# LaCrosse BC-700 Charger



## scott1981 (Aug 25, 2008)

Hi Everyone,

I have recently bought a LaCrosse BC-700 on Amazon mainly because of the many safety concerns I saw on the BC-900. Since lower charge current is the main difference between the two models, and charging at a lower rate is usually more beneficial, I decided to go with the newer model.

I have only noticed two things so far:

1) When charging 4 batteries (AA or AAA) @ 700 mA, the back of the charger tends to get a little bit hot (or warm??). This rapidly changes if the charger is on a metal table, or any kind of heat dissipating surface. Even though it will not hurt you, I thought that electronic components may have a longer life if they run at lower temperatures. 
What has so far been your experience with the BC-700 temperature in comparison to the old BC-900?


2) When cycling through the different screens as the charger is operting (eg refresh or charge mode, etc) it takes some time (0.5 second approximately, less than one sec for sure) to change from one screen to the other after the "Display Button" has been pressed. 
Was this also common in the BC900? Has anyone else seen this as well?


I hope you can share your experiences with this new charger as there are not many actual reviews of users other than threads talking about its specs, as far I as could see on the internet.

Thanks!


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## Anders (Aug 25, 2008)

Hello Nick.

I always charge at least at 0,5 C when I have the chance, 0,7 C its my prefered point to avoid hot cells.
The prefered -dV termination is very hard for the charger to sense if we use lower current than 0,5 C.

I am not familiar with BC-700 but I think it has to low capacity to charge higher capacity cells without get warm itself.

If we use BC-900 and C-9000 at the highest current we find that the cells got warmer than we wanted them to be.

In BC-700 maybe there is the same type of limits.

Anyway, I'll hope your BC-700 is better and terminate properly, better than the first BC-900 and C-9000 was.

Anders


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## N162E (Aug 25, 2008)

Anders said:


> Hello Nick.
> 
> I always charge at least at 0,5 C when I have the chance, 0,7 C its my prefered point to avoid hot cells.
> The prefered -dV termination is very hard for the charger to sense if we use lower current than 0,5 C.
> ...


I have two of the very first BC-900s and neither one of them has ever missed a termination at any rate. I normally charge at 200ma and they terminate reliably every time. I also have two of the MH-9000s which will never terminate reliably below 700ma. I also like slow charging. My BC-700s (2) function identically to the 900s less the higher rates.


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## Anders (Aug 25, 2008)

Hello Fred.

Yes I'vve noticed earlier that you like your BC-900 and that they always terminate properly.


My first MH C-9000 (first batch)was very unreliable and sometimes overcharged the cells, my never C-9000 is very reliable and so far there have never been any miss of termination and they are very cool when done. 
I tested the temperature a couple of weeks ago and the cell only increased 7° C when "done" @ default 1A.

Did you make a complaint about your C-9000 Fred?


Anders


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## scott1981 (Aug 26, 2008)

Hi Anders,

I know that you have to charge between 0.5C and 1C so that the peak can be sensed by the charger. Also how can you tell whether the charger is or is not missing the peak?

Thanks!


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## Ayeaux (Aug 26, 2008)

I got a BC-700 about a year ago and have had only a few missed terminations, which were on old cells that were not in very good shape. Every cell that I have charged that was working properly has terminated properly on any charge setting.
Also, on one occasion I got a high temperature warning on some cells that I was charging at 700ma. Again, these cells were quite old and abused.
Just use high quality cells and use whatever charge rate you prefer. If a cell misses termination, I would mark it and watch it the next time you charge.


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## crofty (Aug 26, 2008)

I`ve had a Technoline BL-700 for 8-9 months (think it`s the same charger) The other day I charged 4 hybrio`s at 200mA, 2 of them missed termination.

These are 4 out 12 hybrio`s that I droped from about 1.5 meters onto a slate floor shortly after purchace (around same time as charger) they were bouncing and rolling around everywhere , that might have something to do with it.

Can`t remember getting any missed terminations at 500mA.

I`ve also got some eneloops which have not been droped and think are 2-3 months newer, will try them at 200mA next time they need charging.


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## scott1981 (Aug 26, 2008)

Hi Crofty,

It would be nice if you could please share your results, because I am also using Eneloops and I would like to go with the 200mA charge rate.

Thanks!


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## bluesbeat (Aug 26, 2008)

Hi,
I'm in Australia, I looked at buying this or the bc-900. tried amazon but they don't want to ship it here. Who else could I try that is selling at a good price?
And does it come with an Australian adaptor plug/240v?
thanks.


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## Anders (Aug 26, 2008)

scott1981 said:


> Hi Anders,
> 
> I know that you have to charge between 0.5C and 1C so that the peak can be sensed by the charger. Also how can you tell whether the charger is or is not missing the peak?
> 
> Thanks!




Hello Scott1981.

I normally know when the cells are almost done and I use to look at the charger when done. The charger stop when the cells have 1,47 V.

