NiMH FAQ

For new Ni-MH batteries, it is necessary to cycle them three to five times before they reach peak performance. Battery cycling can be achieved simply by using the batteries and recharging them or using a battery conditioner.

At room temperature, Ni-MH batteries, without usage, will self-discharge in around 30 to 60 days, depending on environmental condition. In other words, if you leave the batteries on the shelf for more than 30 - 60 days, you should recharge the batteries before using them. It is normal for batteries to be fully depleted of power after long term storage. 

Q: How many times can I recharge my batteries?

The number of times you can recharge your batteries will depend on the operating parameters, such as drain rate, battery care, etc. In general, under desirable conditions, Ni-MH batteries can last up to 500 recharges. In absolute best conditions, Ni-MH batteries can last up to 1000 recharges.

Q: My camera came with 1600mAh Batteries.  Can I still use 1800mAh Batteries or will they hurt my camera by being to strong.

Sure you can use the 1800 mAh batteries.  1800mAh denotes the capacity of a battery, not its strength.  Capacity is how much charge a battery holds once it is fully charged.. The more capacity, the longer a battery will last in any given application.  Voltage is the strength. Rechargeable batteries actually develop around 1.4 to 1.45 volts when fully charged even though they are marked as 1.2V.

Q: How much performance improvement can I expect using AERO Ni-MH batteries instead of other batteries on my high drain device like a digital camera? 

First: AERO Ni-MH batteries are rechargeable upwards of 500 to a 1000 times. This means you can use the batteries over and over again. If you are familiar with "rechargeable alkaline" (which are significantly lower in price), their life is only about 50 recharges.

Second: AERO Ni-MH batteries are designed for power intensive applications. AERO Ni-MH batteries maintain its high power during most of its usage. In other words, AERO Ni-MH batteries maintain a high and consistent voltage during most of its discharge. On the other hand, for alkaline batteries their voltage drops rapidly when used in a power intensive applications such as digital camera. This explains why you can only take 20-30 pictures using alkaline, while you can take up to 150-200 pictures using AERO Ni-MH.

Third: Capacity counts. Ni-MH batteries are rated in "mAh", acronym for "milli-ampere hours". This number tells you how long the batteries can last under a certain power consumption. The higher the better for this number.

Q: What do you mean by "no memory effect" on AERO Ni-MH batteries?  
Memory is a type of problem that traditional Ni-Cd batteries would develop. You probably have heard that in order to maintain the life and performance of rechargeable batteries, you have to fully drain the batteries before recharging them. Thanks to "memory free" technology featured on AERO Ni-MH batteries, you can charge them anytime you wish, regardless if the batteries are fully drained or not.

Q: How often should I condition my batteries?

Generally speaking, Ni-MH batteries do not suffer from the "memory effect" and thus do not require conditioning. Nevertheless, to ensure top performance, conditioning is recommended at once for every ten charges. For Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries, conditioning is recommended every time you charge your batteries.

Q: What is the difference between AERO Ni-MH batteries and "rechargeable alkaline" batteries?

Recently the market has introduced a new type of supposedly affordable rechargeable alkaline batteries. However, they do not compare with AERO Ni-MH rechargeable technology. The key difference is that rechargeable alkaline batteries can be recharged up to 50 times. AERO Ni-MH can be recharged up to 500 times. 

Q: Technically speaking, what makes a AERO Ni-MH battery better than other brands of Ni-MH batteries?

First: AERO Ni-MH batteries are designed with a ultra thin layer of separator. This allows the substantial increase in capacity.

Second: AERO Ni-MH batteries are designed for power intensive applications such as digital cameras. When subjected to heavy power drain, AERO Ni-MH batteries will continue to perform while other brands may not. 

Here are some head to head comparisons:

* Cell information and specification varies from brand to brand

Q: I have not used my Ni-MH batteries in several months and they are not holding their charge. How can I fix this?

Ni-MH batteries will self-discharge if left unused. Generally, within 30 to 60 days, batteries will become completely drained. When using them, you will need to first recharge them. After extended storage, you may need to condition the batteries several times to regain nominal performance. 

Q: I plan to use the AERO Ni-MH batteries as a backup power. How long will they hold their charge?
This is commonly referred to as the "shelf life" of batteries. For AERO Ni-MH batteries, the shelf life at room temperature is about 70 to 90 days. If you are seeking for longer shelf life, you may wish to consider alkaline or non-rechargeable lithium batteries, which are commonly used for memory backups.

Q: Explain the various battery symbols and terminologies.
"mAh": Stands for milli-ampere hours. It measure the capacity of the batteries. For example, a 1000mAh capacity means that the batteries will last for 1 hour if subjected to a 1000mA discharge current.

"V": Stands for voltage. It measure the power of the batteries. For Ni-MH batteries, they are 1.2V. For alkaline batteries, they are 1.5V. 

"C": "C" defines the rate at which a battery is charged or discharged. It is the capacity obtained from a new battery subjected to a constant-current discharge at room temperature. For example, draining a battery at 1C means to drain the capacity of a cell completely in one hour. Likewise, draining a battery at 0.2C means discharge a battery in 5 hours. For nickel-metal hydride cells, the rated capacity is normally determined at a discharge rate that fully depletes the cell in five hours, or 0.2C.

Q: I recently received a dozen AA Ni-MH batteries that I ordered from you.    Today I put four of the batteries in a charger for the first time. The charger came with my Olympus digital camera, and was made by Olympus specifically for Ni-MH batteries. I was startled to find that as the batteries charged they got almost too hot to hold. I know that with other types of batteries, ANY perceptible heating during charging is a sign of possible battery damage. I wonder if you can shed any light on what is happening here. Is my charger defective, or badly designed, or is this normal for Ni-MH cells?

This is pretty much normal. Ni-MH batteries can reach as high as 130 degrees during a charge cycle as pointed out by AERO . The amount of discharge and of course the rate of charge will affect this.

This is why we recommend the following

1. Do not close the cover ( if your Ni-MH Battery Charger has one ) while your batteries are charging. It is best to allow any heat to dissipate as much as possible. 
2. You also may wish to use a small fan to help keep the batteries cool, and prevent excessive heat build up during charging.

Q: Do Ni-MH batteries really require a special charger (other than those designed to recharge Ni-Cd batteries, or is that just a marketing ploy by the manufacturers of the chargers? I looked at a charger that has separate settings for both Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries, and it appears that the mA output is the same for both settings.

Newer Ni-MH battery chargers are designed to specifically charge Ni-MH and Ni-Cd chemistries. However most of the older Ni-Cd chargers were not designed to charge any other battery chemistries such as Ni-MH since they were unavailable at that time these chargers were designed. That is why many of the newer Ni-MH/Ni-Cd chargers are capable of automatically charging both types, while others have a switch. There is more than just mA ratings involved when charging different battery chemistries (rate of charge, length of charge, type of charge. etc...) While it is true that some Ni-Cd chargers can be used to charge Ni-MH batteries you must consider the following points if you decide to attempt to charge your Ni-MH batteries using an older Ni-Cd charger.

1. Improper charging or using a charger that is not specifically designed to charge any rechargeable battery can cause their useful life to be shortened dramatically or in some cases actually damage them permanently. We have even had some individuals attempt to charge rechargeable alkaline batteries in some of our chargers and were surprised when they exploded.

2. Although a Ni-Cd charger may seem to be charging Ni-MH batteries fine, this is not usually the case. Ni-MH chargers are specifically designed to prevent Hydrogen bubbles from forming on the battery plates and of course to charge them to their full potential.

Basically you should always use the type of charger recommended for your type of batteries.