Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: La Crosse BC-9009 AlphaPower Battery Charger

Category: Batteries & Chargers for Amateur Radio

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : La Crosse BC-9009 AlphaPower Battery Charger
Reviews: 1MSRP: 45
Description:
o Battery charger for NiCd and NiMH AA and AAA rechargeable batteries
o New overheat detection protects against overcharging;
o Individual LCD displays for each charging compartment
o 4 operating modes--Charge, Discharge, Refresh, and Test
o Includes 4 AA and 4 AAA rechargeable batteries, 4 C- and 4 D-size battery adapters, and a travel bag
o Measures 5 by 3 by 1-1/2 inches; 1-year limited warranty
Product is in production
More Info: http://lacrossetechnology.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0014
KE9ZM Rating: 2011-08-14
With 4 digital readouts a buy at the $45 price point Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This charger is a good value at a price point of $45. Consider also that you get 4 AA 2600 mA batteries, 4 AA 1000 mA batteries, and the C and D cell carriers as part of the deal. If you have a device that needs C or D cells now you have another option – use AA’s in those devices with the AA carriers supplied in this package.

The biggest plus is the 4 independent digital readouts – one per cell – and all the information it will tell you about your batteries. I used to use a multimeter to check battery voltage; now the charger does this for me. I never had the capability to determine “as tested” battery capacity. The La Crosse Technology BC-9009 AlphaPower Battery Charger can determine this though a discharge/recharge cycle. Given this new capability my drawer of older AA and AAA cells are destined for a health check. Plus, “as tested” capacity lets you match cells to eliminate that pesky “reverse charged” phenomenon that you can get with cells in packs of 4 or more when one cell is much weaker than the rest of the cells in the pack.

Some chargers get confused if you put in a cell that is below a threshold voltage or is reverse charged (reverse charged due to a weak cell in a pack of stronger cell – an un-matched set). I did not have a reverse charged battery to test to see if the BC-9009 could handle this situation. In the past, to deal with this situation, I used a “dumb charger” for a few minutes to get the reverse charged battery corrected and charged with a minimal capacity. Then I put it in the smart charger to take it up to its full capacity. So, being able to match cell capacity in some applications is important if you run a pack of cells all the way down to the point the device will not function. The BC-9009 can help you match cell capacity when using packs.

Being able to choose the charge rate is a big plus. This gets a little complex in that the maximum capability of the power supply for this charger is about 4 amps. So the total amount of charge current can not exceed 4 amps. Therefore, charge only 2 cells at 1800 mA or 4 cells at 1000 mA. The default is a charge rate of 200 mA – a nice leisurely charge. If you’re in a hurry then 4 cells charging at 1,000 mA takes about 2.5 hours. Or, two cells at 1800 ma in a little over 1 hr.

No major problems with this charger so far. My only nit is the manual which is hard to read in its tiny tiny font.

At $45 from amazon.com with free shipping the La Crosse Technology BC-9009 AlphaPower Battery Charger is a “buy”.

You can read my full review here -
http://frrl.wordpress.com/2011/08/14/review-la-crosse-technology-bc-9009-alphapower-battery-charger/