Rechargeable AAA's

[Riley-NZL]

Hi guys, do the the PF train have any issues with using Rechargeable AAA's in the battery boxes? Is there any performance issues with the lower voltage, and would there be a change in how long they run for compared to non-Rechargeables? The ones I'm looking at are rated for 900mAh, previously I have been using no-brand alkaline (which for some reason manufacturers don't give an rating for non rechargeable.)

And lastly, are the 8878 LiPo battery boxes worth their high price> From what I can tell, they are 1150mAh @ 7.4v vs rechargeable AAA's 6x 900mAh @ 1.2v, = roughly 15% longer run time on the Lipo, doesn't seem worth it's very high price, I could buy an extra AAA battery box, and two sets of 6x AAA rechargeable batteries for the same price ( not including the extra charger for the LiPo).

[dr_spock]

I haven't encountered issues running NiMH rechargeable AAAs in my trains. I have extra AAAs recharging or charged while I have a set running the trains. I don't screw down my battery box so it easier to pull out and swap batteries.

With the LiPo you can recharge it without taking out the battery box. Your train would be out of action until it is finished charging unless you have another one to swap in.

[v6TransAM]

Eneloop from ebay or Amazon.

I no longer waste money on other rechargeable batteries.

[Riley-NZL]

Eneloop from ebay or Amazon.

I no longer waste money on other rechargeable batteries.

I personally only use Eneloop (AA's) for my camera flashes, although I've never seen the Eneloop AAA's for sale here. Didn't think to look for them though :P

[M_slug357]

I personally only use Eneloop (AA's) for my camera flashes, although I've never seen the Eneloop AAA's for sale here. Didn't think to look for them though :P

Eneloop ist thine savior!!!

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Thanks for the hint!

[greenmtvince]

From Philo's Batteries and Battery Packs Comparison http://philohome.com/batteries/bat.htm

The voltage advantage of 1.5V Alkalines vs 1.2V NiMH is present only for the first few minutes of operation. As you can see from the curves, performance drops dramatically after that. If you run at high currents with long trains or especially heavy MOCs, you can see the performance matches the graph. The difference is less noticeable at lower currents such as a stock train set. The above linked page shows low current profiles of AA batteries.

Eneloop's are good. I've looked at some other battery tests and seen that the Energizer's and Amazon brand NiMH rechargeables are comparable, so you can trade a bit of capacity or discharge performance for price or availability if need be in most scenarios. A smart charger is probably the most important investment for long term performance of your batteries.

If you want more run time, you should try to find a way to fit AA batteries in your model. The capacity and discharge performance blow away the Lego LiPo.

If you want more run time and more power...

nominal 9.6V and ~2300mAh. with 8x AA NiMH

Edited March 23, 2016 by greenmtvince

[Barduck]

I'm using 1100mAh AAA batteries and trains run about 3 hours with them. Only thing you need to watch, which I found, is that it's better not to use a fast charger, I'm using one that takes about 12h to charge the batteries but the result is far better than with the previous charger that only needed 4 hours to do it. They just keep their load longer

[Riley-NZL]

What batteries are you using that are 1100mAh? I used to use the Energizer rechargeable as I found them good as well, but have found they are selling for about 30-50% more then Eneloops where I life.

I just scored 12 AAA Eneloops from Dicksmith's which is closing down for 50% off....might even grab some more.

Ans yes, I'm aware fast chargers reduce battery life, I have one fast charger that I only use my older Energizer rechargeables in as I'm not to worried if they eventually die, but have a nice 12 battery microcontroller controlled slow charger for everything else.

Thanks for the Greenmtvince, a decent bit of an increase on the LiPo, but still not worth the price IMO.

[Barduck]

What batteries are you using that are 1100mAh?

from the brand Memorex. I've found them to be very good, bit high priced maybe (about 1/3th more expensive than the Energizer ones) but well worth it

[legoman666]

I use a mix of Eneloop and Tenergy AAAs. My charger says they're the same capacity. The Tenergy are LSD too.

[Severus A]

I use GP rechargeable batteries. They seem to work very well until now.

http://www.gpbatteries.com/int_en/batteries/rechargeable-batteries/recyko/recykoaaa

[Balogh Laci]

Regarding the GP, I use them to and as far the test have shown the following:

1 train with 6 full railcars plus 2 engines, meaning 2 power function motors powered by one battery box with 6 x 800mAh GP recyko+ last around 2 hours.

Now the time with the official LEGO set, 60051, is around 5-6 hours, 1 power function motor with the same 6 rechargeable recyko+.