[kennedywill]

>>>Hello; I'm eager to repair my 2000 Insight battery, but I see a negative review of the Super Brain 989, on "A Main Hobbies". So please, what is the relevant character of this charger? I would like to search about for another, unless this is good enough for two repairs.

Ok -- if anyone reads this thread -- no suggestions were made. I bought the 989 as I need a car by winter time. The Hobbies reviewer was right but my equipment did not last a year like his two. At stick two it aborted; at stick twelve [most were in fact charged], the AC to DC converter failed and now delivers 0.88V instead of design 15V, so the charger is blank but probably still alive. So take heed! And I have already problems contacting the company [Model Rectifier Corporation, or MRC] which the other reviewer reported.

The SB989 manual says you must not Discharge a NiMH cell below 1.0V [tech support says 0.9 is fine]. But the 989 strives for zero volts in Discharge. ~3V for the six-cell stick Discharges to perhaps 0.3V : then divide by six! But the tech said 'the computer multiplies internally the number of cells for its own consideration.' Go figure. Then the Charge function may choke on the lowness and you come home to disappointment. The sticks all had about 3V and the Auto Cycle function is perhaps wrong for initial stick voltage below 6V. [No word from the manual -- ask the tech.]
I suggest for those with working SB 989 chargers to first Charge the stick above 6V to avoid excess Discharging. Then Auto Cycle may be safer to the cells.

Best -- wk