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Battery Blank

 For recharging batteries
  (+11)(+11)
(+11) 		  [vote for,
against]

I use NiMH batteries, and have a great charger. It will charge almost any common size of NiMH or NiCad batteries. The problem is, it has two slots, and each holds two batteries. You can't use a compartment without two batteries in it. That means that I can't charge three batteries at a time. I propose a Battery Blank, a device that is the shape of a battery and has the resistance of one. You would put it in in place of a battery, to complete the circuit and charge the other battery/batteries in the slot.
—-----, Apr 15 2005

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       You should just get a better charger :-)
—contracts, Apr 15 2005
   

       This was the best one I found. A lot of them will only accept 4 at a time.
—-----, Apr 15 2005
   

       Or you could connect the two poles of the emty slot with a bit of wire.
—zeno, Apr 16 2005
   

       Hmm, maybe that would overload the first battery, I'm not really sure how NiMH batteries work.
—-----, Apr 16 2005
   

       Neither do I. But it seems to me battery number one is charged just as much as battery number two, three and four. It does not charge 1 and then 2 and so on, but all the batteries at the same time. Connecting the wire like I suggested might cause a bit of a strain when you have three empty slots and only one battery. But three batteries and one wire should work nicely. Or one battery and one wired slot. If you try it out and the thing gets hot very quickly, you can stop the experiment in time.
—zeno, Apr 16 2005
   

       <aside behind hand> He he, I got [-----] to blow up his charger he he. <end aside behind hand>
—zeno, Apr 16 2005
   

       Actually, there are two separate charger circuitries. Each circuit charges the batteries at the same time, and the circuit is on a timer. I figured this out with a continuity tester. Anyway, since it is measuring time, I think it might damage one battery.
—-----, Apr 16 2005
   

       Well, if you put it like that, [-----], I agree. Best not mess with it.
—zeno, Apr 16 2005
   

       I can't find it, but wasn't there a related idea here for a blank battery to use in appliances, so that you could add or remove one cell when switching between NiCads and non-rechargables (which have slightly different output voltages)?
—Basepair, Apr 16 2005
   

       There was. It was baked by “dummy batteries” and some built-in version of them, which are effectively just a wire. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to use them in a charger like this. Probably not. But I think [zero] is suggesting something which behaves like a battery in the charger, not just a wire.
—Shz, Apr 17 2005
   

       Actually, it was I who suggested that, not [zeno].
—-----, Apr 17 2005
   

       I said [zero], not [zeno]. Hmm, too close. Perhaps I’ll start using a different pronunciation.
—Shz, Apr 17 2005
   

       Well, I wrote the idea, and his name is Zeno. Give credit where due. Look under the idea, my name is there.
—-----, Apr 17 2005
   

       I don't think you get it, [-----]. It was credited to [zero], which is how he/she pronounces your name. You were the one who brought up [zeno].   

       [+++++] btw.
—disbomber, Apr 17 2005
   

       Earth to earth, live to live, ashes to ashes.
—Basepair, Apr 17 2005
   

       Ah. I feel really stupid. Shall I delete those posts?
—-----, Apr 17 2005
   

       No worries [-----]. I won’t be offended if you delete them (and this). BTW, I only call you that because that’s what it is in Morse code.
—Shz, Apr 18 2005
   

       Ah. I just chose it to be anonymous, and (hopefully) mysterious. Also, my name causes some speculation in the annotations of my ideas.
—-----, Apr 18 2005
   

       I had a piece of &*%^@#$ charger that was like this. It also took *FOREVER* to charge the batteries- I would put batteries in OVERNIGHT and when I woke up in the morning they STILL weren't fully charged??????
—Dickcheney6, Nov 09 2008
   

       Is a battery load different to any other kind of electrical load ?
—wjt, Nov 10 2008
   


 

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