Important Information

Making the switch from alkaline batteries to rechargeable batteries will save you time, money, and - if you do it right - no frustration. The following information will help you make the most of your purchase.

The most common rechargeable batteries are NiMH Battery (Nickel Metal Hydride) and Ni-Cad Battery (Nickel Cadmium). For many reasons, (see below) we do not offer Ni-Cads rechargeable batteries for purchase.

NiMH vs Ni-Cad

NiMH rechargeable batteries are a newer technology then NiCad rechargeable batteries and have become the more popular choice these days for some very good reasons. If you are old enough to remember the Ni-Cad era, you will remember some of the problems associated with Ni-Cad chemistry.

1. Memory Effect – If you continuously charge NiCad batteries when they less than fully discharged, they will eventually develop a memory and they’re capacity will diminish. NiMH Batteries do not develop memory effect.

2. NiMH batteries have a much higher capacity rating (see below) then NiCad batteries.

3. You can re-charge or recycle a NiMH battery many times more than a NiCD battery. With high-quality Ansmann cells, (and the appropriate battery chargers) up to 1000 times – and that’s where the real savings begin.

4. Ni-Cad batteries are extremely toxic to you and the environment (Cadmium)

Voltage

The working or nominal voltage on NiMH rechargeable batteries is 1.2V, whereas alkaline batteries have an initial voltage of 1.5V. (AA’s, AAA’s C’s and D sizes) Initially, our rechargeable batteries will show a charged rate of about 1.34V and remain near this level for the length of the charged period. Alkaline batteries have more of a gradual discharge rate starting at 1.5V and dropping to 1.4V, 1.3V, 1.2V, etc.

However, there is no need to worry about the initial voltage differences as high-quality NiMH rechargeable batteries (like Ansmann) will work just fine in products that take alkaline batteries of the same size. In fact, most manufacturers of portable electronics now consider the use of rechargeable batteries instead of alkaline when designing their products.

Capacity

Rechargeable batteries are rated by a mAh (Milliamp Hours) rating. The mAh represents the capacity of the rechargeable battery. The higher the mAh rating, the longer the charged battery will last. For example, a rechargeable battery that is rated 2200 mAh will power your poratable electronic device twice as long as battery that is rated 1100 mAh. You will find that the higher mAh rated batteries are usually a bit more expensive, but they will run your product for a longer period of time. With Ansmann cells, you will not only see longer run-times, but higher recycles – up to 1000 charges.

Standard vs. Low-Self Discharge

Standard rechargeable batteries are delivered with little or no initial charge. After charging the battery, it starts to lose around 2% of their capacity a day, when not in use. We advise leaving these batteries on a quality battery charger equipped with trickle charge until ready for use. After about a month left in stand-by mode, (off of the charger) most standard rechargeable batteries will need to be re-charged. We recommend the use of high-capacity standard rechargeable batteries in high-drain devices such as wireless mics, in-ear monitors, flash units, etc.

Low-Self Discharge (Max-E)

New technology now offers a low self-discharge rechargeable battery. This battery is delivered fully charged – and it will only lose about 10% of its capacity over an entire year. These batteries are usually a little bit lower in capacity (10-15% lower than standard rechargeable) but they are great for remotes, wireless keyboards and mouse, game controllers, flashlights, and anywhere you use an alkaline battery. Again, you can leave the battery in the device for long periods of time (up to a year) without worrying about dead batteries.

AAA Rechargable Batteries