Laptop/ drill rechargable batterys.. methods for longer life?

[bob urz]

Having owned many of these, i often wondered on how to get
the most lifetime out of the battery's.

I have had little used 14.4 volt drills that after 2 or 3
years the battery packs become very degraded. I this case,
the drill sits unused for a long period of time, then recharged
before next use.

Laptops, same story. occasional use, sits for awhile then used again.

Batteries are usually rated for so many cycles of recharging.
So, should it be better to constantly recharge the units,
or only charge as needed?

The charge as needed method for units that sit for awhile does not
seem to work out very well. I have a number of drill power packs
that i need to find some of those tab ni-cads for. I think there
c size or such. Anybody with tips on that let me know..

Keeping them constantly plugged in seems to me would use up
there number of charge cycles and shorten life to.

so, whats the best way to get the most out of rechargeable battery
packs?

And how can hybrid cars get 10 years out of a battery pack
when i am lucky to get 2 or 3 out of most of the packs i have?
I do see online how some of the early gen Prius packs are failing
much to the owners displeasure.

bob

 

[Jamie]

Having owned many of these, i often wondered on how to get
the most lifetime out of the battery's.

I have had little used 14.4 volt drills that after 2 or 3
years the battery packs become very degraded. I this case,
the drill sits unused for a long period of time, then recharged
before next use.

Laptops, same story. occasional use, sits for awhile then used again.

Batteries are usually rated for so many cycles of recharging.
So, should it be better to constantly recharge the units,
or only charge as needed?

The charge as needed method for units that sit for awhile does not
seem to work out very well. I have a number of drill power packs
that i need to find some of those tab ni-cads for. I think there
c size or such. Anybody with tips on that let me know..

Keeping them constantly plugged in seems to me would use up
there number of charge cycles and shorten life to.

so, whats the best way to get the most out of rechargeable battery
packs?

And how can hybrid cars get 10 years out of a battery pack
when i am lucky to get 2 or 3 out of most of the packs i have?
I do see online how some of the early gen Prius packs are failing
much to the owners displeasure.

bob

Run the charge out and do not charge after use, store batteries in
cold spot!.
Some place batteries in a plastic bag for frig storage! Not
the freezer box.

I have a fire storm B&D and Crapsman drills , I do use them
alot but I do not charge the packs when done. I just throw them
in a little frig I have in the shop.
They're both 4 or 5 years old and still work great.


http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5"

 

[jakdedert]

Having owned many of these, i often wondered on how to get
the most lifetime out of the battery's.

I have had little used 14.4 volt drills that after 2 or 3
years the battery packs become very degraded. I this case,
the drill sits unused for a long period of time, then recharged
before next use.

Laptops, same story. occasional use, sits for awhile then used again.

Batteries are usually rated for so many cycles of recharging.
So, should it be better to constantly recharge the units,
or only charge as needed?

The charge as needed method for units that sit for awhile does not
seem to work out very well. I have a number of drill power packs
that i need to find some of those tab ni-cads for. I think there
c size or such. Anybody with tips on that let me know..

Keeping them constantly plugged in seems to me would use up
there number of charge cycles and shorten life to.

so, whats the best way to get the most out of rechargeable battery
packs?

And how can hybrid cars get 10 years out of a battery pack
when i am lucky to get 2 or 3 out of most of the packs i have?
I do see online how some of the early gen Prius packs are failing
much to the owners displeasure.

bob

Look at a few battery information sites, and the recommendations for
your particular battery chemistry. FWIW, most NiMH authorities say for
longest lifetime, to store them 50% charged. I always thought that was
a bit ridiculous. How to you gauge 50%?

I always store them charged. They'll get to 50% eventually.....

jak

 

[William Sommerwerck]

I had always read that nicads should be run down before being recharged.
I've done that with my Dust Buster and gotten excellent battery life out of
it.

 

[Allodoxaphobia]

I have a fire storm B&D and Crapsman drills , I do use them
alot but I do not charge the packs when done. I just throw them
in a little frig I have in the shop.

So -- when you need to use a drill, its battery is both cold _AND_
discharged.

I wonder why no one else has ever come up with this Grand Idea?

 

[Jamie]

So -- when you need to use a drill, its battery is both cold _AND_
discharged.

I wonder why no one else has ever come up with this Grand Idea?

I don't know, I do know that I learned that trick from my
grandmother. She used to store the dry cells in the frig..

I learned that cold slows things down! including me !

http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5"

 

[krw]

I don't know, I do know that I learned that trick from my
grandmother. She used to store the dry cells in the frig..

