Greenbatteries.com - Responsible Renewable Energy

RE: Rechargeable batteries check

2009-05-07T15:16:00.001-07:00

Hi Nelty,

The best way to get the type of detailed info from a battery that you are looking for is to use one of the battery charger/tester/analyzers that are made by LaCrosse BC900 or 700 or Maha MHC9000. You can see them on this battery testers page. http://www.greenbatteries.com/batterytesters.html or this NiMH chargers page http://www.greenbatteries.com/chargers.html

Most testers that will test the current capacity of the battery are great but not likely identify a "bad battery" that has charge retention issues.

Hope that helps.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
3170 Eugene Way
Fallon, NV 89406
phone 800-790-7866 x3
fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com
www.portablebatteries.com

From: Nelty
Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2009 2:28 PM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Rechargeable batteries check

Hi,

I’m looking for a tool that could measure if the rechargeable batteries are good or bad. We will primarily use it for two situations:

When purchasing new rechargeable batteries – we want to be able to test the bad one, i.e those that are new but don’t hold their charge.
Old rechargeable batteries – to check to see if it’s time to replace it.

Do you sell anything of that sort? Please let me know and thanks in advance for your help.

Regards,

Nelty

RE: Lithium and Lithium-ion batteries?

2009-04-15T12:32:00.001-07:00

Hi Felix,

No worries. I get this question all the time. The AA battery size is probably the most common one on the planet. The challenge is that it is also available in a variety of battery chemistries and they all have different strengths and weaknesses. Here is a webpage that goes into some more detail so that you can better understand the choices. Your camera should use all AA 1.2 or 1.5 volt batteries - rechargeable or not - and may also use CRV3 batteries (this is a type of battery that is basically the size and shape of two AA batteries but it is in a specific battery pack and can not be used on all devices that use AA batteries.)

Here is that link with more info on AA rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries - http://www.greenbatteries.com/aa-battery-faqs.html

Hope that helps.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
3170 Eugene Way
Fallon, NV 89406
phone 800-790-7866 x3
fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com
www.portablebatteries.com

From: FELIX

Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 12:24 PM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Lithium and Lithium-ion batteries?

Hi Curtis,

I recently bought a Pentax K200D digital slr camera which came with 4 Energizer AA size #03-2023 lithium batteries, but I am confused about the warning label: "could explode when charged and not for retail trade." The label does not say rechargeable. According to your website's info, Lithium batteries are not rechargeable, while Lithium-ion batteries are and they last longer. Would you clarify my technology muddled mind; I would like to purchase the appropriate batteries and charger for my camera.

Thanks,

Felix

RE: Question on the Maha 9.6v 230mAh NiMH battery

2009-03-24T10:59:00.001-07:00

Hi Carlos,

Thanks for your email and your business. We have many customers that use our greenbatteries.com NiMH batteries for wireless mics and the issue with voltage is always a concern because the devices all have different specs and use power differently. "9 volt" NiMH rechargeable batteries are actually battery packs with multiple 1.2 cells inside and they come in three voltage configurations - 7.2, 8.4 and 9.6

Generally a wireless mic can be designed to use 9 volts exactly (alkaline non-rechargeable batteries) or rechargeable batteries, or both but it goes through the non-rechargeable alkaline battery pretty quickly. When the mic starts to no longer function properly it has reached the "voltage cutoff" and will either work less reliably or simply cease to function at all. The specific cutoff voltage is normally not a detail that is available to the consumer, so we must just guess what the voltage cutoff is for your mics. A good rule of thumb is if they do not work for as long as you like with a 8.4 volt 230 mAh NiMH battery then it is very likely that they will work longer with a higher voltage and/or higher mAh capacity NiMH battery - like the Maha 9.6 volt unit.

Keep in mind that all of our products are fully guaranteed to provide you with satisfactory service so I would definitely try the 9.6 Maha , especially if you already have one of their smart 9 volt chargers - it will charge any NiMH "9 volt" battery regardless of the voltage.

The size is another issue. If your mic battery compartments are a bit on the tight side we can assume that they were really designed for non-rechargeable batteries because rechargeable batteries are not normally the same size as their non-rechargeable cousins. Indeed, batteries are not really in standard sizes it is really more of a size range. They also change size slightly (get bigger) when fully charged. So to get you the best battery to fit your devices we must know the exact size of battery that will fit well in MM because the size differences are typically in fractions of a MM.

I can measure the Maha battery and let you know if it will fit after I compare it to a Duracell or Energizer alkaline battery. The Maha NiMH 9.6 volt battery does not have a shrink wrap sleeve so if it does not fit out of the box we cannot alter it to make it fit better.

Hope that helps.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
3170 Eugene Way
Fallon, NV 89406
phone 800-790-7866 x3
fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com
www.portablebatteries.com

From: Carlos

Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 3:15 PM
To: info@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Question on the Maha 9.6v 230mAh NiMH battery

Hello,

Last year our church purchased 10 of your 9v 250mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries for use in our wireless mics. These batteries have performed well for us for the most part. Usually we will use a battery for a 1.5 hour practice period and then swap out the battery prior to the live performance for fear of them losing sufficient power, from the wireless mic, before the end of the service. The other problem we had initially was the plastic covering on the battery itself makes the fit in the wireless mic too snug. We had to remove the green cover to make changing out batteries much easier without cracking the plastic case on the mic itself.

