EBL Lithium-Ion AA & AAA Batteries Any Good? Find Out!
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2024
- Are the popular EBL lithium-Ion (Li-ion) AA & AAA batteries sold on Amazon any good? Find out in this highly informative battery capacity testing video! Everything to know about these 1.5V AA & AAA rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, and they'll be put to the test so you'll know if they're worth buying. Enjoy the video!
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Like to see another battery or product tested? If so, leave a comment below. Thank you!
Have you tried the new EBL 3300?
so you don't use Ni-MH at all? what do you use then? From my understanding Ni-MH batteries hold 1.2 v at higher current while alkaline battery voltage drops much more under load and as a result Ni-MH perform better than alkaline in electronics that pull more amperage like flashlights, motor driven nerf guns, etc...
Those red EBLs are under performance. They don't work well as the company's advertisement. I actually sent them back. Don't ever trust on the advertisement.
Hixon AA 1.5
Thank you very much for the terrific review on these! I really like the 1.5 volts!
Glad you enjoyed it! I'm looking forward to your next video. Thanks for watching!
Project Farm such a great guy. :)
Have you noticed EMI around 1 MHz emitted by the buck converter in these batteries?.
Came from Project Farm, wasn't disappointed. Good work guys.
Great to hear! Thanks for visiting.
Same
Just found your channel, love the content and I really appreciate the time and work you put into your reviews. Question about rechargeable batteries, would you recommend using them in a headlamp or is it better to stick with the conventional alkaline type. Thanks for your time and your opinion.
Amazing review. One, I didn't know these existed. Two, you provided a ton of technical details about how they are designed. It's crazy that they have to have a regulator to drop the voltage to an acceptable level. But that's how lithium batteries are. I'm in!
Thanks Walt! I read up on a few, and they claim to use a small circuit board to step down the voltage from 3.7 nominal. Thanks for watching, and be sure to share.
I just found this and it's good that subjective experience with this brand is in line with your testing.
I typically have bought the EBLs with the micro or USB C ports on the side, and I found that they produced VERY consistent performance in certain finicky applications like my Samsung VR controllers that didn't take well to alkalines or NiMH batteries - recommendations for lithium ion AAs specifically for those was what got my trying them, though I've found stellar performance in lots of other applications as well.
Thanks for the video. Did you test the Lithium AA for RFI (radio frequency interference )? I have seen other Lithium-AA batteries generate noise making an AM radio unusable. I like the power or voltage, just disappointed in the RFI I am reading about. Thanks again for your review. Very good description of the theory without talking down to us. Well done! All the best from north Texas.
I bought a set of 4 of these (a newer version, it appears) to use in my Sofabaton U1 remote. Rechargeable NiHM batteries would cause the remote to die within a day or two thanks to the voltage drop. Alkaline would work for a few weeks. These EBL ones last at least as long as the alkaline, usually longer.
Worth it.
Man! Thanks for another great video. I have been looking at these EBL batteries for a long time but never buy them yet since they are very expensive and require its own charger, I am so glad that you perform the test. I also wonder what the standby current of the built-in buck converter is and if it will drain the battery if the battery sits unused for a long time.
You're welcome Bud! According to the manufacturer, you need to charge the batteries once every 3 months to keep them full.
Yet another awesome video with tons of REAL world info, not marketing B.S. If you have the time, it would be interesting to see how Eneloop lithium batteries stack up since they are quite popular. Thanks for taking the time to do this video!!!!
Thanks for watching Dave! You're welcome. Other channels make videos for the sole purpose of selling products. I really don't care if people buy what I show them. If they do, great, if they don't, no big deal. I view any sales as an added bonus to compensate me for all the work put into making my videos, videos that get low exposure thanks to the wonderful YT algorithm. I'd rather get much more views than sell products. I never knew Eneloop had lithium AA's.
@@electronicsNmore It appears you are correct yet again!! Looking closer at the batteries I have, in super tiny print it says "Panasonic" AND ni-mh..... Yup, I'm real observant some times.... The Eneloops do seem to do a lot better than Duracell or Energizer alkalines though.... I've charged them a ton of times and my USB amp meter shows that they haven't lost very much over the year....they're still at 90% of original capacity......
Check out Project Farm's latest video, he shows the capacity results for NiMH batteries cycled in solar lights after 1 year. Great video, as usual.
@@electronicsNmore If there are Eneloop Li-ion cells that's news to me also. Eneloop as a brand of NiMH cells are quite popular as was mentioned. I think people are confusing the chemistries.
Awesome review . must get some of these batteries for my drone controllers. Great info.
Glad you liked it Joe! Be sure to check out my wide range of videos and share. Thanks
Great review! I love all of the tech details!
It's usually higher current devices with motors that say "alkaline only" and it's not due to the lower voltage but more that if there's a fault/short circuit or the motor stalls it could lead to dangerous currents being drawn from NiMH batteries whereas Alkalines will safely current limit.
