The Best Rechargeable Batteries For Your Wiimote

[Xaegoth]

Nope... I like the Nintendo Remote Jackets and I'm lazy. Good combo!

Yeah, me too...jackets are a BIT on the annoying side to take off. And I have this feeling, they will tear after a while of removing and putting them back on.

Honestly didn't know about a USB chargeable battery pack for the Wii until I searched for your post. So definitely something I will keep in mind for the future.

 

[strommsarnac]

I really like energizer rechargable batteries. 4 for $10us at walmart. Only 2000mAh, but they don't lose hardly any charge sitting in the remotes for 2 months.

 

[Nerdface]

I really like energizer rechargable batteries. 4 for $10us at walmart. Only 2000mAh, but they don't lose hardly any charge sitting in the remotes for 2 months.

I liked those Energizer rechargeable batteries until I found that they do not power every "AA/AAA" device. The Energizer rechargeable says 1.2 volts on it... not 1.5 volts like a alkaline battery says. They work in the Wiimotes for now, which requires AA 1.5v... go figure. To bad it does not state that on the package.

I looked up the OP's recommendation the ENELOOP by Sanyo, the specs say Nominal Voltage 1.2 volts. MichaelSF(OP) have you found any device that would not work with the Eneloop rechargeable battery?

*side note*
I tested the voltage on Energizer rechargeable and no-name/brand-name alkaline batteries with a voltmeter.

Energizer Rechargeable AAA(900mAH): 1.345 (+/-.005v) new 1st charge never used yet
Energizer Rechargeable AA(2500mAH): Same as above.
No-Name Alkaline AAA: 1.537 (+/- .013v)
Sony Alkaline AA: 1.542 (+/- .011v)

 

[Crazy Eyes]

Check out Wikipedia for info on these. [See below link.]

Costco had a special on them, but they are now on a side aisle there [I bought three more of the kits at Costco last week.] They come in a blue plastic box, with a charger, C and D adapters, 8 AA and 4 AAA batteries, all for $25 [at Costco].

CostCo and Wikipedia FTW!!!

Haha, nah my batteries are rechargable Duracells. They arn't bad, but they run out of juice in a few weeks if I use them alot. They recharge in only ten minutes, so I don't think they're too bad for the money.

 

[Wulf]

Hmm, honestly I think charging stations are unneccisary. o-o The batteries that came with my Wiimote lasted quite awhile..

 

[vi3tmix]

Costco had a special on them, but they are now on a side aisle there [I bought three more of the kits at Costco last week.] They come in a blue plastic box, with a charger, C and D adapters, 8 AA and 4 AAA batteries, all for $25 [at Costco].

Dude, all that for $25 alone is enough to make it a steal, if it can answer these two questions with satisfactory answers:

How long do they take to charge?
During active use, how many total straight hours would it take to drain those batteries?


For comparison, the current set of 8 Duracell rechargeables I currently use (4x 2400mAh and 4x 2640 mAh):
-15 minutes to charge
-Roughly 14 hours of use with full rumble and speaker volume, give or take a couple hours. This is almost a year after I started using them, as they lasted over 20 hours easily when I first bought them)
-Charger + 4x 2400mAh batteries cost $20, while the extra 4 2640 mAh batteries cost me $8 more.

Regardless of your answer, though, it's a shame that I've already been using my Duracell Rechargeables for close to a year. Oh well, I'll look into these whenever my current rechargeables run low on juice.

I do have to admit that they sometimes drain really quickly when idle, though. I usually have 3 sets of batteries simply stay in controllers, and one fully charged set set sit idle by the charger (so I essentially have a set ready to use whenever one set in the remotes die and need charging)--there was one situation where the set sitting next to the charger lost a good portion of its power.

They work in the Wiimotes for now, which requires AA 1.5v... go

Really? For some reason I never paid attention to that detail. What's the worst that could happen with using 1.2v rechargeables? Can't damage electronics with power sources outputting a lower voltage, correct? So there's nothing to be concerned about?

 

[Nerdface]

I liked those Energizer rechargeable batteries until I found that they do not power every "AA/AAA" device. The Energizer rechargeable says 1.2 volts on it... not 1.5 volts like a alkaline battery says. They work in the Wiimotes for now, which requires AA 1.5v... go figure. To bad it does not state that on the package.

Really? For some reason I never paid attention to that detail. What's the worst that could happen with using 1.2v rechargeables? Can't damage electronics with power sources outputting a lower voltage, correct? So there's nothing to be concerned about?

Please tell me vi3tmix why a customer would not be concerned about the purchase of rechargeable batteries that do not power every device that takes said style (i.e AA/AAA) of battery. Would you as a consumer of said rechargeable battery be discouraged when you found out that your new rechargeable battery only powered certain devices?

When I buy a device that requires AA/AAA batteries, I would expect that a AA/AAA battery regardless of kind (alkaline/rechargeable) provided the ample energy to power the requiring device.

