( 15 reviews )
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Posted: 05-17-2009
I bought this because I use AA cells in my digital camera and AAA cells in a pocket radio and some mp3 players. The USB power source sounded handy. I can use it with my PC at work, plus I have a "lighter plug" USB adapter so I can use it in my car. This does work, but you need to monitor it to prevent overcharging. I downloaded and installed the software from energizer.com. I found some quirks in the way it works. When I connect it to my PC, it usually pops up with an estimated time that is longer than what is really needed. For example, I can isert a couple AA's and plug it in. It will pop up with something like 2 hours and 53 minutes til charged. All the sudden, it will jump to a much shorter time, say 37 minutes. About half the time, it has counted down and displayed "DONE!". The other half of the time, it counts down to 5 minutes remaining, then stops counting down. When this happens, the charging doesn't stop, cells get overcharged, and they get very warm. This happened a few times for me. Now I try to watch it so I won't cook my cells. I guess they didn't perfect the way it senses when the cells are fully charged. One thing not explained in the instructions is that it will charge one or two cells. This is handy because my mp3 players only use one AAA cell. If you only want to charge one, it must be in the first position. It you put a cell in position 2, it won't do anything and pops up an error message. This charger does work, but the "end of charge" sensor doesn't always work. Just remember to check it to make sure the cells aren't getting overcharged and cooked.
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Posted: 03-15-2009
I love my digital camera. However the rate it uses up batteries worries me, too many a year going into the landfill. I was lucky and found this cute charger in Pink (one of my favorite colors). We had tried the rechargable battery routine before and it was not a happy thing, if you have kids that can't keep track of batteries, using rechargables gets pretty expensive when half of them land in the trash or get lost. This charger was perfect for my needs, one of the few spaces in the house that is mine is my computer desk. One package of 4 rechargable batteries, plus this charger will keep my camera ready to go and more earth friendly.
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Posted: 10-18-2008
As described in other reviews, the charger frequently goes into it's rapid blinking, charging error mode. I get same result with energizer rechargeable batteries and other brands. Typically I need to remove and re-insert batteries 3-4 times to get to full charge. It is also annoying that the charger tries to install its monitoring software every time it is plugged into the USB. My corporate PC disallows this installation, and I need to wait while the installation fails. Having said all that, it is a compact charger that works off the USB. I'd prefer one without these flaws, but this one does work.
