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La Crosse Technology BC1000 Alpha Power Battery Charger
Brand | La Crosse Technology |
Color | Silver, Yellow, Blue, Black |
Product Dimensions | 3"D x 5.1"W x 1.5"H |
Item Weight | 1.5 Pounds |
Input Voltage | 240 Volts |
About this item
- Specifications : Input voltage for AC/DC adapter: 100-240 VAC , Charging current range: 200 mA - 1800 mA . Power Requirements : Display : AC power adaptor included , Dimensions : Display : 3.00 x 1.50 x 5.10 (are in inches )
- Lcd shows capacity for each battery when charging is complete
- Charges aa and aaa rechargeable batteries simultaneously
- Select different charging current for each channel: charge, discharge, refresh, test; automatically switches to trickle charge when charging is complete to ensure maximum battery capacity
- Overheat detection to protect over-charging
- Works with all nicd and nimh "AA" and "AAA" rechargeable batteries; charges AA and AAA rechargeable batteries simultaneously
- LCD shows capacity for each battery when charging is complete
- Select different charging current for each channel: charge, discharge, refresh, and test.
- Automatically switches to trickle charge when charging is complete to ensure maximum battery capacity
- Overheat detection to protect over-charging
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Price | Currently unavailable. | $32.14$32.14 | -5% $39.29$39.29 Typical: $41.16 | $14.25$14.25 | $59.30$59.30 | -8% $36.98$36.98 List: $39.99 |
Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 1 | Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 1 | Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 1 | Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 1 | — |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Easy to use | 4.3 | 4.7 | — | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
Battery life | 3.7 | — | 4.5 | 3.7 | — | 4.6 |
Value for money | — | 4.3 | 4.3 | — | 4.5 | 4.3 |
Longevity | 4.3 | — | — | 3.1 | — | 4.3 |
Durability | 3.0 | — | — | 4.1 | — | 4.6 |
Sold By | — | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | DC Workshop | SPARKYIDEA |
input voltage | 240 volts | 240 volts | 5 volts | 240 volts | 240 volts | 110 volts |
battery charge time | — | 3 hours | 1.5 hours | 4 hours | — | 9 hours |
weight | 1.5 pounds | 0.26 pounds | 225 grams | 0.23 pounds | 0.65 kilograms | — |
Product guides and documents
Product information
Product Dimensions | 3 x 1.5 x 5.1 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 1.5 pounds |
Manufacturer | La Crosse Technology |
ASIN | B004J6DLD4 |
Item model number | BC1000 |
Batteries | 8 AA batteries required. |
Customer Reviews |
4.4 out of 5 stars |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | January 14, 2011 |
Warranty & Support
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Product Description
Recharge your batteries! Quickly and easily charge AA and AAA batters with La Crosse Technology’s quintessential battery charger.
The BC1000 Alpha Power Battery Charger can be used to fill all NiMH or NiCd rechargeable batteries, AA & AAA.
Simultaneously charges multiple AA or AAA batteries, and can be set to different charging currents: charge, discharge, refresh, and test.
Defaults to 200mA and automatically switches to a trickle charge after completion to ensure maximum battery capacity. Overheat detection so not to overcharge and the charger will detect a dead battery.
Great gift idea for photographers, toy operators, and constant battery users. Completely portable and great for on the go or just keep it in your home for daily use!
What’s In the Bag?
• Sturdy Adjustable Nylon Carrying Tote Bag with detachable metal clips• Spacious inside double pockets
• Webbed side sleeve for additional storage
• Includes 4 AA & 4 AAA NiMH rechargeable (shrink-wrapped) batteries
• AC power adapter
• Front Zippered kangaroo pouch includes individual pockets to carry included 4 C size 1.2v battery adapters which are included inside 4 D size adapters
Special Features:
• LCD display capacity level after completion• Simultaneously charges AA & AAA, both NiMH or NiCd rechargeables
• Select different currents: charge, discharge, refresh, test
• Automatic trickle charge for maximum battery life
• Detects dead batteries & overheat protection
Simple Operation:
- Plug AC power adapter into charger & wall outlet. Insert batteries
- Select Mode: Charge, Discharge/Charge, Refresh/Charge, Test/Charge
- Select Charging Current (Rate): 200mA up to 1800mA
Specifications:
• Charges Battery Types: AA/AAA NiCd and NiMH• Input voltage: 100-240 VAC but MUST have the proper adapter.
