How about another alternative: why not use one of the higher voltage cells to charge one of the lower voltage cells? Put two of the cells together with a resistor or series of resistors in between them.
If my EE skills are in tact, you could put a chain of 470 milliOhm 1/4W resistors in series - one for every .1V difference. As the voltage difference drops, remove a resistor from the chain until there is only 1 resistor between the two cells that differ by .1V.
So for example, if one cell was 4.2 V and another was 3.6 V, put 6 of the resistors in series. When they go to 4.2 and 3.7 remove a resistor, when they go to 4.1 and 3.7 remove a resistor until one is 3.9 and the other is 3.8.
Mouser sells these resistors for less than 20 cents here: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Yage...
Your thoughts?
