ideal for battery longevity - upwards of 40c in there every day in summer!

Cheers

[jberth1]

I've been doing a test on the Sanyo Eneloop's
http://www.bigred4x4.com/sanyo-eneloop-ni-mh-batteries

Impressive results....the only issue which concerned me was their quoted capacity of 2000mAh - compared to something like Energiser NiMH's, but your results seem to show that they're capable of providing fantastic capacity (acknowledging the non-scientific test parameters...). The thing that really impresses is the manufacturers quoted shelf life - very nice !

Another big demand for a battery is how quickly they can provide sufficient current to something like a Speedlight. I wonder if you could do a test on a flash gun to see what the recycle times are like ?

Thanks for the test !

Cheers

Justin

[digitor]

Another big demand for a battery is how quickly they can provide sufficient current to something like a Speedlight.

The spec sheet for these cells indicates an internal impedance of 25 milliohms, after discharge to 1.0V. This equates to a theoretical short-circuit current of some 40 amps, so they should handle the demands of a flash ok.

Cheers

[Glen]

Thanks all for this post, very informative.


Ian (digitor) next time I have any techinical problem I am just going to PM you. You have wide ranging knowledge

[digitor]

I grabbed a pack of four Eneloop AAs today, and as advertised, they were indeed ready to go out of the box.

I put them into a flash to see how they went - and I don't think anyone who uses them for a flash will be disappointed, recycle times were quick, they seem to have plenty of grunt in the current department.

I'm giving them a cycle now in one of my chargers, and then they'll go into a portable short-wave radio.

It seems that these cells are worth considering for any rechargeable application really, and if they live up to the 15% per annum self-discharge claim, they can be a useful alkaline replacement as well.

Cheers

[Matt. K]

I have just recharged a set of these and I am very, very impressed! Even though they are rated at only 2000 mAH these suckers recycled my SB-800 faster than my PowerBase 2500s.....and that's with the 5th battery holder OFF the flash unit! If they continue to provide this kind of power then I will get rid of all my other batteries and use them exclusively. I think a lot of the problems folk have with their SB-800s is due to poor battery performance.."But I only recharged them 2 weeks ago!" just does not cut it any more. Looking forward to others putting in an opinion.

[Yi-P]

Where did you buy those batteries? How much were they?

[sirhc55]

I have just bought 8 of these batteries from A&M Enterprises $40.69 inc postage.

http://www.amenterprises.com.au/shop/

[mark]

I also believe that Dick Smith's sell them for $19.95 a pack of 4.

[Yi-P]

I'd love to hear some further tests and trials with the SB800 from Matt and Chris