I recall having a charger, perhaps 20+ years ago that could 'refresh-charge' alkaline batteries and it would really work. As the host says, it would not be to the capacity of a new battery but it would be enough for use over an appreciable period. I've just had a look and I still have it. It is the Goodmans Intelligent battery charger GBC1100. It has a switch dedicated to alkaline batteries. It really saved me a lot on battery costs.
As a kid I tried it and quickly discovered alkaline batteries could be recharged up to about 10 times, after that they decline in the ability to hold charge.
@@Battleneter... Nickel-Cadmium rechargeable batteries aren't recharge life efficient either. Only Lithium rechargeable batteries are batteries for recharge over rechargeable. I am using a cellphone typing this on recharging my cellphone Lithium battery of 5+ years recharging just about every day or every other day. The trick there is to not ever "memory recharge" to get down to less than 5 percent battery power before recharging and then trying to unplug recharging beyond 100 percent A.S.A.P. Use a 2 hour charger to recharge new cellphone batteries if Lithium designs. Note: Lithium battery companies make different Lithium constructions where 5 years is the maximum lifespan to where the batteries completely fail by. I haven't experienced this problem yet in my Motorola cellphone and their internal cellphone battery.
We used to charge the Zinc-carbon batteries. If the batteries were flat because a higher current drain, they could be recharged much better. If the batteries were used for small load for a long time, their "recharge life" were much worse. For alkaline batteries, I think if you over charge them, it will explode. So if the battery still has a lot of power left and you still charge it, it will explode.
I recharged my non rechargeable Alkaline AA Batteries like 100 times by now. I got a cheap USB powered charger from ebay and i recharge them for 30 min on/ 30 min off / 30 min on / 30 min off for 4 hours
wow thats impressive. I guess that what makes batteries "explode" or leak is the constant heat and by charging 30 min you are preventing them to overheat. Very good idea.
I bought a ton of used 18650 for really cheap from a computer repair shop that regularly throws away faulty laptop batteries. I modified every clock or device to take it. Now that's how I solved the problem. The kitchen timer that I use everyday is still working after one and a half year from a single 18650. 😂
Radio Shack used to sell a recharger for Alkaline batteries including 9V ones. Could do 2 batteries or one 9V. D cell batteries took nearly 18-20 hours to charge. Too bad they are out of business and no longer have those available.
This is the same technology that the Pure Energy XL charger from 2005 used. Their previous rechargeable alkaline-only "Envirocharger" used "Taper" technology, which I suspect is how Ni-Cd's used to be charged. I think that with the introduction of NiMH batteries, the simple voltage and/or current tapering technique couldn't properly regulate their charging process properly, frequently resulting in damage to NiMH batteries (as will surely happen after a while when you use a vintage NiCd-only charger to try to charge an NiMH cell).
Thanks for a valuable video. A few questions: 1. at 3:15 you label the type of charger you use as "alkaline rechargeable device". It would be useful to distinguish these from other kinds of chargers. One of my chargers immediately rejects my alkaline non-rechargeable batteries, while another (less high tech) charger accepts them. 2. I am assuming you use a 4 hour timer to avoid the possibility that unlimited charging time might cause battery damage. Is that right? If so how did you settle on 4 hours? 3. Have you tried recharging batteries that are very drained vs. those that are less drained. For example I have quite a few AA alkaline that are giving 1.0 V now. Would you expect they could be recharged just a well as more depleted batteries (eg 0.5 V)?
Answer: I used any chargers that only charge alkaline batteries up to 1.2-1.5v with low current (less than 200ma). Set the time to 4 hrs charging limit (thought this would prevent leaking). Charged Alkaline batteries are only used for my LED lights. However, after several charging, some of these alkaline batteries do LEAK! I think the more drained the battery, the more chance of leaks. My current solution now is NOT to charge alkaline batteries but to drain all the power from it using low voltage booster circuit. Now, I prefer salvaging Zn-C batteries and take their chemical components to make new batteries. You can check my DIY Zn-Al battery experiment videos.