The biggest issue with the AA and AAA rechargeable lithiums are the fact that the technology for the AA and AAA's are not refined to a point where I would consider it acceptable. Many issues as most of the Lithium rechargeable batts in AA and AAA are from sources I find dodgy to say the least. When companies like Energizer, Panasonic and Nitecore start producing rechargeable litium AA and AAA's, I would be more comfortable with the concept. The AA and AAA NIMH batts are fine for primitive devices that functions adequately with lower voltages. High tech devices that need high voltage is another issue and unfortunately Alkaline and non rechargeable Lithium AA and AAA's you will just have to settle for..... for now. But we'll get there eventually when the big battery brands have figured out all the quirks and start producing them.
Thanks for the review.
Did you see that XTAR released AA 1.5V 3300 mwh of liyhium as well?
It seems to be a good battery, but I didn't find videos with tests on them.
Regards.
Erik
Thanks showing us these. Good video. What's the best use case? I'm still looking for an auto flashlight battery that will hold a charge for as long as possible and in lower winter temperatures.
I'd go with the Energizer ultimate Lithium.
Very helpful and informative review,thank you.
Glad it was helpful! Be sure to watch and share my battery testing video playlist. Thank you
Thank you, your work is greatly appreciated.
I've been using the EBL and Tenergy brand 9v batteries to power 12v fans and they work way better than alkaline and Zinc batteries. I recently bought these same AA EBL batteries for a waterpik and they work well for that, too.
Great to hear Joe! Be sure to check out my wide range of videos and share. Thank you
Would you recommend these for blink xt cameras that require lithium batteries? Thanks
I really like that these actually properly use the battery low mechanism built into devices instead of just staying at 1.2v and dropping below that (which is where some devices consider the battery dead). I might actually get these for the cases that I can't use a NiMh, sadly nimh hasn't been dethrowned since they're still leagues cheaper. I can buy like a 20 pack of nimh for a 4 pack of li-ion.
Great video ENM! I was wondering how many times these batteries can actually be recharged while still being usable within their stated voltage range? Thanks!
To find that out, it would require many charge/discharge cycles over several months to a year. With the lack of exposure that YT gives my videos, I'd never spend all my time doing that. Glad you liked the video Steve!
Need to find the best 1.5v rechargeable AA & AAA. So far looking between Keeppower, Vapcell, Xtar & EBL. What’s the best in your recommendation? Doesn’t have to be between what I’ve listed just 1.5v requirement.
Useful and informative video. Thanks for taking the time.
Two small issues I want to note: I'm assuming your test is concluded once the batteries reach the cutoff point? It's not clear what was the voltage at the end. I guess we should take off 5-10% from the final capacity, since IMO anything below 1.5 V shouldn't count, given that the whole point of these types of batteries is to provide the 1.5 V.
And the 2nd thing, your point against Ni-MH batteries at 7:00 is not necessarily correct, as there are LSD batteries that keep charge very well. Eneloops (as a best-case example) lose 10-15% on the first year, and the rate slows down significantly thereafter.
Thanks for the review, all I could find were those usb c batteries which seems unsafe compared to having a dedicated charger. EBL and Tenavolt were the only ones making this, good to know how the EBL performs.
Really cool information! I especially appreciate the charts.
Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching!
Nice, thumbs up and subscribed!
I use the EBL AA batteries for those devices which cannot otherwise use a rechargeables because the voltage is too low. In the UK I have been unable to get the AAA. I have however found 2 issues with these Lithium Batteries, firstly because the output voltage is constant until they die you get no indication of battery life. The second issue is that I have had the odd battery prematurely totally die, which in a series bank takes the whole bank out. With other rechargeables, they rarely fail totally and if one battery is low capacity the failure is more gradual.
Great video, straight to the point, 0% fat. Thanks!
Very nice video! thank you for all the info, i think im gonna buy these batteries!
Is it possible to buy additional batteries without the charger?
Thank you in advance!
You're welcome! Be sure to share it. Yes, you can buy batteries w/o the charger. You should be able to find them at the link provided in the video description area. Thanks
I’ve been wanting some rechargeable lithium AA batteries for my blink cameras. Looks like these might be worth a try. Thanks!
Thanks for watching Colin! Be sure to share and check out my very wide range of videos.
I would be surprised if they would require a Li-ion battery. Almost certainly the camera has a step down circuit inside that will handle the slightly lower voltage from a NiMH battery. Also the self discharge rate of these is high so it is a poor choice for a low discharge, long life item.
@KJ Dude Many, but not all devices currently made can handle lower voltage from a NiMH. As for the self-discharge rate for these Li-ion AA/AAA'a, it's very low. Lithium-ion self-discharge rate is lower than NiMH. The manufacturer says to give them a charge once every 3 months, but in reality, just like a few of my lithium-ion portable power stations, they also say to charge once every 3 months to ensure long battery life. I checked my portable power stations after a few months, and the level of charge was almost the same.