I noticed that you now have a 9.6v 230mAh NiMH battery listed on your website for use with wireless mics. My first concern is will the battery fit in the battery holder of the mic? A typical Duracell or Eveready 9 volt battery fits in the battery holder with no difficulty. Does this 9.6v battery you offer fit the same dimension as the typical non-chargeable battery? Or will we have to peel off the plastic cover (if it has one) once again to fit them into our wireless mics?

My second concern is will these newer batteries hold their charge, under the power drain of the wireless mic, for an approximate 3 hour time period or will we have to change them out like the 9v green batteries mentioned above?

We love your product overall and wish to purchase these newer batteries in the near future if they meet our need. Please reply to all email addresses above with your answers

Thanks,

Carlos

solar lights and NiMH batteries - cant get them to work easily

2009-03-05T12:33:00.001-08:00

Hello Bridge,

You are doing a lot of work to get these batteries to work properly in
your solar lamps - a challenging and frustrating process to say the
least. ;-) Almost no one that I have ever talked to gets satisfactory performance out of
these lights for very long because of the inherent flaws in the
overall design i.e.- solar charging is very inconsistent and the
limitations of battery technology, memory for NiCD, self discharge for
NiMH and limited life for rechargeable alkaline.

Here are a couple of things that may help you to get better results overall.

First - a charger that charges the batteries in pairs will not be as useful as
one that will charge them individually. Your batteries are probably not being
fully charged and I believe that is your main challenge - to get them
at their full capacity before you start using them. If your charger is older than a
year or so it needs to be added to your "suspect" list. Most chargers
cease to function as well as they used to and can give false and confusing
readings as they age. i.e.- they say that the battery is full when the
battery may or not be full. Also the usable capacity of the battery is
greatly diminished due to its age and most chargers have no way to
tell you this. A battery tester and/or charger/analyser will help if you need
this type of detail from your batteries. See this page for many
options. http://www.greenbatteries.com/batterytesters.html

Second - a VOM will not give you useful information because voltage is
not a good reading from the useful life of a rechargeable battery. The
slight difference in voltage is not going to help you to diagnose and
make adjustments in your rechargeable battery efforts with solar
outdoor solar lighting. A VOM is one of the worst ways to diagnose
the useful capacity of a rechargeable battery.

Charging the batteries once and then
testing them on the VOM will just not be a useful way to get what you need out of the lights.

The higher the rated capacity of a NiMH battery the higher the self
discharge. Particularly with the battery not being charged and
discharged fully from 3-5 times.

You need to use a charger that has individual charge channels and/or
get a tester that will allow you to see the charge state of the
batteries under an actual load with an idea of the current state of
the battery.

The greenbatteries.com batteries are probably performing as they
should but you are still welcome to return them - regardless of your
reason.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
3170 Eugene Way
Fallon, NV 89406
775-722-9901

mailto:curtis@greenbatteries.com

Thursday, March 5, 2009, 11:51:30 AM, you wrote:

New Reply: FW: order greenbatteries-store-41337 from Greenbatteries Store

Hi Curtis,

Thanks for the questions...

I use a Digital Concepts recharger CH-2600N which is selectable for charging of Ni-CD and Ni-MH; although only using the Ni-MH settings these days.

All new batteries I get are always charged first before using them. I've found that the GB batteries charge to about 1.37V while some of the older batteries (4+ years old as I mentioned in my note) will recharge a bit higher even today (about 1.42V) which is surprising.
I am using a VOM to test voltage levels
I am using the GB batteries in 18 solar lamps in our garden. Uses qty 3 AAA per unit.
At the beginning of dusk the lamps turn on and the light intensity is very similar among all 18 units. At pre-dawn I check to see which ones are the most dim. Many lamps are still running pretty bright before sun-up. I have opened up the dimmer ones and have found the voltage levels of and check voltage levels of all three batteries (per unit) individually. The voltage of some of the GB batteries (remember I am only checking on units with dimmer lights after being on all night; not all the units). These tend to have dropped to 1.02-ish levels while the older batteries are still at 1.18-ish levels. That says although the GB started out about .05V behind to after charging, they dropped more over night then existing batteries. The older, existing batteries are rated at 600mAh whereas the GBs are rated at 850mAh. (and not to confuse with my earlier comment that I did get some 700mAh at Radio Shack a couple of days ago to make up for the issue with the GBs).
One of the GB batteries is reading 0 volts. I will do a recharge of the other 4 GB batteries and advise their completed voltage level for each battery. That may take a day or two as the recharger handles only two pair of batteries at a time and I am already charging some others. It takes about 6-8 hours to charge each pair.
Once the four GB are recharged (note that I am assuming at the moment that the one GB reading 0V is really dead) I will reinstall in the lamps and see if they again drop in power faster then the others and advise back to you.