In case anyone hasn't told you, NiCds and NHMs aren't dry cells. These
cells don't benefit from storing cold, but are damaged by high
temperatures. Your idea of draining them before storage is almost
right. NiCds and NMHs should be stored discharged, but there is no
need to discharge them; they'll do that themselves, just fine, and you
won't risk reverse charging a cell. Discharging multi-cell NiCds
damages more batteries than anything else. Over-charging is second.

I learned that cold slows things down! including me !

http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5"

I've learned that it also breaks things. No matter what the ad copy
says, one size does not fit all.

 

[krw]

I had always read that nicads should be run down before being recharged.

Running them down before recharge is different from running them down
before storage. These batteries tend to have a limited number of
charge cycles so, yes, you're better off using the batteries than
charging them. Storage is another matter though. NiCds (NMH is a
very similar chemistry) like to be stored flat but *NOT* discharged so
low that cells get reversed. It's better to let them discharge
themselves during storage.

I've done that with my Dust Buster and gotten excellent battery life out of
it.

Dustbusters tend to get killed by constant charging in thier cheap-ass
charger. Things like DustBusters would work much better if they used
lead-acid batteries(SLACs).

 

[William Sommerwerck]

Dustbusters tend to get killed by constant charging in

their cheap-ass charger.

Which I don't do.

 

[krw]

Which I don't do.

*THAT* is why your's lasts more than a month. Most keep them in their
charger, which allows B&D to sell them another one in a few months.
Ideally this sort of device (along with flashlights) would be
constantly charged so it's always available for use. This
contraindicates NiCds though (SLACs would be a good match).

 

[Jim Yanik]

I had always read that nicads should be run down before being
recharged. I've done that with my Dust Buster and gotten excellent
battery life out of it.

the DB is designed to stay on the charger 24/7/365.(at least my model is)
Mine lasted 10 yrs before needing a new pack,which was cheaper thna buying
a new DB.

you can buy NiCd cells at Digi-Key specifically designed for continuous
charging.

 

[Jim Yanik]

*THAT* is why your's lasts more than a month. Most keep them in their
charger, which allows B&D to sell them another one in a few months.
Ideally this sort of device (along with flashlights) would be
constantly charged so it's always available for use. This
contraindicates NiCds though (SLACs would be a good match).

My DB lasted -10 yrs- on the first battery pack.
I had the pack replaced at a DeWalt service center,cheaper than a new DB.

 

[Jim Yanik]

In case anyone hasn't told you, NiCds and NHMs aren't dry cells. These
cells don't benefit from storing cold, but are damaged by high
temperatures. Your idea of draining them before storage is almost
right. NiCds and NMHs should be stored discharged, but there is no
need to discharge them; they'll do that themselves, just fine, and you
won't risk reverse charging a cell. Discharging multi-cell NiCds
damages more batteries than anything else. Over-charging is second.


I've learned that it also breaks things. No matter what the ad copy
says, one size does not fit all.

My experience with NiCds is "use them or lose them".

 

[krw]

My experience with NiCds is "use them or lose them".

I have some from the '60s that still work (I may have finally thrown
them out in the last move). As long as they're stored flat they
should last virtually forever.

 

[krw]

My DB lasted -10 yrs- on the first battery pack.
I had the pack replaced at a DeWalt service center,cheaper than a new DB.

I find that amazing. I've replaced drills (don't/wouldn't own a DB)
because a new drill was cheaper than the batteries that come with it.
In fact, that's how I built my Dewalt 18V battery collection. ;-) I
found an 18V compact drill (already had the standard 18V model) for
$100 in HomeDespot. Two batteries were worth $120 ($180 if bought
separately). I got another drill, not that I needed it - I have at
least six, free. ;-)

 

[William Sommerwerck]

I have some from the '60s that still work (I may have finally thrown

them out in the last move). As long as they're stored flat they
should last virtually forever.

What about them drying out?

 

[Jim Yanik]

What about them drying out?

I don't believe the electrolyte is water-based.
I also don't believe that about "stored flat they should last virtually
forever",as they will still grow crystal spikes that short out the cell.

 

[krw]

I don't believe the electrolyte is water-based.
I also don't believe that about "stored flat they should last virtually
forever",as they will still grow crystal spikes that short out the cell.

It's my understanding that dendrites grow in the presence of an
electric field. If they're totally flat there should be no growth.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

It's my understanding that dendrites grow in the presence of

an electric field. If they're totally flat there should be no growth.

What is "totally flat"? You can't drive a battery pack down to zero, only
individual cells.

 

[krw]

What is "totally flat"? You can't drive a battery pack down to zero, only
individual cells.

Right. Let them go flat all by themselves. Forcing the issue
certainly isn't healthy. Compare this with lead-acid chemistry,
where they should never be left to go flat and be stored with a
float-charge.