If only I had tried the Rechargeable batteries in the wiimote first!:crazy:

*Question* Would that be considered false advertisement on Energizers part when they do not provide a voltage rating on the package? To me it was common sense that a AA/AAA battery has 1.5volts of power. I still have the package of the Energizer(rechargeable) and the alkaline(name/no-name brand). Clearly stated on the alkaline batteries is 1.5V...:yikes:

*FYI* the 2 devices that did not work with the Energizers are a hand held game and a radio controlled toy. The batteries where installed correctly, and the devices work fine with alkaline batteries!

 

[MichaelSF]

MichaelSF(OP) have you found any device that would not work with the Eneloop rechargeable battery?

No, that is why I mentioned my digital cameras. I have two that use AA batteries. In fact, all the camera review sites recommend using rechargeable batteries since digital cameras eat batteries like locusts.

In fact, one time I took one of my Canon Powershots that used four AA batteries. I took along four charged rechargeables. But the camera would not fire up because the batteries were not powerful enough. I figured I had a bad batch. [I have about 100 rechargeables that I have bought over time, since about 1999.]

Rechargeable batteries, even lithium ion, have a shelf life of about five years before they go bad, to where they won't hold a charge. You might get a year or so more out of them, but they won't charge to full power like when they were new.

So those that I took on the "shoot" were probably old and worn out.

I am not aware that any rechargeable battery that will not work in any device. I have had all the big names in rechargeables [Energizer, Duracell, SunPak] and none of those companies have ever posted a warning that said the batteries might not work or power up some devices. I have seen once in awhile devices that say not to use rechargeable batteries.

The only time my batteries have not worked is if they were old, tired and on their last legs. But that is not because of voltage or power ratings [e.g., 1.2 to 1.5 AA batteries], it's because they are old. Sidenote: even my 2400 mAh rechargeable batteries are rated at 1.2 volts.

Another possibility is that the batteries were poorly manufactured. There are many Chinese counterfeit batteries out there, where they use cheap lithium or nickel metal hydride cells. That's a concern when buying batteries off of eBay, for example. Many sellers are selling batteries that look OK on the outside, but they are filled with cheap materials.

So IMHO that kit I recommended is a good deal because 1) they are genuine Sanyo quality; and 2) for $25 you are getting 12 rechargeable batteries; the D and C battery adapters; and a charger. That works out to $2 per battery which would be a good deal by itself.

Bottom lines: a camera is going to be more power demanding than a Wiimote, so using the ENELOOP on the Wiimotes is not an issue.

As to how long the batteries have lasted on my digital cameras, I get about 200 shots with the display on the whole time. That's pretty good for a power hungry camera. And my Wiimotes have lasted about a month now, playing maybe 100 hours, if not longer. That seems fine to me.

And remember, the main feature of these batteries is that they do not discharge while sitting idle. Other batteries do self-discharge, at about 10% a week.

 

[BiiWii]

alki's vs. chargi's

This is what I read about AA batts: the voltage drop of alki's is directly proportional to the energy consumed(mAh) over time. As previously established alki's nominal voltage is 1.5 and chargi's 1.2...typically. Chagi's maintain a steady voltage until they're near the end of their cycle, at which time they plummet quickly. I found all that useful but,... I would like to know the min. nomV required. ie. if alki's drop to 1.3, are they still going to work? Given the chargi's nomV I would think so but I haven't found that to be the case. Does anyone know the mAh to V curve for a AA alki? I believe that the voltage drop increases when in use when the battery is nearing the end of it's capacity...perhaps I've answered my own question but I'd appreciate some insight from any who care to share.

 

[strommsarnac]

Not sure technically, but I use a voltmeter on my batteries when they start to not work.

I find that with duracell AA (regular) batteries, devices don't power up below 1.26v. The same device works fine with my energizer rechar AA's.

Only Rechar AA's I've ever know to have 1.5v were RadioShack's 2000mAH green AA's. I loved those.

On a side note, I tried to put some "modern" batteries in an old star trek toy (you know, those large playmate ships) and they DON'T FIT!!!!! I tried about 6 different brands, regular alk and recharg. I thought it might simply be the plastic wrap they put on now instead of the paint, but nope, the are just a bit longer and fatter even with that wrap cut off. So much for using batteries in old things nowadays.

 

[twigs232]

I have that Nyko rechargeable battery packs and they work great. I also have the sensor bar with the built in rechargeable battery.

 

[nxcmp]

As long as the rechargeable batteries are not Nickel Cadmium based, you should be good. Go with Nickel Metal Hydride, don't suffer from short charge memory effects. :yesnod:

 

[navroze1]

Soz to burst ure bubble but NiCad batteries are sooooo old now along with NiMh. The new technology is Lipo however these usually end up on fire and it is recommended to leave a bucket of water next to them!!