rechargeable battery recharging unit MH-C9000 wizard charger!!

[arthurking83]

Well ever since they came to market, I've heard fantastic and wonderful things about it, and have always had the seed of a plan firmly in my head to get myself one .. so one day a while back, I happened upon one with little effort on my part and got one.... the MAHA MH-C9000 WizardOne Charger-Analyzer

in a word ..... bollocks!

sorry to offend anyone, but it's not the super duper uber charger you were mistakenly lead to believe it is.

it's good, it works, that's for sure, but as a piece of kit to annul the human condition of fear and indecisiveness(with respect to the topic of the health of your rechargeable batteries) .. it fails.

Actually, it doesn't really fail, so much as it doesn't really pass with flying colours.

My take is that it was a waste of money.. but I did it now, as some other folks already have, and that's that!
I can't recommend it, especially considering the considerable expense.

FWIW, I have about three of four NiMH battery chargers and they all had a specific purpose.
I had a fast charger for when that emergency arose, I have another trickle charger with capacity for 4 batteries as well, and I then got myself a 10 bank trickle charger from Jaycar many years ago now, as my collection of NiMH's grew.
That 10 bank charger has been my preferred charger for all that time, and I usually left the batteries plugged in for long periods to keep them topped up.
Usually you're supposed to not do this with NiMH's, but I was also advised that sometimes it's wise not to believe everything you read.
(I guess that goes for this quick review as well! :D)

Anyhow, I've had a few of the 20 (or more collection) of Jaycar rechargeables I have play up, and I wanted to be sure of which required reconditioning, and which were beyond help.

So I finally got this much hyped charger analyser and proceeded to analyse and charge.
I disposed of a few of the ones marked by the charger as unfit not long after I got the MH-C9000. And now I'm thinking that may have been a bad choice.

This 10 bank Jaycar charger also has the ability to determine if the battery is beyond help, but in a very basic manner in the form of a small LED lamp. Red for bad, green for good.
Actually how it works is that it flashes red when discharging, or is bad, solid red for charging and green for charged.

As we all know the MH-C9000(henceforth called the 9000! displays much more detailed info.

So, the problem. I have two sets of two batteries, that I know work well. One set is 2400mAh and the other set of two are 2500mAh.
Over the past week, I've been trying to get these two sets to charge/discharge .. or analysed, or refreshed or whatever using the 9000!, and it's been a no go.
It refuses to do anything to them .. other than say HIGH.

Bullshit stuff!
I know these (4)batteries have a lot of life left in them yet .. because they've been in active use for the past few weeks in whatever device.
I've been slowly going through the process of analysing and refreshing as many batteries as I can(remember too), and I finally got to these two sets.

So, the problem is that these two sets, won't charge or discharge or do anything via the 9000! .. but they charged perfectly fine using the cheaper, old banger Jaycar 10 bank charger.
I was a bit sceptical of the charge they may recieve, but they charged up and were tested a few days back(and again as I type).

The test involved a pretty heavy going GPS test. These old hand held GPSs are well known for they ability to strain and drain batteries.
A fresh set of average alkalines would last for about 10 hours continuous use, and a set of NiMH just a touch less on average .. sometimes more, but that's dependant on satellite lock and reception.

So the past few days saw the GPSs both on for at least 8-10hours, and I think even more!
As this is not a test of the batteries ability in themselves, and more of an assessment of the charger .. what can this say about the charger.

it's has never allowed me to charge these batteries over the past week that I've tried. It's working 'beautifully' on all the other batteries refreshing and charging and so on .. but according to this charger these two sets are beyond serviceable use now.

YET!! having placed them on the old basic Jaycar charger, they topped up as expected, and have provided the almost perfect level of service that I expected after a full charge.

From this, one can conclude only one of two scenarios!

I'm dreaming and these two battery sets have not powered the GPSes for a day already and doing it all over again today, or that the MH-C9000 is a waste of money!

I say a waste of money, as it doesn't allow the user any option to force charge a battery in any way.

had I relied only on this 9000! as my sole battery charging solution, I'd have disposed of 4 perfectly good rechargeable batteries!
On the other hand, the Jaycar charger has one option on it. That is to discharge the battery with the press of a small red button. Otherwise it charges.
If the battery is not serviceable, it flashes red for that bank.. ie time to throw it out.

