Christopher Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Good day, I just wanted to note that most of the inital Sony Hi-MD units come with batteries that are not the best possible to use with the unit - therefore meaning that you are getting lesser battery life than necessary! I will list batteries you should employ instead to give you enhanced battery life for a better experience. MZ-NH3D/MZ-NH1/MZ-EH1/MZ-DH10P: Unfortunately you're out of luck. Sony has given you a proprietary battery that is not common amongst other manufacturers. If you are seeking a replacement however, you may get one here @ Audiocubes: <a href="http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Sony_LIP-4WM_Lithium_Ion_Electric_Battery.html?ref=5&affiliate_banner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.audiocubes.com/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=5&affiliate_pbanner_id=980" border="0" alt="Sony LIP-4WM Lithium Ion Electric Battery"></a> Sony LIP-4WM Lithium Ion Electric BatteryMZ-NH900/MZ-RH10/MZ-RH910/MZ-EH930: It amazes me the corners Sony will cut to save a few bucks. The gumstick battery that comes with these units [usually NH-10WM] is a lowly battery that doesn't offer the maximum amount of life that a gumstick battery can offer. I recommend an immediate replacement. The best battery you can employ is a higher capacity gumstick dubbed the Sony NH14WM. I would suggest you try shopping eBay [usually the cheapest there - keep an eye on the shipping prices though ], froogle, your local retailer, or favorite e-tailer. Make sure you get this battery in the 1400mAh or 1450mAh variety! Employing this battery should give you a very favorable increase in battery life. MZ-NHF800/MZ-NH700/MZ-NH600+D/MZ-RH710: Again, it amazes me the corners Sony will cut to save a few bucks [actually, probably millions of dollars]. There is definitely higher capacity AA batteries you can employ for a substancial battery life increase. I would suggest you look into a rechargeable AA NiMH battery in the 2000 - 2100mAh variety. I would suggest you try shopping eBay [usually the cheapest there - keep an eye on the shipping prices though ], froogle, or your local retailer, or favorite e-tailer. ---------- The only harm I can see that might be done to a unit employing such batteries [the high mAh AA batteries] is that it might get pretty hot charging for an extended amount of time [the charge times for these batteries will increase somewhat since you are using a higher-capacity battery!]. If it gets too warm to hold comfortably during the charge period then it may be getting too hot and may either damage some components or cause premature failure of the unit over time. In my opinion, this is an unlikely situation. If you do charge the higher cap cell, keep an eye on the unit and see if it gets too hot - at least for the first few times you charge it. And remember to check the charging time - if its too short you're not getting a full charge. I hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoheadedboy Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 I would highly recommend checking out the following store:http://thomas-distributing.com/It's a better idea to get a dedicated charger. Plus, they have batteries that are up to 2500 mah! I've ordered from them before and they are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 MZ-NHF800/MZ-NH700/MZ-NH600/D: Again, it amazes me the corners Sony will cut to save a few bucks [actually, probably millions of dollars]. There is definitely higher capacity AA batteries you can employ for a substancial battery life increase. I would suggest you look into a rechargeable AA NiMH battery in the 2000 - 2100mAh variety. I would suggest you try shopping eBay [usually the cheapest there - keep an eye on the shipping prices though ], froogle, or your local retailer, or favorite e-tailer. I just go the MZ-NHF800. I could not find anything in the manual about a built-in charger, but I see a "charging" icon on the display when I plug the unit into AC power with a non-rechargable AA battery in the unit. What's going on?Will I get longer battery life from a non-rechargable alkaline AA battery or from one of the better NiMH batteries? Will this unit charge a NiMH battery?PS - I also recommend Thomas Distributing for NiMH batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A440 Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 A Duracell Ultra or similar top-level alkaline battery is 2750 mAh. You can now get rechargeable Energizers and others that are 2500 mAh, which is close enough. They take overnight to charge in a charger, and probably forever in the MZ-NHF800 (which will charge a rechargeable battery, though Sony doesn't want to be responsible in the US if there are any problems, like overheating). After looking at this articlehttp://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTMI decided it was worthwhile to get the Energizer charger that comes with four