How do I stop the annoying music from playing when the batteries are charged in my Nexcell charger?

When the charger is plugged in it will go through a test cycle and the music will play.... Push either button as the music plays to disable the music function.

Aren't the 1 hour Rapid chargers on the market now better than the slower 3 hour chargers?

Not necessarily. The best chargers on the market will balance speed with gentleness and completeness of charge. Speed is an important feature but the faster the charge rate the more internal wear on the battery which will shorten the battery's ultimate life. The ideal battery charger will charge fast but also provide a relatively gentle charge rate and a smart chip to protect the batteries from overcharge/overheat damage and at the same time provide a complete charge to maximize run times between charges.  

What is the conditioner feature of the charger for?

The conditioner feature if activated will discharge your cells before charging them. Use this feature if:

 1) You are charging two cells together in a 2 channel charger such as the NC-10FC and they have different charges remaining or you are unsure of their discharge state.  This will allow both cells to recharge equally.

Note: You should not charge two cells together of different types (NiMH with NiCd) or of different rated capacities.

 2) You have put your batteries through many charge cycles without having fully discharged them before charging.  NiCd and to a lesser extent NiMH batteries tend to store energy in larger crystalline formations near the center of the battery if this area has not been used or exercised for a long period of time.  It is the last part of the battery to be discharged during normal use.  These larger crystalline formations cause increased resistance to energy flow and tend to rob the battery of capacity.  Conditioning your batteries occasionally with the condition feature of your charger will solve this problem by discharging the energy stored in the larger crystalline formations by eliminating the excess resistance and restoring full capacity.

Tip: Use the conditioning feature the first three or four charge cycles when your batteries are new to bring them quickly up to their rated capacity and condition them for normal use. 

How often should I use the Conditioner feature of my charger?

Star batteries recommends a conditioning cycle every 30 days of use for NiCd batteries and every 6 months or once every 20-30 discharge cycles for NiMH batteries or when there is a noticeable reduction in capacity.

Note: We don't recommend using the conditioning feature on every charge because overuse of the conditioning feature will reduce the cycle life of your batteries and will also increase the charging time. 

Note: Over use of the conditioning feature is much worse for your NiMH batteries than no conditioning at all. 

What is the advantage of having 4 separate charge channels instead of just 2 or 1.

A charger with 4 separate charge channels such as the Nexcell NC-60FC will allow the electronic chips to evaluate the voltage and capacity remaining each battery separately. It will then apply the charge needed to fully charge each battery without overcharging or undercharging the battery. 2 channel chargers can only take the average of the 2 batteries in each channel which sometimes causes one or both batteries to not receive a complete charge. 

Can I use my battery charger in countries with 220V power?

Only if the charger's AC adapter plug is rated to accept the 220V power. There should be a sticker on the adapter near the plug listing the power specs. If it says 100V-240V 50-60hz it is rated to accept any countries power provided you have an adapter to allow the plug to fit into the outlet.

Does my PowerEx MH-401FS have a conditioner feature?

According to PowerEx the C401FS charger is so advanced that the internal charging circuit makes manual conditioning unnecessary. Since each battery is charged independently using the Flex Negative pulse charging algorithm, not only is each battery charged to its optimum capacity, but battery life is also enhanced. In fact, FLEX NEGATIVE pulse charging removes the crystal structure formed on battery electrodes (which is the source of "memory effect") and basically conditions your batteries as they are being charged.  

How do I charge my batteries?. 

NiMH chargers are fully automatic. Plug your charger into an A/C (or D/C power source with an optional 12V car cord) and place your batteries into the charger to begin charging. Red lights indicate charging in progress. The lights will turn green when charging is complete and the charger will automatically switch to a trickle charge. The trickle charge will keep your batteries fully charged and ready for use. Refer to our Charger Manuals page for more detailed operating instructions for your model charger.

What are the two buttons for on my smart charger? Do I have to push them every time to start charging?

The two buttons activate the conditioning feature of the charger. You should not push them if you desire only normal charging.  (See the FAQ above for advice on when to use the conditioning feature). If you desire the conditioning feature push the buttons after putting the batteries in the charger. The blinking yellow lights indicate discharge/conditioning is in progress. The charger will automatically switch to charging mode when conditioning is complete indicated by steady red lights. When the lights turn green charging is complete.

Can I charge 2 AA batteries on one side and 2 AAA batteries on the other side at the same time?

Yes you can if your charger has at least 2 individual charge channels... independent charging circuits which will allow you to charge 2 AAA batteries in one side and 2 AA in the other.  The two cells on each side need to be a matched pair of the same size and capacity. The Nexcell NC-60FC has 4 independent charging circuits so you can charge any combination of batteries regardless of type size or capacity. 

