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Note: The answers in these FAQs are intended to be generally informative and do not constitute a guarantee. For more information please refer to our terms and conditions of use or contact us.

Non-Rechargeable FAQ

  • The terms rechargeable, secondary, primary, alkaline, single use are confusing...
  • What is the difference between an LR6 and ZR6 battery?
  • What’s the difference between Camelion Ultra Alkaline and Plus Alkaline batteries?
  • Can alkalines be re-charged?
  • Do Alkaline-manganese batteries last longer than zinc carbon batteries?
  • What is the CE standard? How important are such standards?
 
 
  • Concerning charging times, I purchased a set of batteries for my... .
  • Concerning overcharging and ideal charging times, I've purchased a BC-0618
  • What is over-charging? How risky is it for the health of the batteries?
  • The red light on my new battery charger NEVER went off... .
  • Regarding the charger model BC-0688S... .
  • Can I use rechargeable NIMH batteries immediately after charging... .
  • My Camelion battery charger manual advises me to remove the... .
  • If I do not have a charging table is there an easy way... .
  • Are Camelion batteries pre-charged before packing?
  • The light does not turn on when I insert the batteries in the charger?
  • Should I use Camelion batteries only in Camelion chargers? 
  • What is the actual capacity of my NH-2600 rechargeable battery?
  • What is cycle life?

NON-RECHARGEABLE FAQ

Note: Underlined words can be referenced in the Glossary.

The terms rechargeable, secondary, alkaline, single use are confusing. What is the difference between these terms?

Rechargeables (Also known as secondary batteries) can be charged (and re-used) multiple times. The chemical composition includes such chemicals as Nickel metal hydride and nickel cadmium.  Single-use (also referred to as primary batteries) batteries can be used only once and are often composed of alkaline chemicals. See our Glossary for more details.

What is the difference between an LR6 and ZR6 battery? What are the advantages?
 
Developed by Camelion, the  ZR6 battery type is a special version of the regular LR6 alkaline battery. There are multiple battery types in use today (See Table). LR6 cells use Zinc and Manganese Dioxide as the negative and positive electrodes respectively. The electrolyte is generally an alkali metal hydroxide such as potassium hydroxide solution.  The ZR6 version uses a specially formulated patented compound to deliver longer and higher energy than standard LR6 batteries.
 
Table: International battery designations (with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) IEC-60086 standard designation).

 Country Designation  IEC Designations  IEC Designations  Typical Dimensions*
 U.S/Germany/France  Carbon Zinc  Alkaline  
 AA/E91/AM3  R6  LR6  50.5 x 14.5 
 AAA/E92/AM4  R03  LR03  44.5 x 10.5 
 C/E93/AM2  R14  LR14  50.0 x 26.2 
 D/E95/AM1  R20  LR20  61.5 x 34.2 
 9 volt  6F22  6LR61/6LF22  48.5x26.2 x 15.2

* Length x Diameter in mm

 
 
An Ultra Alkaline battery’s capacity is around 5-10% higher than a Plus Alkaline battery’s capacity.
 
 
Although some alkalines can be recharged. charging primary batteries is uneconomical and can be a serious safety risk. It is better to purchase rechargeable batteries if one wants to re-use batteries.
 
 
Yes, often at least twice as long. For continuous discharge applications (such as cassette players, digital cameras) use alkaline-manganese batteries. For discontinuous discharge devices (remote controls, transistor radios, flashlights) zinc carbon may be preferable.
 
 
CE is a European certification standard used to show certain products have passed specific safety inspections. The CE mark on a product indicates that it has met necessary European Union Directives prior to it entering the EU. Such directives include:
  • Liability for Defective Products
  • Liability for Defective Products
  • General Products Safety Directive
All relevant Camelion products bear the CE mark. Other similar standards and certifications are UL in the United States and RoHS and WEEE in Europe.
Can alkaline batteries be safely stored? What is the optimal storage method?
 
Cylindrical batteries have a storage life (68-78°F/ 20-25°C at 35-65% humidity) of 3-5 years (carbon zinc) and 5-7 years (alkaline). Batteries should be stored and cared for according to product packaging specifications.
 
 
Note: Underlined words can be referenced in the Glossary.
 
 
For charging time information one may consult the Camelion charger charging table. Some model chargers may not be listed. In this case please contact Camelion or your nearest distributor directly.
 
 
Concerning overcharging and ideal charging times, I have purchased a BC-0618 Standard Camelion Charger blister pack came with NiMH 2500mAh (NHAA2500). Charging-time for batteries with the capacity of 1500mAh to 2200mAh has been printed (ranging from 9 hours to 14 hours) on the pack but there is no time specified for this particular battery (i.e. NHAA2500) supplied with the pack. What is the ideal time for charging my batteries (i.e. NHAA2500) using my BC-0618 Standard Camelion Charger? Can you please provide me some information in this regard so that I can charge my batteries (NHAA2500) without the risk of overcharging?

