Rechargeable batteries

[persal]

I bought rechargeable batteries and a charger. Now i'm not that sure that the batteries are ok to use with my MC218.

The batteries are:
Rechargeable AA
NiMH 1.2 v
1600 mAh

I put them in my machine and started it, that worked, but when i started the "Backlight" the machine started to make a little noise.
I removed the batteries and but the old ones back. But the noise was still there.

Any clue whats wrong?

I'm afraid that i damaged my machine :(

[diem]

Its not broken - the noise is usual! I'd guess you just haven't noticed it before.

The rechargeables are okay to use with an MC218, but they do tend to drop in voltage much more suddenly than alkalines, so you'd be advised always to carry a spare set.

[persal]

Ok thanks! I'm glad to hear that it has not been damaged.

Are we talking just a few minutes before the first warning of "batteri low" to when there are no more power left?

[diem]

I'm not 100% certain, but I think that is possible yes. Obviously the backup battery will prevent data loss, but it can be frustrating not to be able to use the machine because batteries have dropped too low.

[Johnny]

I've never had any problems with recharables being empty suddenly, I regulary check the battery status and always have an idea about how full they are.

If they ever get empty when I'm away I always have 4 spare ones for my digital camera with me, at school I keep a package of duracells in my locker, not had to use them yet.

[netBookBabe]

Originally posted by persal
I'm afraid that i damaged my machine :( Strange how we sometimes don't notice these things until we do something experimental. I guess that's when we are looking for anything that might go wrong!

Persal, at least now you can make good use of your happily purring backlight without worrying too much about battery costs! ;)

By coincidence, I was just about to bring up the topic of rechargeables to find out who uses them. I'll start a new thread as I was going to make it a poll.

Julie

[persal]

Originally posted by netBookBabe
Persal, at least now you can make good use of your happily purring backlight without worrying too much about battery costs! ;)


Exactly ;)

[seadragon]

Watch out if you use NiMH batteries.They need to be charged several times before they reach full power.
The charger unit will show that they are charged but they need approx 12hrs to charge the 1st time.
Once they are full though they run for ages, but will die quickly, so carry spares .