Will "fast charging" my batteries reduce their life cycle?

Yes, the maximum number of charge cycles that your rechargeable batteries can endure will be somewhat less using fast chargers vs. slow overnight chargers. The cycle life attained is dependent on many factors including the rate of charging and discharging as well as the depth of discharge between charge cycles. In other words if you want to attain the highest number of charge cycles use a slow charger and begin recharging your cells before they are 50% discharged. You would be however, sacrificing the maximum performance and convenience your batteries are capable of and were designed for. 

In our opinion it would be worth sacrificing the convenience of fast charging only if the replacement cost of your batteries were significantly higher.  If you got only 300 charge cycles instead of 600 charge cycles your cost per charge would still only be 1 penny per charge instead of 1/2 penny per charge. Compare that to the cost of a throw-away alkaline cell of as much as $1 per cell. NiMH cells can supply as much power as hundreds of throw-away alkaline cells. NiMH cells cost much less to operate regardless of the ultimate number of charge cycles attained.

TIP: Replace your cells when you are no longer satisfied with their performance and conditioning no longer seems to improve performance.

What is the Fast/Slow switch on the side of my MH401FS charger for?

The Fast/Slow switch changes the charge rate of the charger. Selecting fast will charge your AA batteries in about 100 minutes and selecting slow will charge them in about 5 hours. The switch should normally be left in slow unless you need your batteries charged quickly. Slower charging will help extend your batteries cycle life. ( see previous FAQ above for more information on fast charging and battery cycle life.)

Can I use my older NiCD battery charger to charge my NiMH batteries?

No, you can use a newer NiMH charger to charge your old NiCD batteries but you should not try to charge NiMH batteries with a NiCD charger. Here's why: NiMH and NiCD batteries are chemically very similar and when both are fully charged the battery voltage will start to drop. The NiMH voltage drop is much more subtle and more difficult to detect. NiMH chargers usually have an over temperature sensor and shutoff to prevent overcharge as well as a more sensitive voltage drop detector where NiCD chargers usually only use the voltage drop to determine when to stop charging. If you charge NiMH batteries in a NiCD charger it will probably miss the voltage drop and keep right on charging causing the batteries to overheat. Overcharge and overheating NiMH batteries can damage them internally and reduce battery life.

I put my new NiMH batteries in the charger and pressed the buttons but the flashing yellow lights stayed on for hours. Why didn't it switch automatically to charging mode?

How do I use my smart charger in the car?

Since our smart chargers run on 12V DC, you can use them in the car provided that you have a cigarette lighter adapter (Optional Car Kit $4.95). Make sure that your vehicle is supplying 13.8V or below. Some trucks may have 24V. Just plug the charger cord into the cigarette lighter and charger to begin charging and check the lights on the charger and power cord are on indicating power. Caution: never plug in the charger or operate your charger while you are starting your vehicle.

The batteries get warm when I charge them. Is this normal?

Yes, when charging NiCD or NiMH rechargeable batteries, they do increase in temperature substantially due to internal resistance. The batteries may feel warm/hot when the charge is completed. According to specification, most NiMH batteries may heat up to 131 deg F or 55 deg C during a rapid charge. Allow your batteries a few minutes to cool down before using them.

Tip: Leave the dust cover lid open when you are charging your batteries to help dissipate the heat.

How do I know how long to charge my batteries?

All of our battery chargers are automatic. Follow the charging instructions that came with your charger. For most battery chargers with LED lights the RED light on indicates charging in progress and the GREEN light on indicates charging completed. You can also calculate the approximate charge time using this method. Divide the desired charge mAh by the charge rate of your battery charger mA. For example to charge 1600 mAh rated batteries that are fully discharged it would take about 2 hours using a charger with a charge rate of 850 mA. (1600/850 = 1.88 hrs.) 

How long should I charge NiMH batteries in my Nexcell NC-15SC charger?

The NC-15SC charger will charge NiMH batteries at a constant rate 150mA for AA and 50mA for AAA and then shut off with a timer at 15 hours. As long as your AA or AAA NiMH batteries are mostly discharged you can leave them in for the full 15 hours. If you are just topping off a previous charge you should remove the batteries after you have estimated a complete charge. Unplugging the charger or a power interruption will start the timer over again. See the FAQ above for the MH-124S for guidance on how to estimate charge times. 

Where can I find more information on charging batteries for my Digital Camera?

Try this link for a more detailed discussion of battery selection care and usage specifically for Digital Camera users. http://www.cliffshade.com/dpfwiw/batteries.htm 

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