or eight 2500 mAh batteries. They're on Ebay and elsewhere; I paid about $30 shipped for the four-battery combo. Make sure it's the 2500 mAh version and not one of the many other Energizer chargers. I see Thomas Distributing, above, also has chargers by Maha that the article recommends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted April 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 Updated for second generation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superkpt Posted July 17, 2005 Report Share Posted July 17, 2005 Real quick question. I have the famed (or infamous) NH900. I want to get the NH-14WM battery. However, I find 'Stamina' versions and non-'Stamina' versions. They both seem to be at 1.2v and 1400mAh. Any clue as to the difference? The Stamina ones are black, the non-Stamina ones are gray. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snuffy Posted August 5, 2005 Report Share Posted August 5, 2005 The bettery it self cost $59! That's way toooo expensive! Is this the only bettery for NH1? I was thinking, may be i should find an old MD battery case and plug into the VH1 battery charging stand and carry on eveywhere. May be it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommypeters Posted August 5, 2005 Report Share Posted August 5, 2005 You can now get rechargeable Energizers and others that are 2500 mAh, which is close enough. They take overnight to charge in a charger, and probably forever in the MZ-NHF800←There are now batteries like the Varta IC-3, 2000 mAh, that in their special charger can be recharged in fifteen minutes... At the moment quite steep price here in Sweden, though.The bettery it self cost $59! That's way toooo expensive! Is this the only bettery for NH1?Which battery cost $59? Not the Sony NH-14WM? It cost $20 here in Sweden, so it can't cost $59 anywhere in the world... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snuffy Posted August 5, 2005 Report Share Posted August 5, 2005 Which battery cost $59? Not the Sony NH-14WM? It cost $20 here in Sweden, so it can't cost $59 anywhere in the world...← Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Low Volta Posted August 6, 2005 Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 Am I dreaming?nope, you've been confronted with the one and only but oh so big flaw in the NH1...the one which made me not buy it and even recommend against it to others:proprietary parts- the battery of the NH1 is a Sony only batt, which is only used in one (or maybe two) other machines, so they are very 'rare' and Sony can sell them as expensive as they think they need but that's not all...- the USB connection is Sony only as well, so no standard cable for the NH1... lose the usb-cable and it's a lot of money -> Sony- the charging cradle is actually needed for the machine to charge...so break it, lose it or just require some more flexibility... more money -> Sony- the NH1 actually needs all the functions from the RM-MC40ELK remote (while all the other HiMD-models will benefit from the remote and certainly from the RM-MC40ELK, but will function without it) so lose it or bust it... again a lot of money -> Sonyso the NH1's superior looks come at a price I for one am not willing to pay... but I'm drifting off topic so if you already have got one, the battery should last quite some years if you treat it right (just read up at the "battery university") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommypeters Posted August 6, 2005 Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 OK, proprietary parts are never good pricewise for consumers......but "LIP-4WM" indicates it's a Lithium-polymere battery, they are still pretty expensive everywhere. It has gone from NiCd-->MiMh-->LiIon-->LiPol, Lithium Polymere batteries can be made very small... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boojum Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 My solution to the extremely high price for MZ-NH1 batteries was to buy the Macally IP-A481. It is a very large LiIon battery which will give up to ten times the power as the included LIP-4WM, and is roughly the same size as the RH1. Reviewed in Dutch here elsewhere the needed info is usable for non-Dutch readers: photos and a table of how long the Macally lasts driving the RH1 both with and without its LIP-4WM. All this at about half the price of the LIP-4WM battery. It is an option worth considering.Also, it can be charged using the wiggy little SONY charger for the RH1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoinOp Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 For people in the United Kingdom, this place can't be beat:http://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/ind.../sbc_lip4wm.htmCheapest I've seen them anywhere, except those dodgy ones on ebay. Plus I like the idea of a shop that sells nothing but obscure batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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