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FAQ about AA Batteries and Battery Chargers
Is battery selection really important? Yes. The
ADVANCED TASER® is a powerful device requiring high
drain batteries. Batteries are run at their maximum
capacity by the ADVANCED TASER and are critical to the
success of the stopping power. After extensive testing,
we recommend Energizer ACCU®, GP®, & TASER® brand Nickel
Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries as the
single most powerful types of batteries available.
Alkaline batteries are the second recommended types of
battery. Duracell Ultra® and Energizer Titanium E2® are
the approved alkaline batteries for our products and
each has expiration dates. If non-approved alkaline or
NiMH batteries are used, problems could arise. Some NiMH
batteries don't have complete exposure of their positive
end. The battery springs may not completely contact and
could result in malfunction.
Shouldn't Heavy-Duty or Super Heavy-Duty batteries
work? No. Unfortunately many terms used by the
battery industry can be very misleading. "Heavy Duty"
batteries are often the least powerful batteries you can
buy and are a step down in quality. The term used to
refer to zinc chloride batteries that had 50% more
capacity than traditional carbon zinc batteries -- but
that was 50 years ago! Calling zinc chloride batteries
heavy duty became misleading once alkaline batteries
with 300% more capacity than zinc chloride batteries
became available. Stick with factory recommended
batteries.
Will installing the batteries wrong do any damage to
the ADVANCED TASER? Yes. If all batteries are
installed in reverse you can actually reverse polarity
of the unit and short it out. Even if only one battery
is installed incorrectly you will experience weapon
failure and rapidly drain the power of these batteries.
Instruction diagrams are on the inside of each battery
tray. It is very important to follow those instructions.
Insert the batteries using the "V-shape" technique as
noted in the manual.
How many AA batteries do I need? 8 AA alkaline or
NiMH rechargeable batteries are required to operate. It
is also recommended that you keep a spare set of
Duracell Ultra® or Energizer Titanium E2® available.
What is the real world difference between alkaline
and NiMH batteries in the ADVANCED TASER? Fresh
Duracell Ultra® or Energizer Titanium E2® batteries will
provide a rate of 12-15 electrical pulses per second.
Fully charged NiMH batteries provide a rate of 15-20
pulses per second. NiMH batteries give the strongest
output, and perform much better in cold weather.
However, undercharged batteries will cause weapon
failure. Battery failures with rechargeable batteries in
older TASERs have resulted in escalation of force
because officers had to move up the use of force
continuum. The recommended alkaline batteries have a
stronger shelf life (4-6 years). Again, the selection of
the battery is very important. The trade off is better
pulse rate versus maintaining a fully charged set of
NiMH batteries.
Alkaline batteries are 1.5 Volts and the NiMH
batteries are rated at 1.2 Volts, why the difference?
NiMH batteries are ideal substitutes for most high drain
electronics. There is no need to worry about the
apparent voltage differences. Even though alkaline
batteries are rated at nominal 1.5 Volts, they only
deliver 1.5 Volts when they are fresh. In fact, over the
course of their discharge, alkaline batteries actually
average about 1.2 Volts. The main difference is that an
alkaline battery starts at 1.5 Volts and gradually drops
to less than 1.0 Volts. NiMH batteries stay at about 1.2
Volts for most of their discharge cycle.
Should I be concerned about the mAh (milli Amp hours)
rating? Yes, but only when considering NiMH
batteries. Alkaline batteries typically have a capacity
rating of over 2,500 mAh and NiMH have rated capacities
of only 1,200 to 1,800 mAh. But, when actually powering
an electronic device like the ADVANCED TASER, the NiMH
batteries will run the device for two to three times
longer. Alkaline batteries were not designed to meet the
very high power demands of today's electronic devices.
Alkaline batteries have a high rated capacity, but they
can only deliver their full capacity if the power is
used slowly. With NiMH batteries, the higher the mAh
number, the longer the charge will last. Also, the
higher the mAh number, the higher the price! A rating of
1200 mAh is more than sufficient and ratings of 1400,
1600 and 1800 just increase the length of the recharge.
What is the self-discharge rate of alkaline and NiMH
batteries? Alkaline batteries stored at "room
temperature" (70 degrees F) self-discharge at a rate of
less than two percent per year. However, if they are
stored at 85 degrees F they lose about 5% per year, but
at 100 degrees F they lose 25% per year. NiMH batteries
self-discharge at a much faster rate than alkaline
batteries. In fact, at "room temperature" NiMH batteries
will self-discharge approximately one percent per day.
This is the primary reason behind our recommended
two-week check and charge schedule.
Because the voltage of an alkaline battery drops at a
very predictable rate it's possible to estimate the
amount of capacity left in an alkaline battery based
solely on its voltage. (1.5 Volts - fully charged, 1.25
Volts - 50% charged, 1.0 Volts - almost fully
discharged). But a NiMH battery stays at about 1.2 Volts
until it is nearly completely discharged.
This makes it almost impossible to know the amount of
capacity left based on its voltage alone. It also leaves
you very little warning when it's time to change your
batteries! Moreover, the NiMH will provide little
audible warning when they are near their end of
capacity. Alkaline batteries will begin to slowly fade
out causing the pulse rate to diminish. The NiMH's will
provide a rapid pulse and then rapidly plummet in pulse
rate.