Best regards,

Bridge

Re: products and pricing

2008-12-04T12:36:00.001-08:00

Hello Matthew,

Thank you for your email. We do not try and compete based solely on price. We prefer to add value, hence the website is more about information about rechargeable batteries and why folks find them frequently so frustrating to use. Because value is so relative, it all depends on the customers perspective. Some of our prices are better than others, while some are not...it is a constantly changing thing and depends greatly on where our supplier is in the food chain.

Small companies that cannot add value but merely try and compete solely on price invariably lose, especially with the big box stores and "major brands". Hence, we are developing our own "brand" of batteries.

Example: Energizer AA NiMH batteries at the local Walmart are $10.97 for a pack or four, our price for the same Energizer four pack of NiMH batteries is $12.51, does that make our prices bad? We have our greenbatteries.com brand of AA NiMH batteries, that are actually a better battery than the Energizer brand if you test them on a battery analyzer, for $2.79 each - aka $11.16 for four batteries, or $2.50 if you buy 20 or more, aka $10.00 for four batteries. Does that make our prices good?

It's all in your perspective...

I know that many folks use our website information to educate themselves and then get their batteries elsewhere - that is OK - more rechargeable batteries in use is a good thing for our environment.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation

Curtis Randolph - CEO

3170 Eugene Way

Fallon, NV 89406

775-722-9901

mailto:curtis@greenbatteries.com

Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 6:52:28 PM, you wrote:

I found your website while searching google for rechargeable batteries. I noticed you have an affiliate program. I find that quite interesting, but I noticed your prices are quite high compared to major brands. What incentive does a customer have to purchase your batteries vs. buying similar items off the shelf for less money?

Matthew

RE: Help

2008-12-03T14:40:00.001-08:00

From: Curtis Randolph [mailto:admin@greenbatteries.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 2:39 PM
To: 'Phil
Subject: RE: Help

Hi Phil,

The solar charger will probably never charge the batteries completely. There is just not enough sunshine/power to get the job done. You may need to get a NiMH charger and get the batteries charged up completely (charge and discharge 3-5 times ideally, but at least once fully) before you get any kind of good performance out of them.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
3170 Eugene Way
Fallon, NV 89406
phone 800-790-7866 x3
fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com
www.portablebatteries.com

From: Phil
Sent: Monday, December 01, 2008 8:11 PM
To: info@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Help

Hello – Boy, am I glad to see your page on info about batteries. My question is: I have Rechargeable battery powered lights along my driveway. The batteries that came with the lights were 600 mha. We live in the Pacific Northwest where it is not sunny all day. In fact, in the late fall, winter and early spring, a sunny day is rare and also short. So, the batteries don’t really get a long recharge time. I have replaced the 600 mha batteries with 2600 mha batteries thinking that they would maybe power the lights better than the 600 ones would. I think that my hopes are now being dashed upon the rocks as the 2600s don’t seem to perform any better than the 600s. Is this correct??? Or am I just spinning my wheels?? Am I not charging the 2600s long enough ?? What would be your suggestion ?? Thanks, in advance, for your help and

I await, with baited breath, your advice and suggestions. Phil

RE: rechargeable batteries for solar lights

2008-11-25T14:07:00.001-08:00

FYI - Any good quality NiMH AA batteries will probably work. You may need to get an additional charger to keep them charged in case the built in solar "charger" circuit does not get them to full capacity.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
3170 Eugene Way
Fallon, NV 89406
phone 800-790-7866 x3
fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com
www.portablebatteries.com

From: Jeff
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2008 9:01 AM
To: info@greenbatteries.com
Subject: rechargeable batteries for solar lights

I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THESE ARE AA BATTERIES FOR THE SOLAR LIGHT,THE ONES I HAVE NOW ARE 900, I WOULD LIKE SOMETHING BETTER,THE ENERGIZER ONES THAT ARE SOLD EVERYWHERE,WILL THEY WORK ? OR DO U NEED A SPECIAL ONE FOR SOLAR LIGHTS,THANKS

RE: Batteries are dying

2008-10-09T11:48:00.001-07:00

Hi Sandi,

The worst thing you can do to a rechargeable battery is not use it. They do not last forever but you cannot really estimate the time remaining because the industry does not require an expiration date per se.

It is common to have a rechargeable battery that has not been used for a long time get so low in terms of charge that when you put it into a “smart charger” the charger detects that the battery charge is below the minimum voltage and then the charger tells you it is “bad” or just will not charge it at all.

Sometimes you can put the battery into a “dumb” charger – i.e.- a charger that is on when it is plugged in and off when it is unplugged, or a charger that is timer based. These charger types do not have the built in feature of “bad battery detection” that a typical smart charger has so you can sometimes rescue a battery that is still good but is just very low voltage because it has been sitting for a long time.

Hope that helps.

Sincerely,

Curtis

From: Sandi

Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 2:20 PM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Batteries are dying

My batteries are over a year old, but suddenly four of them have failed. Two were in my ipod speaker case as backups. I pulled them out to use them and they were dead, I tried to charge them, no go, so I tossed them. This week, similar situation. I had two batteries in my mini tape recorder which sat unused for a long time. When I tried to charge those batteries, they also would not accept a charge.

This is getting expensive. Are the batteries failing because they are sitting and losing all their juice? Should I let them sit in the charger for hours to even show one bar of charge? Should I never leave batteries sitting for any length of time?