I haven't had any warm cell from the charger yet.

I think warm is more than 40°C, and hot more than 50°C.


Anders


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## Mr Happy (Aug 26, 2008)

crofty said:


> I`ve had a Technoline BL-700 for 8-9 months (think it`s the same charger) The other day I charged 4 hybrio`s at 200mA, 2 of them missed termination.



This is not too surprising. 200 mA is too low for reliable charge termination.



scott1981 said:


> It would be nice if you could please share your results, because I am also using Eneloops and I would like to go with the 200mA charge rate.



It generally would be better for your Eneloops to use a higher charge rate. None of the regular smart chargers like the Sanyo or Duracell ones use such a low rate; they use rates from 350 mA to 600 mA or higher. A 200 mA rate is suitable for a timed charge over a fixed 12-16 hours, but this should only be used for occasional conditioning and balancing of cells.


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## scott1981 (Aug 26, 2008)

Anders,

WOW you must have been doing this for a few years huh?

I get the feeling that my BC700 does not go over 1.52/1.52V is that too much? It only happens at the very end of the charging process.

Thanks,


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## Anders (Aug 26, 2008)

Hello scott 1981.

No, I don't think that is a problem, C-9000 is known to quit the charge when the cells reach that point (1.47V)

I have other chargers that take the cells above 1.6 V.

Anders


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## Gator762 (Aug 26, 2008)

scott1981 said:


> Hi Anders,
> 
> I know that you have to charge between 0.5C and 1C so that the peak can be sensed by the charger. Also how can you tell whether the charger is or is not missing the peak?
> 
> Thanks!



I'd also like to know how do you identify when the charger has missed termination.


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## Black Rose (Aug 26, 2008)

Gator762 said:


> I'd also like to know how do you identify when the charger has missed termination.


A simple way would be to take the rated capacity of the cell and divide it by the selected charge rate and add about 10% (this may not be the right number). 

That will give you an estimate on how long it should take to charge the battery. 

For example; 2000 mAh / 500 mA = 4 hours. Add 10% = 4.4 hours.

If your cell is still charging after 5 hours, it's likely missed the termination.


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## Mr Happy (Aug 26, 2008)

Gator762 said:


> I'd also like to know how do you identify when the charger has missed termination.


It depends on what charging current is being used. At higher currents (e.g. 400 mA and above), the batteries will start getting hot. All that power being fed into them can't be absorbed any more, so they just become electric heaters. If the batteries ever feel uncomfortably hot to the touch, then stop charging. They are being overcharged.

At lower currents like 200 mA the batteries can dissipate the heat and will only get a little warm. In that case, just time them on the clock. After 1.1 times the expected charging time you can assume they are done and pull them.

Note the above mA figures apply to AA cells. For AAA cells, divide the currents by two.


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## N162E (Aug 27, 2008)

Anders said:


> Hello Fred.
> 
> Yes I'vve noticed earlier that you like your BC-900 and that they always terminate properly.
> 
> ...


Hi Anders,

I really have no complaint with the MH-9000 merely an observation that the earlier ones did not terminate reliably below about 700ma. As I understand the newer MH-C9000s terminate at a fixed voltage (Close to 1.5V) and then apply a 100ma charge for an hour. This will result in a cooler charge at higher rates but, not a complete charge at termination. I also like the simplicity of the BC 7 and 900 chargers. With a little extra effort the MH-C9000 will give you more flexable info.

I routinelly charge my LSD cells (Kodak, Eneloop and ROV) at 200ma. Yes, I just pop em in and leave them there. I did have a few missed terminations early on in with some lower quality cells (LaCrosse and Powerizer (Note, NOT Powerex)).

I put some larger rubber feet (Available at Radio Shack) on them effectively raising them about a quarter of an inch from the surface they are sitting on. They now run a little cooler.


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## ImGeo (Apr 6, 2009)

I know this is an old thread, but I decided if someone needed/wanted the info and did a google search, at least one day they'll find this:

I think I have v36 (based on the far right screen number at startup)

When charging older NiMH cells, the charger at 200ma and 500ma does not detect the end of charge. For example, I watched an old Japan Olympid 1700mah cell go up to 1.49 V, and then dip to 1.48 V... charger continued to charge at 500ma. A identical cell before that was allowed to charge without removal by 30 min's past the expected time (capacity/current)... it just heated up though not burning hot to the touch.

Previously, I've charged 200ma AAA's... they continued to charge way past full. When I pulled out the cell and reinserted, the charger immediately resulted in Full.

Overall a nice charger, but I just don't like that it doesnt always properly detect the end of charge.

Personally, I would suggest charging at 500 or 700ma to better detect end of charge. Also... it seems that my newer Rayovac Hybrids charger better due to a more pronounced end of charge drop in voltage.

