# Unlikely independent-channel smart charger... Sony BC-CS2A



## Turbo DV8 (Mar 24, 2008)

If you ever bought a Sony digital camera that came with the two NiMH AA cells and simple, two bay charger, don't dismiss the charger! Two of the three Sony cameras I bought came with a battery charger, model # BC-CS2A. The made-in-Japan AA cells have been fantastic performers, but I immediately tossed the chargers into a box. I mean, I have three BC-900's and two Sanyo Eneloop MQN05U chargers, so why bother, right? I may never need the Sony chargers, but I'm here to tell you, I discovered it is a damn fine charger! I was going through boxes, pulling stuff for a garage sale, and I rediscovered the Sony BC-CS2A chargers. I just about put them in the "sale" box, but thought it would be fun to see if it provided smart termination, and more importantly, independent charging for each cell. Bottom line is, it definitely charges and terminates the cells independently, and it is not a timer charger. Charge rate is 400 mA (AA) and 160 mA (AAA).

The Test: I used two each Sanyo and Sony cells, for a total of four. These have been very good performers for me. I drained one each down to 1 volt. The other two I charged on the BC-900, then drained 400 mAh from them. Then I put one fully drained cell and one partially drained cell into each Sony charger. Using an IR thermometer, I monitored each cells temperature. Within less than 90 minutes, the two partially discharged cell's temperatures rose sharply about 10-13 degrees, then dropped back down. During this time, the fully discharged cells temperatures did not rise by more than 2 degrees. At about the six hour mark, the temps of the two fully discharged cells also rose sharply about 10-13 degrees. Shortly thereafter, the charger LED turned off, indicating it had completed charging. Given the 2100 mAh and 2300 mAh cells, the charger's charge rate, and elapsed times, these indicate this is not a timer charger. The IR readings also show that it charges and terminates independently.

Then I wanted to compare how fully the Sony charges compared to the BC-900. I allowed the cells to rest a few hours, then discharged them at 500 mA on the BC-900. The two Sanyos both delivered 2150 mAh. The two Sony's delivered 2020 and 2030 mAh. Then I charged them back up on the BC-900 at 500 mA charge rate. After letting them rest a few hours, I again discharged them on the BC-900 at 500 mA. This time, the two Sanyo's delivered 2160 and 2130 mAh. The two Sony's delivered 2040 and 2020 mAh. You can see that not only does the Sony charger charge independently and have "smart" termination, it also packs as much energy into the cells as the BC-900. In an age where one expects "extras" packaged with a product to be garbage, it is pleasant to find this little gem of a charger packaged along with Sony AA-cell cameras!


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## chewy78 (Mar 24, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*

It appears that the light changes after the 2nd cell is finished charging? I wonder if that would be also the case in my duracell mini charger that i am currently reviewing too.


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## chewy78 (Mar 24, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*

You never know how good the charger is untill you review them and test them out like that.


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## nerdgineer (Mar 24, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*

Our of curiosity, does it look like this one on ebay?


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## Bones (Mar 24, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*



Turbo DV8 said:


> If you ever bought a Sony digital camera that came with the two NiMH AA cells and simple, two bay charger, don't dismiss the charger!
> ...



Thanks for the detailed heads-up on the Sony BC-CS2A Turbo DV8.

I think I might have one stashed away as well, so I will have to go digging.

Meanwhile, here's some images I took the liberty of purloining from zolbuy.com.cn:









The printed circuit board, again complements of zolbuy.com.cn:







The label details complements of The-Battery:





A good plug n' play charger is always a very good find...


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## Turbo DV8 (Mar 24, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*



Bones said:


> Thanks for the detailed heads-up on the Sony BC-CS2A Turbo DV8.
> 
> I think I might have one stashed away as well, so I will have to go digging.
> 
> ...


 

This is the charger, not the white wall wart charger Nergineer found on eBay. There is a degree of variance in what the labeling looks like. One of mine has black-on-black lettering molded into the plastic, and the other has a silver-on-black label applied over the plastic. The negative AA terminals of each is of slightly different design also. One does not appear better than the other. My black-on-black version also provides about 2mm more separation between the AA cells than the other. But at 400 mA, none of the cell temps ever rose above 91 degrees F, so the bigger gap is probably insignificant also.


