NiCad batteries not in use for a long time/discharged
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From: Gary Peek on 28 Mar 2010 12:06 Any NiCad battery experts out there? For a NiCad battery pack that has not been in use for a long time, like a year, and has discharged well below the point of operating the circuit it was powering, what is the best way to restore it to use? Is charging it in the normal manner good enough, or are a couple of charge/discharge cycles better? --- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news(a)netfront.net ---
From: Ecnerwal on 28 Mar 2010 12:24 In article <honuq6$ptu$1(a)adenine.netfront.net>, Gary Peek <mylastname(a)mycompanyname.com> wrote: > Any NiCad battery experts out there? For a NiCad battery pack that > has not been in use for a long time, like a year, and has discharged > well below the point of operating the circuit it was powering, what > is the best way to restore it to use? Is charging it in the normal > manner good enough, or are a couple of charge/discharge cycles better? > > --- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news(a)netfront.net --- Depends what state it's in. Often at that point you're needing to zap it with a good-sized electrolytic capacitor, which might typically get it from holding a charge for 5 minutes or less to holding a charge for perhaps half the original life, if you are lucky. Otherwise, or if you need full performance, replace it. Try a normal charge cycle first, if your charger will even talk to it. The capacitor zap supposedly burns off little dendrites that perforate the cells. I don't really know - I do know that it does sometimes work to restore useful, if not full, function to old batteries. -- Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
From: AZ Nomad on 28 Mar 2010 12:31 On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:06:30 -0500, Gary Peek <mylastname(a)mycompanyname.com> wrote: >Any NiCad battery experts out there? For a NiCad battery pack that >has not been in use for a long time, like a year, and has discharged >well below the point of operating the circuit it was powering, what >is the best way to restore it to use? Is charging it in the normal >manner good enough, or are a couple of charge/discharge cycles better? It's probably trash.
From: AZ Nomad on 28 Mar 2010 12:34 On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:24:19 -0400, Ecnerwal <MyNameForward(a)ReplaceWithMyVices.Com.invalid> wrote: >In article <honuq6$ptu$1(a)adenine.netfront.net>, > Gary Peek <mylastname(a)mycompanyname.com> wrote: >> Any NiCad battery experts out there? For a NiCad battery pack that >> has not been in use for a long time, like a year, and has discharged >> well below the point of operating the circuit it was powering, what >> is the best way to restore it to use? Is charging it in the normal >> manner good enough, or are a couple of charge/discharge cycles better? >> >> --- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news(a)netfront.net --- >Depends what state it's in. Often at that point you're needing to zap it >with a good-sized electrolytic capacitor, which might typically get it >from holding a charge for 5 minutes or less to holding a charge for >perhaps half the original life, if you are lucky. Otherwise, or if you >need full performance, replace it. Try a normal charge cycle first, if >your charger will even talk to it. >The capacitor zap supposedly burns off little dendrites that perforate >the cells. I don't really know - I do know that it does sometimes work >to restore useful, if not full, function to old batteries. I've never seen it work well enough to be work the bother. I find that nicads and nimh batteries do great when in use, but quit using them and leave them to discharge and stay that way and they'll be ruined. Seen that happen with at least 5 sets. Not sure about li-ion batteries. Bought two for a used laptop where one was in regular use, the other sitting in the docking station. The docking station one now has about half the capacity just from sitting around neglected for two years with only the occasional charge.
From: Archimedes' Lever on 28 Mar 2010 13:15
On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:31:24 -0500, AZ Nomad <aznomad.3(a)PremoveOBthisOX.COM> wrote: >On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:06:30 -0500, Gary Peek <mylastname(a)mycompanyname.com> wrote: >>Any NiCad battery experts out there? For a NiCad battery pack that >>has not been in use for a long time, like a year, and has discharged >>well below the point of operating the circuit it was powering, what >>is the best way to restore it to use? Is charging it in the normal >>manner good enough, or are a couple of charge/discharge cycles better? > >It's probably trash. Good answer. Old NiCads will still work, but not very well. If it isn't made within the last few years, it is probably too old to work with. They end up working like slow charge, quick discharge, leaky capacitors. Really, really bad ones. |