( 1 reviews )
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Posted: 04-28-2008
This is a "universal" charger in the sense that it operates on any AC line voltage between 100 to 240 and at both 50Hz and 60 Hz. In that sense it ought to be usable almost anywhere in the world. The two-prong AC power plug folds neatly into the body avoiding the inconvenience of a power cord. The power plug is non-polarized type commonly used in 120 volt US households. When traveling to other countries, you will undoubtedly need the appropriate adapter plug, but you won't need the voltage converter transformer. The charger body itself produces several different DC voltages for various types of Lithium Ion digital camera and camcorder batteries. You will need the correct adapter plate(s) for your specific battery type(s). The adapter plate snaps into the charger body and your battery snaps into the adapter plate. The adapter plates are sold separately. The charger also has a USB connection that supplies 5.25 VDC at 0.2 Amps for charging other small electronic devices such as iPods and MP3 players. There is a small LED that lights up green when your battery is fully charged. While charging, the LED remains dark so you have no idea whether it is working or not. I consider that to be a design flaw. Since it might take up to 4-5 hours to fully charge a dead battery, it would be really comforting to know that the outlet you are using is live and that the charger is actually working and you are not wasting time. Most Lithium Ion batteries have three metal tabs for connecting to the charger. These are labeled +, -, and T. The "T" stands for temperature and is used to throttle back rapid chargers so they don't ruin the battery. This however is not a rapid charger, so it does not use the "T" connection. Overall this seems to be an excellent choice for a travel charger. Assuming that you have more than one battery for your camera, this charger will allow you to be filming with one battery while charging the other.
