[Thad E Ginathom]

I think my Burma Bazaar Sanyos cost almost twice as much. They lasted much longer than a month, but are dead now, refusing to take any charge at all. (I think I let them go flat)

If they were fakes they were very, very good ones, and even came packaged in Sanyo bubble pack.

[nitrous]

Ok, I made a HUGE blunder.
I bought FOUR batteries. Not eight!
Im sorry,fellas.

[akg7091]

Originally Posted by bigman

I would scratch Duracell off your list. I had 2 lots of batteries off them and used them in their 15 minute charger. The batteries started to ooze some sort of liquid on the first charge after 10 minutes and you could hear a hissing noise coming from them. Like most others they are made in China and are not very good quality.

In the end I took them back to the shop for a refund and Gillette (they own Duracell) gave me £15 in vouchers.

Hmm
It seems you had a bad piece, but duracells made in japan are very very nice batteries and are made by Sanyo. I am not too sure about the manufacturer for the made in china batteries though. Overall, duracell has served me really well for over 2 years with no voltage depression and really low internal resistance. I haven't used the made in china duracells so won't comment on them.

My favorite batteries are the ReCyKo. I cannot imagine using any other type now. No more recharging the batteries every two months, just charge them and store till use.
Eneloops are supposed to be better, but they were very expensive and hardly available when I bought my ReCyKos.

Also remember, most of the 15~30 min chargers will not give you 100% capacity, but closer to 90~95%
It seems your charger missed the termination, which may happen with a probability of close to 2% in fast chargers, but is usually more common in slower trickle chargers as -dv becomes harder to recognize at lower charging currents.

My advice, go for LSD cells and invest in a C/2 ( close to 1000ma for the eneloops ) charger with temperature, timer, voltage and -dv cutoff protection

[akg7091]

@ Rehaan :

Get FutureBazaar - Hybrio 2 x AA Hybrio Rechargeable Batter

If your camera is picky about voltages then there is nothing better than eneloops as per many reviews on the net ( look at the discharge curve of the eneloop )
The batteries on futurebazaar are uniross hybrios. If they are made in japan then they are same as eneloop ( Sanyo is OEM for uniross ) and if they are made in china they are made by Yuasa ( panasonic )
Get the made in japan batteries if higher voltage under load is important for you.
These batteries come with a uniross warranty.
Even Camelion has launched their ready to use line in India recently. These are the same as chinese Uniross ( yuasa ) but are more expensive.
Eneloops tend to be around 50% more expensive due to sanyo's brand name, so it doesn't make sense to buy them in India

[shajufx]

My Canon IXY Digital 800 IS battery died today exactly 1 year after the purchase. Model number is NB-5L, 3.7 V, 1120 mAh (Li-ion). It was a shocking drainout when my Panasonic Digi Camcorder battery is running in the 4th year without any issues. Are canons known for short life ?

Now replacing the battery is a pain as its not available in most authorised outlets as confirmed on phone. National market stocks most brands, but is it wise enough to try any other brand ? I am not sure if NB-5L can be replaced with any other brand. Will the charger LED light up even if a dead battery is put for charging (my charger LED do not work with the above battery) ? Last message shown on the camera LCD was "replace your battery" before it conked !!

[akg7091]

What is the voltage across the battery terminals ?
is it 0v ?
If so the protection has kicked in.
Pm me for any help you may want trying to recover that battery

[shajufx]

I went to national market, asked for a brand new battery, but the shop guy checked my charger and battery with his multimeter and claimed 'the battery is good and the charger is gone'. He sold me a multi-purpose charger (Universal charger) with no specific brand, which can be used for 5 different types of batteries (canon, samsung, panasonic, santo and minolta). Packet contains a wall kit and car kit, costed Rs.1000/- with 6 months warranty. Hope it serves me long time !!

Now I am left with the old canon NB-5L charger, which I wish to repair. Any clues on how to do that ? Shop guy claimed the IC inside the charger might be blown which would cost close to Rs.500/-. Checking for second opinions !!

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

These uniross are just too good. The first charge has lasted for more than 20 days & still going strong on my digicam.

Mind explaining the "20 days" part? I have a Kodak 662 (or something like that) - not a professional cam. Put in a fully charged battery, and leave for 4 days, and the battery is drained. Dealer says it due to bad batteries.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Dealer says it due to bad batteries.

Thats my guess as well. Used t happen with local 2100 mah batteries I picked up once.

[mohit]

The best rechargeable batteries I used were Sanyo Eneloops. They are rated at 2000maH but come pre-charged and can hold their charge for almost a year if not used. Fantastic for carrying a spare pair. Excellent life too.

SANYO eneloop | Ready to use Rechargeable Battery - The only battery you will ever need: Home

For people on this side of the world, Costco generally carries very well priced packages.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by shajufx

... Now I am left with the old canon NB-5L charger, which I wish to repair. Any clues on how to do that ? Shop guy claimed the IC inside the charger might be blown which would cost close to Rs.500/-. Checking for second opinions !!

You are unlikely to find any sophistication inside the charger. Just a bunch of resistors, capacitors, diodes and an LED or 2, apart from the transformer.

If you can, take walk along SP Road - you are likely to find a dozen hole-in-the-wall workshops that can repair the charger. Most likely the trafo is gone.

[navin]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

These uniross are just too good. The first charge has lasted for more than 20 days & still going strong on my digicam.

I used to use Sanyo, GP and Sony untill a friend gifted me a UniRoss charger and 10 batteries.

The Charger has a display showing 6 bars (like that on many older mobile phones) and can charge 4 batteries at a shot in under 1 hour. It even has a fan to expel the hot air! Fantastic!

The batteries last as long as any I have ever used. Glad to know this is all made in India and we cna get service too.

[amohit]

Navin, what's the model of the uniross charger?

Originally Posted by navin

I used to use Sanyo, GP and Sony untill a friend gifted me a UniRoss charger and 10 batteries.

The Charger has a display showing 6 bars (like that on many older mobile phones) and can charge 4 batteries at a shot in under 1 hour. It even has a fan to expel the hot air! Fantastic!

The batteries last as long as any I have ever used. Glad to know this is all made in India and we cna get service too.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

If you can, take walk along SP Road - you are likely to find a dozen hole-in-the-wall workshops that can repair the charger. Most likely the trafo is gone.

Thanks for the tip ! I will defenitely carry the charger with me next time I happen to pass SP road. I wanted to open the charger myself to see the "chip" story of the shop guy, but not able to find the correct screw head to open it, it has a screw with 6 edges.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Mind explaining the "20 days" part? I have a Kodak 662 (or something like that) - not a professional cam. Put in a fully charged battery, and leave for 4 days, and the battery is drained. Dealer says it due to bad batteries.

That means your batteries are bad. Used to happen to me with my Sonys(they were 3 years old). That same set is still running strong, amzing.

Originally Posted by navin

I used to use Sanyo, GP and Sony untill a friend gifted me a UniRoss charger and 10 batteries.

The Charger has a display showing 6 bars (like that on many older mobile phones) and can charge 4 batteries at a shot in under 1 hour. It even has a fan to expel the hot air! Fantastic!

I am using these batteries with the Sony charger, charges 4 batteries in 20 minutes, yeah, has a fan that runs much longer after the batteries are charged.