looking for a good battery charger

My wife and I just recently had a baby, and I suddenly see thousands of batteries in my future. Everything that babies sleep in seems to have battery-powered vibrators, music, etc.

I've heard of battery charging systems that are intelligent enough to adapt to NiMH, Nicad and even regular alkaline, but I'm having trouble finding good consumer info.

Anybody have recommendations, and/or know where to find a good system?
Thanks,
E


PS I need something that can handle D-cells, and ideally 9v, as well as the usual AA/AAA

a Maha Energy Corp, http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/Index.asp

He says they are performing better than advertised and the company is great to work with and very knowledgeable

Congrats on the new addition :)

I have a Rayovac charger that works for NiCd, NiMH and rechargeable alkaline- it costs CAD $25 and can charge up to 8 batteries at a time. It has four charging circuits so it's possible to recharge all three types simultaneously.

A word of warning about alkalines- regular alkaline batteries will burst if you try to charge them. Rechargeable alkalines are available from Rayovac in AAA to D size and from Pure Energy in AAA and AA size. They work best for low-drain devices but only last for 25 charging cycles. The main advantage is that they will hold a charge for up to two years, unlike the other types that need to be charged for a month.

With the proliferation of battery powered digital cameras, PDAs, MP3 players, etc. I've seen rechargable battery kits at these stores. You can also check out the selection here: http://www.realgoods.com/shop/shop3.cfm?dp=305&ts=2179173 . Charging products listed down the left side.

I picked up a charger (up to 8 AA/AAA, or 4 C/D) and 4 AA batteries from Home Depot for around $30. I just bought another 8 AAs from BJs for $16. I don't use that many 9 volts, although I have some rechargable 9V and charger in my basement from 10 years ago...

I have a $30 radio shack charger, handles Nicad and NiMH batteries, AA, AAA, C, D, and 9V.

If you need more room, you can always buy two!

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F009%5F012%5F000%5F000&product%5Fid=23%2D425

~AbM

Does all the popular sizes and types. There are models that claim to recharge regular alkalines (not the PS3), but I would be wary.

Rechargeable alkalines become useless if they are completely discharged, so I stick to NiMH (whose shelf life is however poor). I use regular alkalines in devices (or keep them with) that I use very infrequently or require a long life at low/no output. But this amounts to a very small percentage of my battery usage.

I usually buy my batteries on ebay, but the PS3 is not always offered. In batteries, I refuse to pay a premium for an extra 15% or so of mAH and buy the best values for the money. NiMH aren't cheap, but they are a good investment. You just have to remember to charge them from time to time. I write the date that I charge on each one and figure to recharge them after two months. It can also take a few charges before you get full mAH from a NiMH battery.

They are selling for prices that are similar to what NiCd's went for 15 years ago and hold twice the charge. They're also a lot more user-friendly because they don't require deep-cycling.