Energizer CHUSBWB-2 Duo Charger W/2 AAA

by Technuity

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.1 x 4 x 9 inches ; 6.7 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000O2YOFQ
• Item model number: CHUSBWB-2
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

The Energizer Duo Charger is an excellent battery charger that will charge 2 AA or 2 AAA batteries via the USB port of a PC. Energizer also includes a AC wall adapter for charging without a computer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Energizer battery charger contains backdoor - CERT Vulnerability Note VU#154421, March 8, 2010

By 

Robert S. Tobias (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Energizer CHUSBWB-2 Duo Charger W/2 AAA (Electronics)

Install the software that comes with this and it can allow access to your system and files. Google the CERT for details. And if you buy/already have this charger at least don't install the software.

CERT is located at Carnegie Mellon University and, among other things, acts as a clearing house for information pertaining to Internet-related security vulnerabilities.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Techs look at the chusbwb, July 25, 2008

By 

Techhy "Dude!" (Dallas Area) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Energizer CHUSBWB-2 Duo Charger W/2 AAA (Electronics)

I got two of these, and have to admit it is pretty cool.
However it is a slow way to charge batteries. The reason I would suggest this item is because it will be with you in a travel situation- well, anywhere you bring your laptop anyway... And if your digital camera uses AA or AAA batteries, you are not complete without one of these.
It DOES work without installing the software (which made me almost open up the unit and clip the USB data lines - so that the PC would not "see" the device and request a driver for it.) But the software is okay I suppose since it allows you to "diagnose" bad batteries and gives you a time-to-charge countdown. Without the software loaded, or when used with the INCLUDED AC-to-USB adapter, it does only blink the LED's. And I have certainly found that it detects BAD batteries more often than not. It will require battery removal, and reinsertion to reset the bad battery condition. (it stops charging when detects a bad battery). So it could use a little "calibration", however BOTH units I ordered did the same thing- with a random lot of batteries some of them had to be removed and reinserted numerous times to complete a charge. There were times it worked without re-plugging, so it could have been a lot of bad ones, but they do work great in my equipment- so they are not "too bad!"
The device requires a battery in slot 1 to charge, so if you have one battery- it must be in slot one. Slot 2 is optional. The batteries need to be the same type and size if two are used.
As a note, I found a unit on ebay that has the ability to charge FOUR at a time, with LCD display for EACH battery and I like that unit better, but this one is smaller and has more "diagnostic" quality when weeding out the flaky batteries. (A bad battery will test good with a voltmeter, so this is a great way to narrow it down to which are your bad ones!)
It does take a long time (3hrs or so) to charge batteries, but the bright side is the batteries will not be damaged by quick charging. And if you travel, this can be working while you are enjoying your digital camera, because once it fully charges, it maintains the charge and will not overcharge. Unlike the cheapy usb chargers.
My computer is a Toughbook, which has about 1amp output at the usb port, so your computer may not handle this device without incident, but it should. I would be more concerned if you tried the 4-cell unit available on ebay (EXTREME brand - paid $20+8sh. I modified it for use with a miniature USB jack instead of the double ended cord, after all- what good is it unless you have the cord when you need it?!)
I suggest this one for size and diagnostic use, but I suggest the "EXTREME" 4-cell unit for practical use.
PS: This Energizer unit comes with two AAA batteries, which softens the expense a bit if you needed that size battery!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A convenient charger, February 18, 2008

By 

Tobie "broadbandfreak" (CO, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Energizer CHUSBWB-2 Duo Charger W/2 AAA (Electronics)

I like this charger for rechargeable AA's and AAA's. It is very convenient to use when on the go, or even if you get tired of having to plug in a charger into the wall. Just plug it in your computer! The driver is plug-n-play for Windows XP and Vista, and offers a free software available that allows you to see how far along the battery status is coming along at [...] It also has a built light indicator to show how much longer it has to charge; the light indicator blinks faster as it gets near completion.