Do you know how the black with blue logo compares? They seem to have identical ratings but are cheaper.
I have a tac flashlight that uses three triple a batteries but I'm tired of buying new batteries every two weeks, what would you recommend for this application?
Self discharge? Graph@400 ma? What's the best use for these? More flashlight or more tv remote control? Dumb question, sorry.
I'm a layman about batteries, may I ask whether the EBL AAA 1.5 V battery is compatible with the Liitokala 600 charger?
Very informative. I always wondered when someone would make lithion batteries these sizes. Do you know if a xtar dragon vp4 charger can be used to charge these batteries?
That charger is only designed for nimh and nicad AA/AAA's. Thanks for watching!
No the xtar is designed for lithion ion also. I have charged 18650 batteries with it.
@@rishisonoo7997 Correct, but charging an 18650 is completely different than charging the batteries shown in this video.
I've only just recently bought a set of four AA Li-ion cells for a relatively high output flashlight. This flashlight ate through AA alkaline cells pretty quickly and switching to NiMH cells brought about lower output plus a pretty good voltage drop under load. Operating the flashlight at full output with the Li-ion AA cells brought a rapid temperature rise of the cells which then produced what seemed like a slow pulsed output which seemed like a thermal protection function. These are not EBL's but another brand off of Amazon. Wondering if you have any experience with different brands and perhaps any that perform best under high load conditions?
You shouldn't get that significant battery heating under discharge.
how to make that EBL li-on aa battery discharge current 2A turn to 3,7A?
this video is very good. thanks
I bought these for my Quest 2 controllers about 2 years ago, and I only recently heard that with the way the IR LEDs work, they really want stable 1.5V for tracking. Good to see that I made a good choice. They are still kicking. I wouldn't recommend the AAAs for TV remotes. They don't last as long, and remotes seem to care less about the voltage drop, anyway
I use standard NiMH batteries in mine. it works fine at the lower 1.2v, it'll just report the batteries as around 50% battery life, but the tracking works great. I don't think the LEDs are any brighter at higher voltages, and even if they are, the difference between the lower brightness with a low volt battery and the high brightness with a high volt battery is inconsequential. I only see tracking issues when the batteries are moments away from dying entirely
Test for EMI around 1 MHz. The buck converter inside is emitting. Can't use with MW AM radios.
I can see that being a problem.
I bought JUGEE brand AAs for my wireless computer-mice, some time ago. The NiMh never worked properly and using normal AAs was a nuisance and started to get costly. They are holding up quite well and I'm quite happy with them. I always have one or two spares charged, in case of an empty battery.
The voltage drop to 1.2V at 11:05 is a 'feature' to trigger the low voltage indicator of the device. Else it would always show a full battery sign until it stops working.
Also I do not recommend the ones with integrated USB ports. The real estate of the port takes away from the Li-Io cell and those batteries usually have a lower capacity than the ones that come with a charger.
Never heard of that brand. Agree with the NIMH, I was never a big fan due to the lower operating voltage. Thanks for watching!
Yeah those Jugee ones are the ones I looked at a while ago, but was never convinced. Others said they died quickly so it's good to hear yours lasted longer.
I must say though, your wireless mouse must be hard on batteries, is it one of those gamer ones with lots of LED lights or something? I have two different brand wireless mice (just regular ones) and they both work down to under 1.00 volt with a single AA cell.
Great video. Do these things drain continuously even though there is no load while driving the step down converter in it??? So how long will these hold a charge sitting in a drawer???
That's the only drawback, you need to give them a refreshing every 3 months or so.
I just recently bought some of the EBL 2800 mAh batteries and they perform very well for me, thank you for doing this review! (mine were white)
White ones are the Ni-MH, but this review is lithium, 2 completely different batteries in their chemistry and function. This needs an internal circuit as ni-mh dont.
Thanks for watching! Like another viewer said, you have the 2800mAh NiMH version.
@@electronicsNmore Ohhhh that makes more sense now, i first i couldn't really tell the difference (except the color)
Great Review.
Great review, interesting facts.
Glad you enjoyed it! Be sure to share.
Curious why Kentli Li AAs have not been tested. I thought they were supposed to be the gold standard of Li rechargeables. Anyone?
Thank you I didn't know that.
This is $5 per cell. That's pretty steep. I have a lot of AA battery operated equipment and the only thing I have ever found that isn't crazy about nimh cells' lower voltage is a GP2X handheld game. It works fine right off the charger and for a couple hours of use afterwards, but after that, it tends to crash on boot up once a cell is past like 50% discharge. But this device draws like 500 ma and will not operate with alkaline batteries for very long.
NIMH low discharge batteries hold their charge for years.
These batteries would probably be good for the GP2X, but really nothing else. But this is a very special use case of a non-Western low volume device which really should have used a lithium battery. The current draw is just way too high.
EEVBlogs did a couple of videos on a device called the batterizer and he checked a bunch of electronic devices designed to run on AA batteries and every single device he checked ran fine down to .9 volts per cell.
