Question 1:
I am curious about the
AT-1268 PRO charger. Since it is a rapid charger, won't it
generate heat that will reduce the life of the NiMH batteries? |
Answer 1:
We have tested the ALLTEK™ AT-1268 PRO with all
the brands and capacities of batteries we currently offer. Not
only did the AT-1268 PRO not cause any heat problems, it charged
each battery flawlessly. From the AAA 600 mAH to the 1800mAH
AA batteries, the AT-1268 PRO charger did an excellent job. This
can be attributed to the constant PULSE charging circuitry and the
advanced microprocessor design. |
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AT-1268 PRO Page |
Question 2:
What is the most batteries the AT-1268 PRO battery charger will
charge at one time? |
Answer 2:
The AT-1268 PRO battery charger is designed to charge no
more than 4
BATTERIES at a time.
Attempting to
charge more than 4 batteries will cause severe damage to your
charger. |
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AT-1268 PRO Page |
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Question 3: The
instructions for the AT-1268 PRO, talks about Memory
Refresh/Conditioning. I don't know what conditioning is. Could you
please take a few minutes to explain this or refer me to a place
that does. |
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Answer #3:
MEMORY REFRESH/CONDITIONING
is the process by which a charger such as the AT-1268 PRO can
revive or improve the functioning of rechargeable NiMH
or NiCD batteries -" if needed." Please
note the emphasis on the " if needed." NiMH batteries do
not suffer from the dreaded memory effect as do the NiCD
type batteries and NiMH batteries can be recharged at any given
discharge level, it is not recommended to use the memory
refresh/conditioning cycle constantly when re-charging NiMH
batteries unless you feel that your batteries are not performing
as well as they once did. If you find that this is the case
then reconditioning them for the next 2 or 3 charges usually will
improve or return their performance to previous levels.
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Question 4:
You say that the
ALLTEK charger will charge any AA, AAA NiMH or NiCD batteries
regardless of capacity or brand. Does this mean it will
charge your GP 1800 mA AA batteries completely in one cycle? |
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Answer 4: Absolutely
and totally automatically! In the event that current battery
capacities increase beyond current levels - the ALLTEK 1268 Pro
will also charge them also! |
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Question 5:
Is the ALLTEK
AT-1268 PRO considered a "FAST' charger, and if so what kind of
charge times can I expect? |
Answer 5: Yes
it is considered a very fast charger. As a reference here is the
approximate charge times for the listed batteries below.
| Battery Size |
Battery Capacity |
Approximate Charge Time
using the AT-1268 PRO |
| AAA |
650 mA |
Less than 1
Hour |
| AAA |
700 mA |
Less than 1
Hour |
| AA |
1600 mA |
2 - 2.5 Hours |
| AA |
1800mA |
2.25 - 2.75 Hours |
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Question
6:
Does the AT-1268
PRO Charger come with a separate Power Supply and a 12V DC Cord? |
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Answer #6: Yes
it comes with a separate 110V AC 800mA Power Adapter for standard
home use as well as a 12V DC power cord for operation from any 12V
lighter plug adapter source, such as your car. |
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AT-1268 PRO Page |
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Question 7: How
does the discharge function operate on the AT-1268 PRO Charger ? |
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Answer 7: Simply
place your batteries in the AT-1268 PRO ( either 2 or 4 batteries)
and then select whether you wish to charge either 2 or 4
batteries. Then press the yellow discharge button and the charge
LED will turn to yellow. The discharge function will proceed
automatically. Once the discharge function has completed its
cycle, the charge LED will turn to RED and at this point the
AT-1268 will proceed to charge your batteries automatically. |
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AT-1268 PRO Page |
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Question 8:
What is pulse rate charging and
what is its advantage when charging rechargeable batteries ? |
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Answer 8:
The pulse rate
charging method applies pulses of current to the battery as it
charges. When the current is interrupted, the cells current
voltage is measured. The open-circuit voltage (OCV) measurement
during the pulse off-time compensates for the internal resistance
component of the voltage during charge.
As
the battery cell's open-circuit voltage increases above a certain
point, subsequent pulses are blocked until the OCV decreases. As
the battery charges, a greater portion of the pulses are blocked
because the OCV stays above the given level for the type of
battery being charged for a longer period of time. This
pulse-skipping causes the average current to taper to zero as the
battery fills up, with power. This charging method is
most often used in most smart chargers, and will usually extend
the useful life of most rechargeable batteries since it is a very
controlled and precise type of charging and prevents overcharging.
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Question 9:
Since
the ALLTEK 1268 it is a rapid charger, and has a high charge
current won't it reduce the life of my NiMH batteries?
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Answer 9:
That is like asking if you drive
your car at 100 mph versus 50 mph, will you get the same gas
mileage. The simple answer is NO , but if you continue to drive at
100 mph your cars engine will probably experience more overall
wear and tear over the life of your car!
Let us say that you have been charging a set of 4 batteries daily for your
digital camera. Let us also say that you have charged this set of
batteries 50 times so far. Normally it would have cost
you roughly $4.00 per day on average if you had been using standard alkaline
batteries. 50 times $4.00 is $200.00 versus $12.00 for
the NiMH Rechargeable batteries. At this point you will
probably continue to charge these batteries at least a
hundred or more times before you must replace them, since
nothing lasts forever. Even if they - the NiMH batteries
- quit taking a charge tomorrow you are still several
hundred dollars ahead versus standard alkaline
batteries.
Yes , fast charging can
possibly reduce the life of any rechargeable battery and
NiMH batteries are no different. Nothing is free , and
in order to get fast charge times you do tend to give up
a little cycle life with some NiMH batteries (
usually very
few ) . However at the basic cost of $10.00
to 15.00 for a
set of 4 NiMH batteries this a mute point. People for
years haven't thought anything about throwing away 500
sets of run down batteries at a cost of several thousand
dollars. When was
the last time you asked a sales clerk in a department
store which alkaline batteries are best, which would
last longer, etc... People everywhere have
been taken to the cleaners by the makers of alkaline
batteries since there was no logical
replacement. Now there is NiMH as a viable
cost effective replacement and we want to point out that
the amount of charges per set of NiMH Batteries you get,
whether it is 50, 100, 200, 400, or more, it is
still tremendously better than alkaline batteries.
The
basic facts are this
1. NiMH Battery
technology has improved greatly over the past several
years or so, and almost all current brands are
designed to handle rapid charge rates with little or no
appreciable loss of useful life when charged with a well
designed smart charger such as the ALLTEK 1268 PRO.
2. NiMH Batteries are
much, much, cheaper to use than Alkaline in most
applications..
3. Even if you only get
100 charges form your NiMH Batteries you are still ahead
in dollars compared to alkaline batteries .
4. You might get 100
charges, 200 charges, 300 charges or more, there is no guarantee.
Even if you get only ten charges, the NiMH
Batteries are still cheaper to use period.
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Question 10: |
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Answer #10: |
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