Sandi

RE: Quick question about NiMH batteries

2008-09-15T11:20:00.001-07:00

Hi Dez,

Yes, NiMH batteries are a good choice for many things, depending on the energy required for the device and the usage patterns. The worst thing about NiMH batteries is still the self discharge issue. Ultra Low Self Discharge (ULSD) batteries have helped with this a little but you still need to be aware of it. Also the ULSD batteries are generally not available in C and D cells so you need to use the battery adapters with AA cells in lieu of the C and D cells.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
3170 Eugene Way
Fallon, NV 89406
phone 800-790-7866 x3
fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com
www.portablebatteries.com

From: Dez
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 11:14 AM
To: info@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Quick question about NiMH batteries

I am assuming that NiMH batteries are best for kids' toys. Is this correct? If not what other rechargeable options do parents have?

Cheers!

--------------------
Desmond Williams
Freelance Writer/Columnist

RE: New Batteries, Conditioning, Charging Rates

2008-09-15T10:33:00.001-07:00

Hi Drew,

Yes, that is perfectly OK to condition batteries at a faster rate if that is desired.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
3170 Eugene Way
Fallon, NV 89406
phone 800-790-7866 x3
fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com
www.portablebatteries.com

From: drew tenenholz
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 8:45 AM
To: info@greenbatteries.com
Cc:
Subject: New Batteries, Conditioning, Charging Rates

Curtis --

Last week, I purchased a LaCrosse kit and some batteries. I'm trying to treat the batteries 'right', by using the 'refresh/condition/exercise' mode to charge-discharge several cycles until the batteries are put into service.

The downside here is the amount of time this is taking--the kit arrived Tuesday afternoon, and I'm just ready to use the batteries for the first time on Sunday evening. [My quick math says that a fully AA ULSD 2000mAh Greenbatteries brand batteries which charge at a rate of 200mA and discharge at 100mA will take close to 30 hours to run ONE discharge/charge cycle, so this is not unexpected.]

On the one hand, I can live with this. On the other, I'm trying to put together what I've read on your site about rapid charging (with a smart charger that actually quits when appropriate) and the fact that this charger has the ability to set different charge/discharge rates for the conditioning cycle.

Is is OK to use 'faster' settings for an INITIAL conditioning of NEW batteries? (e.g. charge at 1000mA / discharge at 500mA or even charge at 1800mA / discharge at 900mA)

Thanks,
Drew Tenenholz

P.S. OK to post on your BLOG if you want.

RE: Battery charger for Europe

2008-08-29T10:48:00.001-07:00

Hello,

FYI - The Lightning pack 4000 was a clone of the original GB Turbo 4000 charger and that long ago customer that became an internet competitor gave us his website after he went back to his regular job.

The one downside to any lightweight charger - the GB Turbo 4000 included - is that due to its light weight, it is particularly susceptible to voltage spikes. It is designed to be used in all voltages, but even so, if/when you get a voltage spike of any significance that would trigger the fuse in a power adapter to blow - your charger will be the fuse and will blow... rendering it inoperable. Very frustrating if that is your only charger on your trip abroad.

I therefore recommend that any serious travelers use a step down transformer designed for travel that has a built in fuse even though they are using a device that is designed for "universal voltage"

Hope that helps.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
3170 Eugene Way
Fallon, NV 89406
phone 800-790-7866 x3
fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com
www.portablebatteries.com

From: DeVecchio

Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 10:37 AM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Battery charger for Europe

Curtis,

I'm going to Italy in four weeks and need a charger for Sanyo 2700 NiMh batteries. Have an older Lightning Pack 4000 that would not fully charge these batteries and is now not working. I'm looking for something very portable. Does your newer Turbo 4000 charge these batteries, and , other than a plug adaptor for the 220V Italian recepticles, are there any other accessories you recommend.

Thank you.

R. L. DeVecchio

RE: D size NiMH rechareable batteries

2008-06-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Scott,

That is a subjective question that only you can answer. It depends on how long a set of alkaline batteries last and if you are willing to get into the habit of charging batteries on a regular basis. You can also get AA batteries and battery size adapters so that your charger and batteries can be used in other applications rather than dedicating the resources to just that one radio.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
16157 Galena Meadows Drive
Reno, NV 89511
phone 800-790-7866 x3
fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com
www.portablebatteries.com

From: Scott
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 8:36 AM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: D size NiMH rechareable batteries

Hi,

I just bought a boom box for my Sirrius radio. It takes 8 d batteries.

My question: what is the best rechareable battery and charger to buy? Or am I just better off using disposible batteries?

Thanks, Scott

RE: using smart battery charger abroad with adapter?

2008-06-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Andrew,

Sorry for the delayed response, your email went into the junk folder. Yes, you can bring these items anywhere if you have a good voltage converter and surge protector. FYI - Good voltage converters have a built in fuse so when - not if - your voltage surges, the fuse will blow and not the equipment that you use.

Sincerely,

Curtis

From: Andrew
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:36 PM
To: info@greenbatteries.com
Subject: using smart battery charger abroad with adapter?