Ya I put 17 volts into some Duracells and they barely got warm but it only took to the count of ten and they were reading four and a half volts. I even charged some wafer batteries and they are still holding 7 volts but they are supposed to be three volts so I thought maybe I shouldn't put so much voltage into them so I set up some more resistors on the transformer I was using and got it down to 9 volts and now I can let them charge slower and longer. None of them really got hot but I wasn't charging them very long either but I'm sure they will explode if left long enough. The fast charge is kind of cool though and the couple extra volts really makes for an extra bright LED flashlight so I thought I might try cooling things down a bit and I put some batteries (dead batteries) in the freezer thinking I can keep from damaging them that way and I froze them up good. What a surprise that was because I read four volts off of the dead AAs that I froze and I hadn't even charged them yet, that goes for wafer batteries too. I could have swore they where dead when I put them in the freezer? Needless to say none of the batteries I froze ever got warm the whole time I was charging them and I was hitting them with nine volts, I know there are some more resistors around here somewhere and I imagine I will get the performance up to what it should be and I have a whole bucket of batteries to work with. Also it is interesting to note that I only found one leaking duracell out of that whole bucket .... Update: I found another AA battery that reads Zero, I put it in the freezer and it came out reading 3 volts .. I'm charging it at fifteen minute intervals in and out of the freezer .. Update: I as reading 15 volts off this power supply and now I have three power supply's to work with so I set one f them up with a potentiometer so I can just the voltage level so I can trickle charge at around 1.5 volts and the Dura Cells are doing very well this way, I also set up a trim pot so I can adjust t very minute increments and charged a 18650 3.7V Lipo nd it was easy to set the voltage just a volt over what the battery was reading and watch the VU meter while it charged so I have two seperate readings for what is going in to the battery and what the battery is reading ....
I recharge my AA and AAA Eneloop batteries with a charger I purchased from Amazon.. I'd like to recharge A23 12v alkaline batteries that we use for remote controls/ceiling fan, but they don't fit in the recharger because the batteries are approximately 1/2 the length of a A/AA battery. Do you have any suggestions? The A23 batteries cost about $5ea and we use 2 per year per room.
You try to find a 12v charger with very low current (less 100mA) but it may take a while to charge. Another problem is most alkaline batteries do leak after several times recharging and it may not charge to its full capacity.
Sanyo "Eneloop" batteries ARE designated rechargeable types! So OF COURSE you can use any old battery charger on them, as long as the charger specifies in its instructions/product labelling that it's designed for them... As for the 12V A23 Alkaline batteries, most Dollar stores sell them, & never for more than $2ea. I've had great luck with these Dollar Store Chinese no-namo brand cells. Long life, & they don't puke all over the insides of the battery compartment in the device you're using them in. Unlike Mallory "Duracell", which are the most expensive Alkaline batteries & THE WORST BRAND IN THE WORLD for "puking" & destroying all the metal parts & contacts in the battery compartment of the device you were stupid enough to trust them to wear out & die quietly in! So for $2ea. (& how much do they cost online from Amazon or Alibaba?🤧), your best advice is not get all fancy & cheapskate-like. You'll just waste your time & wreck things. Leave well enough alone!🤗
You charge the batteries several times depending on the brands. Watch out for battery leakage if overcharged. Always monitor the batteries to make sure it does not leak.
Best Alkaline 4X AAA/AA battery Charger is the (made in Taiwan, ROC) Powertran A0280. It is a microprocessor controlled battery charger allows you to recharge standard alkaline batteries up to 20 times. Also can charge NiMH rechargeable batteries. I have been using one for years charging lots of alkaline batteries. Tried to buy one more but product is no longer being manufactured.
How do they charge new batteries at the factory? I just bought 8 D cell batteries and put them in a 9 inch plastic fan, and the fan would not turn on. I put the old ones in and it ran. I put 6 other new batteries in and it worked fine. I put the first set of new ones back in and - again nothing. I think that sometimes they ship dead batteries. I'm going to test them in the store before I buy them from now on.
You need a battery charger that has the ability to work on the sizes & types of batteries that you want to charge. Any big department/hardware store sells them, & OF COURSE there's Amazon. Then you need a line voltage timer with the right AC plug & sockets built into it, so that you can plug it into a wall outlet & then plug your charger into the outlet on the timer. Doesn't matter whether the timer is digital or Analog, EXACT time isn't critical. As long as you can set it to run for around 4 hours & then shut off, it's good enough. Good luck!🤗
Can you suggest a recharger. I have a NOCO 5 battery recharger for 6v and 12v. Can you also suggest exactly what type of adaptor. I have collected many adaptors. Input 120/220v Output 5v to 18v. I do not see the pure energy recharger on Amazon.
