# Can I charge Eneloops with Panasonic BQ-390 charger



## gnu (May 9, 2010)

My new Canon Dig Camera is eating through my Costco alkalines as is my Nitecore D10, so I got an excuse to buy some Eneloops. I already have a Panasonic BQ-390 quick charger, and the online manual says that it can handle 1-4 AA's with typical charging time of about 120 minutes (for the Panasonic rechargeable 2100mAh batteries). I have been reading on here about how a lot of the Eneloop chargers can't charge just 1 battery (or 2 uneven batteries together), and that's important to me. If I can use this charger then I prefer not to spend the money on another one. Costco's got a 16-pack of AA's for 45$, no charger. Any other good place to pick up 8 or 10 Eneloops? 
thanks in advance...

Link to charger


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## Robin24k (May 9, 2010)

On the charger, how many mA does it say it charges the batteries at? If it's a NiMH charger, it should work fine.

The 16-pack seems pretty expensive, Costco should also carry the white-topped Duracell Pre-Charged "Duraloops" in a 8AA and 2AAA pack for $18.49, which is much cheaper than the officially-branded Eneloops.


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## gnu (May 9, 2010)

Robin24k said:


> On the charger, how many mA does it say it charges the batteries at? If it's a NiMH charger, it should work fine.
> 
> The 16-pack seems pretty expensive, Costco should also carry the white-topped Duracell Pre-Charged "Duraloops" in a 8AA and 2AAA pack for $18.49, which is much cheaper than the officially-branded Eneloops.



It is a NiMH charger. The output says 550mAx4 or 430mAx2.
I found a 4-pack at battery junction for 12$, I might buy 2 of those. I don't see the Duraloops at Costco, online or in store.


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## Robin24k (May 9, 2010)

550mA would be fine, although 430mA is a little low.

4-pack for $12 is also pretty expensive, I would go no higher than $10 for a 4-pack. Also check Ebay for Duracell Pre-Charged, I've found some for $8.99 shipped, and a lot of sellers mention if they are Made in Japan. I don't think there are counterfeit Duracell Pre-Charged, unlike Eneloops, so Ebay should be fine. As long as they are white tops and Made in Japan, they are just rebranded Eneloops.


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## gnu (May 9, 2010)

Robin24k said:


> 550mA would be fine, although 430mA is a little low.
> 
> 4-pack for $12 is also pretty expensive, I would go no higher than $10 for a 4-pack. Also check Ebay for Duracell Pre-Charged, I've found some for $8.99 shipped, and a lot of sellers mention if they are Made in Japan. I don't think there are counterfeit Duracell Pre-Charged, unlike Eneloops, so Ebay should be fine. As long as they are white tops and Made in Japan, they are just rebranded Eneloops.



So how can I tell how many channels it is. The online manual that I found says it charges 1-4 AA's, so can I imply that it is a 4 channel charger?


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## Robin24k (May 9, 2010)

If it can charge a single battery in all channels, then it is independent channels. How many LED indicators does it have? You can also test this out by seeing if they terminate together or not.


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## gnu (May 9, 2010)

Robin24k said:


> On the charger, how many mA does it say it charges the batteries at? If it's a NiMH charger, it should work fine.
> 
> The 16-pack seems pretty expensive, Costco should also carry the white-topped Duracell Pre-Charged "Duraloops" in a 8AA and 2AAA pack for $18.49, which is much cheaper than the officially-branded Eneloops.



Are these Duraloops? If it is, I have seen these at Costco...


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## gnu (May 9, 2010)

Robin24k said:


> If it can charge a single battery in all channels, then it is independent channels. How many LED indicators does it have? You can also test this out by seeing if they terminate together or not.



1 single Charge LED. How do I tell if they terminate together...ohm out the pos or negatives of 2 of them?


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## Robin24k (May 9, 2010)

Only those that have white tops and are Made in Japan, although I have only seen white tops at Costco. Those were what I was originally referring to. 

The Costco pack is a little cheaper than Ebay, but with sales tax, it might come out a little more. If you could use the AAA's, definately go with that, otherwise, Ebay is a slightly better deal unless you need them fast.


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## Robin24k (May 9, 2010)

gnu said:


> 1 single Charge LED. How do I tell if they terminate together...ohm out the pos or negatives of 2 of them?


A single LED?  An independent channel charger should have four LEDs, one for each channel. The way to tell if they terminate together would be to look at the LEDs, but seeing that it only has one LED, I don't think it's independent. Does it charge a single battery though?