I am currently using the 10-Cell AA/AAA Smart Battery Charger and Conditioner and the Ultra Low Self Discharge AA NiMH 2000mAh rechargeable batteries. My students will be using digital cameras in a grant funded trip to Ghana next week, during a three week trip. My question is, will using these batteries and chargers with a voltage adapter in Ghana harm the chargers or batteries? Would you advise me to bring bushels of regular batteries instead?
Thanks for a timely response!

Best,
Andrew

RE: Lithium recahrgable

2008-06-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hi AL,

Nope. Not yet...too many issues with instability of the lithium materials that they current use for their batteries. Perhaps soon though. Some companies are developing nano tech with new lithium material blends that are more stable. Less energy capacity though, but much more stable. The developing lithium battery market right now is moving more toward industrial and mobility batteries.

Check out this car company - Phoenix Motorcars. Pretty cool stuff.

http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/why-choose-phoenix/index.php

The battery industry is afraid, and rightly so, that consumers will put AA batteries into regular non-smart AA chargers, and they will create liability issues.

Sincerely,

Curtis

From: Al
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 1:52 AM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Lithium recahrgable

Does anyone on the planet earth make a rechargable 1.5 volt lithium AA size battery?

RE: NiMH frustration, looking for a solution

2008-05-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Cory,

A tech guy like you will really get the most out of a smart charger and tester combo like the ones made by LaCrosse or Maha. The maha is my favorite unit but we also carry the ones made by LaCrosse. Check them out here. http://www.greenbatteries.com/batterytesters.html or on the Battery Chargers - NiMH page.

The ULSD batteries are the best available if you are trying to get the lowest self discharge rate but temperature will always suck the power out of NiMH batteries - no way around that one. Some of the manufacturers of these ULSD batteries use refrigerated carriers to get them here from overseas so the batteries are still "ready to use" like they are advertised. Speaking of the claims, I think they are exaggerated and you will not likely get a year of retained charge from any of them. I have tested several types, including our own brand, and they last for months, but not close to a year.

bottom line is if you really want to get charge retention but only rare use, an alkaline battery is still a good choice. Hey, if you don't use it up quickly and them throw it way, isn't that still environmentally friendly? Better than constantly charging the rechargeable battery and wasting that energy - right? ;-)

FYI - The ULSD batteries are probably still only available in AA and AAA sizes so to use them in any other battery size you will need to use some battery adapters/holders http://www.greenbatteries.com/batteryholders1.html They work great, no worries.

Thanks for shopping on greenbatteries.com!!

Sincerely,

Curtis

From: Cory
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 12:37 PM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: NiMH frustration, looking for a solution

A while ago I decided to go green and possibly save some money by switching to rechargeable batteries. I went to Best Buy and bought a bunch of Energizer NiMH batteries and their do-all charger. After a few months I am becoming very frustrated. I am an engineering type and used to do a lot with vehicle (motorcycle mainly) charging systems so I understand a little about the associated electronics so I can deal with a little tech speak. My first symptom I found was I had put 4 Ds in my trucks Maglite and a month or so later when I went to use it the thing was dead as a doornail. I know all batteries have a normal charge decay rate and the fact that my truck gets very hot every day sitting in the sun didn’t help matters. So I quickly determined that normal NiMH batters suck at retention. For this reason I reverted several devices like emergency flashlights, smoke detectors, and anything that was low infrequent use to alkaline. After some other problem I decided to research it today and found that my suspicions were correct but I also found that there is a new technology called LSD. But before I go buying a whole new set of batteries I was wondering how much better this technology is and if it’s worth it. I mean I got old flashlights that have sat for years and still work, it would be nice if a rechargeable could do the same. Also if it is worth it what is a good brand? I hear the new DuraCells are LSDs, how are they?

Next symptom was my charger. I specifically got this charger because it did all types and had a top-off mode that advertised that it would keep my batteries in ready to use condition. Yeah, right. My AA mouse batteries die much faster than the alkaline batteries (I’m guessing 10 to 1) and when I grab a fresh set of the charger I get about 5 minutes of use. But if I charge them for several hours I get a couple weeks of use out of them. Now I don’t know what’s going on here but I suspect that one of the problems is that this charger’s ‘smart’ circuit isn’t so intelligent. Also it charges AAs in pairs which would impede its ability to detect a bad battery. I also found that the memory is still a problem and this charger doesn’t have a discharge/renew option. So do you think I need a new charger? And if so what would you recommend? I use AA/AAA/C/D/9V batteries. I’m hoping I could find one that does a better job of detecting bad batteries and charges individually instead of pairs. And of course I want them to always be fully charged. Oh, also are there any that are not ‘vampires’? IOW ones where they stop drawing current from the wall when they aren’t doing anything?