Where the 9000! failed the Jaycar charger came through ... not only did I waste my money on this MH-C9000, I almost wasted more money in dumping some perfectly capable batteries, and I may have already dumped some perfectly capable batteries earlier having gone through it all a while back.

I suppose it's just something to be mindful of, rather than a major rant and rave against a product.

FWIW, the two GPSes are a Magellan Meridian Color and a Garmin GPS76, both of which use two AA's. The Garmin struggles to maintain a lock and is continually searching which reduces battery life.. but both have been running again currently for 4 hours, with these supposedly unserviceable batteries for the second day running.

[etherial]

Love a good Arthur rant post :p

I've had a few minor issues with mine as well, I'll read this tomorrow when I'm a little less tired and can take it all in :D

[farmer_rob]

I bought a 9000 after having all sorts of problems with an eveready charger and eveready NiMh batteries. I've been very happy with the 9000.

However, the eveready batteries are a heap of s###. I have since moved onto a variety of other brands, all happily used by me and maintained by the 9000.

I would say though, that the 9000 reported high on a number of the eveready batteries, and these were chucked. As they would not maintain charge or power anything for very long, I had no hesitation. The 9000 has not reported high on any of the other NiMh batteries I own, so I've not been in the position of potentially throwing out viable batteries.


Regards,
Rob

[arthurking83]

I suppose that's my biggest grief here Rob.
Not that the charger reported the batteries incorrectly.. which it probably DIDN'T!! .. there may well be some issue with them, and as such it's simply reporting them as over volted(is that even a word? :D).
It's claiming these 4 particular batteries are at 2.5v or so(give or take a few points),and simply wants nothing to do with them.

Last night, again, I had them running in two GPSes, and the first run I wasn't really taking much notice, but with this run I watched a bit more carefully.
The 2500mAh set lasted well over 12 hour .. something like 18hours, as I went to bed after 12 last night. I started the GPS up at 6AM that morning.
In fact I don't think I've ever had 'so much time' out of a set of these greens(the battery is a predominantly green colour, where the 2400's are purple) from a handheld GPS.

The purple's lasted till about 9-10PM .. wasn't watching all that carefully tho, I just noticed it at 10PM .. so that gave about 15 hours or so.. the actual running time isn't the issue tho, as I said.

The problem is that this is about how much running time I used to get from them way back in '05!! .. when I got the GPS.

ie. after 6 or 7 years of pretty normal use .. of sometimes sitting unused for weeks if not months, and then being used and then not, and sitting discharged for a while, and then sitting being trickled charged for weeks ... and so on.
So in effect, the batteries I'm checking by all rights should be 'on their last legs' if not for the fact that they still work as remember them from new.

What would be nice on this charger is the ability to just discharge the battery, when required.

What's happening is that when the charger is set to either charge, cycle, refresh or condition, it reports 2.5v or so and wont proceed past that point.
BUT!!(where the real problem is) .. that when it's set to discharge, it only reports 1.2v or so .. and hence reports that it's now discharged(is. DONE) ..

ie. no win situation for a set of batteries that obviously work fine.

so as an example of how this can be a problem, and why I'm frustrated by it.. I've dumped a few batteries now(which I know were pretty much dead).
So now I have two of these 2500's and two 2400's, and I can't really use them effectively in something high powered like an flash(SB-800).
The batteries are unbalanced and if the two 2400's lose power early(as I expect they will), the flash won't fire, even tho the two 2500's my still have enough juice to keep on going.
So I have to keep these four paired as two distinct pairs now .. bit of a PITA I reckon.

I'll most likely end up using them for mouses and keyboards .. as I retired the old Magellan Meridian Color now.

Apart from this slightly annoying design .... or 'safety' aspect of the MH-C9000, it's actually not a bad device.
I just think that for the money, it may not be the ants pants as has been described by others.