(Twisting prongs on A/C cord will damage unit)
• Charging Current: Selectable charging current : 200, 500, 700 or 1000mA. When only channel 1 and/or channel 4 are used, can select up 1500 or 1800 mA.
• Max Charging Capacity: 3000 mAh
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the charging capabilities of the battery charger. For example, they appreciate the readout, the ability to do more complicated charge cycles, and the ability for the user to program the charging times. Customers are also impresseded with the battery capacity and flexibility. That said, opinions are mixed on quality, ease of use, value, heating, and size.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers are mixed about the quality of the battery charger. Some mention that the capabilities are world class, it's an excellent charger for anyone that needs to charge on-the-go, and has a great variety of charging/discharge rates. However, others say that when they get used up, their voltage is too low, and the delta voltage change occurs too slowly. They also say that the batteries are often defective and that you cannot subsequently increase the charging current for a new cell.
"...It comes with 8 batteries, 4 AA, and 4 AAA, and 4 D-Cell adapters...." Read more
"...battery charger is your answer to how to charge, refresh, fix and test the batteries while getting important technical data that is unavailable from..." Read more
"...: This is one of the more important features as it charges each battery independent from another so each battery will get the proper charge without..." Read more
"...Discharge Mode: Discharges the batteries until empty, and then charges until full...." Read more
Customers like the charging of the battery charger. They mention that it has the flexibility to do more complicated charge cycles, the charging times are easily programmable by the user, and the batteries can be configured to different modes and charge rates independently. They appreciate the control over the charging process, and that it allows them to choose the charging current. Customers also like the detailed controls for charging and testing NiMH cells. They like the individual programmability for each of the four stations, and their option to use different recharge cycles like refresh and test.
"...Four modes of operation, Charge, Discharge, Refresh and Test.*..." Read more
"...-Programming: All cells can be programmed at once, which is great compared to the individual programming (if not charging at 1A) on the C9000...." Read more
"...It's main advantages are the amount of manual control it gives you and of course its ability to report data on the status of the batteries being..." Read more
"...Also, once below that critical point, this battery charger will not recognize them anymore and will say "Null" when you insert them to be..." Read more
Customers like the battery capacity of the charger. They say it can track the battery's capacity, perform thorough refresh cycles, and measure the charged capacity in mAh or Ah for each battery. Customers also appreciate the capacity test function, which is nice. They mention that the charger has a great variety of charging and testing options, and that it has more reserve charging capacity.
"...The BC-1000 also has more reserve charging capacity, 4 D cell adapters that you might use more than you think, and a nylon pouch to keep things..." Read more
"...Measures the charged capacity in mAh or Ah for each battery.* Keeps track of charging or discharging time in hours and minutes.*..." Read more
"...battery charger has three overcharge protection mechanisms, delta voltage feedback, overvoltage and overheating...." Read more
"...In charge mode, does not show the current capacity(-ies)..." Read more
Customers find the battery charger easy to use and versatile. They appreciate the variety of options and features it offers. Some mention that the default options are fine if they don't want to mess with them. Overall, most are happy with the versatility and functionality of the product.
"...It also comes in a travel bag and is paired with plenty of accessories like 4 2600 mAh AA batteries, 4 1000 mAh AAA batteries, and 4 C/D-size..." Read more
"Very versatile "intelligent" charger, with independent charging and settings for each battery...." Read more
"...The La Crosse BC1000 could hardly be more different. It comes with lots of options that can be applied independently to each cell...." Read more
"...It has a variety of options that allows you to keep your rechargeable batteries healthy...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of use of the battery charger. Some mention that it's easy to use, with simple instructions. They say that switching modes and accessing all the functionality is easy. However, others say that it isn't terribly user friendly and you have to understand what you're doing fairly well. They also say that the manual is very difficult, not straightforward, and hard to read.
