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| Reviews Summary for MAHA / PowerEx MH-C777PLUS-II |
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Reviews: 16
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Average rating: 2.6/5
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MSRP: $89.95
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Description: Based on the invaluable inputs of thousands of PowerEx product users and engineers, the MH-C777PLUS-II is designed with you in mind. From its universal charging capability for almost any shape Lithium Ion, NiMH, and NiCD battery packs to its digital voltage and capacity display, the MH-C777 PLUS-II is a true winner. Best of all, with all of these advanced features the charger is available at a affordable consumer cost.
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More info: http://www.mahaenergy.com/products/prosumer/mhc777plus.htm
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K8DXX
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 10, 2008 09:24
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Works for Me
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have used this to charge packs of AA (4 & 8 cells), Cs (4) and a SaratogaHam battery pack made for the Icom 703. All of these are NiMH cells.
Also used this to charge both the factory and an aftermarket NiCd pack for the Kenwood TH7D/A (G) HT. Physical adjustment took about 2 minutes of experimenting but once made, placement of either pack on the charger was easy.
I've had some success rejuvenating old NiCd AA and C cells.
In all cases, I have not experienced the severe overheating that some have reported.
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KR4WM
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 10, 2008 07:42
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UPDATE as promised
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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OK, here's the update as promised. Apparently, someone at Maha must have been reading these reviews. I immediately received a reply after firing off another e-mail to them. The technician who answered me apologized for the delay in response, and offered to send me a brand new replacement charger- which took about 10 days to arrive. I immediately hooked it up to the 8 AA battery pack which previously overheated when using this charger (almost smoked! It did smell horrible!), and kept a close watch on it for 2 hours. The charge completed, no overheating, so I can only surmise that they found and fixed a flaw in the design. If you are experiencing the same issue (overheating, burning smell), I suggest you get in contact with Maha and see if they will do the same for you. I'm happy with the charger now, but don't feel it should have taken a second e-mail a month later to get a reply.
To those of you who complain about the kludgy interface, if you have a battery pack and no charger, this may be the only way you can charge it- at least it provides you with something that works. It's not meant to replace factory chargers. Also, most factory chargers won't rejuvinate a dead pack. This unit will, saving you money on replacement packs, at least temporarily. In some cases, like a battery pack not even available at ANY cost, it will allow you to keep that favorite old radio going awhile longer. Also, it's designed to set up for one particular battery, and left like that. If you're using it to charge multiple batteries, and have to reconfigure it every time, of course you're going to think it's kludgy! Don't be so darned cheap- buy a second (or more) unit and set up as many as you need accordingly! Or rig up charge cups for your various batteries that you can connect to the (nice feature) auxiliary connector on the side!
I give the product a solid 5, and customer service a 4. There's nothing else in this price range that does what this does, as well as it does it.
-KR4WM
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KK8ZZ
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Rating: 0/5
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Jul 29, 2008 15:39
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clumsy, inconvenient
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Don't waste your time or $$... awkward to use, never sure of results. Cooked a couple of batteries and sold this turkey.
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K1FU
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Rating: 5/5
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May 10, 2008 01:47
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Works fine
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Haven't had any problems and have owned two years. Getting the pins set up for BP-173 was a pain but I use it to charge both NiCAD and NiMH packs. This is a rapid charger so expect some heat especially when charging NiMH.
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N3EOP
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 4, 2007 12:01
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Works well enough
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought one when I lost the charger for a power tool, and also to charge a "AA tray" for one of my HTs.
It's not perfect, but it hasn't cooked any of my batteries.
The adjustable pins are ingenous, but really only work well on pack with both terminals on the same end. Packs where the terminals are separated by a bit of distance on one face (such as my commerical Kenwood HT) are quite a balancing act.
Fortunately, they include a cable with clip leads for such things. I made a few custom terminal adapters that I can simply slip on/over the pack, and the cable clips onto those.
It works well enough for what it does. Of course, a dedicated charger for your pack would work better. Universal chargers have a heck of a time trying to figure out what you've connected. Some batteries may confuse it, but so far, none of mine have.
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K8DXX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 8, 2007 13:59
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Never had a problem
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I'm surprised to read all the negative reviews. I bought one of these mail order for $49.95. It appears to successfully discharge and recharge NiCD and NiMH betteries of varying descriptions including various packs of 4500 C-size mA/H NiMHs, packs of AA size NiMH (1600-2250 mA/H), packs of 4 NiCD cells and both factory and aftermarket NiCDs for the Kenwood THD7A/G. Usually seems to cut to trickle charge (says FULL) when the charge cycle is over. It does take some adjustment when trying to charge the Kenwood packs but then, I consider the price of a drop-in charger!
