diagnosing AA batteries with MH-C9000 saves user $40

It only takes one or two bad batteries to affect the performance of all your batteries, because AA batteries are typically used in sets of 2 or 4.Being able to identify which batteries are not performing allows you to group batteries into sets that are still good. That’s just what Tony did. By being able to test the health of the 3 sets of AA rechargeable batteries Tony already had, he saved $40 in the first week of ownership of his MH-C9000, by matching up 2 good sets and not having to replace his old, poorly performing batteries.

Read more about Tony’s experience here.

5 pack rechargeable AA batteries for Nikon SB800

Powerex AA 5 pack for Nikon SB800

We have a fair amount of customers who shoot Nikon, and many of you doing a lot of off camera flash photography in weddings and portraits are using SB800 speedlites. So we talked to MAHA about packaging up their batteries in 5 packs rather than 4 packs, and we now have the Powerex 2700mAh AA battery 5 pack, including an 8 battery case

Should we also introduce a 5 pack of IMEDION AA’s for those of you who are after a low self discharge solution for their SB800?

Canon Speedlite flash refresh test results for Energizer Duracell eneloop IMEDION and Powerex AA batteries

There has been another extensive rechargeable AA battery test published. Forum member “SYS” over at the Photography On The Net forum fired his Canon Speedlite 6,560 times to test flash refresh rates,self discharge rates, and the number of flash pops available for various brands of NiMH rechargeable AA batteries. This is an awesome amount of test data and a credit to the photography community.

The ten types of batteries tested were as follows:

Sanyo eneloop “Pre-Charged” – 2000mAh, MAHA Powerex – 2700mAh, MAHA Powerex Imedion “Pre-Charged” – 2100mAh, Rayovac Hybrid “Pre-Charged” – 2000mAh, Rayovac “15-Minute” Rechargeable – 2000mAh, Duracell DX1500 Rechargeable “Pre-Charged” – 2000mAh, Kodak Rechargeable “Pre-Charged” – 2100mAh, Energizer Rechargeable – 2500mAh, La Crosse Rechargeable – 2600mAh, Energizer Max Alkaline – “Use by 2013”

Given that this test was conducted in the USA, some of the tested brands are not available in Australia, however, the significant results are that the Powerex 2700 AA rechargeable batteries provide the faster refresh time than any of the other batteries, and the IMEDION provided the fastest flash refresh time among all the Low discharge (ready to use) AA batteries.

Another significant result is that the Powerex IMEDION AA batteries provided more flash pops that all the other brands of low self discharge (ready to use) AA batteries.

You can read the (extensive) test results and procedures at the Photography on the net forum

Battery Technology Interview on Radio 2RDJ

Earlier this month I was interviewed about battery technologies by Gary Stark of the Gadget Grill. We talked about the difference between Lithium batteries, Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries, Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) batteries, and Alkaline batteries. We also talk about the difference between smart chargers and timer chargers.

If you want to have a listen, browse on over to The Gadget Grill, or you can download an MP3 Podcast of the interview here. The interview starts at about minute 17.

Test results for AAA Low Self Discharge batteries

Following on from our write-up on AA Low self discharge battery test results, here are the results for AAA low self discharge batteries. These results are from archae86, a member of the DPReview forum. He tested 7 different brands of AAA low self discharge batteries over a period of several months. Of the brands tested, 4 brands are readily available in Australia. I have summarised the results into the below chart and graph. The tester found that the IMEDION AAA rechargeable batteries had a higher capacity than Sanyo eneloop AAA batteries, Uniross Hybrio AAA, and Duracell Precharged AAA. For full test details, click here to visit the DPReview forum.

Low Self Discharge rechargeable AA battery test results

Just last week, Digital Photography Review forum member arcae86 completed a battery capacity test that took several months. The test measured the retained capacity of 8 different brands of AA low self discharge (LSD) AA batteries. The brands tested were Sanyo Eneloop, Duracell precharged, Hybrio, Powerex IMEDION.  Battery capacity measurements were taken 1 hour after charging, and again after 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months. At all measurements periods saw the Powerex IMEDION AA battereis to have the highest capacity of all 8 brands tested.