I don't have any brand I would recommend. Just try to get a charger with low current charging and time based / voltage limit charging to prevent overcharging.
Eveready & Mallory ("Duracell") make small chargers for AA/AAA/9V batteries, usually near the checkout aisle any major department store like Wally-Mart & Home Despot. Usually in a big "blister pack" bundled with 2,4, or 8 NiMH batteries in it. Typically $15-30... If you look a bit harder, you should still be able to find "Universal" chargers of higher quality that can accept the above types as well as 'C' & 'D' sizes. These are usually "brick" style things the size of a small shoebox, & they usually have a charging "status" LED for EACH battery slot, which is better. Some of the "budget" adapters require you to put in pairs of batteries in order to work; unsurprisingly, you can't tell the status of each battery, only both...🙄 Amazon or AliBlahBlah will sew you up nicely if your trips to the mall & Big Box stores come up empty handed.
You probably need a variable voltage bench charger that charge 6v @100-200ma for 3-4 hours. It may leak after several charging cycles, so it may not be worth it especially if it will give you only several wattage of power; mainly used for LED light.
why don't you use a good regulated DC power supply. I have one , that displays V, A, W. Current and Voltage have Coarse and fine adjustment. I used it to charge my Lithium Ion Motorcycle battery. you have to watch the current draw, dont leave unattended.
Hovering over an expensive 🤑regulated power supply🤑, never mind acquiring all the electronics knowledge to learn WTF you are doing with it to charge up different kinds of batteries...🤓 Isn't that a hell of alot more trouble, and especially expense, than just going to a Thrift Store or a yard sale(or even buying a new charger at Wal-Mart?) & getting a generic digital timer outlet & some old AA/AAA/C/D cell charger?🤨 You got a big expensive Li-On motorcycle battery... what's that worth? $150-$200? Is your perceived savings on the correct battery charger, which is surely under $50, worth the risk of ruining a $150 battery? Or even that your charging methods could potentially reduce the lifespan of it? And what's your wasted time hovering & constantly checking the charger worth compared to the modest cost of the right matching charger, worth to you? I'm not up on the technology of Li-On chargers, but I suspect that your method is likely not how the commercial battery chargers work, & things are going to end on a sour note for you unless you are ABSOLUTELY SURE that you are, let alone CAN, duplicate the correct charging regimen for the most advanced rechargeable batteries on the market right now, which are Li-On types like yours.🧐
i charged those by mistake (because my duracell look the same as rechargeable duracell batteries) i left it on charge all night and noticed a leak this morning, only then i though, i may charged the wrong Batteries, i did ! I checked and they are full!!!
Ich lade meine Batterien mit einem Bedinie-Motor oder mehrere gleiche Akkus mit remf-Lader auf. Falls mal eine ausläuft hilft Schmirgelpapier und weider geht es. Habe seit 1 Jahr 12 Stück im Dauereinsatz. Bis heute keine zusätzlichen Akku gekauft!
Ich lade mit einem RAM Ladegerät. Aber beim auslaufen hilft kein Schmirgelpapier. Der Metallbecher der Batterie ist kaputt und dann korrodiert das Batteriefach von dem Gerät, und en sie benutzt wird. Eine doofe Arbeit, das zu reinigen
If batteries are already leaky, it might be a good idea for you to know that the chemicals leaching out from the cell are HIGHLY corrosive to metal, & will quickly & PERMANENTLY destroy the battery compartment of whatever device you were stupid enough to leave them in for any length of time (often less than a month!). If ANYTHING is seeping out from the top and/or bottom of a cell, IMMEDIATELY discard it! If you want to save €1 in order to pay €100 for the damage you caused soon after, just keep wasting your time trying to repurpose something that actually needs recycling (as e-waste!). In fact, recharging Alkaline batteries is a bad idea in general; if you REALLY want to pinch pennies, buy the cheaper Zinc Carbon batteries instead. They are FAR more receptive to repeated recharging, & NEVER leak & "puke their guts out".🤗
@@joerosen5464 captelec-france 59290. though its made in china. no real brand name on it. and one thing to note about alkaline charging as that the deeper they were discharged the less they can be regenerated. might be fine for tv remotes but not for power applications. i switched to nimh batteries.
