Hardware Secrets
Home | Camera | Case | CE | Cooling | CPU | Input | Memory | Mobile | Motherboard | Networking | Power | Storage | Video | Other
Content
Articles
First Look
Gabriel's Blog
News
Reviews
Tutorials
Main Menu
About Us
Awarded Products
Compare Prices
Datasheets
Dictionary
Download
Drivers
Forums
Links
Manufacturer Finder
Newsletter
On The Web
RSS Feed
Test Your Skills
Twitter
Newsletter
Subscribe today!
Search




Recommended
Batteries in a Portable World: A Handbook on Rechargeable Batteries for Non-Engineers, Second Edition
Batteries in a Portable World: A Handbook on Rechargeable Batteries for Non-Engineers, Second Edition, by Isidor Buchmann (Cadex Electronics Inc), starting at $4.48
Home » Power
The Truth About NiCd Batteries
Author: Gabriel Torres
Type: Articles Last Updated: March 6, 2006
Page: 3 of 4
$ Check REAL-TIME pricing for Corsair CMPSU-1000HX 1000-Watt Power Supply - ATX 140mm Fan SATA-Ready SLI Ready $.
CircuitCity: $249.99 Wal-Mart: $288.98
Newegg: $239.99 TigerDirect: $249.99

Dead Batteries

Some people claim to recover dead NiCd batteries – i.e. batteries showing 0 V on a voltmeter and that doesn’t revive by hooking them to a charger – by performing a high-current quick charge, process known as “zapping”, and them putting them back to the charger for a regular charge.

In fact, this will work if the battery has an internal short circuit caused by a small dendrite, which is a small piece of material connecting the two battery poles internally. What the zapping does is to burn this dendrite, like if it were a fuse, solving the short-circuit problem.

But the problem can come back, because not only other dendrites can be formed but also the material that was vaporized is now inside the battery, which can act as a resistor, making the battery to hold less charge than when it was good.

However, zapping the battery if the problem isn’t an internal short circuit can damage the battery even more. As we mentioned, if you let your NiCd battery completely discharged, it can be damaged – i.e. completely discharged forever – and the problem here won’t be any dendrite inside creating an internal short-circuit.

Keep in mind that this technique has nothing to do with “memory effect”. Some people can claim that they solved the “memory effect” of a battery by doing this but in fact the battery problem was another one (internal short circuit).

Pages (4): « 1 2 [3] 4 »
Print Version | Send to Friend | | Bookmark Article | Comments (0)

Related Content
  • All Core Duo and Core Solo Models
  • Explosive Cell Phones
  • Robson Technology Overview
  • Thermaltake iXoft Notebook Cooler Review
  • ASUS C90P Overclockable Gaming Laptop

  • Recommended Deal.
    TX650W Power Supply 650W ATX12VCorsair TX Series 80 Plus 650-Watt Certified Power Supply CMPSU-650TX


    Wal-Mart: $119.98 TigerDirect: $104.99
    CircuitCity: $104.99 Newegg: $98.99

    RSSLatest News
    IN WIN LAN Party in Southern California
    November 20, 2009 - 12:37 PM PST
    Patriot Announces PS-100 SSD Series
    November 19, 2009 - 7:30 AM PST
    Antec Launches TPQ-1200 PSU
    November 18, 2009 - 11:30 AM PST
    AMD/ATI Launches Radeon HD 5970
    November 18, 2009 - 10:18 AM PST
    OCZ Launches Colossus SSD Series
    November 17, 2009 - 1:39 PM PST
    NZXT Unleashes Tempest EVO Mid-Tower Case
    November 17, 2009 - 1:06 PM PST
    nVidia Launches GeForce GT 240
    November 17, 2009 - 10:18 AM PST
    Arctic Cooling Announces Accelero TWIN TURBO PRO VGA Cooler
    November 16, 2009 - 11:46 AM PST
    PowerColor Announces PLAY! HD5770 Video Card
    November 13, 2009 - 12:51 PM PST
    G.Skill Announces Falcon II SSD Series
    November 11, 2009 - 3:31 PM PST
    .:: More News ::.

    RSSLatest Content
    Ultra X4 500 W Power Supply Review
    Seagate Barracuda XT 2 TB Hard Disk Drive Review
    Nintendo Wii Fit Plus Review
    AMD ATI Chips Comparison Table
    nVidia Chips Comparison Table
    Gigabyte G41M-ES2L Motherboard
    Netflix on Playstation 3 Review
    CM Storm Sentinel Advance Mouse Review
    Titan Skalli CPU Cooler Review
    Nexus RX-6300 630 W Power Supply Review
    Gigabyte P55-UD6 Motherboard
    Nintendo Wii Review
    SilverStone Grandia GD04 Case Review
    Can We Trust the 80 Plus Certification?
    NZXT Gamma Case Review

    Our Most Popular Articles
    Maximum CPU Temperature
    1,078,899 views
    How to Find Out Your Motherboard Manufacturer and Model
    707,120 views
    nVidia Chips Comparison Table
    679,749 views
    Connecting Two PCs Using a USB-USB Cable
    594,083 views
    How To Correctly Apply Thermal Grease
    562,944 views
    AMD ATI Chips Comparison Table
    560,613 views
    ATI Radeon X1300 Pro Review
    488,114 views
    ATI Radeon X1600 XT Review
    477,260 views
    How To Perform a BIOS Upgrade
    394,921 views
    Sempron vs. Athlon XP
    338,679 views

    Latest Threads in Our Forums
    what mobo do i need? pls help!
    by Merman
    DVD ripper/mp4 joiner
    by rektech
    Dell Inspiron 6000 Powers but will not boot...
    by Merman
    Ultra X4 500 W Power Supply Review
    by Merman
    IN WIN LAN Party in Southern California
    by Hardware Secrets Team
    Getting A Hard Copy
    by Trevorrross
    Am I Making The Right Choice?
    by need2know
    Is it available to mount the Zalman cooler?
    by Olle P
    dsl modem prob
    by Sherry
    Seagate Barracuda XT 2 TB Hard Disk Drive Review
    by Hardware Secrets Team
    .:: Visit Our Forums ::.


    © 2004-9, Hardware Secrets, LLC. All rights reserved.
    Advertising | Legal Information | Privacy Policy
    All times are Pacific Standard Time (PST, GMT -08:00)