Eneloop  Pro AA specs - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: 6PTsocket
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2018, 05:26:20 pm
content: I have an old Isotip 60 (minute charge)soldering iron. The original batteries are a 2 cell pack of 4/5AA's. Full charge detection is an old fashioned thermal trip on the end of the pack. I only use the iron occasionally and leaving it plugged into the stand on trickle charge is a waste and bad for the battery. With low discharge cells available I am looking for alternatives. An 18650 is out because I would need a buck converter to go from 3.6 to 2.4. There is definitely not enough room for that and a charge control board. There are 2.4 volt LTO lithiums but no off the shelf control boards. That leaves low self discharge NiMh Eneleloops The Eneloop Pro AA is 2250mah, though less at high discharge rate, and my old 4/5 C's wre only 1300mah. They hold most of rheir charge for two years.It comes down to max charge and discharge currents. The iron draws 4A at 2.4 volts per tests on a power supply. I can only find limited info on these cells, mostly consumer stuff on how long it will run your camera or flashlight. I found one third party data sheet that tested it at 5 amps but nothing official. For charging I have a Tenergy NiCd/NiMH smart charger that uses the Delta method to detect full charge and offers me 0.9 or 1.8 amps charge rate. Normally I would be under 1C with 1.8 but I know nothing about these cells and they expect you to use their charger. Since the cells will be buttoned up in the iron and I already have a charger I want to avoid any problems before I buy them. Any thoughts. ThanksSent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

author: Audioguru
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2018, 01:39:01 am
content: You do not say where you are. Are your cells 80% the length of a normal AA? I have never seen such a weird size.In North America Energizer and Duracell have been selling their copies of Eneloops for a few years and guarantee that they hold a charge for one year.Energizer AA alkaline are 2300mAh and Duracell are 2500mAh.Energizer shows poor performance at 4.6A and Duracell at 5A.What do you expect, they are small batteries.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2018, 03:33:14 am
content: It might work if you disable the trickle charging which will damage the NiMH cells relatively quickly. I actually think it would be better to use a 18650 cell if you can regulate the charging voltage; the extra voltage applied to the heater will not matter if it uses PTC regulation which I suspect is the case.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2018, 03:45:29 am
content: Eneloop ProBK-3HCC datasheetgoes to 5A discharge, others to 4A so not a prob.

author: 6PTsocket
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2018, 03:54:18 am
content: Quote from: floobydust on October 05, 2018, 03:45:29 amI got no response from Pannasonic but I did get a response from Tenergy, who makes a similar product as well as the NiCd/NiMH smart charger that I already own. I was told that their cell could supply 4A for short periods of time but would heat up the cell and shorten it's life if allowed to run too long at that current. They said their cell was really built to run at 1C or less. For longest life, they reccomended I use the0.9amp rate on my charger but could use the 1.8 ano settings if in a rush. The bottom line is that I am pushing the cells. They said my chsrger was totally compatible with their cell. It does have trickle charge but with the low self dischargeof these cells, I would not leave it on the chsrger. I would just full charge it and put it away for the next use.Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

author: 6PTsocket
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2018, 04:07:33 am
content: Quote from: David Hess on October 05, 2018, 03:33:14 amPTC regulation? I had the heating element tip on a power supply. More voltage equalled more current. I am not willing to experiment with expensive tips to find out what they can take. I also noticed that a wire running between the old battery and the case had melted a groove in thr case. The old NiCd must have run pretty hot, too. I sure don't want to see what happens at 3.6 volts.Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

author: Pirateguy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2018, 06:27:03 am
content: you may want to ask somebody athttp://www.candlepowerforums.com/those flashlight geeks take their batteries very seriously, and there's some people on therethat i would consider expert.

author: 6PTsocket
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2018, 09:40:24 am
content: Quote from: Pirateguy on October 06, 2018, 06:27:03 amI consider customer support at Tenergy to be expert. When you go with advice from the net it is a crap shoot. I have a pretty good handle in what is available and what is do able. I'm going with the Eneloops or the Tenergy equivalent. LTO cells and supporting circuitry are not that popular. Things may change. They can be charged at 5C.but not that many devices can't run under 3.6 volts so the need for a 2.4 volt lithium is limited. The capacity is also less. The biggest small cell I saw was 1300 mah.but they can sure charge fast.Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2018, 06:22:03 pm
content: I had an Iso-tip a long time ago and it seemed OK but short battery life and the tip gets trashed/broken in the toolbox. So I went to butane.From a wattage point of view, I wonder if 10W is really usable? Poor connections at the tip or on/off switch always gave less power.I thought Dave was not impressed by the USB-powered soldering iron TS80 low power:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1114-new-ts80-usb-soldering-iron-review

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2018, 04:25:34 am
content: Quote from: 6PTsocket on October 06, 2018, 04:07:33 amI never had a problem with mine as far as the NiCd batteries.PTC means positive temperature coefficient. I thought the solder iron tips used a PTC element for heating to roughly regulate the temperature.

author: Pirateguy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2018, 12:23:49 pm
content: rejecting a potential source of data for lack of prestige is not the mark of a strong mind.good luck, snowflake.

author: bc888
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2018, 02:58:17 pm
content: Poster HKJ posts to Eevblog, Candlepower and Budgetlight forum.http://budgetlightforum.com/forum/batteries/rechargeableHis testing and reviews are topnotch, I'd search all of his info to start with. The link above will get you started and confirm that his info is good. BLF is a great source for Budget Flashlight info, and batteries are a good part of that. More here:http://budgetlightforum.com/forum/batteries/rechargeableAlthough I agree with Pirateguy that more info is often better than less, that seems kind of a rough way to note it.Good luck!Quote from: Pirateguy on October 24, 2018, 12:23:49 pm

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2018, 04:26:59 pm
content: Quote from: David Hess on October 07, 2018, 04:25:34 amIsotips are not regulated. They get hot when you press the button and get cold when you release it.Same concept as a Weller gun, actually, but DC rather than AC.