Finally I was wondering if you have a white paper or something detailing how to test small batteries. For instance on car/MC batteries we would fully charge them, let them sit about an hour to settle, then measure voltage. If it wasn’t 12.8 it was toast for a non-sealed LA. And of course one could load test them with a tester but 99% of the time the recharge test worked adequately. I have a couple of AA NiMH batteries that when my mouse dies measure 0.1V or less and when recharged only bout 1.2V. Even though 1.2V is nominal for NiMH I’m thinking it should be more and some are more like 1.4V. So if I could test them individually that would help a lot. Also if you have some testers that are not too expensive that do more than a volt meter I would be interested.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

Cory

RE: Uses for NiMH batteries

2008-05-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Becky,

With the advent of the ULSD (ultra low self discharge) NiMH rechargeable batteries on the market today you can use rechargeable NiMH batteries for almost all devices that use AA or AAA batteries. The ULSD batteries are ideal for low drain uses like flashlights, and remote controls, wireless mice and keyboards, etc. while the regular higher capacity NiMH batteries may be best if you are trying to get the most out of a battery within a short time.

Remember though, it is not advised to use a rechargeable battery in a device that is designed to use a non-rechargeable battery and it is used as a safety type device - like a smoke alarm. Use only the battery recommended by that specific manufacturer in that type of device.

Sincerely,

Curtis

From: Becky
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 3:54 PM
To: info@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Uses for NiMH batteries

Hi,

I have a question I can’t find an answer for anywhere. Is there anything I shouldn’t use rechargeable batteries for?

Years ago when I first bought a charger I vaguely recall reading about some uses that were not so great for rechargeables. Currently I have a charger (good for AA & AAA) and batteries which we use for MP3 players and a camera, but not for clocks, remote controls, and other small, not very often used electronic devices.

Thanks,

Becky

RE: Maha 9v charger

2008-05-22T14:40:00.001-07:00

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your email and for shopping on greenbatteries.com!

The Maha 9 volt charger is excellent for your intended use. We have many customers using it for that purpose exactly. Properly used a NiMH rechargeable battery will typically give longer service - per charge - depending on the application of course. We guarantee that you will like this combination.

FYI - Alkaline batteries are not well suited for high drain devices and the drain rate is significantly different for alkaline and NiMH rechargeable batteries.

Sincerely,

Curtis

From: Brian
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:37 AM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Maha 9v charger

Hi Curtis,

We are in need of rechargeable 9v batteries. I have just now started to research batteries, and your blog has been the absolute most useful resource that I've found. In my research, I've found that stock alkaline 9v batteries typically have a mAh of 600 or so. The most mAh that I've found in a rechargable 9v is 325. Does alkaline discharge at a different rate than NiMH? Would the battery life be different? I know that mAh is milliamp hours, so probably not, but I also heard that alkaline batteries aren't technically powerful enough for modern technology. Is that correct or did I misunderstand? We need to run wireless microphones and operating time is very important. With alkaline batteries, we know that we can run the microphone for x hours. I'm wondering if the use time will be significant.

When we buy, we are going to buy 8-10 batteries and a charger. The only charger on your site that I see is the Maha charger. After reading your blog, I saw that we would want to avoid rapid charging. I understand the reason behind this. The thing that concerns me is the specs on the Maha have a current rating for rapid charge and trickle charge. The charge time is not an issue for us, however, charging several batteries at once will be, so I am interested in a multi battery charger. Is the Maha charger a good charger? I haven't seen any bulk chargers, and I'm wondering if there's a good reason for that!

Either way, I know it will work out...

Thanks for any advice!

Brian

RE: battery cycles

2008-03-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Dave,

It is hard to calculate the recharge cycles on a NiMH battery because there are so many variables. You can count on many hundreds if you use the battery regularly. The worst thing that folks do as far as battery life is concerned is to either grossly overcharge them with a dumb charger that cannot tell when the battery is full and just “cooks” the battery or to not use it at all and store it long term.

Rechargeable batteries will not last forever but you will rarely if ever find an actual expiration date. That is why we only carry batteries from suppliers that we know have a fast turnaround time and are certain that their batteries have not been sitting on a warehouse for a long time.

All our products are fully guaranteed for 30 days and if you are not satisfied for any reason you can return them for a refund or exchange. In addition we have a year performance warranty on all our products.

Thanks for shopping at greenbatteries.com!

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
16157 Galena Meadows Drive

Reno, NV 89511

direct 775-852-3883

toll free 800-790-7866

fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com

www.portablebatteries.com

From: Dave
Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 10:56 AM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: battery cycles

Hello Curtis,

I am looking to purchase your Greenbatteries brand batteries in aa, aaa, and d cell sizes. How many recharge cycles will these batteries withstand?

Thanks,
Dave.

RE: Availability of ULSD AAA? (and some questions about their use in flashlights)

2008-02-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

Hi Ed,

What a good idea to add this to our blog. Consider it done. Your responses are below. The ULSD batteries are expected to be back in stock in the next 7-10 days. Sorry, I did not order enough last time.

