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Reviews For: Radio Shack #23-245 Ni-Cd/Ni-MH Universal Battery Charger

Category: Batteries & Chargers for Amateur Radio

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Review Summary For : Radio Shack #23-245 Ni-Cd/Ni-MH Universal Battery Charger
Reviews: 1MSRP: 29.95
Description:
Semi-automatic battery charger handles AAA, AA, C, D, and 9v batteries in multiple banks, with automatic charging current selection, automatic shut-off (except for 9v), reverse polarity protection, safety timer shut-off, battery short circuit protection, and features overcurrent protection and charging/discharging indicators.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F004%5F009%5F002%5F000&product%5Fid=23%2D425
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0014
KD7KGX Rating: 2003-02-25
Good choice for 1.5v or 9v batteries Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This unit is ideal for the person who is looking to charge Ni-Cad or Ni-MH batteries in common sizes (AAA, AA, C, D, or 9v). I don't know whether or not it will work with other voltages... I will give that a try and modify this review if it will.

The unit works very simply. You have two 'banks' that will each hold a pair of AAA, AA, C, or D cells, or one 9 v. The battery holders are spring-loaded to automatically adjust for different battery lengths, and it's easy to insert and remove batteries. Reading the instructions takes a few minutes and makes using the unit easy.

For Ni-Cads, you have an optional, manually-selectable discharge mode, that completely drains the batteries and helps prevent the notorious 'memory' problem that occurs if Ni-Cads are charged too frequently without recharging. An LED indicator indicates the discharge status and goes out when the battery is drained. You must switch the charger back to 'charge' mode in order to start the charging process.

The charging process is as simple as ensuring that the same battery type/capability is in each battery holder for a particular 'bay'. You must charge batteries in pairs (except for 9v). Insert the batteries, check to ensure that the discharge/charge mode switch is set to 'charge' and as soon as the second battery of a pair completes the charging circuit the charge indicator LED lights up.

Charging Ni-Cads takes from less than an hour (AAA/180mA) to 7.5 hours (9v or D/4500mA). The charger turns off automatically EXCEPT for 9v batteries (why not for these I don't know... a design limitation).

With the sole exception of reduced functionality for 9v (no discharging, no automatic recharging so you have to monitor time and remove the battery accordingly), this unit is pretty much painless and works as expected.

I have charged AAA, AA, D, and 9v batteries (Ni-Cads) with it and everything seems to work great. As expected, new Ni-Cads have a very short life on their first charge, lengthening as several complete discharge/charge cycles are completed.

For $30 it's hard to see how you could go wrong with this charger if you use the appropriate batteries -- and everything from TV remotes to ham shack accessories to HTs to GPS units to flashlights run off of these batteries. I have give it a '4' not because it is the best charger I could imagine, but because it meets all expectations. I didn't give it a '5' because I think the designer should have added the minimal extra circuitry/programming to have the unit work with 9v as it does with the other supported battery types.

I'd buy another one if I needed similar capabilities.