Wow, $5 per cell is friggin expensive. Considering you can get decent brand 4 ni-mh cells for that price, or even cheaper.
Fully agree. The use case for these batteries is very narrow and just not really justified over a good (and much safer) NiMH battery.
Agree with everything you said here. Really disappointed with this review. He really bagged Ni-MH unjustly I feel. He might not like them and that's okay but they're honestly fine for the vast majority of peoples use cases.
Bit disingenuous stating Ni-MH lose their charge after few weeks/months - that's not really the case now unless you buy the very cheapest or require highest capacity cells. LSD cells aren't new, my own Eneloops are 10 years old and while testing some this week most of them STILL discharged MORE than their rated capacity - more than the AAA's in this test in fact.
Sure alkalines start out higher voltage but they end up under voltage. Anything that can't run on 1.2V is poorly made, I still expect my alkalines to run down to at least 1.1V. My headlamp runs roughly the same time on both eneloops and alkalines. They BOTH dim over time.
I want to like these Lithium AA/AAA's but I already investigated other brands a few years ago, and these EBL ones just don't look any better.
One thing I *really* don't like about them is although mWh is a nice way to compare absolute energy density between batteries, the fact is that virtually all other rechargeable batteries are rated in mAh (rightly or wrongly, that's what has become the norm). So when I first saw this type of cell I was deceived into thinking these were 3000mAh and would run my AA headlamp 50% longer than my 2000mAh Eneloops - when in reality the're just the same. In fact according to the AAA tests in this video they'll have LESS runtime on my AAA headlamps. (I use a lot of headlamps).
So they're a lesser capacity (while trying to con you into thinking they're greater), less reliable, but more expensive and you're stuck using a special charger.
I'm not saying they don't have benefits; a few devices will like the constant higher current. And maybe they're better suited in extreme cold climates. But for most people they're just expensive novelties.
@cholocate squiggle You're "really" disappointed with a clearly spoken, well explained, well done review that stated facts and gave reliable testing results? People on YT crack me up. I've seen many other reviews on YT, so I know what's out there compared to my videos. My job wasn't to encourage people to buy these batteries, it was to test their capacity so POTENTIAL buyers know what to expect, and to also see how long it takes to fully charge them. Yes, they're a little pricey, but at 3.75 to 4 bucks each, they're not way out of line. If you like higher stable output voltage performance with lower self-discharge(Like Me), then these batteries aren't so pricey in the long run. I'd rather have my headlamp much brighter for hours, then drop off to a NiMH voltage level for the last few minutes, than have lower brightness for hours. If NiMH had a higher voltage output, I'd love them. Where did I say that NiMh lose their charge in a "few weeks"? Please tell me where in the video. I stated in a few moths they can lose a large portion of their charge. Yes, there are newer NiMH that have very low self-discharge over 1 year (80-85% of the charge is retained), and that's a huge improvement, but that's under ideal conditions. Many people won't spend the extra money on the low self-discharge NiMH's. If it's cold outside or very hot, it would be much lower. Lithium ions also perform way better than NiMH in temps below 45 - 50 Deg F, and temps above 90 Deg F. Far from a novelty. Sorry my video disappointed you, unfortunately I cannot please every viewer, and my intention wasn't to piss off all the NiMH fanatics.
@@electronicsNmore You should take the points constructive criticism in Chocolate's post instead of arguing with them. While I think the video overall is well done and informative, they're disappointed specifically because you were spreading misinformation about the self discharge rate of NiMH cells (70% charge remaining after 10 years of storage for eneloops and they are far from new as well as 70 - 80% after three years for most LSD cells. Even the cheap ones like EBL, Bonai and Amazon Basics discharge slower than your claim and at a much lower price point to the lithiums.) and the general usefulness of NiMH rechargables. Most devices operate fine on NiMH and the only ones that do not off the top of my head are my poorly designed remote for my propane heater that is too dim to read at 1.25v (I have no idea why anyone would design a device like that but it exists and I hate it) and most Windows Mixed Reality controllers because they go into low power mode at around 1.25v per cell which makes the tracking next to useless. (some exceptions including the Samsung Odyssey+)
While these batteries do have good legitimate applications where NiMH don't work or higher voltages are preferable, you don't need to compare to old outdated information for NiMH to make the argument. If you wish to not piss off "fanatics" in the future I would recommend exercising more care when making comparisons or claims and not calling someone correcting your facts a fanatic. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing how your channel grows in spite of CZcams's suppression of many creators especially anything remotely educational.
I would really like to see what happens to the capacity and voltage in freezing temperatures.
Performance will drop, but not as bad as other battery chemistries such as NiMH and Nicad.
NiMh cells do not have self-discharge like the old NiCad cells did. I have many AA and AAA NiMh cells that last over 2 years in low draw devices like remotes and digital thermometers.
