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

[Jim Yanik]

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

define "totally flat",or just "flat".

Are you saying -zero- volts per cell?

If there's -any- charge on them,they'll grow dendrites.

In my experience,NiCds that aren't used regularly go bad quickly.

 

[krw]

define "totally flat",or just "flat".

Are you saying -zero- volts per cell?

Yes. That's flat. They'll self-discharge all the way to zero in a
year or so.

If there's -any- charge on them,they'll grow dendrites.

There won't be charge in them long.

In my experience,NiCds that aren't used regularly go bad quickly.

Either you buy incredibly crappy batteries or you're doing
something bad to them.

 

[Jim Yanik]

Yes. That's flat. They'll self-discharge all the way to zero in a
year or so.

and won't recover,either.

There won't be charge in them long.

evidently long enough to grow dendrites.

Either you buy incredibly crappy batteries or you're doing
something bad to them.

that experience would include my own purchases(like B&D and Makita) and
those of Tektronix for their battery-powered products.

 

[hr(bob) [email protected]]

and won't recover,either.





evidently long enough to grow dendrites.





that experience would include my own purchases(like B&D and Makita) and
those of Tektronix for their battery-powered products.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You can almost always burn the dendrites off with a current thru the
battery of 10 amps or so for a few seconds. The problem is that you
may have to take the battery pack apart to get to each cell to see
which one(s) have developed shorts.

 

[krw]

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.

I suppose you believe Ron Popiel too. The nature of the batery
chemistry says that this is false.

 

[Jim Yanik]

I suppose you believe Ron Popiel too. The nature of the batery
chemistry says that this is false.

Hey,I'm just relating what DIGI-KEY lists in their catalog;NiCds
specifically designed for continous charge;24/7/365.

Digi Key is not RONCO.

 

[krw]

Hey,I'm just relating what DIGI-KEY lists in their catalog;NiCds
specifically designed for continous charge;24/7/365.

Digi Key is not RONCO.

Don't bet on it.

 

[Jim Yanik]

I would aim to get the pack nearly flat, but not so flat that any of
the cells is at any risk of being reverse charged, before storing the
pack for a long period.

Chris

I'd aim to get lithium-ion packs,that will retain a usable charge for
several months.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

Digi Key is not RONCO.

Don't bet on it.

What a silly remark. Digi-Key is a major component supplier that's been
around about 20 years. They sell no consumer products.

 

[Jim Yanik]

JY wrote;

krw wrote;

What a silly remark. Digi-Key is a major component supplier that's been
around about 20 years. They sell no consumer products.

it kinda destroys krw's credibility.

 

[krw]

What a silly remark. Digi-Key is a major component supplier that's been
around about 20 years. They sell no consumer products.

They'll sell whatever manufacturers have to sell, at 2-10x the
going price. Sounds a lot like Ronco to me, though their online
catalog is better.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

Digi Key is not RONCO.

They'll sell whatever manufacturers have to sell, at 2-10x the
going price. Sounds a lot like Ronco to me, though their online
catalog is better.

This is foolishness. Digi-Key is a distributor, not a manufacturer.

 

[[email protected]]

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.

The Prius maintains its batteries at between 50-80% of full charge.

Any new battery or battery that's gone unused for at least 2 months
should be charged longer than normal, 24-36 hours, whether you use a
fast charger or trickle charger. The only exceptions are very
primitive chargers that end charging with just a simple bimetal
thermostat. Disconnect the battery within an hour after the
thermostat opens.

Try to let batteries cool down before recharging, but do not leave the
battery connected to the battery continuously, even if the charger is
designed to shut off or go into a maintenance mode. Also do not fully
discharge batteries regularly but only down to 1.1V per cell (13.2V,
in the case of a 14.4V battery). Deeper discharge is harmful. Also
check each cell occasionally for reverse polarity. If not corrected,
reverse polarity will lead to the affected cell becoming shorted and
the other cells overcharged. To correct reverse polarity, charge the
affected cell by directly connecting approximately 100mA DC to that
cell and only that cell for a few minutes, then recharge the battery
normally.

Drilling several tiny vent holes into the battery pack may help
cooling, top and bottom, but remove the cells first.

 

[krw]

This is foolishness. Digi-Key is a distributor, not a manufacturer.

Can't read much, eh?

 

[William Sommerwerck]

Can't read much, eh?

Guess not.

 

[krw]

Guess not.

At least you're honest about your shortcommings.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

At least you're honest about your shortcommings.

I was being sarcastic.

To compare a major distributor of name-brand electronic components that it
does not manufacture, with a maker of consumer gadgetry, is ludicrous.

The fact that both companies sell items for more than what it costs to make
or obtain them (which all companies have to do to stay in business) does not
bestow any form of equivalence on their businesses.

 

[krw]

I was being sarcastic.

I wasn't. Your shorcommings aren't just in your shorts, evidently.

To compare a major distributor of name-brand electronic components that it
does not manufacture, with a maker of consumer gadgetry, is ludicrous.

You think Ron Popiel actually makes his gadgets?

The fact that both companies sell items for more than what it costs to make
or obtain them (which all companies have to do to stay in business) does not
bestow any form of equivalence on their businesses.

Both sell shit for *way* more than it's worth.

 

[Smitty Two]

Both sell shit for *way* more than it's worth.

That's impossible, by definition.

 

[krw]

That's impossible, by definition.

Nonsense.