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## Turbo DV8 (Mar 24, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*



chewy78 said:


> It appears that the light changes after the 2nd cell is finished charging?


 
Yes, just like the Sanyo MQN05U Eneloop charger, the LED does not go out until the last cell has terminated.


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## Bones (Mar 26, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*



nerdgineer said:


> Our of curiosity, does it look like this one on ebay?



If anyone's interested, these are also available on eBay.

A highly rated seller in China will even deliver a new BC-CS2A to your door for 7.98 USD.

Sony quality for a pittance, and it will also travel well with the appropriate line cord or plug adapter.

Turbo V8, might I suggest amending the title to include the brand name and model number?

Searching the title alone should increase the odds of finding your review in the future.


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## Turbo DV8 (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*



Bones said:


> A highly rated seller in China will even deliver a new BC-CS2A to your door for 7.98 USD.


 

Actually, total cost should be $6.50 ($3 item + $3.50 ship), if you see his shipping terms near the bottom:

*Shipping:*[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Winning bidder please send payment and add *$3.49 *for worldwide s/h thanks! [/FONT]

It ain't the smallest two-cell charger, but you won't find a better one for that price. The seller could increase his sales volume if he knew what he had and stated it, ie. not your typical dumb charger.


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## Bones (Mar 30, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*



Turbo DV8 said:


> Actually, total cost should be $6.50 ($3 item + $3.50 ship), if you see his shipping terms near the bottom:
> 
> *Shipping:*[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Winning bidder please send payment and add *$3.49 *for worldwide s/h thanks! [/FONT]
> 
> It ain't the smallest two-cell charger, but you won't find a better one for that price. The seller could increase his sales volume if he knew what he had and stated it, ie. not your typical dumb charger.



I stand corrected Turbo DV8.

The BC-C2SA charger can also be purchased directly from Sony ...

The charger, sans power cord, is priced at 39.95 USD:

http://servicesales.sel.sony.com ... itemID=248676

If you've also lost the cord, it's priced at 9.95 USD:

http://servicesales.sel.sony.com ... itemID=68712

Their exhorbitant pricing structure does add support to the notion that Sony almost has to deliver top quality chargers though.

When you think about, they could easily be the largest producer of chargers in the world. After all, one is distributed with virtually every battery powered device they sell.

Since the satisfactory performance of these mostly top tier devices is directly related to the performance of their batteries, Sony has a vested interest in making sure their chargers are top tier performers as well.

And when a surplus products distribributer will deliver one to your door for under 7.00 USD, they become a very good deal indeed.


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## Turbo DV8 (Mar 31, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*



Bones said:


> If you've also lost the cord, it's priced at 9.95 USD:
> 
> http://servicesales.sel.sony.com ... itemID=68712
> 
> Their exhorbitant pricing structure does add support to the notion that Sony almost has to deliver top quality chargers though.


 

Then at $9.95, Sony almost has to deliver top quality power cords, too.


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## Bones (Mar 31, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*



Turbo DV8 said:


> Then at $9.95, Sony almost has to deliver top quality power cords, too.



They certainly should for this price ...

I must admit, however, that even though I have more chargers than I need, I gave serious consideration to ordering a few of these Sony's just to scavage their truncated power cords:





The 6' foot plus cords that seem to come with everything these days just add to the clutter in most cases.

By the way, I mistakenly linked to the Sony BC-CS2B instead of the Sony BC-CS2A in post 10

The BC-CS2A is actually priced at 55.95 USD sans power cord, and not 39.95 USD as I originally thought, so that pair you've had stuffed in a box retail for a mere 131.80 USD with their power cords.

Sony BC-CS2A charger at Sony Direct:

http://servicesales.sel.sony.com ... itemID=595758

Sony BC-CS2A power cord at Sony Direct:

http://servicesales.sel.sony.com ... itemID=68712

So, once again, when a surplus products distributer will deliver a spanking new BC-CS2A to the door for 6.48 USD ...


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## Turbo DV8 (Apr 1, 2008)

*Re: Unlikely independent-channel smart charger...*



Bones said:


> The 6' foot plus cords that seem to come with everything these days just add to the clutter in most cases.


 

Both of mine came with 6' power cord with the camera. You are right... you have inspired me to shorten a cord and make it maybe an 16" shorty. That would make it much more easily portable.


