Re: Modify active/passive

>
> But the one feature on NiCds that turned me against them is the
> auto-destruct feature. They have this short out thing they do. Man, I
> had a wireless phone and had to just give up on it because it became a
> regular ritual getting a new NiCd battery pack for it.


They are over-charging. For some idiotic reason, manufacturers seem to think
a constant trickle charge is a good idea, when that is exactly the best way
to destroy the cells. If you ever get another one, let the handset
completely discharge once every week or so, and don't be afraid to let it
sit off the charger for an entire day. They need the cycles, NiCds can
easily last more than 2,000 recharges. And, this advice is 100% backwards
for the Li-Ion batteries in your cell phone...*do* trickle them constantly,
and *don't* make a habit of discharging them completely.

(Those dead AA cells can be rejuvenated...I charge up a handful of big
capacitors to 50V, then discharge through the cell 10-15 times. Spark-Pop.
Then hit 'em with 3 amps for about 15-20 seconds. Charge slowly, run for a
couple full cycles, and they're ready to go again. I've got AA NiCd cells
that are over 15 years old, working just fine. A few of them are starting to
go for good, but NiMH is getting cheaper and they're better, too.

> On the other
> hand I've got a battery weed whacker that I bought at a garage sale
> about 10 years ago with lead gel cells in it and it's STILL going
> strong.

Treat it like a car battery; keep it topped off and out of extreme temps and
it'll go forever. For phones, the problem is they're made of lead. ;-)

-John O





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