Oxyride AAA's are rechargeable!

Good news and better news for hp49g+ users!

You know how the 49g+ eats alkaline batteries when you do a lot of
writing to flash memory? Well, never buy alkalines again!

The good news is that Panasonic's new "Oxyride" AAA batteries (also
called "NoOx" by Duracell, or "Nickel Oxy Hydroxide" in general) work
just fine in the 49g+, even though they start at 1.7 volts. They cost
about the same as regular alkalines, but last twice as long (IF you do
a LOT of writing to flash memory). And they have the same multi-year
shelf life as alkalines. So even if that were the end of it, it'd make
sense to stop using alkalines and go with oxyrides immediately.

However, there's even better news! If you have a NiMH recharger that
pumps 200mA or less through the calls (e.g. the Rayovac PS1, but NOT
the "One Hour" Rayovac PS4), you can use it to RECHARGE oxyride AAA
cells, even though everybody says that it cannot be done, or if
attempted will cause explosions, fire, and general pandemonium. But I
do not believe that to be true, unless the cells are raised to a high
temperature by attempting to "fast-charge" them.

Anecdotal evidence: I ran a set of Panasonic oxyrides down to 1.05 volt
each, then put 'em in the Rayovac PS1 overnight. The charger didn't
reject them, trickled juice through 'em for a few hours, and turned off
when the "delta V" went negative. Their unloaded voltage measured 1.6V
at that point. After a few hours of sitting idle, they measured 1.5V
and didn't drop any further during the subsequent 24 hours. They then
ran a 49g+ approximately as long as they did when new.

When they ran down to 1.05 volts again, I charged 'em again... and the
same thing happened: They charged to 1.6V, settled down to 1.5V, and
gave a full run in the 49g+.

This was repeated a third time, and just now I'm finishing up a FOURTH
iteration.

Since the PS1 is a gentle charger, the cells only get slightly warm,
not hot. There has been no leaking, nor any swelling of any of the
cells that's measurable with ancient Sargent-Welch school-lab calipers.
:-) Even if they could only be recharged ONCE they'd impress me far
more than Rayovac's leak-prone "Renewal" rechargeable alkaline cells.

Bottom line: If you use port memory in your 49g+ a lot, use oxyride
batts. You'll save money even if you don't recharge 'em. If you don't
use port memory a lot, use oxyride batts and recharge 'em. Even if you
only charge 'em once and then throw 'em away, you'll be saving money.
Either way, don't buy alkaline AAA's ever again for your hp49g+.

Similar experimentation on Energizer "non-rechargeable" Lithium 1.5V
AAA's will commence when these oxyrides either fail to recharge or
start to leak.

Disclaimer: Your mileage may vary. Different brands of "nickel oxy
hydroxide" batteries might differ in performance and rechargeability. I
do not guarantee anything, nor do I own stock in any battery companies
(or any other companies, for that matter).

Since saving money and the environment is important to us all, please
share with us your own experiences with Oxyride batts. All info,
whether pro or con, is helpful. Thanks!

-Joe-

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Energizer Hi-Energy Lithium Batteries
    ... freezing in the snow for instance), where their life is about 10x alkalines. ... Another area they may be better in is shelf life. ... recharge life at the cost of other ... no reliable way of recharging a battery pack. ...
    (sci.electronics.repair)
  • Re: Energizer Hi-Energy Lithium Batteries
    ... Where they come into their own, is abnormally low temperatures, where their life is about 10x alkalines. ... So if you're only ever in relatively warm climates, chew your batteries in less than a few years, and don't care your saving a few snots worth of mass, then they're largely pointless. ... Rechargeable alkalines have modified chemistry that tries to improve the recharge life at the cost of other performance points. ...
    (sci.electronics.repair)
  • Re: dead battery
    ... I use a Ray-o-vac brand of battery charger and the AA or AAA alkalines ... The alkaline recharge only really works well for a battery you use ...
    (sci.electronics.misc)
  • Palm IIIXE Eats Batteries
    ... I've tried regular batts, NiMH batts, and even rechargable ... alkalines. ... They all last *1* friggin day before needing a recharge. ...
    (sci.electronics.repair)
  • Re: OT: Camera batteries
    ... rechargable cells. ... is alkalines or NiMH. ... Other setting is "oxyride" ...
    (alt.home.repair)
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