13 Jun 2005, 07:29, JEAN PARROT (1:123/140), wrote to MATT MC_CARTHY:

Hi JEAN.

 MM>> Over the last few years, I've converted everything I own to use 
 MM>> the AA NiMH cells,

 JP> I am planning to go this way soon for the pack in a hand-held  marine 
 JP> radio. I would like to know your experience in recharging them.  Tom 
 JP> W. mentioned that it was ok to use the NiCad designed charger, it  
 JP> would only take longer to reach full load.

What I've read posted here has made sense, and would probably be a good
guide, but for me, my 'luck' has not been good with homebrew chargers.  In
Vietnam I was toying around with charging some Military NiCd 'discards',
and had a great setup for charging them until one night the alarm went off.
 When everyone grabbed their gear and ran out someone bumped the table
where I was charging a set, and after we returned from the alert the
building was on fire.  The commander wrote it off that we had taken a hit,
but when I saw the melted remains of the wiring and bulging, split cells, I
knew better, but kept my mouth shut!  Years later I built a similar setup
in my garage, but one night either cats or rats knocked things amiss, and
the transformer, cells, and rectifiers were found in the morning in a heap
of melted down trash.   :-((

I never got around to building a rigid structure for keeping all the parts
in their proper places without the risk of having things fall over and
shorting out.  Those cells have far too much amperage available to take
shortcuts, so I finally played safe and went commercial with the little
"AA" cells and chargers.

If you look for 'commercial', the key is to be SURE the charger will take
ONE to 'x' cells.  Any that advertise charging 2, 4, 6, etc., aren't worth
having unless you want to spend most of your remaining years trying to
'match pairs'.  :-((

 JP>         Your thoughts ?

Nahhh!  You don't want my thoughts, too dirty!   :-))


     Good luck...  M.

--- Msged/386 TE 06 (pre)