Expert Opinion Needed Sony Compact Charger-BCG-34HS2E

[Vicepres]

I need/want a battery charger for Home/Office, inexpensive way to charge my flashlights and camera.

Flashlights - key chain, Fenix Ld 01, E01, E05, and ITP A3 SS.
Trying to decide on a Fenix LD20, or an EagleTac P20A2 (not purchased yet)
will use 2 X AA 2500 mah Batteries

Camera - Kodak uses 2 X 2100 mah Batteries

I found this: http://www.adorama.com/IBYSCH2AA.html (Reg $17.99 Free Shipping)
Sony Cycle Energy Compact Charger with 2 - 2500 mAh Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) AA Rechargeable Batteries


or This - http://www.adorama.com/IBYSC2AA20.html (Reg $17.95 Free Shipping)
Sony Compact Charger with 2-Cycle Energy AA 2000mAh Rechargeable Ni-MH Batteries

Both of these will charge AA, and AAA's. overnight. I know it is slow, but for my casual use, I think these might fit the bill.

Will I FRY the key chain flashlights ? They need a 750 mah battery and my Camera (Kodak) has 2100 mah batteries ? When I purchase the Fenix LD20 or the EagleTac they use the 2500 mah batteries, so no problem (I think). I gues I do not understand how to "Match" voltage requirements for charging and equipment.

I know it is not a lacrosse bc9009 that can do it all, but I only require a simple, easy charger for Home/Office.


What are your thoughts, THANK YOU

 

[cerbie]

I need/want a battery charger for Home/Office, inexpensive way to charge my flashlights and camera.

Flashlights - key chain, Fenix Ld 01, E01, E05, and ITP A3 SS.
Trying to decide on a Fenix LD20, or an EagleTac P20A2 (not purchased yet)
will use 2 X AA 2500 mah Batteries

Do you already have the batteries? If not, consider LSD (low self-discharge) cells.

From what I can tell, the Sony charger there is a timer-based one. Unless you are doing rigorous battery testing, trying to 'restore' a battery, or something like that, avoid timer charges, regardless of cost. Also, it looks like it might require two cells to be in to charge.

http://www.adorama.com/BYSEAA2WC.html
Nice cheap charger (delta-V) from the same place, can charge a single cell, and comes with a pair of nice batteries.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DL9WDG/?tag=cpf0b6-20
Not a bad one at all, from Sony, for a little bit more (pre-charged = LSD, BTW). Can charge single cells, uC-controlled, may or may not be a smart charger, good charge rates...for ~$20 w/ 4 LSD AAs, it covers all the right bases, and unless lightning strikes it, it could easily be the last AA/AAA charger you ever buy.

Will I FRY the key chain flashlights ? They need a 750 mah battery and my Camera (Kodak) has 2100 mah batteries ? When I purchase the Fenix LD20 or the EagleTac they use the 2500 mah batteries, so no problem (I think). I gues I do not understand how to "Match" voltage requirements for charging and equipment.

No. The flashlights you mention are all regulated. They'll take what they need, in terms of current, rather than use a certain amount at a given input voltage.

The mAh capacity is likely being used as a runtime reference (I know Fenix does this). As an example, all else being equal (it's not, but it's close enough), you should get 4 hours from a 2000mAh cell, if you got 5 hours from a 2500mAh cell.

 

[brted]

The Sony cerbie mentions is a smart charger. Avoid the 2-bay Sony chargers since they all seem based on a timer. If you don't need batteries and want something a little bigger, smarter, and cheaper, try this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003GS6FIE/?tag=cpf0b6-20

$5.50 shipped and they throw in two batteries! Everyone here recommends Eneloops, but at least get low self-discharge ("precharged") batteries. They will be ready when you need them, so you don't have to leave them plugged in to a charger all the time.

 

[ecrbattery]

Although that price with free shipping is a good deal, the Sony BCG-34HS has really slow charging rate: 280 mA (AA) x 2 and 110 mA (AAA) x 2. A better choice for a 2 slots charger is the Panasonic BQ-321 (550mA) that I posted in the Easiest-economy-AA-charger thread.

