Questions about the refresh feature. Does anyone know if there is a down side to using the refresh feature every time I charge my batteries??
607785
If you use your batteries regularly and tend to charge them at least once a month, you probably are wasting your time (and energy) using the refresh (discharge/charge) cycle. NiMh batteries have little of no "memory effect" like NiCads. the feature is mainly to help reclaim lost capacity in batteries that have been neglected by being allowed to sit around for months at a time in a discharged condition ( a real "no-no" for NiMh cells). It will sometimes help to run the battery through several (it might take 4 or 5 full cycles) to bring a cell back to a reasonable capacity. Of course, if you notice a significant reduction of capacity from a cell that you believe is fully charged, cycling it MAY help save the battery.
1805616
Not that I have noticed. And the charge rate is so slow that I'm not concerned about overcharging! Hope this helps!
1487936
My charger makes a similar clicking sound in the float mode, which appears to be its normal cycling process. It's holding my batteries at 13.3 volts which is near ideal and is apparently not over-charging.
1826700
I don't know how you are using the charger. I've had mine since May. I only use it rarely when I am traveling and need the extra boost. If you been charging and discharging the battery daily, you might have created a memory effect in the battery. Lithium battery were not supposed to have the memory effect problem, but it has been found that is not completely true. I would contact Amazon/Jackery to see if they would replace the battery since it's been only a few weeks.
1060846
Yes, it's also supposed to start charging again once the battery drops to a certain point (I've never left mine plugged in on maintenance mode so cannot verify this).
1366822
yes, i do that all the time with no problems. You SHOULD get a Green lite when the battery is charged though.
2252281
The batteries are sold partially charged. Your charger completed the charge by adding 670 mAH. What you want to use is the Refresh option which charges fully,then discharges, measuring the MAH of the discharge. It will do that several times, each time the mAH is a little higher. After a number of times, the mAH no longer increases and the charger leaves the battery fully charged. At that point, you use the Display button to display the mAH. For new AA batteries, it's slightly more than 2000 mAH. Bbefore you start all this, insert the batteries, then disconnect and reconnect the DC cable, then press the Current button repeatedly until the display reads 700 mA. That makes the charging current 700 mA, which is fine for AA batteries, and the charge-discharge cycle is much faster than with the default charge current of 200 mA. New batteries need this refresh cycling to reach their rated capacity of 2000 mAH. If you just use the discharge-test mode, you will get less than the rated 2000 mAH. Look on the Internet and you'll find all of the above and more.
949081
Yeah man I noticed that too but not consistently. So sometimes it was like 95%. I just checked it and now it is at 99%. I don't know but I suspect a software feedback problem where it "thinks" it is isn't charged. I just can't imagine that many people have batteries that physically "refuse" to be charged to 100 percent, that'd just be too weird. Still, I love this machine. Did you have any other problems? So far mine has worked like a dream.
301226
I have had several issues with charging to date (1 year now). Most common is to start decreasing the battery level while plugged instead of increasing. In this case I wait until the battery goes to zero and then start charging. Another problem is that sometimes it just doesn't charge. In this case I press the charger more strongly and it works. In other words, I have been able to live with them, but these problems really upset me. I have also updated the firmware but then the battery started to decrease really fast while in use and I restored the original factory setup.
904055
I alwasy 100% fully charge a battery (overnight) one time before using it. This helps mitigate the "memory effect" where batteries can not be charged to their full capacity. Simply connect the battery to the system and allow it to charge. Just don't let the battery ALONE power the system until it is fully charged.
577747
From my experience I wouldn't attempt to go over an hour. I had three batteries charged and ready at all times. When one would get low I would change it and put the used one on the charger. If you are shooting continuously go AC if you can't use AC keep an eye on your battery level. I hope this is helpful.
1556053
Well, this is something everyone agrees on. When you attach your device a number of the four LEDs will light up and start blinking, depending on how discharged your device is. You are fully charged when all four are lit up and steady. It really is something I've found very handy.
1254089
I am not sure it is wise to keep batteries on charge all the time. I always disconnect the charger after a full charge.
918110
I actually use an Energizer charger for my Eneloops. And, yes, it is a smart charger in that it stops charging when the battery is "full".And, as far as shelf life. My kids use them for their gaming controllers and swap the batt's in charger when it's time. I use them in my digital camera and don't have to worry about the battery being dead after sitting for month. I keep a new set in the bag just in case they do die on me. I also use them in my remote controls.I would not recommend their use in smoke detectors, clock radios, or anything that will put a continual and uninterrupted drain on them. Those are what alkaline batteries are for. I actually use an Energizer charger for my Eneloops. And, yes, it is a smart charger in that it stops charging when the battery is "full".And, as far as shelf life. My kids use them for their gaming controllers and swap the batt's in charger when it's time. I use them in my digital camera and don't have to worry about the battery being dead after sitting for month. I keep a new set in the bag just in case they do die on me. I also use them in my remote controls.I would not recommend their use in smoke detectors, clock radios, or anything that will put a... » Read More I actually use an Energizer charger for my Eneloops. And, yes, it is a smart charger in that it stops charging when the battery is "full".And, as far as shelf life. My kids use them for their gaming controllers and swap the batt's in charger when it's time. I use them in my digital camera and don't have to worry about the battery being dead after sitting for month. I keep a new set in the bag just in case they do die on me. I also use them in my remote controls.I would not recommend their use in smoke detectors, clock radios, or anything that will put a continual and uninterrupted drain on them. Those are what alkaline batteries are for. « Show Less
1847940
The bigger the card you put in it, the longer the "refresh" cycle takes every time you add or delete anything. As a matter of fact, when you put a loaded card in, the first time you turn it on after that it will do a "refresh".
789422
The manual (piece of paper) says press DISCHARGE and the charger has buttons with REFRESH... this was a little confusing at first. (figured it out pretty quick!)
1100935
The only real difference that I can see with the Lacrosse is the test mode for testing a battery. When you use the refresh on the Sony recharger, it actually drains what is left of the battery power and then fully recharges the battery and that is suppose to help extend the life of the battery. I have used the refresh on my batteries after charging them several times. Hope this helps you out.