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Battery chargers

Started by Alps, January 05, 2019, 09:24:22 PM

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Alps

I'm old-school and I still use AA batteries in my camera. My car charger just conked out, and it appears that all anyone sells now is wall mounted chargers. This means that I can't charge batteries on the fly while driving, which can definitely get in the way of photography as we all know! I put this in Road Trips because it's very pertinent - does anyone know of a car-compatible battery charger that's still on the market?


kevinb1994

Quote from: Alps on January 05, 2019, 09:24:22 PM
I'm old-school and I still use AA batteries in my camera. My car charger just conked out, and it appears that all anyone sells now is wall mounted chargers. This means that I can't charge batteries on the fly while driving, which can definitely get in the way of photography as we all know! I put this in Road Trips because it's very pertinent - does anyone know of a car-compatible battery charger that's still on the market?

Sorry, but you're out of luck and out of time.

abefroman329

Maybe this, although I'd find a wall charger I liked and plug it into an AC-to-DC converter if I were you. Or just bring a big supply of charged batteries.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GODG3X0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_UzHmCb4TAAWDT

AsphaltPlanet

I bring a small power inverter on my trips to charge batteries and the like.  The only problem is a power inverter is a bit larger if you are taking it on an airplane or something.
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formulanone

#4
Do you mean the DC port in your car conked out? It could just be a fuse blew because some foreign material got inside of it. Or it the connections inside have worn out.

Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on January 06, 2019, 10:20:40 AM
I bring a small power inverter on my trips to charge batteries and the like.  The only problem is a power inverter is a bit larger if you are taking it on an airplane or something.

I use something like this (I bought mine in 2011, so it looks different) for charging 12V items. It's a little tough to mount a battery charger, but you can twist it around. Should be available at you local big box department store.



Not sure about the new ones, but the fan noise gets a little annoying after a few hours. The charging light may be an annoyance when it's dark.

For the longer car trips with family, I have a bigger 170W inverter with a 4-foot cord. Plugs in three electronic devices without wearing out the alternator or battery, or charges my laptop. Don't just buy the greatest number of wattage for an power inverter; because if you load it up, you can drain your battery faster than your alternator can keep up.

If it can't get fixed soon, it looks like you're stuck buying a bunch of AAs.

hbelkins

Quote from: Alps on January 05, 2019, 09:24:22 PM
I'm old-school and I still use AA batteries in my camera. My car charger just conked out, and it appears that all anyone sells now is wall mounted chargers. This means that I can't charge batteries on the fly while driving, which can definitely get in the way of photography as we all know! I put this in Road Trips because it's very pertinent - does anyone know of a car-compatible battery charger that's still on the market?

eBay is your friend. There's an Energizer charger that comes with both home AC and car DC plugs. I have at least two different models; an older one and a newer one. Because my camera has a power port and I have a 12 car cord that fits it, I don't use batteries as often as I used to while mobile, and thus could be persuaded to part with one of them if you can't find a new one.

Beware, though, that it tends to be finicky sometimes, and will refuse to charge batteries that charge perfectly well in other chargers.

Quote from: formulanone on January 06, 2019, 10:41:11 AM
Do you mean the DC port in your car conked out? It could just be a fuse blew because some foreign material got inside of it. Or it the connections inside have worn out.

I use something like this (I bought mine in 2011, so it looks different) for charging 12V items. It's a little tough to mount a battery charger, but you can twist it around. Should be available at you local big box department store.



Seems like a short extension cord would solve the awkward mouting issue, and would allow room for use of the USB plug as well.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Michael

Yay, someone else uses a camera with AA batteries!  It's basically impossible to find one now!  Being able to charge AA batteries ahead of time to have spares with you is so convenient!

Anyway, I have a few different wall chargers.  After taking apart some old dead laptop batteries and seeing that they had some good 18650 cells in them that would work in a 3 AAA flashlight I have, I ended up getting a Nitecore D2 charger so I could charge the 18650 cells.  It charges a wide variety of cells, and it has a 12V jack on it, so you could use it in a car with a cigarette lighter to 12V cord.  The D2 charges 2 batteries at a time, but if you want to charge 4 batteries at a time, there's the Nitecore D4.

hbelkins

The older one I have is an Energizer CH15MN. The newer one is CH15MN2.

If you can't find one new, get in touch with me. I'd be glad to let you have one of mine if you'll cover shipping costs.


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kphoger

Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on January 06, 2019, 10:20:40 AM
I bring a small power inverter on my trips to charge batteries and the like.

Our power inverter never leaves the car.
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Alps

Quote from: hbelkins on January 07, 2019, 10:44:37 AM
The older one I have is an Energizer CH15MN. The newer one is CH15MN2.

If you can't find one new, get in touch with me. I'd be glad to let you have one of mine if you'll cover shipping costs.
Those are the ones I have. There are CH15MN2s still out there, but all used. I'm down to the old MN for now while I consider options.

hbelkins

Quote from: Alps on January 07, 2019, 11:22:21 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on January 07, 2019, 10:44:37 AM
The older one I have is an Energizer CH15MN. The newer one is CH15MN2.

If you can't find one new, get in touch with me. I'd be glad to let you have one of mine if you'll cover shipping costs.
Those are the ones I have. There are CH15MN2s still out there, but all used. I'm down to the old MN for now while I consider options.