Guess I'll need to start babysitting mine!
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KA8CEJ
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Rating: 1/5
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Mar 9, 2007 07:35
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INFERIOR PRODUCT
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I purchased this product mainly to deep cycle ni-cad battery packs to eleminate the "memory effect" the batteries are supposed to have. The charger seemed to discharge and recharge the 2 BP-173 packs for my Icom W-32-A in good order. The trouble began when I tried to use it on a Kendoo 1,000 Mah Nimh BP173, a MAHA 1000 mah BP173, and a battery pack for an Icom T2 Sport with 8 2500 Nimh individual batteries.
Following the instructions, and hooking up the temperature sensor directly to the batteries, I watched it for a little while then became busy with other projects. By the time I smelled the "burnt electric" smell, one battery had come apart at the seam but didn't leak, one had the paint coming loose from the case, two had an orange peel
look and feel, and one had expanded ever so slightly. I had a thermometer that read to 135 degrees and it pegged it in seconds. The batteries were so hot you absolutely could not hold them in your fingers. I dumped them out of the case, fearing the case would melt or deform, and checked the voltage at 0.00 at the time. After cooling down overnight, the voltage showed 1.37 to 1.41 volts, but I have yet to try them to see if they have any reserve power. This unit is either defective, or it DESPERATELY needs a strong fan on it to keep the batteries cooler. I have set it on the shelf, as I absolutely do not trust it except for ni-cad batteries, nor will I sell it to anyone, as I feel it is an inferior product.
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AI2IA
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Rating: 2/5
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Jul 24, 2005 14:11
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Needs watching when in use.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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My MH-C777Plus-88 charges nicads and NiMetal Hydride battery packs very well. The problem is that the temperature sensor is utterly useless. I never leave it unattended when charging. I use it only on a large empty table with a nearby clock, and I feel the battery pack with my hand from time to time. If it gets too hot to touch and hold, I shut it down. No packs have been damaged to date. All other functions work well for me, but I suggest that you never trust it unattended. It should be marked: "Caution - for adult use only." It works, but no, I would not buy one again.
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N2KEN
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Rating: 3/5
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May 24, 2004 22:10
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OK, but needs refinement
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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MAHA / PowerEx MH-C777PLUS-II:
The charger works, BUT. . . On the plus side, it recognized any battery I’ve placed into the holder. It successfully discharged them and then fully charges to full capacity while reporting progress. Some battery packs require significant repositioning and are very difficult to align with the pins. The stock packs for the Kenwood TH-F6A and Radio Shack HTX-202 are two examples. The HTX-202 pack has the positive terminal very near to the ground plate. I managed to short two of the pins on the charger and slightly melt the plastic on one of the sliding pin supports (“Floating Charging Contacts”) while experimenting for position. Poor charger design or operator error?? The manual encourages using the “trial and error” method to align the pins, but be careful.
The floating pin design needs some refinement. All of my battery cases have their unique, peculiar positions so the pins make proper contact. A weak magnet holds the battery case somewhat in position. However, several times the pin contact was lost along the way and I needed to reposition the battery – and lose the charging progress info. Following the advice in the manual, a rubber band helps keep some packs in their place. The temperature sensor also has a magnet to hold it in place on the battery. I haven’t experienced any overheating or overcharging with the cells I’ve charged. The diversity of the voltages and battery pack chemistry types adds flexibility. I was able to revive one old NICAD pack by running it through three discharge/recharge cycles. Then, I recharged the 3.7V Lithium Ion pack for my VX-2R. The mAh readout was consistent with the battery’s rated capacity in both situations.
Perhaps the design of the “C777Plus-MKIIG-ProII-D” version will improve the overall pin adjustment procedure. A better clamping and/or pin pressure method is needed. I’m sure Maha / Powerex will keep experimenting until they get it right. Otherwise, it does what it does OK – charge various types of battery packs.
73
N2KEN
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KD6ICY
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Rating: 3/5
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Apr 4, 2004 18:28
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okay but needs improvement
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I bought this at the 'pacificon show' my faults with this charger are these. The adjustments for connecting a battery are hard to adjust! I would like to see other types of connectors, that would connect to various size aa batteries that have connector wires attached to them.
On the plus side I have not had any trouble with overcharging or heating my batteries. plus the manual could be a bit more informative. I look forward to improvements in future models.
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