This Alkaline Battery Regenerator from Souvenir Cranwell allows you to reuse your normal batteries up to 100 times instead of sending them to landfill.
Summary: • Advanced processor control for simple plug and go operation. • 4 charging docks for regenerating AA and AAA • Simultaneous regenerating of mixed types and sizes • Completely safe; protection against overcharge, overheat, short-circuit, and polarity reversal • LED indicator turns off when renewing process is complete • Regenerates most of brands of batteries • Saves money
Technical specification. Input Voltage: 100-240V DC 50-60Hz Output Voltage: 1.8V DC per channel Output Current: 35mA max. per channel
I've had one of these for a few months now, and it definitely works. The batteries don't seem to have very much power, but that may be because all the batteries I've got at the moment are cheapies. I need to test it with some good quality Duracell-type jobbies. The regenerated batteries are fine for use in remote controls, clocks and other items which don't require high power batteries. What you do need to watch out for, and they don't mention this in any of the reviews or on the packaging, is battery leakage. About 1 battery in 20 will start leaking during charging, depositing stuff on the contacts. When this happens the unit and the batteries in it get warm, and I am a little concerned that something nasty could happen if left unchecked. So I recommend you take the unit out of the socket at least once a day, remove the batteries and check them and the contacts. Get rid of any leaking batteries and clean the contacts with alcohol. As for how the thing works, the official story that this appliance 'cleans the battery electrodes from the inside' sounds like a bunch of hokum to me. It looks exactly like a normal NiCD / NMh recharger, all it seems to be doing is applying a very low electrical charge. If that really is cleaning the electrodes from the inside, fair enough. But hey, it works.