Sincerely,

Curtis

Responsible Energy Corporation
Curtis Randolph - CEO
16157 Galena Meadows Drive

Reno, NV 89511

direct 775-852-3883

toll free 800-790-7866

fax 815-301-3958
cell 775-722-9901
www.greenbatteries.com

www.portablebatteries.com

From: Ed
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 11:19 AM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Availability of ULSD AAA? (and some questions about their use in flashlights)

Hi Curtis,

I am trying to order some of the GreenBatteries brand Ultra Low Self Discharge AAA NiMH 800mAh units, but it won't let me add them to the cart, claiming that "The item is not currently available. Please check back later." Can you please tell me when you expect to have these batteries available?[Curtis Randolph] approx. 7-10 days

While I'm at it, I wouldn't mind a little advice if you have the time. I'm looking to purchase these batteries for use in a 4-bulb LED headlamp from Petzl. Each headlamp uses 3 AAA batteries. I saw one post in your blog that talks about rechargeable batteries often having a hard time fitting into flashlights due to the tight fit, but that this can be remedied by removing the PVC casing. I am willing to do that in order to use rechargeables in these headlamps, but I'm curious if there are any safety issues in doing so.[Curtis Randolph] no this is perfectly safe

Also, I have noticed that the headlamps (obviously) have a much brighter output when the alkaline batteries are brand new. I assume I should expect to see a slightly lower light initial output from the headlamps when using the recharbeables, but the light output should be more consistent over the life of the batteries (or battery charge to be more accurate), due to the more constant drain rate. Is this a correct understanding/assumption?[Curtis Randolph] yes this is right on target

Finally, I use these headlamps infrequently (often-times it's months between uses), but when I do use them, I use them a lot (heavily, every night, for a week or two straight). I would prefer to leave a set of batteries in the headlamps at all times for emergency use, so I assume this is a good application for using the ULSD batteries. Again, does this seem like a good choice?[Curtis Randolph] yes this is a great application for this type of battery

Thanks for putting together such a great site with clear, concise information. Perhaps you could add an entry to your blog dealing specifically with the use of rechargeables in flashlights?[Curtis Randolph] oh OK if you insist. ;-)

Sincerely,

- Ed Ditlefsen -

RE: Charging Batteries

2008-01-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hi Bob,

You can almost always do that because chargers typically will either charge the batteries individually or in pairs. Charging one battery at a time is only possible if your charger handles the batteries individually. Look at how many LED’s are on the charger – normally there is one LED for each charge circuit.

Hope that helps.

Sincerely,

Curtis

From: Bob
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2008 12:52 PM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Charging Batteries

Most, if not all AA chargers provide space to charge 4 batteries at a time. My camera only uses 2 batteries. My question: Can I charge just 2 batteries in a 4 battery position charger?

Thanks,

Bob

RE: trickle charging

2008-01-23T12:42:00.000-08:00

Hi Joshua,

Thanks for the updated information from Duracell. I’ll change the verbiage to my site to reflect that generally manufacturers do not recommend an indefinite trickle charge. People have always done it anyway for convenience and although constant trickle wears out the batteries slightly the batteries are actually losing a little bit capacity just sitting on a shelf anyway and this way they are always ready to use when you need them.

Sincerely,

Curtis

From: Joshua

Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 2:05 PM
To: info@greenbatteries.com
Subject: trickle charging

On your website in the battery info section on trickle charging NiMH, you state that trickle charging is not recommended by battery manufacturers. However, duracell recommends trickle charging at a rate of C/300 on their website as seen here: http://www.duracell.com/oem/rechargeable/Nickel/methods.asp. You should update your website with correct information.

RE: Sanyo 2500 NiMH AAs shelf life

2008-01-01T17:18:00.001-08:00

Hi Orrie,

You may be having an issue with one of the batteries. If you have a tester
you can use it to see if all the batteries are experiencing the severe self
discharge issue of just one (or maybe two). Then get them replaced (if you
have any bad batteries) so the batteries are all performing within about 5%
of each other - 10% max. The battery that is the weakest will make the
camera stop working regardless of the charge state of the others.

Alternatively, if you do not use your batteries very regularly, you can
consider getting some of the ULSD NiMH batteries that are on the market.

They do not have as much capacity if used all in a day or two but maintain
their charge longer. This is my favorite NiMH AA battery because I do not
use my Kodak camera very often. They also work well for other devices that
do not have a high drain, like flashlights, etc.

Hope that helps.

Sincerely,

Curtis

P.S.- I add your email to the blog by bccing the blog email address (I don't
publish the address so I can moderate the content)

-----Original Message-----
From: Orrie Frutkin
Sent: Saturday, December 22, 2007 10:19 PM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Sanyo 2500 NiMH AAs shelf life

Hi Curtis,

I bought some Sanyo 2500 NiMH AA's (model HR-3U 1.2v) batteries and a
GBTurbo 4000 charger from Green Batteries to use with my wife's Canon
PowerShot A540 camera. The batteries seem to charge normally, and can shoot
what seems like a fair number of pictures, as long as the photos are shot
within a very few days - less than a week.

If freshly charged batteries are put in the camera -- or just stored in
their little plastic case --and then not used immediately, they seem to lose

their power in about 7 to 10 days. They are either dead and will not respond

at all when the camera's on/off is pressed, or, they will only put out a
feeble amount of power to start to boot up the camera, then quit. This seems

like far faster and deeper draining than the losing "40% of their charge
within a month" mentioned in GB's NiMH FAQs. The camera and batteries are
kept on a desk at room temperature.