"...using it to charge and recondition batteries, the La Crosses are handier to use and requires no understanding of anything to use it as just a charger..." Read more
"...* Small owner's manual but download the one from the Web. It is much better.BC1000 modes:*..." Read more
"...It's simple to operate. I only recharge batteries, so I just hit one button to select the initial current...." Read more
"...-Programming: It's somewhat different to the C9000 in that it isn't straightforward...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the value of the battery charger. Some mention it's worth the price tag, a very worthwhile investment, and light for how much is offered. However, others say that the product was expensive, however the results are spectacular.
"...The C9000 is more rugged and hefty. Also the buttons feel solid and still working after a couple of years of use...." Read more
"...Light as a feather.2) The display and electronics are a ton of fun!..." Read more
"...have had MANY revisions of the product but they still suck and are overpriced...." Read more
"...It is a good deal since it is currently priced lower than the BC1000." Read more
Customers are mixed about the heating of the battery charger. Some mention that it charges slowly by default, without heating the batteries. However, others say that it gets unusually hot and the AA batteries heat up to the point of triggering the overload.
"...it will do 4 at a 1000 ma, or 2 at 1800 ma, and has thermal protection for the batteries.-..." Read more
"...I've noticed, when charging at 700mA and 1000 mA, the AA batteries heated up to the point of triggering the temperature safety cutoff..." Read more
"...Has overheating protection to prevent overcharging.* You can set different charging rate for each battery as well as mode of operation...." Read more
"...] and found it better than BC1000 in many ways - except for problem with over-heating when charging 4 cells at 1000mA. Read my review on it for..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the size of the battery charger. Some mention that it fits perfectly into their Tumi backpack, it's compact size, and the adapters are pretty nice. However, some say that the power cord is a little short for their needs.
"...Pros:-Compact: Compared to the C9000, this charger was smaller than I anticipated, even after looking at comparison photos of the BC-900/9009..." Read more
"...I chose it over the other leading charger because of it's compact size, lack of a blinding blue light, and simple user interface...." Read more
"...The AA size is slightly larger in diameter than normal sized AA batteries and they do not fit into most devices I would use them in...." Read more
"...It also comes in a travel bag and is paired with plenty of accessories like 4 2600 mAh AA batteries, 4 1000 mAh AAA batteries, and 4 C/D-size..." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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Just tell me what I need to know.
1. The BC-1000 is the right one to buy because it has what is necessary to address the needs of maintaining nickel-based batteries, and when you consider the 8 batteries and useful accessories that come with it, it's as good a deal as the BC-700. The BC-700 has the same abilities as the BC-1000 to maintain NiMH batteries, but not quite as much current capacity. Anything less than the BC-700 doesn't have what it takes to properly maintain NiMH batteries.
2. Basic Operation
Charge: (Charges)
- Put batteries in
- Plug in.
*Shows Full when finished
Exercise/Discharge: (Drains, and Charges)
- Put batteries in
- Plug in.
- Select one of the Compartment Numbers
- Press the mode button until you see Discharge
*Shows Full when finished
Recondition: (Drains and Charges until capacity no longer increases)
- Put batteries in
- Plug in.
- Select one of the Compartment Numbers
- Press the mode button until you see Discharge Refresh
*Shows Full when finished. Some batteries may go through more cycles than others and take more time.
Test: (Charges, drains to measure capacity, Charges)
- Put batteries in
- Plug in.
- Select one of the Compartment Numbers
- Press the mode button until you see Charge Test
*Flashes between Full and cell capacity when finished.
OK, now tell me now why I should buy it with all of the details.