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## NOT THE SLOWEST (Apr 7, 2008)

Can I charge my Eneloops with this Sony-like unit?

Rob


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## Turbo DV8 (Apr 7, 2008)

NOT THE SLOWEST said:


> Can I charge my Eneloops with this Sony-like unit?
> 
> Rob


 

YES


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## palomino77 (Sep 29, 2009)

Turbo DV8 said:


> If you ever bought a Sony digital camera that came with the two NiMH AA cells and simple, two bay charger, don't dismiss the charger! Two of the three Sony cameras I bought came with a battery charger, model # BC-CS2A. The made-in-Japan AA cells have been fantastic performers, but I immediately tossed the chargers into a box. I mean, I have three BC-900's and two Sanyo Eneloop MQN05U chargers, so why bother, right? I may never need the Sony chargers, but I'm here to tell you, I discovered it is a damn fine charger! I was going through boxes, pulling stuff for a garage sale, and I rediscovered the Sony BC-CS2A chargers. I just about put them in the "sale" box, but thought it would be fun to see if it provided smart termination, and more importantly, independent charging for each cell. Bottom line is, it definitely charges and terminates the cells independently, and it is not a timer charger. Charge rate is 400 mA (AA) and 160 mA (AAA).
> 
> The Test: I used two each Sanyo and Sony cells, for a total of four. These have been very good performers for me. I drained one each down to 1 volt. The other two I charged on the BC-900, then drained 400 mAh from them. Then I put one fully drained cell and one partially drained cell into each Sony charger. Using an IR thermometer, I monitored each cells temperature. Within less than 90 minutes, the two partially discharged cell's temperatures rose sharply about 10-13 degrees, then dropped back down. During this time, the fully discharged cells temperatures did not rise by more than 2 degrees. At about the six hour mark, the temps of the two fully discharged cells also rose sharply about 10-13 degrees. Shortly thereafter, the charger LED turned off, indicating it had completed charging. Given the 2100 mAh and 2300 mAh cells, the charger's charge rate, and elapsed times, these indicate this is not a timer charger. The IR readings also show that it charges and terminates independently.
> 
> Then I wanted to compare how fully the Sony charges compared to the BC-900. I allowed the cells to rest a few hours, then discharged them at 500 mA on the BC-900. The two Sanyos both delivered 2150 mAh. The two Sony's delivered 2020 and 2030 mAh. Then I charged them back up on the BC-900 at 500 mA charge rate. After letting them rest a few hours, I again discharged them on the BC-900 at 500 mA. This time, the two Sanyo's delivered 2160 and 2130 mAh. The two Sony's delivered 2040 and 2020 mAh. You can see that not only does the Sony charger charge independently and have "smart" termination, it also packs as much energy into the cells as the BC-900. In an age where one expects "extras" packaged with a product to be garbage, it is pleasant to find this little gem of a charger packaged along with Sony AA-cell cameras!


 

Do you think the BC-CS2B is the same???:twothumbs


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## Bones (Oct 2, 2009)

palomino77 said:


> Do you think the BC-CS2B is the same???



It's very likely that the BC-CS2A and BC-CS2B are operationally identical, but the only way to be certain is to actually test the BC-CS2B:

http://servicesales.sel.sony.com ... itemID=595758

http://servicesales.sel.sony.com ... itemID=248676

Except for a 1/8" difference in height, their appearance, input/output numbers and dimensions seem otherwise identical, and the BC-CS2B may be slightly higher simply to compensate for its details being molded into its body as opposed to being set out on a label.


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## chiption (Nov 11, 2009)

palomino77 said:


> Do you think the BC-CS2B is the same???:twothumbs


 
Some battery is not charge by CS2A,but it can be charged by CS2B.
Maybe CS2B is costdown version to CS2A.
I have 5 pcs CS2A,It very cheap to get it.


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## LiteShow (May 8, 2010)

Good to know! I had an old sony camera that died on me 4 years ago, but kept the charger but never used it - until now! This will be good for for the rebranded eneloops (2000 mAh President's Choice LSD Nimh) used in my SC50.


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## LEDAdd1ct (Jun 4, 2010)

One of my oldest friends just e-mailed me asking for advice on a good AA Ni-mh charger. I am very happy to recommend this thread (and charger) to him!