Further, NiMh cells have up to 3x the capacity of the cells you reviewed. I get up to 1900 mWh out of my AAAs. I could see a case for using these LiIon cells if they had 2 or 3X the capacity, to justify the custom charger and added cost. But I cant think of any reason in their current state. And I have the same OPUS charger you do that I test with.
True, they retain charge much better. I agree, the AAA's underperformed. Thanks for watching!
Some of those cells have a micro-usb connector for charging. I chose those to avoid another unique charger. Same for some 9v versions.
My AAs are also EBL, but black, rated 3300 mAh, and each cell has a micro-usb port for charging instead of a separate charger.
I also have the 9v EBL lithium ions, you need their charger. You need to plug in a micro-usb directly into each battery to charge them? I'd rather use the 8 bay charger. Thanks for watching
They won't be 3300 mah. They're probably 3300mWh - which is much much less in mAh. That's one thing I don't like about the vendors of these types of cells - they make them out to be much higher capacity than they really are and even a techie like me got fooled by that. The ones with USB ports are even worse because of the space lost to the charging ports.
update - just found those black EBL ones you mentioned on Ali website - Yes the description says 3300mAh but the writing on the battery in the photo says 3300mWh - which at 1.5V is only 2200mAh - within 10% or so of most Ni-MH. I don't doubt they do this on purpose to make out they're a much greater capacity than they really are.
So if the step down circuit were to fail it could fry what ever youre powering with these correct?
Or let the battery discharge too low and letting it short out next time you try to charge it.
Not likely, the output would probably drop to zero.
I use a blood pressure cuff, and haven’t found a rechargeable AAA battery that will run it more than twice. The EBL’s are 1.2v, the device needs 1.5v.
Any effect from using these batteries in series or parallel due to the buck circuit in them?
should not affect the voltage as each battery references itself.
I doubt it, in series definitely not.
Excellent timing! I was looking for this type of batteries, 1.5 volt AA and AAA lithium.
Great as usual!
Doug, do you know what is the maximum current capacity of these batteries?
The AA was fairly hot at 400ma, so I wouldn't go higher. The AAA I'd stay 200ma or less. Thanks for watching!
@@electronicsNmore Thanks! They would be great for devices that require low current, remote controls, keyboards and mice among others.
@@JT-lq4yd No - since the manufacturer says to charge them every 3 months. Honestly you're better off with Ni-MH for all that - my logitech wireless mouse works down to 0.95V so it doesn't matter about the voltage, and as long as you buy the 'pre-charged' or 'Low Self Discharge' type of Ni-MH (not really any more expensive) then they will hold their charge for years rather than months.
@@chocolate_squiggle I excited to see this type of battery tested since alkaline batteries leak and my 2500 mah NIMH only last about a month on my wireless mouse(it does not go into stand-by, it's on all the time). Also, wanted these for low powered flashlights. If these require charging every 3 months, I am sure they will also last me about a month due to their reduced capacity. Thanks for your advice.
Project Farm sent me here :)
Great to hear Andrew! Thanks for watching
What about self discharge of these?
That's really the test i want to see. I've modified some of my devices with lipo cells because of their lower self discharge. NiMhs usually have higher self discharge (even LSD) than lithium based batteries in my experience.
If they have same or worse self discharge than NiMhs, they aren't worth it.
Not worse than NIMH, should be similar to any other li-ion cell. The manufacturer recommends topping off the battery in the charger once every 3 months. Thanks for watching!
I would think these would not fair well in comparison vs a good, low self discharge NiMH like an Eneloop. Lithium batteries (not Li-ion) do have the best self discharge rate of all batteries.
Im having a problem with my mines all of them are charging except for one i think because it’s blinking red anyone could help??
If it will not take charge, it must be faulty.
Cold weather testing may show another result which conflicts with what is known about Lithium batteries that are not-rechargeable. See Hobotech's testing.
Thank you
You're welcome! Be sure to share the video link with others. Thank you
@@electronicsNmore I will 👍
PERFECT for Coast Head Lamp. UNFORTUNATELY they use (3) AAA. WHY not also sell quantities that are multiples of 3? 3 vs 4, 9 vs 8, and of course 12 the LCD - but I don't need 12 especially since expensive.
I just tested these EBL AA & got alittle over 300mAh out of 3 cells & the rest 0mAh
Nice review. I recommend investing in a lapel microphone. :-)
Thank you. If I wear one, I hear every little click or pop from my tongue/teeth when talking. LOL
@@electronicsNmore If you can't change the sensitivity of the microphone, then you should be able to pull the audio volume down a touch. We'll still hear your words, but not your breathing. X-D
@@firebirdude2 Some people complain over the most petty things.
@@electronicsNmore , that just means the mic was too close too your mouth and/or exaggerated the high frequencies. Put the mic mid-chest, or try a different mic. A good omni lavalier really will be an improvement, and they aren't very expensive. When you use the camera's mic it is too far away and it picks up a lot if room echo.