As long as each alkaline battery charger have voltage and current regulator it should be fine. The current should not be above 150mA. Monitor it every two hours to make there is no leakage.
You can buy Buck Boosters for like $2 on Aliexpress that let you adjust the DC Amps and Voltage output which is great for charging batteries, so it will send a constant current to your batteries when charging. I use the LM257? I think hahaa
@@ArtyMarsI was under the impression that buck converters only let you adjust the voltage, I'm not saying your wrong or anything like that. How does you adjust the amperage? Does it adjust the amps with the voltage at the same time?
Don't use the regular charger as the current is too high and will damage the charger and cause leaks to the alkaline batteries. It has to be trickle charged.
@@educatetubeIt would have been nice if you mentioned this in the video! Because I didn't hear you say anything about that even once. So I will watch it again (maybe🙄), to see where you said anything about it. And if you did, should have STRESSED the REASON WHY you used Pure Energy RECHARGEABLE ALKALINE-ONLY type chargers. You didn't say squat about other chargers, & all I heard about the 5V USB chargers is that that was what powered the Pure Energy Chargers, presumably because they have a 5V power input requirement since they appear to work from generic "wall-wart" adapters as opposed to high quality, full-sized Universal chargers that have their own power supplies built-in! Never mind that you can't keep "Amps" from "Volts" straight (10:20 to about 10:35 in the video🙄), & the editing was as much a mess as your explanation of the procedure; this 12 minute video could have EASILY been condensed into a 6 minute one...& would have been ALOT better for it! All the gaffes & "clutter", lack of preparation, script, editing (at one point you turn your meter to the camera to show fluctuating voltages of an unsuitable Alkaline battery, & the probes slip so the displayed reading quickly drops to zero, & you think that it's still showing fluctuations! AND you have had TWO YEARS TO NOTICE THIS, and all the other boo-boos, & IT APPEARS AS IF YOU NEVER BOTHERED TO EDIT THIS VIDEO, NOT EVEN ONCE!😳🤪🤤🤤🤤 Gee, I'm sure glad that I went through all these comments, or else I would be using BOTH my Pure Energy AND my Universal chargers on the 4-hour cycle you mentioned. And then probably wondering why I was getting inconsistent results!🧐
True. However, this is another option for people who have lots of alkaline batteries lying around and cannot afford rechargeable batteries or they stop producing them.
Do you live in your parents basement? Don't burn the house down, especially if it is not yours. Good vid tho, but all my chargers will not allow any alkaline batteries to charge.
Tell me, how would asking this man if he lives in his parents basement have any relevance to the subject, other than to blatantly insult and demean him? Sounds like you got some personal problems you need to work out. If we are going to talk about maturity, let's start with yourself.