My only question is:

is 400mA too small for a "AA" Eneloop? Don't Eneloops charge better with a 1C rate? It's not that I don't trust the OP, but I just want to make sure.


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## mfm (Jun 5, 2010)

LEDAdd1ct said:


> is 400mA too small for a "AA" Eneloop? Don't Eneloops charge better with a 1C rate? It's not that I don't trust the OP, but I just want to make sure.



Yes, I think the charge rate is too low.

I think someone also reported that when charging eneloops with this charger it overcharged for several hours. And even if it would work with new eneloops it may not work anymore when the cells are getting older.


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## LEDAdd1ct (Jun 5, 2010)

I'd like to like this charger, but I was wondering what other people think. One post in another thread suggests that seven hours is not too long for an Eneloop to be charging. Is that correct?

Is the only way to truly tell to buy one, charge an Eneloop with it, and check the voltage after charge?


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## mfm (Jun 5, 2010)

LEDAdd1ct said:


> One post in another thread suggests that seven hours is not too long for an Eneloop to be charging. Is that correct?



It's not correct. 400 mAh * 7 hours is more than the 120% charge input limit that is recommended with slow charging by Duracell and others.


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## TakeTheActive (Jun 5, 2010)

LEDAdd1ct said:


> One of my oldest friends just e-mailed me asking for *advice on a good AA Ni-mh charger*. I am very happy to recommend this thread (and charger) to him!


With so many other BETTER (IMO) and more POPULAR (CPF Members) choices, why did you pick this one? :thinking:


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## LEDAdd1ct (Jun 5, 2010)

1) Cost - it can be had for seven dollars
2) Independent channels
3) According to the OP, proper termination in both channels, for cells filled to different capacities
4) Extremely simple operation

I hope I did not make a mistake, as more recent feedback seems to suggest it overcharges. The Duracell Mobile charger is usually around $15-$20. 

My friend is an E.E. working on his doc. If he did purchase the Sony BC-CS2A, hopefully he can let us know how the cells fare. He isn't a flashoholic, but I sure as heck trust him around a DMM.


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## Turbo DV8 (Jul 20, 2010)

LEDAdd1ct said:


> I hope I did not make a mistake, as more recent feedback seems to suggest it overcharges.


 
I am missing this more recent negative feedback. That would be interesting. Can you provide links? I've been using two of these chargers every couple weeks since my OP to charge aged Eneloops and ROV AA Hybrids, and they have never come anywhere close to overcharging by "several hours," and have never given any indication of overcharging at all. Sometimes cells can fail to terminate if they are already charged up, then put on to "top off" charge, so don't provide a reliable end-of-charge signal.


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## LEDAdd1ct (Jul 23, 2010)

I forgot where I found the link originally...I'll edit this post with the info once I dig it up. *thumbs up*


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## Nil Einne (Aug 28, 2010)

Never found it then?


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## LEDAdd1ct (Aug 28, 2010)

I tried for a few minutes and then gave up. I will look right now.

Okay, this is the thread here.

A member was concerned that it was putting out 400mA to charge an Eneloop, but still going at the six hour mark.

400mA * 6 = 2400mA

There was (is?) concern that the charger may not terminate properly, since the consensus seems to be Eneloops charge "best" at 1C.

This is not my area of expertise, though, and if one of the forum electronics gurus chimed in, they would be the one to know. :thinking:

As Turbo said above, perhaps it is only with cells that are being topped off, since those may not give the proper "end-of-charge" signal.


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## LEDAdd1ct (Mar 28, 2011)

Does anyone have any other thoughts on this charger with Eneloops?


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## 357mag1 (Mar 29, 2011)

If Eneloops should only be charged at 1C then Sanyo is sending out bad chargers when you purchase the charger and Eneloops. The Sanyo charger sold with Eneloops only puts out 300ma for AA batteries. None of my cells have ever been overcharged in these chargers. Haven't seen it happen in the Maha C9000 either even if I set the charge current to 300ma.

I do notice at the lower charge current the batteries stay cooler. In my experience batteries last longer if used gently on both the charge and recharge cycle.


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## jay48 (Mar 29, 2011)

This is the exact charger I have! I've used it once with Eneloops, but didn't let it charge completely (being the [email protected]$ I am, I removed them in five hours!).
This time I'll let them charge fully.


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