Answers
Q. What is a 2000 mah NiMH Battery ?
A. NiMH: Ni stands for Nickel, the M stands for Metal, and the H stands for Hydryde thus Nickel Metal Hydryde. NIMH batteries are the newest battery technology to be used for rechargeable batteries. NIMH batteries are up to 40% lighter than even Ni-Cads. This means longer runtimes, less weight, or both. They are ideal for power intensive applications especially Digital Cameras .
"mAh": Stands for milli-ampere hours and is a measure of energy. In our case it measures the capacity or amount of energy that batteries will deliver. For example, a 1000mAh capacity means that the batteries will last for 1 hour if subjected to a 1000mA discharge current. Also 2000mAh = 2Ah ( 1 Amp Hour )
Q. Do NiMH batteries lose any capacity during their useful life ?
A. Yes they do lose some capacity, but it is normally very, very gradual. This is true with all rechargeable batteries, but some have a very high rate loss. Our NiMH batteries are designed to have a much longer cycle life than older generation NiMH batteries. Normally after 200 - 300 cycles, battery capacity will decrease 10 to20%. Keep in mind that this is the amount of charge the Batteries will hold not the quality.
Q. How many times can I recharge my NiMH batteries ?
A. The number of times you can recharge your batteries will depend on the operating parameters, such as drain rate, battery care, etc. In general, under desirable conditions, NiMH batteries can last up to 500 recharges. In absolute best conditions, NiMH batteries can last up to 1000 recharges
Q. My first set of batteries was 1600mAh Batteries. Can I now use 2000mAh Batteries or will they hurt my camera by being to strong ?
A Sure you can use the 2000 mAh batteries. 2000mAh denotes the capacity of a battery, not its strength. Capacity is how much charge a battery holds once it is fully charged.. The more capacity, the longer a battery will last in any given application. Voltage is the strength. Rechargeable batteries actually develop around 1.4 to 1.45 volts when fully charged even though they are marked as 1.2V.
Q. My Digital Camera uses 1.5V "AA" batteries and your NiMH "AA" batteries are 1.2V. Will they still work ?
A. Yes, you can safely use NiMH batteries without any problems. They can be used in place of your original batteries in almost all digital cameras , film cameras, flash units as well as most other electronic equipment. Actually when they are fully charged they will measure around 1.4V+ per cell . NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries are the most popular choice for digital camera users, photographers, cellular phone and laptop users, and many others because these batteries have a much higher capacity, have high drain properties, and are virtually memory free. These batteries do not need to be discharged every time before recharging. NiMH batteries can be damaged from very excessive heat caused by overcharging or using a poorly designed battery charger. This is easily avoided by using a high quality, microprocessor controlled battery charger or a charger designed for NiMH batteries and always charging your NiMH batteries as directed.
Q. Why do alkaline batteries run down so rapidly in my digital camera ?
A. Alkaline batteries weren't designed to supply the high power drains demanded by digital cameras and other modern digital equipment. Despite having a large energy capacity, alkaline batteries aren't capable of delivering their energy rapidly enough to supply your digital camera, causing it to shut down. Digital cameras, and in particular their LCD screens, demand large electrical currents from your batteries.
An alkaline battery's internal resistance means that it can't provide a sufficiently large current, so its voltage drops and the camera shuts down. This is despite there still being energy left in the battery! - don't throw alkalines away when they fail in your camera, use them in a low power device.
NiMH batteries are able to power your device for very much longer than alkalines - enabling hundreds rather than handfuls of photos to be taken - they are also rechargeable again and again. Digital photography with NiMH batteries is not only more convenient, but can be done at a tiny fraction of the cost using alkalines.
Q. What is the 'memory effect' and do NiMH Batteries have a memory effect ?
A.NiCad batteries gradually lose their maximum energy capacity if they are repeatedly partially discharged before being recharged. This is termed the memory effect. A major advantage of NiMH battery technology, apart from lack of toxicity, is the absence of any memory effect - NiMH batteries are remarkably tolerant of frequent 'top-up' charging.
Q. How can I maximize the Battery Life of my digital camera ?
A. First of all use named-brand, high capacity NiMH rechargeable batteries, secondly, don't leave your digital camera switched on between photographic sessions, and thirdly, try to minimise use of your digital camera's LCD monitor screen.
A digital camera's LCD monitor may consume 1000mW of power and draw 1000mA of electric current - these are huge figures for an electronic device (enough to power 10,000 pocket calculators simultaneously!) So try to do most of your shooting through the optical viewfinder with the LCD monitor switched off. And if your digital camera has lots of memory, there's little need to use the monitor for previewing your pictures either - unwanted photos can always be deleted later.
Q. What happens if I leave the battery in the charger for an extended period of time ?
A. Extensive charging may shorten the life of the battery. It is recommended that batteries not be left in the charger for more than 24 hours
Q. How long should a battery be charged for its initial charge ?
A. NiCd and NiMH batteries should be charged for 16 hours initially. There after you can charge as per your charger's capacity . Remember that a battery, after lying on the shelf for some time, usually takes 2-4 full charges and discharges before it achieves its full potential.
Q. How long should the charge in a battery last when the battery is not in use ?
A. NiCd and NiMH <10% during the first 24 hours after charging and about 1% to 2% per day thereafter
This capacity can be recovered by normal charging.
There are two factors to consider during storage:
A non-recoverable capacity loss occurs during storage that depends on the storage temperature and length of time. If the storage temperature is below +35C the batteries can be stored for up to 2 years with about a 5% capacity loss which is not recoverable.
If the storage temperature is allowed to reach +60C the storage time should be limited to 2 weeks to prevent more than a 5% loss. The batteries should be discharged or only slightly charged prior to storage. A charged battery will usually increase the capacity loss which is non-recoverable.
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