What is "memory effect" and should I be concerned?
"Memory effect" is a term used when rechargeable
batteries experience voltage depletion (reduced
capacity) over their life. In other words, the battery
is not able to hold the same capacity as it did the
first time it was charged. This is true with all
rechargeable batteries, but some have a very high rate
loss. NiMH batteries are virtually memory free and do
not need to be fully discharged before recharging. Keep
in mind that this is the amount of charge the batteries
will hold not the quality. NiMH batteries can be damaged
from heat by overcharging, but is easily avoided by
using a high quality, microprocessor controlled battery
charger such as our factory recommended battery brands.
How many times can rechargeable batteries be
recharged? The quick and easy answer is hundreds of
times. The reason we can't be more precise is because
this is a more complex question to answer than it might
seem. The number of times a battery can be recharged
depends on how the battery was used. Every time a
rechargeable battery goes through a charge and discharge
cycle it loses a tiny bit of capacity. Not to mention if
you accidentally overcharge the batteries or if you
repeatedly completely discharge them. Therefore, it
would be impossible to give you an exact number. Today's
NiMH will generally last 300 -1,000 charge / discharge
cycles.
Does rapid charging reduce the life of batteries?
No. So long as it is done using properly designed,
"smart" chargers, most NiMH batteries can be recharged
in about an hour without any damage or reduction in
their life. However, NiMH batteries must be rapid
charged with a charger specifically designed for
charging NiMH batteries. Chargers designed to charge
only Nickel cadmium (NiCad) batteries can overcharge
NiMH batteries. Even a standard or slow NiCad charger
can damage NiMH batteries. Many inexpensive NiMH battery
chargers are simply NiCad chargers that have been
modified slightly. We do not recommend this type of
charger. While it is less expensive to manufacture than
a smart charger, it can lead to overcharging and battery
damage. Most NiMH "smart" chargers have actually been
designed to detect when a NiMH battery is fully charged
and then shut off or go into a trickle charge mode.
Because of the more complex circuitry, this type of
charger costs more to manufacture, but should lead to
greater battery life.
Do I have to purchase a brand specific charger for my
NiMH batteries? Any good NiMH charger should be able
to recharge any good quality NiMH battery without any
problem. Just keep in mind that a "smart" charger is
better than a "dumb" charger. The TASER NiMH "smart"
charger charges through the use of the dataport plug.
This feature allows you to charge the NiMH batteries
without having to remove both the battery tray and each
battery out. In addition, there is also a place for a
battery tray to charge in the base of the charger.
Can a battery charger damage a battery? Yes. The
most common cause of premature battery failure is
overcharging. The chargers most likely to cause
overcharging are the 5, 8, or 15-hour chargers. The
problem with these chargers is that they really don't
have a charge control mechanism. Most of them are simple
designs that charge at their full charge rate for a
fixed period of time through a timer, and then shut off
or switch to a trickle charge rate. Each time the unit
is either unplugged or batteries are removed, the timer
begins at zero and recharges the batteries for another
lengthy recharge.
If improperly used they can shorten a battery's useful
life. Suppose that fully charged or partially charged
batteries are put into the charger. The charger has no
way to sense this, so it will give the batteries a full
charge it was designed to deliver. Do this enough times
with one of those battery chargers and the capacity of
the battery will start to drop.
Why does my indicator light on the ADVANCED TASER
have a steady light when I use NiMH batteries? The
battery indicator light is calibrated for alkaline
batteries (1.5 Volts per battery) and will not function
properly with rechargeables. Rechargeable NiMH batteries
(1.2 Volts per battery) will always indicate 'low" even
when full charged. The battery indicator cannot
distinguish between the 1.5 Volts and the 1.2 Volts.
Since the unit was designed originally with
off-the-shelf batteries, the indicator measures for 12
Volts (8 X 1.5 = 12 Volts) as the maximum and indicates
low battery based upon a decrease from the 12 Volts.
Freshly charged NiMH batteries start at 9.6 Volts (8 X
1.2 = 9.6 Volts) and immediately register as low on the
battery indicator, even though they are not low. To
check the NiMH battery strength, remove the Air
Cartridge and check for a fast spark rate of 15-20
pulses per second. On alkaline batteries, if the LED
light is blinking, the batteries are good. If the LED is
solid red, the batteries are low and should be changed.
The red light stops blinking when the charge drops below
70%. If there is no light at all or is barely visible,
the batteries are dead or have been installed
improperly. Recheck that the batteries are installed
properly.
About how many 5-second cycles can I get out of each
type of battery (alkaline vs. NiMH)? Testing
indicates approximately 15-20 cycles out of a fresh set
of approved alkaline batteries before a dramatic drop in
battery performance. The batteries may still fire the
unit beyond that number, but at a reduced pulse rate. A
fully charged set of NiMH batteries provides
approximately 100 cycles. But, it is important to keep
in mind that you will not be given the same type of
pulse decline warning given by alkaline batteries.
Number 101 could give you absolutely nothing! |