The charger BC-0618 is an economic charger with lower charging current, it is not designed with the auto cut-off system. For charging the Ni-MH AA2500 battery, it will take about 12-12.5 hours to have it fully charged. It will be OK to charge it 1 or 2 hours longer, but no longer.

What is over-charging? How risky is it for the health of the batteries?

Over charging means keep charging the battery for long time even the battery has been fully charged. It will make the battery hot and will reduce the cycle life of the battery.
 
 
Some Camelion chargers do not have auto-cut off protection. For example, the BC-0688S charger is a standard economical charger with 6 individual channels. As the charging current is not big (160mA for AA and 80mA for AAA), there is no auto cut-off system designed in it. The LED light will stay on when charging and will not turn to green. For 1-4pcs of AA1600 battery, it will take about 12 hours to be fully charged. However, since it is a slow charger with a low charging current, there will be no issues from over-charging, and your battery will not be damaged.
 
Regarding the charger model BC-0688S the charging time table shows 9 hours to charge an NH-AAA600 battery and the charger packaging says 6 hours. What is the correct charging time?
 
There are 2 versions of this charger. The BC-0688S has a 9 hour charging time and the BC-088T version has a 6 Hour charging time. The products use a 120mA and 80mA charging current with the T and S versions respectively. This is why the charging times differ.
 
 
In general you can use the warm battery immediately after charging. However, it is best to wait for a while for it to cool down. If it is very hot, it may damage your appliance.
 
 
When the red light goes off, it means the charger has stopped charging, in this case, there will no damage to the battery or charger if the battery remains inside the charger. But if the power to the charger (from the wall socket or computer for example) is removed the charger micro-processor may restart again. This may lead to battery overheating and damage as the battery is already fully charged.
If the charger is disconnected from the power source and the battery left inside there should be no damage.
 
 
There is a simple way to account for the charging times.
 
First, check the charger label to get the charging (output) current (120mA for 2AA cells). Then
Charging Time (hours) = Cell Capacity X 1.2 / Output Current

For example, for the BC-8201 Charger and NHAA2300mAh rechargeable battery
Charging Time (hours) = 2300mAh X 1.2 /  120mA = 23 (hours)

 
Similarly,
 
For AA2600=2600 X 1.2 / 120 = 26 hours
AA2500=2500 X 1.2 / 120 =  25 hours
AA2300= 23 hrs
AA2200= 22 hrs
AA2000= 20 hrs
AA1800= 18hrs
AA1600=  16hrs
and so on.
 
 
Camelion naked cells are generally pre-charged at about 30% of the rated capacity (e.g. for Ni-MHAA2600 this about 780mAh). Our Ni-Cd and NiMH technologies have a self-discharge rate of about 30% a month. This means that the cells lose some of their charge if they are in storage. Since there are different time lags from our factories to your retail outlet this means that the actual retained charge is less than 30% but depends on delivery time. Therefore, it is always a good idea to charge up the first time you open the package.
 
The first time one charges batteries you should use the charging times referred to in the packaging (best) or in the charging table on the web site (alternative).   For example for the BC-0610 charger  and NC-AA800 rechargeable batteries the manual indicates about 8 hours for the AA800 and the charging table time of 7 hours. Please note charging times often vary depending upon the temperature, product age and other conditions. To be conservative I would be conservative one should charge for 8 hours.  Consistent and frequent overcharging, however, should be avoided, as the heat can damage Ni-MH batteries. in special chargers, particularly microprocessor controlled chargers such as the Camelion F60 and Super 15 charger, this is controlled by an ¡¯intelligent¡¯ CPU microprocessor.
 
 
If the light does not go on at all it may indicate the battery was not inserted correctly or the unit or battery is defective. 
 
 
Regarding other brand chargers, we do not represent the performance of other chargers, but we strongly recommend using Camelion batteries in Camelion chargers.
 
 
 
Regarding the capacity of the NH-AA2600BP2, the typical capacity is 2600mAh , the minimum capacity is 2400mAh . In standard Ni-MH cell production processes there is actually a capacity range. As long as the battery is performing within this range we consider the performance up to standard. This practice is consistent with other battery brands in the industry. 
 
 
A cycle is a complete discharging of a fully charged battery. Regarding the 1000 cycle life claim the IEC standard is about 500 cycles minimum. Our product performance is in excess of  the IEC. Note that the number of charging cycles depends on the charging and discharging currents. Under IEC charging currents (as in the attachment) the batteries can certainly be charged up to 1000 times. However, if you increase the charging and discharging currents the number of cycles will decrease. Note that each charging/discharging cycle takes about a day, so 1000 cycles is actually over 2 years of non-stop use, well within most consumer requirements   After many charge and discharge cycles the active material in the cell  loses performance. In particular, the cell's  negative pole powderizes,  and the electrolyte dries up.  ( Overcharging and partial charging are not major factors since NiMH has no memory effect )   For these reasons we do not guarantee 1000 cycles.   Camelion marketing guidelines stipulate the charging cycles are up to 1000 cycles. 
 

 

 
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