The Sony BCG-34HLD that brted showed is just a tad faster at 360 mA (AA) x 4 and 140 mA (AAA) x 4. There is no thermal protection but the rate is low enough that the battery stay cool. It is a very good deal at $5.49 for a charger with 4 individual slots. Don't forget to purchase a pack of eneloop for this charger because the included 2xAA batteries have a low 1000mAh capacity.

The Sony BCG-34HRE on cerbie second link is quite a bit faster at 1050 mA (AA) x 2 , 525 mA (AA) x 4 and 640 mA (AA) x 2 , 320 mA (AAA) x 4. It also got a Refresh function and 4 LED indicators. If you are getting this one, just pop-off the plastic cover and toss it. The charger ran a lot cooler without the cover. If you figure in the cost of the 4xAA 2000mAh batteries, this charger costs around $10 which is another good deal for this features packed 4 slots charger.

Here is a photo of some Sony CycleEnergy 4 slots chargers next to each other:

From left to right:
1 - BCG-34HLD
2 - BCG-34HRE
3 - BCG-34HRM - discontinued, has LCD status indicator
4 - BCG-34HUE - Sony 15 minute battery toaster. 7500 mA (AA) x 4 and 2800 mA (AA) x 4.

 

[cerbie]

I was limited on time with the first reply. I pretty much skimmed through what I could find at Amazon, weeding out obvious bad choices, then going down in price. Depending on shipping, and possibly local retail battery prices, that BCG34HLD2RN and a pack of batteries might be the best value. I did not see it when I was looking.

A bit more, that I really meant to put in that 1st reply, but let slip due to not having a lot of time:

Low self-discharge (LSD) batteries are lower in current capacity than others of similar cost, generally coming in at a max of around 2100mAh. However, you can leave them in whatever device they are in, come back months later, and they will still have almost all of the capacity as when you last turned the device off. With them, you simply don't have to worry if your batteries are charged, after they've been resting for awhile, unless you leave them in a device with a parasitic drain (that is, that is drawing current even when turned off). Sanyo Eneloops were the originals, and seem to have the most capacity of them all by a slight margin, but you'll never notice the difference, if you get some other company's.

In general, for a charger, you really want a modern smart charger, that has independent charging channels. This way, you can charge any combination of batteries that will fit, each will reach its own maximum charge, other cells can charge if a bad cell is put in, or one cell put in backwards (you know you've done that, before...), and it will use special charge cycles (really just basic high current PWM, possibly with special patterns for near-dead or over-drained batteries) to get the longest service life from each battery.

Unless you need to charge more than four cells at a time, either of the Sony ones in ecrbattery's post could be your last AC AA/AAA charger.

 

[InHisName]

From left to right:
1 - BCG-34HLD
2 - BCG-34HRE
3 - BCG-34HRM - discontinued, has LCD status indicator
4 - BCG-34HUE - Sony 15 minute battery toaster. 7500 mA (AA) x 4 and 2800 mA (AA) x 4.

Are any of these single channel ? Looks like the lowest current one does not have status lights. If was single channel might be useful for my junk cells.

 

[RepProdigious]

You need a duracell mobile charger. Brilliant little thing and comes with lsd cells.

 

[ecrbattery]

All the Sony chargers in the picture have independent channels.

The lowest current one BCG-34HLD (left most) does have one yellow status LED at the bottom center. It is quite tolerance of old NiMH cells with high internal resistance. It didn't reject my really old Energizer 2500 AA with a really high IR of 350mΩ (new cell have a IR of 25-40mΩ). This is the same old cell that cause the C9000 to show "HIGH". I don't recommend doing this because the old cell does heat up quite a bit and this charger does not have thermal protection.
I also found that the high IR tolerance cause the charger to accept some of my Duracell Alkaline cell with low IR of 90mΩ. It will correctly reject Energizer Alkaline with IR of 150mΩ.