This video is A TOTAL MESS! The explanations are so incomplete & require the person to go scrounge for 10-20 year old battery chargers for long-discontinued battery types from long bankrupt companies!🤦 What's required is a much more thorough discussion & explanation, preferably by someone who knows the difference between amps & volts (10:20-10:35🙄). At 6:10-6:30 in the video, the most amazingly confusing instructions are given for the UNNECESSARY recommendation for matching the same BRAND of batteries together (matched when put into the same "container", quickly corrected to "charger"...but where's any semblance of editing to this rambling mess?). The TYPE, yes. Making sure that you're actually recharging Alkalines, & not mixing them with some carbon zinc? lithium? Actual rechargeables? Mercury cells??? But the newer (XL) Pure Energy chargers can charge one battery at a time; it's the older Envirocharger, Charge Pal, & perhaps those white ones you have that you have to use pairs. But that's only to complete the circuit, not because they're going to charge unequally, or something is going to be damaged because of THAT!🤨 So besides the abysmal editing, the questionable knowledge of the subject at hand, & the rather poor and/or poorly explained information, here's my list of questions that you need to answer in order for this video to be of any interest to anyone other than a junk collector living in Canada who happens to still have any access to decades-old obsolete battery chargers of a uniquely specific type... 1) You don't mention whether there's any issues with trying to charge RECENTLY DISCHARGED batteries, versus batteries that have been "dead" (discharged well below the point of being useable; say, about 1.0V or so) & sitting around for more than 6 months. Or how about 1 year? Or more? 2) So does the AGE of the battery, the amount of TIME it's been discharged to the point of being too weak, matter? I have read from other sources that batteries, though not specifically Alkaline types mind you, more than about a year old have undergone too much chemical degradation due to the passage of time to respond usefully to recharging of ANY kind. 3) Does the DEGREE of discharge matter? Is there a "threshold voltage", say 0.5V, or 0.4V, or...? What about 0V??? Before the battery can be said to be too discharged, too "damaged" to be able to respond usefully anymore? 4) You mention in one viewer comment that you responded to, that disposable (& presumably rechargeable ones too, hence the need for the exact same chargers!) Alkalines need to be "trickle charged". And that Chargers designed for NiCd or NiMH batteries (or presumably, "Universal" Battery Chargers like my Ray-O-Vac purchased at Wal-Mart 10 years ago, that has circuitry to "identify" the formulation in the battery & select the charging program appropriate for it) don't use low enough charging current to charge disposable Alkaline batteries without overheating them & ruining them permanently. So if I don't have, & cannot find, one of these Pure Energy "🦖dinosaur 🦕" chargers, how about mentioning the ELECTRONIC SPECIFICATIONS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO CONSTRUCT A SUBSTITUTE? I think the OVERWHELMING number of viewers are going to have this problem, so by not mentioning the EXACT details of the "correct" charging regimen, this video is absolutely useless to them except for the vague knowledge that recharging disposable Alkaline batteries is theoretically possible, SOMEHOW. 5) To that end, you mention a charging time of 4 hours. Fine. What's the recommended trickle charge current then? And how does it get varied, or does it at all, over the 4 hour period? Does the battery itself govern the charge current as the process approaches completion, is it actively current-limited by the Charger? Or does the circuit otherwise taper, or pulse, changing currents over the 4 hours? And how about the voltage? Is there an absolute maximum, PER CELL? Does it change over the 4 hours? Or is the voltage supposed to be regulated to a fixed, constant amount? 6) Because the recommended equipment required to duplicate the results shown in your video are obscure to the point of complete unobtanium, this HAD to become a much more technical video than simply showing how to connect up a battery charger to a 4 hour timer. You NEED to explain something about WHAT & WHY, & HOW, this process works. Armed with enough information on the actual SCIENCE involved behind how the batteries, AND their rechargers, actually work; then ANY viewer with even a modest knowledge of electronics can figure out how to duplicate it with other, more available & preferably off-the-shelf components. A mostly impractical, unscientific, & seemingly uninformed as it was uninformative video. Truly a wasted opportunity on what could & should have been a highly interesting subject...😑
If you do have lots of knowledge in these matters please post your videos with your insights. I think we all will benefit. You can try watching my latest video on a DIY zinc carbon battery that I salvaged together attached to the voltage booster. Thanks.
Is it your day job? Are you qualified as an underwriter or have some sort of degree that qualifies you to make such comments? If not, then why bother? Grow up. If you cycle the power on and off in 20 to 30 minute intervals and not allow it to overheat... Then it works. Plus if all else fails you can do it outside. You clicked this video, looked up the content then have enough audacity to think you are qualified to make such statements? Get over it.
@@samgreen23 If a fire starts as a result of attempting to recharge a non-rechargeable battery such as an alkaline battery which is always clearly marked with a warning NOT to do so, the insurance company will NOT pay the claim. This is a disaster just waiting to happen. Buy rechargeable batteries. And no, I'm not an underwriter. I just have common sense.
@@richardmerriam7044 so does a lighter, do you sell those? Do you sell fire insurance? Thanks for the tip but not everyone needs a label on a tidepod to prevent poisoning. If done correctly it can be done in a safe manner. Lighters are dangerous around paper, you going to light the stack in your kitchen? Let's talk about common sense shall we?