1. The need:
NiCd and NiMH batteries both have problems with "memory", which is crystalline formation. The positive nickel plate, a metal that is shared by both chemistries, is responsible for the crystalline formation. With an anode in fresh condition, the hexagonal cadmium hydroxide crystals are about 1 micron in cross section, exposing large surface area to the liquid electrolyte for maximum performance. When the crystals grow to 50 to 100 microns, they insulate large portions of the active material from the electrolyte. After reconditioning, the crystals are reduced to 3 to 5 microns, an almost 100% restoration. In addition to the crystal-forming activity on the positive plate, the NiCd also develops crystals on the negative cadmium plate. Charging partially discharged or charged batteries is what causes the problem. Because both plates are affected on NiCd batteries, they require more frequent discharge cycles than the NiMH. Another advantage of NiMH is they have twice the power density and the same voltage.
NiCd batteries in regular use and on standby mode (sitting in a charger for operational readiness) should be exercised once per month and NiMH every 3 months. The exercise drains the battery to ~1V/cell, and then charges it back to full. Between these exercise cycles, no further service is needed. The battery can be used with any desired user pattern without the concern of memory. However, if no exercise is applied to a NiCd for three months or more, the crystals become difficult to break up. In such a case, reconditioning is required. Recondition is a slow, deep discharge that removes the remaining battery energy by draining the cells to a voltage threshold below 1V/cell. During recondition, the current must be kept low to prevent cell reversal. It will continue to perform this cycle until no more capacity is being gained by doing so, which means batteries could be in there for quite a while if they are badly crystalized.
To achieve long life from these rechargeables we need to:
- Not leave a nickel-based battery charging after full charge is reached.
- Perform periodic exercises on the cells.
- Recondition cells when necessary.
- Avoid elevated battery temperatures.
- When batteries are connected serially, it helps to group them by capacity.
Chargers that lack independent cell charging, or without the microprocessor controlled exercise and reconditioning cycles, simply do not have the capabilities necessary to maintain nickel-based rechargeable batteries. Thus, it goes without saying, you will not be able to achieve a positive ROI from your NiMH batteries with the dumb chargers that frequently come packaged with batteries.
2. Why the BC-1000?
- It can provide the cycles necessary to properly maintain the batteries. Besides Charge, it provides Discharge/Exercise, Recondition, and Test to measure the cell's mah.
- The default current value is conservative for any battery so you can simply place the batteries in it to charge, or select discharge/exercise, or recondition, and not change the current. One that defaults to 1000 ma for AAA batteries is not a good situation when you have non-technical people sharing the charger.
- If you need batteries charged in a hurry, it will do 4 at a 1000 ma, or 2 at 1800 ma, and has thermal protection for the batteries.
- It comes with 8 batteries, 4 AA, and 4 AAA, and 4 D-Cell adapters. (In a household that has only Li-Ion and NiMH, they are handy for the air mattress pump, which is the only thing we have that uses D-Cells anymore)
- You can see what is going on with each cell without cycling through screens.
- It doesn't require a degree in computer mysteries to use it. I was initially torn between this and the Maha Powerex Wizard One MH-C9000. The first advantage of the La Crosse BC700 and BC1000 is you can see at a glance how all 4 batteries are doing without cycling through a menu, and just push the button next to each battery to cycle through the readings or set cycle. This is important because even batteries from the same package never finish near the same time. Thus, you can pop out the ones that are finished and use them, and put others in their place to be recharged. The second advantage is it defaults to 200 mah. That setting won't won't hurt AAAs, and many times you don't care how long the AAs take if you put them in there and take the out the next day. Doing even a 500 mah charge on AAAs will overheat them to where they will never get their capacity back I found out. I experimented with the Panasonic 550 mah batteries that come in cordless phones, which averaged about 350 mah. In an effort to see if "juicing" them with a 250 mah discharge and a 500 mah charge would help, I ended up losing capacity I was never able to get back.