Since my wife does not use her camera every day, this means we have to
charge the batteries almost every time she wants to take picture. If she
shoots, say 5 to 10 shots on a weekend, and then nothing during the week,
the batteries are likely to be dead when she picks up the camera the
followeing weekend. In effect, we have to keep keep charging batteries that
have done no useful work. Is this a characteristic of the batteries or
charger? Or could there be something in the camera that causes the batteries

to drain? It seems to work properly while the batteries are recently
charged. Will this usage (or non-usage) and charging pattern harm the
batteries; for example, by not allowing them to take a full charge?

My wife now prefers using ordinary disposable alkaline AA's because they
actually take more pictures without the bother of recharging all the time.
I'm not happy about the waste and "green" and aspects of this, but it's hard

to argue that she should continue to wait for the NiMH batteries to charge
rather than just pop in a couple of alkalines.

Thanks for any help and advice you can provide.

(By the way, I visited your blog, but could not find a way to add this
question to the blog discussion. How doe it work?)

Orrie

RE: Looking for advise

2007-10-20T08:39:00.001-07:00

Hi Steve,

The best way to test rechargeable batteries is to get some and see if they perform to your expectations, but be careful about using them in flashlights. Rechargeable batteries are typically slightly larger in diameter and may not fit well (without removing the PVC wrapping) in flashlights that have very tight tolerances. The batteries that are well suited for flashlights that are used occasionally are the ULSD units that retain their charge longer for devices that are not used frequently, but are only available in AAA and AAA at this time.

The chargers are easy, we have many to choose from that will work well and charge the number of batteries that you mention.

If you are looking for a specific recommendation I would suggest that you get a ten cell charger and some AA and AAA ULSD batteries (the light green units) and a couple sets of the battery adapters to see if you like the battery performance in the devices that you mention. I think that you will. Getting D cells is not needed and is much more expensive since the batteries also need a charger that will accommodate the larger size.

Sincerely,

Curtis

From: Steve
Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 2:47 AM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: Looking for advise

I would like to test rechargeable batteries that we use to see if we can convert over to this versus disposables

If this works for us, we would be looking for the following:

80-100 AAA, for handheld recorders, and ability to charge 8-10 at a time.

60 AA, for small flashlights, and ability to charge 6-8 at a time.

40 D for 3 cell maglites, and ability to charge 4 at a time.

Please give me your best recommendations, costs involved, and how can I go about testing them?

Thanks,

Steve McKee

ServiceMaster

RE: battery shelf life? (for never used batteries)

2007-09-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Lea,

You will not really be able to get much good information about this aspect of NiMH rechargeable batteries. They all have a finite shelf life but there is no standard of how long will they last, nor is there any standard of knowing when a battery was made and how old it is exactly.

Generally a NiMH battery will still be OK for a few years if you have it in the original packaging, but newer batteries are definitely better. The key is to get a good quality battery charger that has the ability to "rescue" a bad battery. Many NiMH batteries are just suffering from depleted voltage and can still be revived if used in a battery charger that has that ability. Many times I take a "bad battery" from one charger and try it in another charger - even one that has no smart features at all - and it gets it past the low voltage that caused the "smart charger" to say that it was "bad" and not chargeable.

Hope that helps.

Sincerely,

Curtis

From: lstone
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 2:18 PM
To: info@greenbatteries.com
Subject: battery shelf life? (for never used batteries)

Hi!
We have a library customer who is trying to find out about the shelf-life of unopened, un-used NiMH batteries.
We wondered if you would know!

Her question is, can you store such batteries indefinitely, then open them up, charge them, and use,
or do NiMH batteries have a shelf-life?
Her question is not about the self-discharge aspect of storing rechargeable batteries.
Her question is about never-before-used NiMH batteries, still sealed in their package - how long can they be stored in an unopened condition and still be usable?
So, for example, can she buy a dozen of them, put them away (unopened) in the closet, and still expect to be able to use them in 5, 10, 15, or 20 years?

We are having a tough time tracking this information down!
Thanks so much for any light you can shed!!

Lea Stone
Librarian, Contra Costa County Library

RE: question about low discharge batteries

2007-08-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

Hi Michael,

I have always liked the Sanyo brand, having sold them with great success for many years. That said, I have had more battery returns from Sanyo batteries this last year and a half than all other batteries brands that we carry combined. That is why I have consciously allowed our Sanyo inventory to get really low and why I have not bothered to carry the Eneloop.

I bought Sanyo Eneloop and Hybrio and of course our greenbatteries.com brand of ULSD batteries and frankly, I have not done any really exhaustive tests. They all seem to do about the same if you charge them slowly and keep them from high ambient temperatures. They all discharge faster than "advertised" if you put them in a non air conditioned place. (that is why our GB ULSD batteries are only asserted to keep their charge for 6 months, not he year that Sanyo asserts.

Remember, any thing that you get from us, our brand or any one else's is 100 guaranteed to satisfy or your money back.

Sincerely,

Curtis

From: michael
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 12:24 PM
To: curtis@greenbatteries.com
Subject: question about low discharge batteries

Hi,
How do your low discharge batteries compare with Sanyo's eneloop? Are
they essentially the same? Yours are less expensive and i like your
company motto. I'd prefer to buy from you, but wanted to be sure i get a
good product. I will respect your honest answer.
Mike