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(More customer reviews)The Maha C204W is marketed as a 'Smart' charger, but it has a fundamental design flaw. A real 'Smart' charger has to charge cells individually, because that is the only way it can determine when each cell is full and stop the charging. The C204W, like most 'dumb' chargers, can only charge cells in pairs.
Why is charging NiMH cells in pairs a very bad idea? Beacuse no two cells have identical capacities. Even if you start with two new cells of the same brand, their capacities will drift apart after several cycles. When you charge two cells in series, the one with lower capacity will be over-charged, and this will only accelerate the disparity in capacity next time. Eventually you'll end up with cells that can only deliver a fraction of their rated capacities.
Then there's always the problem when your application requires either one or three cells. Now you are left with one drained cell that you cannot charge. If you try to charge a drained cell in series with a full one, the latter will be badly over-charged and may even be damaged from over-heating.
The C204W has a Discharge function that can be used to 'reveive' cells with deteriorated capacities. But once again, you can only discharge two cells in series. So one cell is likely to become fully discharged before the other. Then the first cell may be forced into polarity reversal (negative voltage), which is very bad for battery life.
I should point out that the "PC Photo Editor's Choice" award for this charger was given in 2001. Also, the claim of "Recharges in one hour" is only valid when charging two 2000mAh cells. To fully recharge a set of four 2700mAh cells, it takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Perhaps back in 2001 this was considered a great charger, but by now there is no way to justify its high price. Even the Sony BCG-34HE4, at only half the cost, is a smart charger that charges cells individually (but it does take twice as long to charge). For similar price as the C204W, you could get the La Crosse BC700 which is a far more advanced battery charger, analyzer and conditioner. If you are willing to spend a bit more, reach for the top-of-the-line Maha MH-C9000 instead. All three alternatives above work with universal supply voltage (100-240V AC) as well.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Maha PowerEx MH-C204W4AA27 - Battery charger - battery - rechargeable - AA x 4 - 2700 mAh
No more carrying around a large, heavy charger with a huge power adapter that is bigger than most digital cameras! Redesigned from the ground up, the MH-C204W offers the convenience of a faster charging time and the conditioning feature that lets you revive your old batteries. The MH-C204W is a lightweight charger with a universal power supply built into it. This power adapter comes with 4 AA 2700mAh batteries with carrying case, power cord, and user manual.
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