Originally Posted by
Richard Cranium
Part of the reason for my question was because I discovered "dead" batteries on a ride. They had been used for an hour, and should have had 50% of their charge left - but that was two weeks after charging.
So bottom line, is to "top off" - or recharge batteries before you use. Assume batteries have lost at least 20% charge when left on shelf for a week or more.
It sounds like you have low quality batteries. Are the 2500 Energizers perhaps? They are famous for extremely fast self discharge. I did a test with some Sanyo and Powerex 2700 batteries and found that after two months they still had a greater capacity than 2000 Eneloops fresh of the charger. YMMV.