Customer Reviews

Energizer CHUSBWB-2 Duo Charger W/2 AAA

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

This is a very poor product. On AC or USB I have to insert, remove, insert the AAA batteries several times to get a good connection. In addition, the software is crummy. The software seems to make getting a good connection harder.

On Mac Snow Leopard there is a dashboard widget that doesn't seem to measure the charging process at all. There is also a kernel extension (.kext) installed, which I'm not too happy about.

On Windows 7 the app does actually give some information about how long it will take to charge the batteries. The app also blinks red all the time for no apparent reason. ** Update - as of March 2010 the Windows software contains malware. Do not download or use the software. If you have already downloaded and used the software, check your computer with a good antivirus program. **

If you get this, don't expect it to work well. Also, you will be better off if you don't install the software.

I don't recommend this charger. I bought one and ran into the two problems that reviewer QRagious mentioned. I went back to store and exchanged it with a new one, but the new one got the same problems.
1) enter the annoying rapid blinking error mode frequently
2) re-install usb driver every time it is plugged into the USB.

I bought this because I use AA cells in my digital camera and AAA cells in a pocket radio and some mp3 players. The USB power source sounded handy. I can use it with my PC at work, plus I have a "lighter plug" USB adapter so I can use it in my car.

This does work, but you need to monitor it to prevent overcharging. I downloaded and installed the software from energizer.com. I found some quirks in the way it works. When I connect it to my PC, it usually pops up with an estimated time that is longer than what is really needed. For example, I can isert a couple AA's and plug it in. It will pop up with something like 2 hours and 53 minutes til charged. All the sudden, it will jump to a much shorter time, say 37 minutes. About half the time, it has counted down and displayed "DONE!". The other half of the time, it counts down to 5 minutes remaining, then stops counting down. When this happens, the charging doesn't stop, cells get overcharged, and they get very warm. This happened a few times for me. Now I try to watch it so I won't cook my cells. I guess they didn't perfect the way it senses when the cells are fully charged.

One thing not explained in the instructions is that it will charge one or two cells. This is handy because my mp3 players only use one AAA cell. If you only want to charge one, it must be in the first position. It you put a cell in position 2, it won't do anything and pops up an error message.

This charger does work, but the "end of charge" sensor doesn't always work. Just remember to check it to make sure the cells aren't getting overcharged and cooked.

As described in other reviews, the charger frequently goes into it's rapid blinking, charging error mode. I get same result with energizer rechargeable batteries and other brands. Typically I need to remove and re-insert batteries 3-4 times to get to full charge.

It is also annoying that the charger tries to install its monitoring software every time it is plugged into the USB. My corporate PC disallows this installation, and I need to wait while the installation fails.

Having said all that, it is a compact charger that works off the USB. I'd prefer one without these flaws, but this one does work.

I picked this up the other day because I thought it was a really great idea. I'm becoming more and more enamored with the "everything charges via USB" trend. This product expanded that functionality for me.

The charger (the part that holds the batteries) is compact and holds AA or AAA's. The small USB cable wraps and fits snugly on the unit for traveling--no dangling cords. Charge time is reasonable.

I have not tried the free software. (I use Linux) but that seems to be mostly just "Gee-whiz" factor anyway. I an understand a solid LED and a blinking one to tell me the charge status.

I foresee this little accessory traveling with me for some time to come.

About a year ago I bought the LaCrosse BC900 for home after looking over the array of battery chargers. I didn't mind paying a little extra as long as it worked. The BC900 does a fine job. I can put batteries in it, refresh/recharge them and so far, after having these batteries in an array of devices, I haven't noticed any diminishment in the usage time of the batteries in the devices.

So I think, "Ok, I'll get one for work - I have a few things that use batteries at work. Hmmm - that USB charger that I heard on the Daily Giz Wiz sounds like it may be good to try...," and I ordered one from Amazon. It comes and I start using it at work. I have one device that the batteries need to be replaced on it about once a month. The Energizer Duo heats these batteries up pretty well compared with my BC900. The batteries I've been using for 6 months (they were new) have gone from lasting a month, to lasting about two weeks until finally lasting about a week in this device. That's when I tossed the Energizer Duo. It basically seems to cook the batteries instead of charging them and it kills the life of them.

One other thing: Sometimes I could only charge one battery at a time in the Energizer Duo. If I put in two batteries it would act like it's charging and then flash an error showing both batteries are bad. If I pulled out both and just put in one then all was ok as far as it recognizing and charging the batteries.

I went back and ordered another BC900 for work.

I have a set of noise cancelling headphones that eat batteries like crazy. I bought this charger so I could charge the batteries at work. The software is kind of simplistic but gets the job done. This would be great for frequent travelers too. I always take my laptop on trips so this would allow me to charge my batteries with my laptop quickly.