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Battery recharger for Alkaline cells (AA / AAA)

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sheddyian:
It's a commercially available charger, branded "Watts Clever" that claims to safely recharge Alkaline cells - so I'm not just connecting Alakalines to my power supply and hoping for the best  :-X

I concurr with the point about cost - when rechargables were expensive (and lower capacity) I think this option made more sense.  With good quality (eg Eneloop) Ni-Mh cells holding 2500mAh or more, and keeping their charge for a long time, there's much less of a need for recharging Alkalines.

That said, I've had some pleasing results of boosting near-dead cells (some I'm still using, eg the bathroom lamp) but I've also had some leak on me afterwards.  No explosions (yet).

Ian

sevenlayermuddle:
Nit-picking perhaps, but the fact it is commercially available does not mean it is safe.   I can think of several products that are available, some made by big brands, yet I remain unconvinced by their safety.   It does however mean you have somebody else to blame if things go wrong, which is always nice to know.

If you don't mind me deviating off topic, the latest thing to worry me is led light bulbs.   They run much cooler and so, compared to indandescents,  the theory goes, not much risk of setting fire to the lampshades.  But they also contain various small electronic components that can occasionally fail, and failure mode may involve a small flame.   These LED bulbs are enclosed in a plastic (not glass) 'globe' which in turn catches alight, dripping burning plastic onto whatever sofa/carpet/bedspread lies beneath.   I believe they have been identified as the cause in a fair number of serious house fires.  I do still use led bulbs, but I'm more careful about making sure they are not left on when unattended. :o

Apols for deviating, if it annoys you I'll happily edit. :)

sheddyian:
It's an interesting deviation of discussion.

LEDs run cooler = less fire risk
But contain circuitry that can fail = potential fire risk
plastic globe dripping melting plastic

I agree with 1st point, hard not to agree.
2nd point .. well, that could apply to any circuit anywhere, couldn't it?  Your phone, your TV, your microwave oven, your modern toaster.  How often do they catch fire?
3rd point, re melting plastic - if it's built to current EU standards, then it shouldn't and MUSN'T do this.  Any plastic enclosure should be self-extinguishing; it should not sustain fire.

That's not to say dangerous non-compliant LED lamps don't exist; but those made under an EN or EU standard ought to be safe under normal usage.

Basically, buy wisely and don't believe all the nonsense you read in newspapers :)

Ian

sevenlayermuddle:
My phone, like my microwave oven and my TV, all sit on MDF benches.   Half inch thick  MDF may combust, but it would take more than a lick of flame from an overheated resistor, so I do not worry.

In contrast, an LED bulb might be suspended over soft furnishing which obviously, might easily be ignited.   If you trust politicians who are supposed to govern safety standards, be they EU, UK, US, whatever then all is well, you have nothing to fear.  Personally I prefer to make my own assessments.    :)

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