- The D-Cell adapters that came with it that I didn't think I would ever use I needed the first day. I witnessed first hand the huge advantage a low resistance battery technology has over a high resistance battery technology in situations where there is a lot of current flow, such as the 4 D-Cell electric pump that blows up air mattresses. For high current draw operations, the alkaline battery internally consumes much of its own energy before it ever leaves the battery to do useful work, much like a resistor loses watts of electricity to heat while providing resistance. Alkalines' initial voltage advantage of 1.5v vs. 1.2v falls off real quick. You can hear it in the pump motor. As you may know, a slow turning centrifugal air pump doesn't pump air, so the usable life of the D size alkalines in this situation is less than AA NiMHs, plus the NiMH batteries are rechargeable. The Alkalines shine for low current draw where their high resistance doesn't matter, and their cost works only if you buy in volume. Low current draw is the ONLY way Alkalines get anywhere near their rated mah capacity. For a flashlight, the one advantage the Alkalines would have is you could milk a very dim light for a lot of hours where the NiMHs simply stop.
- The batteries that come with it aren't junk. The triple AAA 1000 mah batteries clocked in at 898, 939, 970, an 1010 mah. The 2600 mah AA batteries measured 2060, 2090, 2170, and 2270.
3. Why not the BC-1000?
The only problem is documentation. The documentation of its features is spread all over and not always accurate. The instructions above and the truth table below are the clearest means to learn how to use the BC-700 and BC-1000.
Truth Table: (This sounds complicated until you use it a few times and then it becomes logical and you don't need to remember any of this.)
- If no Compartment Number key was pressed and is flashing, the Current, Display, and Mode key input affect all of the occupied compartments. Sometimes you will need to press one of the Compartment Number keys to make changes.
- When you place a battery into a compartment, you have 8 seconds to change the current. If you change the Display or Mode for that compartment during that 8 seconds, the 8 seconds starts over. However, once the 8 seconds expires, you cannot change the Current without physically removing the battery or unplugging the device. Oddly, after the 8 seconds, you can still change the mode.
- When there is a battery located in compartment 1 and/or 4, and none in 2 and/or 3, max. charging current: 1800 mA.
- If you have a battery only in position 1 or 4, when you increase the charge current above 1000 ma, the null indicator for positions 2 and 3 will turn off, and the charger will no longer recognize batteries placed in position 2 and/or 3.
- When there is a battery located in compartment 2 and/or 3, max. charging current for every compartment is: 1000 mA
- If you put a battery in any compartment, and allow the 8 second timeout for Current to expire, oddly, any batteries you add to any compartment after that cannot select a current above that current level.
- The charge current level is fixed at twice what the discharge mode.
- When you set the max current for discharge mode, the max you can select is 500 ma, no matter which or how many compartments have batteries in them, which in turn allows a max charge current of 1000 ma.
Summary: Maha Powerex Wizard One MH-C9000 Advanced Battery Charger and Analyzer has its advantages, but once the tech coolness wears off, and you are just using it to charge and recondition batteries, the La Crosses are handier to use and requires no understanding of anything to use it as just a charger. Of the La Crosses, the BC-700 is the cheapest one that has all of the capabilities required to properly maintain rechargeable nickel-based batteries. When you consider the BC-1000 only costs $16.00 more, and comes with 4 AAs and 4 AAAs, you are already at the same price as the BC-700. The BC-1000 also has more reserve charging capacity, 4 D cell adapters that you might use more than you think, and a nylon pouch to keep things from getting lost. While from a practical use standpoint the BC-700 is just as capable as the BC-1000, all around, the BC-1000 was cheaper, and brought some accessories with it that turned out to be more valuable than I had anticipated.
Update: It's December 1, 2013, and I still can't think of a NiMH battery charger that I would rather have. I've had zero problems with it. What I wrote back then makes just as much sense today.
Update: It's February 11, 2014 and the price has gone up on the BC-1000, so the gap is no longer $16, it's $30. This changes the value proposition between the BC-700 and BC-1000 significantly, since the price difference is now greater than the value of the batteries and accessories that come with it. The BT-C2000 Battery Charger Tester Analyzer NiMH NiCd AA AAA C D 12 Volt Powered starts to look attractive with its 1000 mah capacity and priced at only $13 more than the BC-700. It comes with two adapters to enable you to charge real C and D rechargeable batteries. I'd rather have that than the nylon bag and C and D adapters where you put AAs inside an adapter and still only have the power of AAs. With the remaining $17 I saved, I can buy 8 brand name LSD NiMh batteries of the size I want. Moreover, the BT-C2000 could rig it to run off my car battery, since the AC adapter output is 12V DC.