Have you had issues with the charger refusing to charge batteries sometimes, when they charge just fine with other chargers? It happens to me more often than I'd like. I get the blinking red light on occasion, but I put that set of batteries in a different charger and they work fine.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Beltway

#11
Quote from: kphoger on January 07, 2019, 09:58:12 PM
Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on January 06, 2019, 10:20:40 AM
I bring a small power inverter on my trips to charge batteries and the like.
Our power inverter never leaves the car.

I got a 12vDC/110vAC inverter at a truck stop a year ago and it works fine.  This one produces 120 watts and has enough power to charge various devices including a laptop, and is handy with a device where you only have a 110vAC adapter.  For 30 bucks it is well worth it.  Also nice if you want to really light up the inside of your car at night if you are parked and want to do some work or study, using a standard household fixture and bulb.

This is the one I got --
https://www.homedepot.com/p/PowerDrive-120-Watt-Slim-Plug-In-Inverter-with-1-AC-and-2-USB-Ports-PD120/300455434

They come in bigger sizes up to 4,000 watts but you need to make sure you don't draw too much power, because the circuit fuse would limit things to far below that, and if you connect directly to the battery then there is the issue of drawing more power than the alternator can supply to keep the battery fully charged.  200 watts would probably be the effective limit.
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US71

Quote from: Beltway on January 08, 2019, 10:21:15 AM


I got a 12vDC/110vAC inverter at a truck stop a year ago and it works fine.  This one produces 120 watts and has enough power to charge various devices including a laptop, and is handy with a device where you only have a 110vAC adapter.  For 30 bucks it is well worth it.  Also nice if you want to really light up the inside of your car at night if you are parked and want to do some work or study, using a standard household fixture and bulb.

This is the one I got --
https://www.homedepot.com/p/PowerDrive-120-Watt-Slim-Plug-In-Inverter-with-1-AC-and-2-USB-Ports-PD120/300455434

They come in bigger sizes up to 4,000 watts but you need to make sure you don't draw too much power, because the circuit fuse would limit things to far below that, and if you connect directly to the battery then there is the issue of drawing more power than the alternator can supply to keep the battery fully charged.  200 watts would probably be the effective limit.

I may have to look into one of those for myself. I can think of several uses.
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MikeTheActuary

I didn't see this thread when it first started, but in case there is still a need for a 12V AA battery charger, this would seem to do the trick:

https://smile.amazon.com/Universal-Zanflare-C4-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B07428G1G2

webfil

#14
Ikea has a USB charger they sell for a handful of pocket change. Get a tiny USB adapter for the lighter plug and there you go.

D-Dey65

Quote from: formulanone on January 06, 2019, 10:41:11 AM
Not sure about the new ones, but the fan noise gets a little annoying after a few hours.
A few hours!?! I'm lucky I can handle the noise of these things for 5 minutes!



hbelkins

#16
Quote from: D-Dey65 on January 27, 2019, 02:42:49 PM
Quote from: formulanone on January 06, 2019, 10:41:11 AM
Not sure about the new ones, but the fan noise gets a little annoying after a few hours.
A few hours!?! I'm lucky I can handle the noise of these things for 5 minutes!

Fan noise is an occurrence with the charger I mentioned, but it doesn't really bother me.

Quote from: MikeTheActuary on January 27, 2019, 12:19:25 AM
I didn't see this thread when it first started, but in case there is still a need for a 12V AA battery charger, this would seem to do the trick:

https://smile.amazon.com/Universal-Zanflare-C4-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B07428G1G2

Now, that seems interesting. Might have to invest in one.

Quote from: webfil on January 27, 2019, 12:26:26 AM
Ikea has a USB charger they sell for a handful of pocket change. Get a tiny USB adapter for the lighter plug and there you go.


Wonder how quickly that charges? It only holds two batteries. My big camera uses four. Of course, two of these and a two-port USB lighter plug would work, but wonder how much power it draws? And I sure hope those generic Ikea batteries are better than some generic rechargables I found on eBay.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

webfil

Quote from: hbelkins on January 27, 2019, 03:03:43 PM
Wonder how quickly that charges? It only holds two batteries. My big camera uses four. Of course, two of these and a two-port USB lighter plug would work, but wonder how much power it draws? And I sure hope those generic Ikea batteries are better than some generic rechargables I found on eBay.
Expect a 5 (500 mAh AAA) to 12-hour (2500 mAh AA) charge. It draws USB power (5V, 500 mA), so the current is needed on a longer period to provide the same amount of wattage as 12 volts would do.

I only charged the batteries once, so I do not know yet what are they worth. I personally use a tiny USB adapter with two plugs (akin to this one), so I bought two chargers to provide for my camera. The 7-hour drive on my way home from my parents' was not enough to fully charge the 2450 mAh in both the chargers I have. Then again, I'd have put the 1000 mAh in my camera instead and would have had more than enough to fully charge them.

hbelkins

Quote from: MikeTheActuary on January 27, 2019, 12:19:25 AM
I didn't see this thread when it first started, but in case there is still a need for a 12V AA battery charger, this would seem to do the trick:

https://smile.amazon.com/Universal-Zanflare-C4-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B07428G1G2

I found one of those on eBay at a reduced price. It's not a rapid charger such as the Energizer chargers that both I and the OP have, but it has several test options that will drain and recharge the battery, which is handy. You can set a number of variables with the charger. I haven't tried it with the car adapter yet, but so far I'm pleased.


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