(By the way, for those wondering about end of charge: This charger's primary mode of detecting a fully charged battery "end of charge" is a drop in voltage. As a NiMH battery charges, the voltage increases, and usually peaks around 1.5 v. When the battery is full, the voltage drops by 5-30 mV (.005 to .030 mV). If the voltage drop is too small, or takes too long to drop the specified voltage (eg. 10 seconds to drop 20mV), the charger does not interpret it as a end of charge signal... and keeps charging until it gets hot (and then the charge stops by detecting overheat))


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## Batang Regla (Oct 13, 2010)

So is this lacrosse charger that was not affected by the meltdown? A good buy?

or should i just buy sanyo MDRO2 or MDRO6 chargers?


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## Chippy_boy (Sep 23, 2014)

Again, bumping an old thread...

i got a BC700 2 days ago and first of all tested it with 4 x Panasonic 2450mAh Evoltas, charging at 700mA. Worked fine, with all cells reaching around 1.48v before the BC700 reported them Full. None of the cells got more than fairly warm - I wouldn't say hot - and all seems fine.

However, I then tried 4 x Duracell Duralock 2400mAh's (Japan). They were all measuring 1.31v out of the packet but I have no idea how old they are (I bought them new yesterday! but who knows when they were made.). So I thought I would first try topping them up with the BC700.

it took much longer than I expected, since I had assumed they might be around 80% full and would take less than an hour to top up. Anyway after an hour still not done so I left them and went off. After about 2 hours, I came back to check and 1 cell showed Full, but the other 3 showed "000mAh" on the display. Toggling the display showed a trickle charge being applied to the full cell, and 0mA being applied to the other 3. None were hot, but I don't know how long ago charging stopped.

Does this look like the BC700 missed the termination on 3 cells? Is it likely to have damaged them?

i purchased the BC700 without fully researching and reading up, I now realise that the maximum charge rate of 700mA is low for 2400 or 2450 cells. It's less than 0.3C. But it says it is suitable for cells up to 3,000 mAh??? And I haven't seen reports of missed terminations with new, good cells, which I assume mine were as they were straight out of the packet.

I hope the BC700 is not in some way incompatible with these Duracells since I have bought 32 of them! Would the BC1000 with its 1amp max charge rate (for 4 cells) be a better bet? I don't fancy the fiddly UI on the C9000, nor the reports of it not fully charging cells.

i'd be grateful for your thoughts...


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## espresso (Sep 23, 2014)

I've been using it to charge Sanyo XX 2400mAh and Varta 2700mAh and never had a missed termination. 
I didn't want to get BC1000 because the batteries get too hot. Even on 700mAh setting on BC700 some cells tend to get hot, so I wouldn't use a higher current on a charger of this type anyway.
I use BC700 even more than C9000. It's compact, simple and it doesn't apply 2 Amp current pulses like C9000 which is good for old and small AAA batteries. It can charge some older batteries that C9000 can't.


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## RI Chevy (Sep 23, 2014)

Check the date on the rear of the package of the new batteries. It should at least provide you with some date to go by. 

I would check the batteries with a DMM to see where they all ended as far as voltage. They should be fairly consistent. I have had zero problems with my BC700, and charging 2000 mAh and 2400h Duraloops. They take a little while, but always come out at about 1.48v's, and then level off a little lower. I have been using the discharge cycle a lot more lately to be sure that I get a good drain, prior to getting a full charge. Maybe try that. It does take a lot longer, but occasionally, that is a good thing.


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## Chippy_boy (Sep 23, 2014)

Thanks folks. I have since read the user manual (stupid me for not reading it thoroughly in the first place!). The BC700 will pause charging if things get too toasty, and show 000mAH whilst it is cooling off. It's a bit disappointing that it is getting too hot with only a 0.28C charge rate, but it seems like it is in fact behaving as intended.


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## N162E (Sep 25, 2014)

Both LaCrosse chargers BC-700 and BC-900 have probably the best Delta V sensing going and do not require higher charge rates to terminate. The few times I have had charging problems with my BC chargers (2-BC-900s and 2-BC700s) the batteries were the problem.


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## SaraAB87 (Sep 28, 2014)

I never have charging problems with my BC-700 and I have had it for at least 3-4 years. The only thing is that if batteries are very drained they will not start to charge, so I have to put them in a dumb charger for a Few seconds to get them going.

Never had luck with a dumb charger, they always seemed to detect a battery as full even though the device used said it was depleted. Then it would charge for like 10 min before the full indication.


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## Wolf Lonesome (Oct 1, 2014)

I did a simple test a few days before.
Charging 2nd generation Eneloops (2 years old).

The charge was at 700 mA, then 2 hours rest.
The four batteries terminated at 1.52 Volt.
Discharge at 100 mA

Here are the numbers:

1927 mAh 1971 mAh 1973 mAh 2.02 Ah

These ones have awesome capacity according to the BC-700.


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## SaraAB87 (Oct 3, 2014)

They do have awesome capacity, they last forever in most things, unless it's extremely high drain. I only have second gen eneloops as well and one set of first gen and they are all perfect.


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