Read all the details of the test here

For simplicity’s sake, I have taken the figures from the 4 commonly available brands available in Australia  (Sanyo Eneloop, Duracell precharged, Hybrio, Powerex IMEDION) and graphed the results below:

AA rechargeable battery test in a Nikon SB-800 flash

Glen from the DSLRusers.com forum recently did an extensive test of AA battery performance in his Nikon SB-800 flash, mounted on his Nikon D300 DSLR. I believe this is the first time a series of rechargeable AA batteries have ever been tested to see the real world results in a flash, and I am sure a lot of photographers will find this controlled test of real world value when choosing your batteries.

For the test, Glen compared four sets of 4 AA rechargeable batteries to see how many flashes could be achieved from each. Results are as follows:

Powerex 2700mAh = 266 flashes
Energizer 2500mAh = 242 flashes
IMEDION 2100mAh = 218 flashes
eneloop 2000mAh = 204 flashes

If you donʼt use your batteries as soon as you charge them, then test results are different. Some batteries are better at HOLDiNG their charge than others. Here are the results of the same test, 3 weeks after the batteries are charged.

Powerex 2700mAh = 250 flashes
Imedion  2100mAh  = 211 flashes
Energizer 2500mAh  = 208 flashes
eneloop 2000mAh =191 flashes

The Powerex 2700mAh have a higher energy retention rate than the Energizer 2500mAh. The Energizers were found to have a high self discharge rate, so much so that after just 3 weeks, the 2100mAh IMEDION batteries provide more flashes than the higher capacity 2500mAh Energizers.

Glen has noted that he is happy to conduct the test with other batteries if you want to know how yours compare to the four types already tested.

For capacity results and testing procedure details, read the full review here.

Visit Maha Powerex at PMA Australia Photography Expo May 30 – June 1 2008

The full range of Maha Powerex AA rechargeable batteries and battery chargers will be demonstrated at the PMA Imaging and Technology Show from May 30 to June 1 in Brisbane. If you live in Brisbane, or you are attending the expo, come by Stand 217 and say hello!

IMEDION and eneloop performance review

Many customers ask “How do the new IMEDION AA rechargeable batteries compare to the eneloop AA rechargeable batteries?

Both are a low discharge technology, so they retain up to 85% of their charge after 12 months. But the eneloops have been available for a while, whereas the IMEDIONs are new. Has Maha been able to develop a better performer?

It would seem so. Test results have demonstrated IMEDION AA batteries outperforming the eneloop AA batteries in capacity measurements and discharge tests. Anders over on the Candle Power Forum has done many tests on the IMEDION AA batteries. The results of one of the tests, a comparison to the eneloop batteries, is shown below.

Update: Anders has noted that the eneloop graph is not correct. To see a more comparable graph, see the eneloop tests by Silverfox.

Here in Australia, several people have done their own tests and published the results on the whirlpool forum. Results by “Horrorking” can be seen here and IMEDION and eneloop performance tests in a Nikon SB-800 camera flash can be seen here

While the IMEDION AA batteries demonstrate a capacity advantage over the eneloop batteries, the other benefit of the IMEDION batteries is that they include a free AA battery holder, whereas the eneloop batteries do not.

EDIT: Fixed typo’s and added link to eneloop test results – sorry for misspelling your name Anders!

Powerex Imedion Slow Discharge NiMH batteries

Powerex IMEDION Batteries – “Ready When You Are”

City of Industry, CA – Oct 25, 2007 — Maha Energy, the maker of Powerex batteries and chargers, is pleased to introduce a new line of rechargeable batteries: IMEDION. Unlike traditional NiMH batteries, IMEDION can be stored for an extended period of time without substantial loss of power and are ready to use out-of-package. As the name suggests, the IMEDION batteries will be “ready immediately!”

A common problem that plagues rechargeable batteries is that they need to be recharged about once every three months even if they are not used. Maha tackled this issue by developing advanced electrode materials to reduce the rate of power loss during storage. As a result, the IMEDION batteries retain up to 85% of its charge even after one year of storage (at a room temperature of 20 deg C).

The IMEDION batteries differ from the competition in that they boast a longer lifetime as well as increased power retention under warmer environments. The IMEDION batteries can be recharged for hundreds of times and perform extraordinarily well at elevated temperatures. In addition, the IMEDIONs feature a low-impedance design and can deliver a high burst of current.

The IMEDION AA batteries and IMEDION AAA batteries are fully compatible with all Powerex chargers and are available in 2100mAh capacity for AA size and 800mAh for AAA.

EDIT: Stock will be available in Australia from October 31. Stock is available now.