AAA NiMH will not charge

3846 Views 11 Replies 9 Participants Last post by patcash, Jan 5, 2011

rhome

Discussion Starter · Jan 4, 2011

Last year I purchased several 4 packs of AAA NiMH batteries on sale.
These were stored properly in the original package,
Got them out today and tried to charge them in a new AA AAA wall plug in unit, the charger defaulted on all of them and would not charge the AAAs.
The charger works fine because I just charged some new NiMH AAs with no problems...also the mA of the AAAs are compatible with the charger.
Why are these unused 1 year old NiMH AAAs not taking a charge?
Thanks for your help.

Save

1 - 2 of 12 Posts

foxyrick

· #5 · Jan 4, 2011

I've found NiMH/NiCd cells die after a couple of years if not kept charged regularly, although just a year does seem very quick. Were they a cheap/no-name brand, or possibly had already been sitting around for a long time?

Do they have a manufacturing date on them?

I only buy low-self-discharge NiMH cells now, like eneloops. I've wasted too much money on cheaper ones which have died early. Plus, the eneloops keep their charge much, much longer.

Save

foxyrick

· #7 · Jan 4, 2011

I would suggest wiring a power resistor (or at least a few light bulbs in series) if you want to charge a NiMH like this - it's still risky unless you calculate the resistance properly to limit the charging current. I'm talking about charging, not the high-current zap to clear internal shorts and pull it's PD up. Maybe just one bulb in series for that... or not.

Please, please don't anyone try this with lithium-ion cells though - they can go off like flares!

Save

Reactions: 2

1 - 2 of 12 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month