Jaycar have a good selection of chargers available too, and going from my experience with their NiMH's, I also like their batteries a lot too.
Middle of the road pricing/value, but at least they work, and they have shopfronts and keep a few folks employed around the traps.... ;)

[Speedway]

I agree with Rob Eveready batteries are s###. When I got my first digital camera the Minolta Z3 in 1995 I got a set of 4 Arlec 1600mAh AA batteries with an 8hr timed charger. I then bought 2 sets (8) 2500mAh Eveready batteries. These never lasted as long as the Arlec's and within 6 months the Eveready's were showing signs of failing and totally failed in under 12 months I have since bought in order and sets of 4 DSE 2000mAh, Enerloop 2000mAh, Inca 2000 mAh with overnight charger and Ultracell (Aldi) 2500mAh these over 2 years ago. I also have a USB charger that cuts out when batteries reach full charge. The DSE and Arlec batteries have been in constant use the Arlec powering my first wireless mouse for 2 years in which the charge only lasted 1 day and the DSE ones powering my second mouse (2 years again) that lasted up to 1 week, (My third one is supposed to have a battery life of up to 2 years.) and has the supplied alkaline batteries fitted. Apart from the Enerloop's they all drop charge substantially when not in use and if I have something coming up that I will need the batteries for they all get run through the USB charger over the day or 2 beforehand. Last night the oldest set the Arlec's powered my new Yongnuo YN460-II for 3.5 hours of a Pub gig I shot and still gets 2 shots off before about a 1.5 sec delay for the subsequent shots on setting 5 of 7, 5-6 sec recharge on full power. I have looked at these conditioning chargers and have decided the money would be better spent elsewhere.
Keith.

[arthurking83]

..... I have looked at these conditioning chargers and have decided the money would be better spent elsewhere.
Keith.

:th3:

.... about 4 sets of four new batteries I reckon!

That's how much the charger cost me.

If you ever get yourself a new range of batteries, and need soem way to charge them all up concurrently, I can recommend Jaycar's 10 battery charging bank.

That I can see from their website, it costs about $60 .. and I remember paying that or just less about 5 years or so ago.

[Bear Dale]

I was just about to purchase one of these maha chargers because everything I read about them, makes them seem like they're better than anything else.


Now I'm not so sure :(

[arthurking83]

It's still annoying me too.

Oh well, I have it now, so not much I can do about it.

It looks all mighty and impressive, but I still have the same issue.

I'd have thrown out perfectly good batteries were it not for the fact that I have my older, less impressive charger to charge them.

And still .... where the Powerex charger tells me 'High', I then pop them into the Jaycar charger, they charge up and they work fine(usually in the SB800, always in a mouse or keyboard, and other devices.

I've run them through a couple of handheld GPS(of yesteryear), Garmin and Magellan, and they devour batteries like there's no tomorrow .. and the apparently dead batteries still have the capacity to power the GPS's for 12 or more hours non-stop.

If you're looking for a good quality charger, with a nice display to read how the battery is going, the Powerex is good.
It's just that I don't trust it's ability to report when the battery is at the end of it's life.

FWIW: I don't have any specs on the 'Jaycar' charger I have, other than I got it from Jaycar a million moons ago, it's a 10 bank charger for AA and AAA's only, and has only one control, which is a red button to discharge any batteries you want cycled. Each battery slot has an LED indicator, and all you do is pop 'em in and it charges them.
BUT it takes for ever! The Powerex is definitely quicker to charge based on a very simple test where I'd charged multiple batteries that had come out of a device in both chargers.
The MH charger would have them charged in a few hours .. that is, before bed time(lets say) .. where the Jaycar charger was still charging(red LED), even the next morning on some batteries.

The other day, I had to dispose of two dead NiMH's as the Jaycar charger wouldn't even charge them ... tried cycling them, and leaving them for a couple of days, and then cycling them again, after a week of trying, they're were disposed of.

[Warbler]

However, the eveready batteries are a heap of s###.

That's no surprise. Eneloops are the best I've used, and the 8-battery charger that comes with them has the same features as Arthur's old reliable Jaycar charger.

[Bear Dale]

The charger I have been using is this Varta one -

http://www.en.varta-consumer.com/en/Products/Chargers/Power-Line/LCD.aspx#LCD

It's got an LCD screen, but I'm pretty sure thats it's still a 'dumb' charger. I have been happy with the Varta batteries. I have some Eneloops and to be honest I don't see any difference between the Varta and the Eneloops.

My Energisers went into the bin, I still have that dumb charger as well.