{"id":41924,"date":"2024-03-25T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=41924"},"modified":"2024-03-14T12:12:48","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T19:12:48","slug":"rechargeable-batteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/rechargeable-batteries\/","title":{"rendered":"Rechargeable Batteries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Once a week we\u2019ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here<\/a> to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Still the best batteries<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No doubt, the best batteries I\u2019ve used are Sanyo\u2019s Eneloop cells. They\u2019re NiMH but the self-discharge problem is pretty well licked, and Sanyo are the ones who solved the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eneloops are still the best, but there are more makers now of LSD (Low Self-Discharge) NiMH cells. Usually marketed as \u201cready to use\u201d, their initial charge should still be available at time of purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sanyo has a fairly broad range of chargers available to go with these things, of which I have a couple. But to really get the most from my cells, I use the LaCrosse Technology BC700 Alpha Power charger. A very good combination for me. \u2014 Wayne Ruffner<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Customizable charge times<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

La Crosse Battery Charger<\/a> (Retired)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rechargeable technology has gotten to the point where you can get almost as much power out of reusable batteries as disposables. Most battery chargers, however, are dumb circuits that simply jam a current through the battery no matter its current state of charge, which can ruin a perfectly good battery. With La Crosse\u2019s BC-900, you can not only monitor the charge on the battery at any given time, you can do a discharge + recharge cycle, or even a full refresh where the battery is discharged and recharged several times in a row. I\u2019ve found the BC-900 can actually revive a battery that was rendered unusable via a less effective charger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously, I owned a Panasonic that worked OK. Though I haven\u2019t done a completely exhaustive search of this space, after reading a lot of reviews and then using it, I really would rate the BC-900 as being one of, if not the best little charger for the money. With mine, I find I can get anywhere between 50 to 100 percent more cycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, this unit has selectable charge rates, which allows you to charge batteries quicker if you need them ASAP, like within 15-30 minutes. Doing this does require a lot of current to be jammed through the batteries in a shorter period of time, which stresses them and shortens their lifespan. But it\u2019s helpful to at least have the option of optimizing for speed over longevity.The charger comes with eight batteries (4 AA and 4 AAA) and 4 C and D cell adapters, too, so you get a nice start all in one package. \u2014Dave Cortright<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Multi-cell battery holder<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Storacell Battery Caddy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These battery holders are a clear winner over other cell containers. Mine\u2019s loaded with Eneloop AA & AAA cells (and a Duracell 9V), in my tool kit, ready to keep me moving. Regular Alkaline cells fit in there too, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve got a lot of small equipment that use these small batteries. Being prepared to change them when they\u2019re low is easier than Periodic Preventative Maintenance like charging everything monthly or something. And less time consuming than zooming off to get replacements when something quits. Better for the cells, too, than charging them when they don\u2019t really need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know yet if these will survive a winter, but the plastic seems of a type that should fare well. Certainly better than the other types of plastic battery boxes that seem to explode when the temps drop. A pretty good variety of shape\/combos and colors are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While these do a good job of protecting the cells from shorts, they\u2019re not absolute, so be careful about jamming them into spaces with other things that could lead to short circuits. Like my tool bag. And in a camera bag, no problems. \u2014 Wayne Ruffner<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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12-volt battery juicer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Xtreme Charge<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a collector car I won\u2019t drive in the snow, so I\u2019m forced to use a battery tender to keep the battery alive while it collects dust during the winter. In years past, I\u2019ve used a variety of chargers\/tenders (I also had a Harley I stored in the winter), but none has worked as well as the Xtreme Charge I\u2019ve been relying on this last year. Though my battery used to die all the time within hours of being removed from previous chargers, it now holds a charge for days on end. I am certainly no expert. What I know about how the system works is from what I\u2019ve read online. It\u2019s my understanding that once the battery\u2019s gotten a full charge from the unit, it switches to a \u201cpulsating DC current\u201d mode. Apparently this pulse technology does something to reduce and keep sulfate deposits from building up again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I know about whether the charger works comes from the old, off-brand battery that, by all rights, might have been relegated to the recycle bin last year but is still holding a charge like a champ. At about the same time I bought the charger, I had already bought a new battery for the \u201988 Rolls Royce Silver Spur. But rather than use the old battery to recover a \u201ccore\u201d charge on the new battery, I kept it and used the Xtreme Charge on it, just to see what would happen. It brought the old battery back to life so well that today I use the charger to keep the old battery alive as a backup power source for my sump pump!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I really appreciate the charger\u2019s LED display, too, which provides a constant readout of the state of the charge. Makes it easy to monitor its progress at a glance. After it first reads the current charge, a series of small lights begin pulsing. As the battery charges, the display expresses the status as a percentage of full: 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Another great feature: if a battery is dead and cannot be charged, the display tells you bluntly \u201cbattery dead\u201d (a situation I have yet to see *knock wood*). In years past, I would would waste time and effort hooking up more than one battery to a charger when it was simply impossible for the battery to take a charge. I went with Xtreme Charge\u2019s \u201cmarine\u201d charger because it\u2019s water-proof and comes in a rubber casing. These days my battery is fresher in the spring than it is at the end of the driving season. \u2014 Ken Herrera<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mac Laptop Power Cord Tip<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Power Cord Tip<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every Mac comes with a long, bulky power cord and a small 2-prong nub. You can interchange them, but both are far from optimal for travel. Here\u2019s my fix: use a power cord from a Sony PlayStation. There are other cords that will also fit into the Mac power brick, but the PlayStation cord is easy to find. It fits into the power brick, coils up nice and small and has two prongs. Plus, you can leave your giant Mac cord at your desk back home. I always keep one PlayStation cable stashed in my bag. This trick\u2019s good for any Mac laptop from the last 4-5 years. \u2014 Brian Lam<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 79<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2387],"tags":[2388],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41924"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41924"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41928,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41924\/revisions\/41928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}