8:26 sorry... thought I heard 'flesh light' 😛😂
I bet if I did a product review for one of those, I'd be getting way more views. LOL
BTW the manufacturer lists these batteries as being a nominal voltage of 1.5V not 1.55V so the AAs should test at 2000mAh.
I didn't observe any batteries that low, my tests were accurate. 1.54v to 1.58v was the range for 9.5 - 10hrs before the drop to around 1.2v for 5-10 mins.
Good review but suspect quality cells. To see so much variation between cells points to poor quality control and possibly a large variation on internal resistance. I wish a reputable manufacturer like Panasonic, LG or Samsung would make some.
Since the terminals aren't connected directly to the li-ion battery, you cannot test IR. Thanks for watching!
The big name companies aren't going to make these due to the liability, very narrow use case, and cost vs a good NiMH.
How many ma is my flashlight?
So let's me get this straight. I need a special charger that costs more money to buy cells that cost more money that have the same exact capacity as a 2500mah (3wh) nimh cell ? All of the disadvantages of lithium ion without the advantages of lithium ion. Jeez. Where do I sign up?
Project Farm just showed other versions of these Li-ion AA/AAA's, and you can charge them using a USB micro, only a few he showed needed a specialized charger like I showed in this video.
@@electronicsNmore The NIMH Eneloop cell won.
Frankly I am more impressed with the ones you showed. All the ones PF showed sagged well below 1.55v and most were substantially higher priced.
Bottom line, if you have a use case for these, they will probably be great. But given their price, unless you NEED that high voltage through the discharge, they're not worth it.
@@tarstarkusz agreed, and at that point use a good AA alkaline battery. You can buy dozens and dozens for the price of one of these.
@@tarstarkusz Agreed. I've been using NIMH Eneloops for decades. They have a 10 years LSD to which far exceeds all the others. While everyones use case is different I have maybe 40 electronic items over the last 10 years from TV remotes, hand held games, AM/FM radios, a couple of multimeters, laser level, many flashlights and some high end ones from Fenix and Nitecore that perform better with NIMH, wireless keyboard, mouse, humidity meter, PM2.5 meter, Tascam audio recorder, camping fan etc... Plus many things at work and Moms, Uncles houses etc... and no one has issues with NIMH batteries not working and actually needing alkaline. With my wireless keyboard I go from about 7 months on 2AA alkaline down to about 4 months with the Eneloops is the only notable but non issue. As for these AA lithium versions in this video I think its unreliable cheap tech, over complicated to. Project Farm showed that.
@@practicalguy973 I have yet to come across anything designed for alkaline batteries that would not work with 1.2v NIMH cells. The nominal voltage of an alkaline cell is probably around the same 1.2 volts. Because they are 1.5 when new, but down to .9 or ,8 when depleted. I have several stereos I use them in, one that takes 4 cells, a couple that take 8 cells and 2 that take 10 cells. Even the 10 cell radio/TV works fine with nimh (I use those converters that can put an AA in and re-sizes it to D cell) and this is a worst case scenario being 10 cells, which is 3 full volts.
Glad to see you using the high quality batteries EBL HA HA!!
Viewers can decide if they're quality or not. My job was to test the capacity to see if it's close to the advertised rating.
Wish that charger offered cell balancing between each battery...
Define cell balancing. It treats each battery individually, which is usually the best scenario. Every cell is going to have very slightly different capacity d/t manufacturing tolerances. Do you want to stop charging some a less than full?
Yeah these are nice.
But too bad you can't use them in a regular charger.
The standard AAA/AA chargers dont go high enough in voltage for lithium-ion, and how they're charged is also different. Thanks for watching!
@@electronicsNmore Oh I don't mean regular Nimh chargers.
I'm using multi chemistry chargers that can charge nearly everything.
Except these...
The only problem with Li-Ion rechargeables is the blocking of the AM band, probably due to the protection circuitry.
What ? Ate you serious ?
@@undefinednull5749
Get a package of AA Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries and try to receive the AM band. It won't work.
It's the switching step-down converter, built in lithium cells to mimic 1.5V batteries, that's causing the interference.
@@Bob-1802 Thanks for the clarification.
Having a regulator always connected to the cell will quickly discharge the battery at rest
That has not been a problem with mine. I have a fully charged pair that has been sitting for over a year (charged just before Christmas 2019) with no connection other than several measurements with the digital voltmeter. They still measure over 1.5v. The other pair from that 4-pack has been powering a digital "atomic" clock for that same year and has needed charged only once in service, in late 2020.
Mine are also EBL, but black, rated 3300 mAh, and each cell has a micro-usb port for charging instead of a separate charger.
@@Sylvan_dB great news, though unexpected. Any info on leftover charge after a idle year?
Project Farm just showed the USB micro version in his newest video. I actually like that method of charging.