If you were to get a charger, this is the one I would recommend:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270567479742

And here's the 4-pack of AA's on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160430912639


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## gnu (May 9, 2010)

Robin24k said:


> Only those that have white tops and are Made in Japan, although I have only seen white tops at Costco. Those were what I was originally referring to.
> 
> The Costco pack is a little cheaper than Ebay, but with sales tax, it might come out a little more. If you could use the AAA's, definately go with that, otherwise, Ebay is a slightly better deal unless you need them fast.



Sorry, I didn't realize that Duraloops were actually made by Duracell and mainstream...
thanks for all your help


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## Robin24k (May 9, 2010)

Yeah, sorry about that, I had put the Duraloops in quotation marks as it's a nickname for them and not the actual product name.

No problem, glad I could help.


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## gnu (May 9, 2010)

Robin24k said:


> A single LED?  An independent channel charger should have four LEDs, one for each channel. The way to tell if they terminate together would be to look at the LEDs, but seeing that it only has one LED, I don't think it's independent. Does it charge a single battery though?
> 
> If you were to get a charger, this is the one I would recommend:
> 
> ...



so is this a 1 or 2 channel charger?


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## Robin24k (May 9, 2010)

Really don't know...it can't be too sophisticated if it only has one LED though.


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## TakeTheActive (May 9, 2010)

gnu said:


> ...*I already have a Panasonic BQ-390 quick charger, and the online manual says that it can handle 1-4 AA's* with typical charging time of about 120 minutes (for the Panasonic rechargeable 2100mAh batteries)...





gnu said:


> So *how can I tell how many channels it is*. The online manual that I found says it charges 1-4 AA's, so can I imply that it is a 4 channel charger?


Put *BQ-390* inside DOUBLE QUOTEs in the GOOGLE SEARCH box at the top of the screen and you'll get back MANY hits over many years. Just glancing through a dozen or so, I see "Independent Channel", "Temperature Sensing" and even found a picture on an Asian site (one version shows FIVE LEDs - 1 green, 4 red).


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## gnu (May 9, 2010)

TakeTheActive said:


> Put *BQ-390* inside DOUBLE QUOTEs in the GOOGLE SEARCH box at the top of the screen and you'll get back MANY hits over many years. Just glancing through a dozen or so, I see "Independent Channel", "Temperature Sensing" and even found a picture on an Asian site (one version shows FIVE LEDs - 1 green, 4 red).



thanks, the consensus is the charger has 4 independent channels..and works well with eneloops...think i'll try my luck with it...now off to buy some Japanese made duraloops...


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## Lynx_Arc (May 9, 2010)

Robin24k said:


> If it can charge a single battery in all channels, then it is independent channels. How many LED indicators does it have? You can also test this out by seeing if they terminate together or not.



I have seen some 4 channel chargers that do not have an LED/channel. The best way to find out if it is a 4 channel charger is probably just stick a cell needing charging in each slot (channel) one by one and see if any LEDs light up.


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## Mr Happy (May 9, 2010)

Robin24k said:


> 430mA is a little low.


Not necessarily, not for AAA cells.



gnu said:


> So how can I tell how many channels it is. The online manual that I found says it charges 1-4 AA's, so can I imply that it is a 4 channel charger?


Usually if it can charge from 1 to 4 AA's then you can assume it has four channels.



Robin24k said:


> A single LED?  An independent channel charger should have four LEDs, one for each channel. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160430912639


Some do; many don't. It is all about manufacturing costs.


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## gnu (May 10, 2010)

Lynx_Arc said:


> I have seen some 4 channel chargers that do not have an LED/channel. The best way to find out if it is a 4 channel charger is probably just stick a cell needing charging in each slot (channel) one by one and see if any LEDs light up.


 
thanks, awaiting arrival of newly purchased duralopos to test out charger..


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## gnu (Jun 11, 2010)

Question...I got my 4 channel charger, I got my duraloops..I got no charger manual...if I'm charging just 2 batteries, does it matter the position since it's 4 independent channels?

thanks
G


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## Robin24k (Jun 11, 2010)

No, but if you are charging two, it would be a good idea to keep an open channel between the batteries so heat can escape better.


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## Lynx_Arc (Jun 13, 2010)

Robin24k said:


> No, but if you are charging two, it would be a good idea to keep an open channel between the batteries so heat can escape better.



I tend to either put them at both ends or together on one end as it can get confusing if you have matched sets of cells (pairs) when you skip one slot.


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