The Duracell Mobile Charger is great if you can find the US & Canadian version at a reasonable price (around $20). The model number to look for is CEF23DX4N which comes with 2AA and 2AAA. If you see a pink bunny on the package, it is the over-sea version that require an extra adapter for the wall plug (make it stick out 2" from the wall). Since Duracell does not sell the slide-out wall plug adapter, the alternative is to get a wall-wart AC adapter with a minimum of 12V 500mA output. This great charger will accept old NiMH cell while correctly reject all Alkaline with low and high IR.

 

[Mr Happy]

The Sony BCG-34HRE on cerbie second link is quite a bit faster at 1050 mA (AA) x 2 , 525 mA (AA) x 4 and 640 mA (AA) x 2 , 320 mA (AAA) x 4. It also got a Refresh function and 4 LED indicators. If you are getting this one, just pop-off the plastic cover and toss it.

I would be very doubtful about following that advice. There is a difference between warm and hot, and batteries charge better if they are allowed to get warm during charging. The battery cover is not always cosmetic, it may serve a purpose.

My test is this: if you can clasp the battery in your hand without feeling any discomfort, everything is fine. Note that this may include toasty hand warming hot. If the battery is so hot that you can't bear to touch it for more than a second or two, it is too hot.

The only chargers I have really found to make batteries too hot are 2000 mA 1 hr chargers, especially when charging poorer quality (non-Eneloop) cells. The BCG-34HRE doesn't really come into that category and when charging four cells at 525 mA or 320 mA I would definitely leave the lid in place.

 

[moldyoldy]

FWIW, the Sony BCG-34HRE charger with the single red LED for the discharge mode and 4 yellow LEDs for the independent channels is a good charger - based on owning 4 of them so far. 2 remain in my possesion after testing. These chargers have become my standard for users in lieu of the discontinued BCG-34HRMF.

The BCG-34HRE is also noticeably smaller than the BCG-34HRMF. TBD on how well the flip-out mains plug survives routine use. My older daughter likes the compactness, although not having a mains cord does cause problems with limited space around some outlets.

The internal electronics in the BCG-34HRE seem to be more or less the same as in the Sony BCG-HRMF. The BCG-HRMF has the backlit LCD display that provides a coarse indication of charge level in each channel, also with a discharge mode. Frankly I really liked the Sony BCG-HRMF. I purchased maybe a dozen of them over time. These BCG-HRMF chargers survived US or central European mains voltages and a very wide variety of users. No failures to date.

Moldyoldy

 

[moldyoldy]

I forgot to mention that the 4th letter in the Sony designation - ie: the F in 34HRMF - designated the capacity of the AA cells supplied with the charger. In the case of the F, those were 2700mah capacity cells which unfortunately developed a high self-discharge rate rather quickly. Most of my hi-capacity Sony cells have been recycled.

The updated charger BCG-34HRE package supplies the Sony Cycle Energy cells which are rated at "Typ. 2100mAh" and actually test to about 2100mah on the LaCrosse BC-900 when discharged at 350ma.

 

[moldyoldy]

and yes, I agree with a previous poster that the BCG-34HRE is more tolerant of "old" cells with a high internal resistance than the discontinued model.

Using old cells to compare brightness of flashlights gives very inconsistent results. eg: the Fenix MC-10 has a discharge rate on "high" of about 1.4A. The terminal voltage really sags under loads like that. It is best to use relatively new cells for brightness comparison.

 

[ecrbattery]

The BCG-34HRE is quite compact and there is very little space between each battery. The plastic cover is a great insulator for keeping all the heat in. It also prevent any kind of air flow from reaching the batteries. So while the charging current is only 525 mA for 4xAA, the batteries are hot to touch when the cover is on. With the cover off, the batteries are just warm. I like to keep my battery running for a long time so I rather not abuse them with the additional heat.

How many Sanyo eneloop chargers have cover?


Hi moldyoldy, here is how I use my Sony BCG-34HRM:

The plastic cover is gone. Power cord has been replaced with a compact flip-out plug. This charger has a standard IEC C8 inlet so the Apple duckbill IEC C7 flip-out plug fit perfectly.

