My Zoom H2 recorder isn't working properly with rechargeables

Yes. The charger will charge any brand of NiMH batteries.

duracell or if you want to use rechargable take pre-charged model. there is pre-charged models Sanyo (eneloop), Varta, Sony etc. take at least 2000 mAh

Yes, this will charge any AA-AAA Batteries. Typical charge will be about 14 to 18 hours

Try cleaning the battery contacts in the camera first with a pencil eraser and then with a cotton swab lightly dampened with rubbing alcohol.

I am having the same problem with my Zoom-H2. I have 2 2650 mah rechargeables, and the draw is such that 20-30 minutes of record &/or playback kills the batteries. Last night I just turned the power on and did nothing. 5 hours later the batteries were dead...

This isn't a solution. It is a reaffirmation that you aren't crazy!

Personally I would return the the batteries.

NiMH tends to have a "memory". What this means is that the batteries will get used to being only charged and discharged a certain amount. What could be happening is that the battery THINKS it is charged when it is not... or.. it THINKS it is discharged when it is not. You can try to recondition them:

1. Charge them
2. reset the charger and charge again
3. put them in your device and drain them
4. let them sit, drain them again
5. recharge them
6. drain them again

Do this a few times. If you don't notice an improvement, you may want to consider getting a new set of batteries - I would recommend lithium rechargeables.

I use Duracell 2650 mAh rechargeable AA's with my 283 all the time. You may read that 1.2v Duracells or other rechargeables will not work because of the slightly lower voltage (alkalines are 1.5v).

I believe the problem lies not with the voltage, but is due to the slightly fatter profile of the rechargeables that causes a tight fit in the Vivitar battery pack. I find that, after inserting all four (the last will go in really tight), I need to give each cell one more firm push so that it seats properly into the battery pack.

Good luck.

Caruso

You can try switching over to 2500 mAh Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable batteries and you will see a difference.
Digital cameras with zoom lens need more power than what can be supplied by ordinary batteries.

Indeed you can!

I would recommend against using any of the older NiCAD batteries, however.

The newer (and - BY FAR - more efficient) standards is NiMH batteries. (Nickel Metal Hydride.)

I used to be an Energizer fan myself... But as I worked in electronics retail, I tried many different brands of batteries with our products. I actually hated Duracell because of the crap quality of their older product lines.

But eventually, I had to grudgingly admit that Duracell batteries were far superior to any other brand currently on the market. (No less expensive, however. Pretty much the same price.)

I use the 15-minute charger currently available from Duracell. It cost about $30, but it comes with 4 AA batteries with a rating of 2400 mAh.

This rating is basically what determines how much of a charge the battery can hold. The higher the rating, the longer the battery will last.

I also bought an extra pack of 4 AA's while I was at it. I bought all of this for my digital camera. (Canon S3 IS.) The batteries in the extra pack had a higher rating of 2650 mAh.

Even using the 2400 mAh AA's, my camera lasts for a few DAYS of continual use! I will admit that I rarely use the flash on my camera. But even with the flash, the batteries last several hours with continual use. The 2650 mAh batteries last even longer. (Yes. I have monitored and recorded usage vs endurance. I know. What a nerd I am, eh? :P )

Perhaps you've had bad luck with Duracell before, but so did I. I'm still not too fond of their alkaline batteries, either. Perhaps you should consider giving the Duracell rechargeables a try?

Click HERE to see the product I bought on Best Buy's site. (I bought mine at Walmart, however.) It is the 15-minute charger system. It works with both AA's and AAA's. (I had to really inspect the device after I bought it to see how it recharges AAA's though. But it works great.) It actually does charge in 15 minutes, too. Every time. It's so powerful in fact that it uses a fan to cool the batteries while it's charging. Now that's awesome. :)

Remember to make sure that you give the batteries a full charge before you use them. Also make sure that you don't charge the batteries again until they're completely drained. Otherwise you will significantly decrease the charge capacity of the battery. Duracell has an excellent guide on their site on how to lengthen the life of your batteries. (I just found it trying to look on their site for their own product...which I did not find. Good batteries, crappy web site. Bleh...)

Click HERE to see this spiffy guide. It actually contains excellent information.

Otherwise, you can try any other brand that you prefer. Energizer is still second best, followed by Rayovac. (This is from my own experiences, of course.)

Let me know what you think. :)

Cyryl