@@Sylvan_dB The control board inside will always keep the voltage above 1.5v (especially under no load) until it reaches the cut-off voltage for the internal Li-ion cell. You have to test the reserved power to determine how much power was lost through self discharging. Li-ion batteries are not great for self discharge and the small cell with the power draw of the control board will likely lead to a pretty high self discharge rate. The manufacturer recommends recharging every 3 months.
Yeah PF tests show very few brands keep their higher voltage under load
Good video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
For the same price you can buy 134 AA IKEA Alkaline Battery, with higher capacity (around 2200-2500mAh).
Lithium battery can be cycled for over 1000 times. I have old 18650 that are well over that, but they have much lower capacity than they originally had.
Alkalines are fine for certain uses, rechargeable batteries beat them in almost anything other than low power devices.
That's true, but in the long run, if you cycle them frequently, you'll spend much more on the Ikeas.
@@electronicsNmore Yes but how many cycle can you do? Even with top brands like Panasonic you lost 20% of the capacity after 200 cycles. What is the maximal discharge current? You can do over 2000mA with both Alkaline and NiMH. In my experience it is extremely rare that a good device, with height drain current, can't work with NiMH.
@@s_amoku it's just a shame that batteries are still consumables in 2021 given how bad they are to our soils. Because yes, people still throw them in the trash and they find their ways into some undersoils where they affect underground water and biodiversity.
@@electronicsNmore no, you won't
I have been using a 4 pack of these for almost 2 years without issues. Only problem is my Xbox controller reports them fully charged until it dies when cutoff is reached. Lol
Yes, no warning.
I tryed these in a mini-z rc car and the car was considerable slower then using 1.2 rechargeables
Shouldn't be. The voltage is higher than NIMH.
@@electronicsNmore I mean that’s why I purchased them but cars are running noticeably slower.
@@robotboot No clue why, it makes no sense unless there's a big current draw that the li-ions cant handle.
EBL (and Kentli) use mWh... milli WATT hours. Nearly all other batteries are rated in mAh... milli AMP hours. This is obviously intended to mislead consumers. On the other hand, the regulated 1.5 volts is the best feature of this battery chemistry.
I agree, it is misleading.
@@electronicsNmore These batteries work great in electronics I have that require a good, solid 1.5v per cell. The EBL AA's I have use micro USB sockets just below the + terminal to charge. This set of four EBL AA's came with a little octopus looking charging harness with four Micro USB plugs and one regular USB plug for charging. LED under the + insulator is red during charging, turns blue when charged.
I would avoid these. I had 2 cells out of 4 cells in series switch into charging mode while in a device causing it to dump its actual voltage into the device and destroying it.
Exact same brand?
@@electronicsNmore Also worth noting is how I knew the batteries fried the circuit. 1. They came out hot and remained hot at over 115F. 2. The green light was on like they were done charging. 3. They registered 3.7v on the multimeter. I set them aside where they continued to remain hot while depleting themselves. I checked a few hours later and they drained down to less than 0v and rest. I connected them to the charger where they started charging and presented 1.5 volts when disconnected like nothing ever happened. Two out out of four cells used in series failed and I only had these batteries for three days.
Flashlights is a bad example to try and sell these batteries over discrediting NIMH. I have a lot of flashlights both real 3.7v lithium and many 1.5v AA and AAA versions over the years. I even have a few cheap Defiant AAA from home depot, all work wonderful on NIMH. On low power only you might notice some loss in brightness in comparison to fresh alkaline . But medium and high modes on something with decent lumen performance alkaline batteries sag a lot in voltage and also doesn't provide the same current as NIMH can. You also need 4x the lumens to see twice as bright so slight changes in brightness most people don't even recognize. Fine if you want to sell something but try to tell the whole story rather than a small part of it. I think you know this as an electronics person.
Hm... I prefer Eneloops for now. They don't need a special charger and have the same capacity.
If you don't care about operating at lower voltage, then they're very good. Thanks for watching
i just got this exact pack and im returning it. horrible batteries. the AAA got hot and died with 20 minutes of use in my small 3 led light head lamp. my older EBL rechargeable last 3 freaking days and never get warm. something extremely dangerous with these lithium cells.
I think you missed something, brother. Or. maybe I'm just losin' it. I am completely spun by the fact that NOBODY is talking about the one dealbreaker feature of ALL brands of Li-ion AA & AAAs........ They cut out & back in incessantly, like they have a built-in flasher circuit. I don't know enough about batteries to have a theory about what is causing this phenomenon pretty much across the board, but it sure
is a major problem for me & i have to assume for others too. Abybody shed any light on this mystery?
Sounds like a different manufacturer.
How much current are you pulling? It sounds like possibly over-current protection kicking in? I haven't seen anyone complain of such a thing in any of the reviews I've watched. Maybe you got some out of a bad batch?
Yep 6 to 9 hour's.