*** ALSO *** I noticed jjceo did a video review on the BC-1000 here. It enables perspective buyers to be able to grasp the concepts of the BC-1000 and BC-700 interface WAY faster than reading the manual so any usage tips you read afterwards will make a lot more sense.
If you own handfuls of rechargeable Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries like I do you are always looking to extend the life of the batteries and trying to figure out when is the time to buy new ones. This battery charger is your answer to how to charge, refresh, fix and test the batteries while getting important technical data that is unavailable from almost all other chargers.
I have attached a simple video to try to demonstrate the basic functionality of this product. I had to cut it short as I am only allowed to post a video of a certain size so you should read this written review for some details that are missing in the video. I am also sorry for the quality of the video in some places in the film. You have to greatly reduce the video quality to make it fit onto Amazon and what was perfect on the computer screen is fuzzy in some places on the web site.
The charger can be used as a simple charger and I charged 5 sets of batteries this way so far. I also pulled out a set of 6 old NiCd batteries that are over 10 years old to test the charger's ability to refresh and rejuvenate old batteries. Two of the six batteries were simply beyond all hope and they are destined to be recycled. At least now I know that they are beyond recovery. Three of the remaining batteries reached over 70% for their original functionality and the last battery actually exceeded the original specs for mAh of capacity. I used the refresh mode to work on these batteries.
Update:
I reran the refresh more on the four NiCD batteries. After one more refresh cycle two of the batteries exceeded their 100% rating. I removed those two and reran the refresh mode again and the last two reached 100% of their rating. This is impressive as these batteries are over 10 years old and hadn't been recharged for over 6 years. This product delivers what it promises.
This product features excellent performance and provides battery performance data that you don't normally get to see. I have already saved four Ni-Cd batteries and found two to dispose of. I hope the video is helpful to you. I love how this product performs and the quality of the charger, This is a 5 star product and I recommend it to you.
BC1000 Main Features:
* Works with all Ni-Cd and Ni-MH AA and AAA batteries
* You can mix AA and AAA batteries at the same time
* LCD multimeter displays each individual battery capacity when charging is complete if you discharge them or test them.
* Four modes of operation, Charge, Discharge, Refresh and Test.
* Will not over charge batteries, switches to trickle charge when charging is complete.
* Has overheating protection to prevent overcharging.
* You can set different charging rate for each battery as well as mode of operation. Max current set by first battery cell location.
* Selectable charging rate ranging from 200 ma, 500 ma, 700 ma, 1000 ma, 1500 ma and 1800 ma.
* 1500 ma and 1800 ma are only available when battery channels 1 and/or 4 are used.
* 200 ma is the default charging rate.
* Measures and displays the voltage of each battery.
* Measures the charged capacity in mAh or Ah for each battery.
* Keeps track of charging or discharging time in hours and minutes.
* Detects damaged batteries.
BC1000 accessories included in this kit:
* Charger
* AC power wall plug rated at 3 VDC and 4 Amps.
* Four AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries rated at 2600 mAh.
* Four AAA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries rated at 1000 mAh.
* Nylon carrying bag for charger and all accessories.
* 4 C size adapters to make the AA batteries C size
* 4 D size adapters to hold the C size adapters and AA batteries to make them D size.
* Small owner's manual but download the one from the Web. It is much better.
BC1000 modes:
* Charge Mode - Charge each individual battery at your selected current rate.
* Discharge Mode - First discharge and then charge to remove the memory effect of rechargeable batteries. Batteries discharge at ½ the rate at which they charge.
* Refresh mode - Performs multiple discharge and recharge cycles (up to 20) to refresh old batteries. Stops when the batteries are no longer improving their capacity.
* Test mode - Fully charge, then discharge and then fully charge to measure the capacities of batteries in mAh or Ah. If battery contains more than 1, 999 mAh the display shifts to Ah display like 2.6 Ah.