 

[moldyoldy]

ecrbattery: that is an interesting mains connection method for the older Sony charger BCG-34HRMF. It never occurred to me to replace the AC cord with something like that. Admittedly I do not have any iXXX - still using the Palm TX as my organizer. and forget about music in my ears! Maybe in my omission is logical because many of the outlets I utilize are old and will not readily hold any 4xAA charger with batteries on a flipout mains plug. For my frequent travels in Germany, et.al., there is no hope of hanging one of these chargers directly off an adapter plug from a wall outlet. To solve that problem I created a very short extension cord for the newer Sony charger.

BTW, I agree with leaving the flip cover off any battery charger when charging - unnecessary heat kills electronics! about the only time heat is desired is on the heater for the cathode in a tube... but then I am dating myself.

 

[moldyoldy]

For Mr. Happy: Your tag line is interesting - "Tiefer, tiefer, irgendwo in der Tiefe gibt es ein Licht" for which I have some advice - Glück auf!

 

[Vicepres]

All the Sony chargers in the picture have independent channels.

The lowest current one BCG-34HLD (left most) does have one yellow status LED at the bottom center. It is quite tolerance of old NiMH cells with high internal resistance. It didn't reject my really old Energizer 2500 AA with a really high IR of 350mΩ (new cell have a IR of 25-40mΩ). This is the same old cell that cause the C9000 to show "HIGH". I don't recommend doing this because the old cell does heat up quite a bit and this charger does not have thermal protection.
I also found that the high IR tolerance cause the charger to accept some of my Duracell Alkaline cell with low IR of 90mΩ. It will correctly reject Energizer Alkaline with IR of 150mΩ.


The Duracell Mobile Charger is great if you can find the US & Canadian version at a reasonable price (around $20). The model number to look for is CEF23DX4N which comes with 2AA and 2AAA. If you see a pink bunny on the package, it is the over-sea version that require an extra adapter for the wall plug (make it stick out 2" from the wall). Since Duracell does not sell the slide-out wall plug adapter, the alternative is to get a wall-wart AC adapter with a minimum of 12V 500mA output. This great charger will accept old NiMH cell while correctly reject all Alkaline with low and high IR.

You need a duracell mobile charger. Brilliant little thing and comes with lsd cells.

Thank you ALL !!!!
There are so many Talented and VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE members here and they are willing to "Share" their experiences.

I must admit I'm as "Dumb as a Box of Rocks" when it comes to this, and The (CPF) SEARCH Function really does work well. (amazing). I have 4-6 (legal size) pages of information, about these chargers. Pro's Con's etc.

I found the Duracell Mobile Charger CEF23 ... it is an Australian model, with U.S. adapters - and purchased it. It does not the the car adapter, but it does have the USB port. (I don't really need it, USB Feature, but nice to have )
(I hope that will take care of my charging concerns)

While going through the research, I looked at many threads here, about the Sony BC-CS2 charger, is that worth Purchasing as a back-up or secondary unit ?

Thanks again for the information ...

 

[RepProdigious]

Backup unit? Well, another Mobile charger of course

Its simply brilliant, ive been using mine for quite a while now (the adapter on my BC900 sploded on me) and find that it is very very easy, quick and small and just nice to use!

 

[beerwax]

i always assume that a cover plays a role in thermal termination. unfortunately, as can been seen in the photos, they can also make a charger look really slick. so you become suspicious that the man from marketing had a say in the design. so i avoid any charger with a cover.


which is a pity because thermal termination, if you can make it work properly, might just be the best termination.

cheers

 

[ecrbattery]

I do own the 2 slots Sony BC-CS2 charger but don't use it much anymore because of the slower charging rate of 400mA for AA and 160mA for AAA. It also requires a power cord that take up a lot of space. The Apple C7 plug mod does not work well because the charger body is thicker.

The replacement charger is the Panasonic BQ-321 with faster rate of 550mA. I carry both the Panasonic BQ-321 and the "cordless" Sony BCG-34HRM with my camera which use 6xAA for the battery grip.

Here is a photo of the Panasonic BQ-321 next to the Sony BC-CS2. Notice the size of the bundle up power cord.

If you already own the Sony BC-CS2, you can safely use it for recharge your battery. If you have to spend more than $6.88 for it, the Panasonic BQ-321 is a better deal.