EBL Rechargeable Batteries

Things To Know About Batteries

Typical household batteries are generally lumped in a few different categories.

• Alkaline
• NiMH
• NiCd
• Lithium
• And several others

I’m going to restrict discussion of these batteries to Alkaline and NiMH in this entry. First let’s look at their output voltages to discuss their application differences.

• Alkaline – Typically 1.5 volts although new batteries can read a little higher.
• NiMH – Typically 1.2 volts

In some cases rechargeable batteries will not adequately power SOME devices due to the lower voltage. This is entirely dependent on the device though as most devices will work within a range of voltages. Still, some items just will not work properly at the lower base voltage.

Charger And Batteries

The charger output voltage is 1.2v at 1000mA for AA batteries and 1.2v at 500mA for AAA batteries. And obviously I should point out the charger accommodates AAA batteries. We’re not far in the review yet but let it be known that I just ordered some of their EBL AAA batteries. Believe me when I say I’m not hesitant to use my own money for quality batteries.

EBL Fully Charged Voltages

After fully charging all eight AA batteries I recorded the following voltages (VDC):

• 1.37
• 1.384
• 1.42
• 1.362
• 1.378
• 1.358
• 1.389
• 1.379

Very impressive starting voltage. And one that leads me to believe these will work in some of those pesky devices that don’t like 1.2 volt batteries. I have rechargeable batteries from Eneloop, Energizer, and Amazon branded batteries that simply will not power some of my radios or large remotes.

Internal Resistance Testing

NiMH batteries should have a resistance around 50mΩ or less. As batteries degrade that internal resistance number will increase and will usually be around 100 or higher. Here’s a quick test I did on 6 of the 8 batteries. I was endurance testing the other two batteries when I recorded this.

So far everything about these batteries is working perfectly.

Charging Temps

Everyone has heard some stories of batteries getting hot and causing problems. During charging I decided to take a picture with my thermal camera. The two batteries showing hotter temps (white) were both charging. Actually one displayed green just as I was taking the pic and the other one was still charging. All other batteries being charged were complete.

Generally, you’d want charging temps to be around 38℃. Battery 3 from the left shows just under that. This battery has already charged. The two batteries next to it show 52.3℃ which is a bit warm in my opinion. That being said, NiMH batteries have a chemical reaction when charging that produces heat. This could be normal for EBL batteries though. I’ll reach out and ask EBL as I can’t find much discussion on it other than in an FAQ which just says they shouldn’t get excessively hot. Additionally, I could hold my finger on it as long as I wanted. So I’d have to say it wasn’t excessively hot.

Finally, after completion of charging the battery temperatures returned to a normal state.

Capacity Testing

My XTAR Dragon VP4 Tester/Charger has a Charge-Discharge-Charge mode that measures actual battery capacity. Advertised capacity is 2800 mAh. The tester shows the amount of discharge and final charge. Here’s a quick video showing that the capacity test is pretty close to advertised. My experience with batteries tells me this is about what you’d expect to see.

I did a capacity test on two of the AAA batteries. The results were close to 900 mAh with an advertised capacity of 1100 mAh.

Endurance Testing

This was the most lengthy part of testing since the batteries won’t seem to die in the radio I’m testing them in. I began testing them on a Tuesday at 11 AM with the radio set at a low volume (so as not to disturb the wife). The batteries lasted until sometime after 1 AM on Saturday or roughly about 85 HOURS.

No one is going to leave a radio on for days like I did. Imagine the run time with normal usage. While I have done some testing with equipment I know this is a much less “scientific” test. Still nearly 5 days of continuous use is IMPRESSIVE.

Additional endurance testing is currently being performed with a Flashlight and a police scanner. I’ll post additional results if they sway one way or another. Conversely, I’m not sure what a good run time would be for either device since I’ve never given it any thought. I will say the flashlight has been on for a couple of hours already which I think is good. I can’t really say what a good run time for the scanner should be.

Pricing

You can get 8 AA batteries with the charger currently on Amazon for about $18. That is a great price. A pack of 8 batteries alone is currently about $10 on Amazon. One major big name battery maker sells 8 AA batteries for over TWICE THAT MUCH.

EBL Rechargeable Battery Wrap Up

I’ve never really done any battery testing previous to this and I kind of wasn’t even aware of the capabilities of my XTAR Dragon VP4 Plus. I’ve strictly been using it for years to charge AA, AAA, 18650, and various other weirdo sized batteries.

Now after having tested these batteries I can state unequivocally that they live up to the advertised claims. What is not to love? Great batteries at a bargain price.

Of course time and multiple recharging cycles will tell the final story. When I first posted about these batteries a high school friend of mine told me that he had EBL’s for over a year and that they were great! So I have some external input from a guy I went through vocational electronics with many years ago. He has mad electronic skills and certainly would know if he had good or bad batteries.

And remember, I loved these batteries so much I spent my own money and bought some AAA’s.

JOHN’S TECH BLOG STRONGLY ENDORSES AND RECOMMENDS EBL BATTERIES