I've had nothing but issues with EBL. I use their chargers and even though they say fully charged the batteries that still work only last about a week at most in an Amazon Fire TV remote. Out of the 60 batteries I've purchased I've had 14 go totally dead before the third or fourth charge. We use our batteries in remotes and clocks, not exactly high current drain devices. EBL batteries are garbage as is their tech support. I've complained to them several times and they don't care. And people wonder why we try to buy American. Ya, go figure. In my opinion I would stay away from the EBL brand of battery. Total junk.
I have a couple batteries that over a fairly short time seem to self discharge. Hard to make a video and do long term testing.
@@electronicsNmore ya, I've been very disappointed in the EBL in battery quality or the lack thereof as well as the lack in support. When they finally responded it was like they didn't give a crap and they treated me like I was an idiot. I have 2 Masters and a Bachelor's in electronic engineering and design. I think I know a crap battery when I come across one. It turns out Panasonic took over Sanyo so I'm going back to them. I've used the Sanyo Nicads for over 45 years in my RC planes and I still have many that are over 12 years old and hold a charge as if they were new. That's pretty hard to best. If I had known that Panasonic had taken them over I would have never even considered EBL. I have tried the Tenergy brand NiMh and they seem to do pretty good but still nothing compared to the good old Sanyo.
🖖 👍
Thanks for watching!
who's here from todd at project farms?
Thanks for stopping by!
no
The NiMH batteries are actually far superior to any alkaline cell. Alkaline cells are atrocious for high drain devices. They leak when they're dead. The only advantage they have is a low self discharge rate. But if they are in a device, when the ultimately do die, they will leak. Damaging the device and potentially ruining it.
I do NOT use alkaline chemistry cells in anything I own. If I require a long shelf life, I will use the lithium disposable cells. For everything else, I use the NiMH cells.
The lithium cells are superior to the NiMH ones for high voltage discharge. But at a cost. The cells are more costly and their cycle life is reduced. But I suppose there are instances where the high voltage discharge is desirable. Although I really cannot think of anything right now.
A123 systems makes a LiFePO4 cell that is the size of 2 D cells in series that comes in mighty handy for various flashlights. And the chemistry is superior to Li ion cells as far as fire resistance is concerned. With a much greater cycle life.
I use the A1234 cells in my flashlights that require 2 or 4 D cells. The larger sized NiMH D cells are mostly all garbage. The only cell that is disadvantaged is the C cells. I try to stay away from anything which requires those cells. Because there really isn't anything competitive to the atrocious alkaline cells.
Even the 9 volt batteries have superior chemistries. In that size, Li ion technology allows for good cycle life and superior capacity. Those disposable batteries have double the capacity of their alkaline cousins. Along with superior shelf life.
Alkaline chemistry just needs to die. It is a dinosaur that has outlived its main purpose.
The newer and more expensive NIHM are good, unfortunately not everyone buys them.
You said "a lot of electronic devices will not work with the lower voltage of a NIHM cell" Name 3.
This is the claim batterizer made. It is false. An alkaline battery that reaches 1.2v still has well over 35% of its energy left in it. Any electronic device that will not run correctly on a 1.2v per cell battery is poorly designed and should replaced.
Not false, the lower voltage can be problematic for some devices.
@@electronicsNmore I know of 1 and it's a product not for Western markets and was discontinued 12 years ago. The GP2X handheld game.
@@tarstarkusz Nothing to argue over, clearly you're a huge NIMH fan, nothing I can say will change that.
My thermostats will give me a low battery warning, and will not last as long as an alkaline. my maglite wont last as long either.
@@nimrodquimbus912 If you have an LED flashlight, you want it bright as possible, and using NIMH makes the light output lower. Small motorized toys and devices also spin slower.
They suck a lot. Dont buy them. They get very hot immediately !!!! Not for power applications... My single LED flashlight almost burned my hand with these with 1 minute of use. I also see you didnt show Temperatures with the larger current. And thats for a reason.
They are junk....
I've bought n tested them, and found they dont last very long at all.
Enoloop 1.2 volt last much longer.
Alkalines last much longer.
Throw away lithiums last the longest by far.
I'll stick with alkalines for most things, but will pay the extra for one time use lithiums for my trail cams!!!
These batteries are trash. I did everything according to the manufacturer and when "fully charged" the voltage would jump between 1.1 and 1.4 at the most. They last about 1/4th as long as my rechargeable NiMH batteries (also EBL) in LED lights, which themselves only last half as long as normal Alkaline AA cells.
I didn't have that problem, maybe you had faulty batteries.
Good testing. You need to work on your presentation. You drone on in a monotone that is extremely boring. It is like your every word adds weight to my eyelids. Study Project Farm's videos to see how to make your videos enjoyable. If you are excited and happy about what you are doing, it will probably come through in your voice. I know its easy for me to say with no videos posted, but trying to offer some assistance.
I've read and replied to tens of thousands of viewer comments over the years, and 99% are extremely happy with my presentation. My videos are known for being very clearly spoken, well explained, and easy to follow. Everyone speaks differently, I'm not an entertainer, I'm a person that educates others. That said, I will keep your advice in mind. Thanks for watching!