* Each battery location can be set into a different mode and charging rate. The battery in the first slot will set the max charging limit for all slots but you can lower the charging rate for other battery slots.
BC1000 Notes:
* Use the charging table to select the maximum charging rate for different sizes of batteries and consider the amount of time you have before you need to use the batteries. The higher the current, the faster the charge time but the harder it may on the batteries life span/
* 200 ma is the recommended charging current to extend the life of the batteries.
* Damaged batteries will only display "null"
* Definitely download the instruction manual from the web site, it is MUCH better than the manual included in the box! It is 48 pages long with small pages.
Update: 11-5-2012
I just love this charger and as an engineer it just helps to answer all the questions I have about my rechargeable batteries.
I do have to comment though about the batteries that comes with the kit. The AA size is slightly larger in diameter than normal sized AA batteries and they do not fit into most devices I would use them in. They do not fit into my wireless computer keyboard or into my Maglight flashlights. You couldn't force them into some items if you tried and if you did you would never get them back out. Just don't count on those batteries being of good use to you as you will have to select what they fit into and what they won't fit into.
It is sort of sad, the best charger I have ever purchased with batteries that are not of much value. I still recommend this charger as one of the best available and I love it to use with my Eneloop and Sony rechargeable batteries.
Update 11-16-2012
I returned my batteries to La Crosse and they sent me replacements that fit into my flashlights and electronic devices. The support was helpful and they took care of the problem. I commend them for standing behind their products.
Top reviews from other countries
I got this because I realized that my rechargeable batteries weren't holding a charge after a short period of time. I had to actually stop using my batteries for fact I knew I was only going to ruin others and didn't want to end up throwing out all the good ones cause of a few bad ones but was lost as to what to do. The companies out there lead you to believe it is the way you are treating the batteries, I knew better but couldn't find the solution. What I found was they are selling equipment that doesn't treat the batteries properly (including the "SMART" chargers) and here is the solution.
The actual main issue is that nothing ever is truly balanced so you use a pair of batteries and one will be used up more than the other. Now when you charge them as a pair with a charger from the store, one is always charged differently than the other. Quickly the imbalances become issues, overheating, overcharging, undercharging, etc. Now after a short number of charges one of those batteries becomes weak cause of all the imbalanced charge/discharge cycles. Now you have a bad battery in the mix of batteries, how can you find it? Standard battery testers can't tell you, cause voltage doesn't say storage capacity, and charging just lines up a bad to ruin a good..... hence throw out good with bad. Big boys win big time this way.
Now with this unit each charges independently and issue free. I just wish I had it before ruining a number of batteries. Finally I got this and found the bad batteries quickly and easily without having to ruin more batteries and able to line like capacities of batteries together to maximize life and usage.
One trick I used for finding bad batteries with this unit
1. cycle battery through the refresh
2. leave sit a couple weeks, pop battery in unit for a true voltage level
3. separate out the batteries that have dropped dramatically they are likely weak cells
4. I then ran the 'weak' batteries through a one use with whatever to see how they last
5. run through discharge/recharge cycle to make sure
6. tested after a week of sitting to make sure and disposed the ones that proved to not hold a charge.
Now when I use my rechargeables I don't find myself changing them out frequently because 'dead' cells.
I plan on purchasing other units as gifts for others I know would use rechargeables other than they had past problems with rechargeables as I had myself.
There are so many options available on this charger that it is almost scary. Looking for a quick charge because you need to use the battery(ies)? This charger will do it. Looking to identify that one battery in a group of batteries that is failing first and causing your device to stop working? This unit will analyze the batteries inserted and find the weak one - then you can programme a "refresh" cycle (which takes a long time to run, by the way) to see if you can "save" the battery from the recycling bin. Looking for a normal, slow low-amperage charge that will not stress your rechargeables? Got it. Looking to identify which four of your many batteries have the greatest capacity so you can use them in a device that you don't want to stop working? This unit will ID the capacity of your batteries.
If there are any drawbacks, it's the learning curve. The manual is complicated and the options are numerous. This charger is for the person who really wants to have the best rechargeables well taken care of by the charger.