Maximizing Your Rechargeable System

In Part 3, we explore the heart of effective recharging. Equally important as the correct rechargeable battery is the proper battery charger. You ought not risk ruin great batteries with a bad charger. Let's take a look at the battery charger options. First, determine whether you would like to use a universal, high capacity centralized charging unit or several portable units or both. Most avid users of rechargeable batteries find yourself utilizing a mixture of both.

Suppose your facility is a church with 12 AA wireless microphones, four 9V in-ear monitors, 5 listening assistance devices that use AA's, and 10 LED lamps that use Triple A's. Obviously, this application will require a few high-capacity chargers that can charge multiple types of cells.

Perhaps you're a family of four with a new baby. You need a charger that will handle AA's for the digital camera and baby monitor, C batteries for the baby swing, Triple A''s for the dad's TV remote and wireless headphones, and a collection of C' and D's for the toys and games. It would make more sense to go with a universal charger too, but you may want a small portable charger as well for on-the-go charging.

A professional photographer may want an extremely fast AA charger for flash units, but still need portability for on-location. Ansmann offers quality battery chargers for every application.

If you still have that 'device list' I asked you to create, now's a good time to add all the batteries up and figure what charger(s) is/are best for you. Online you can locate a list of battery chargers, divided to into AA, 9V, and Combo chargers. Depending on how many batteries you need to charge, we can charge as little as two batteries and as many as 16 with a single charging unit.

Next, make sure the charger is 'intelligent' and automatically switches to 'trickle' charge when the batteries are completely charged. This will maintain the batteries in a topped-off condition and prevents over-charging which shortens the battery life and recycles. * The charger should not overheat the batteries. Many chargers on the market today that are dubbed as 'fast chargers' overheat the batteries and shorten their life. Ansmann chargers, even the super-speed chargers all have over-heat protection to make sure batteries remain at an optimal temperature while charging.

For best results, choose a battery charger that offers refreshing or reconditioning of the cells. Ansmann Energy 8 Plus and Energy 16 chargers both feature an automatic refresh cycle which keeps the battery chemistry at optimal balance. This assures long run-times and higher recycles then with chargers that do not provide this benefit . And, although Ansmann cells do not have a memory effect, after years of service all nickel metal hydride cells (NiMH) develop chemistry imbalances that need to be corrected for optimal battery life. The refresh function on the Energy 8+ and Energy 16 will maintain your batteries providing you with the greatest battery life.

Here's a little recharging tip: Do not try to run the batteries completely dry. We've all been accustomed to squeezing the most out our throw-away alkalines. You do not have to do this with your Ansmann rechargeables. They do not develop memory effect. Whether you use the battery for 2 hours or 12, return it to the charger and get it ready for the next use.

Finally, consider extra batteries. Instead of having a huge pile of throw-aways, reduce your extra batteries to a few spares or at most a second set. This is true whether you use standard rechargeables, or LSD cells, or both. Always have a few spares. Isn't it much more convenient to have a few extra batteries just sitting on the charger instead of scrounging around for a random battery in the junk drawer? To save even more money, consider buying batteries and chargers in pre-packaged kits. You receive special savings and the assurance of getting the best batteries and chargers available.