Quote:
Originally Posted by GA Russell
All right. Let me ask you a couple of more questions.
1) Is this a situation where topping it off once ruins the battery permanently? I ask because I can't swear that I never topped these old batteries off sometime years ago.
2) The batteries go dead over time, even when never used. Does this have the same effect as using them until they are dead?
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We are talking about NiCADs.
1. Usually you can top off a few times without permanent damage. When the battery seems like it won't hold much of a charge then totally discharge it and recharge immediately after. This will often restore the chemistry and bring it back to life. You really have say 300 charges or 500 charges depending on the design and large and small charges count the same. See 2.
2. When a battery self discharges completely and you hit with a charge occasionally it will reverse the chemistry and ruin the battery. This happens most often when the battery is in a pack. Each cell is 1.2 volts but often several are put together in a series to increase the voltage so you have a 6V pack made from 5 cells for example. Now you hit this pack with a 6V chargers and one of the cells in the pack is totally discharged you can hit it so hard it reverses and destroys itself. Time to buy a new battery.
Dale