By: Bimol Bee
Submitted: 2011-11-23 08:37:56 | Word Count: 515
Few people know that before recharging a battery, or even plugging in the charger it's highly recommended to read the manufacturer instructions or even to contact the manufacturer for more information. Following these pieces of advice you'll learn how to take care of your rechargeable battery and its charger. This will prolog the battery's life and save your money.
This article will inform you of the strategies for recharging and storing the greater number of standard rechargeable batteries. You'll get acquainted with NiCd, NiMH, and Lithium-ion battery strategies in detail. Besides, you'll learn about "deep-cycling" rechargeable batteries.
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NiMH battery can be recharged at any time no matter what level of energy capacity the battery has. Besides, NiMH batteries can be completely discharged and recharged. A complete discharge is also called "conditioning" that we're going discuss later. If you don't use a rechargeable battery for a long time it's necessary to recharge it. A standard NiMH batteries should be recharged every 1-2 months and pre-charged NiMHs every 6-9 months.
The NiCd battery should be completely drained before a recharge during usual use periods. The battery will work worse and less if recharged before it's fully exhausted of its energy. You can also experience the "memory effect" as the battery "remembers" to store the amount of energy it has expended during the recent discharge. If you're going to store it for a long time, completely drain a NiCd battery.
Recharge Lithium-ion batteries rather often. It has no "memory effect". You can charge lithium-ion batteries no matter how much or little energy was used. Never exhaust the battery's energy to the fullest before recharging. Try not to recharge the battery after medium [50%] or full [90-100%] discharges.
Li-ion batteries can't be overcharged. If plugged in the device for a long time to an electrical current it won't overcharge. If the battery is full of energy no recharging current goes to the battery. For instance, a laptop battery has to drop to the definite level before the recharge starts.
If the battery is charged after shallow discharges [about 30% of capacity] you'll receive more charging cycles. Many batteries have an energy level indictor for learning its capacity. But many consumers don't know their battery's exact capacity levels. Often you have to estimate it.
There're two ways of long-term storage. Many experts consider that Li-ion batteries should be store at full capacity, while others say that people should drain the rechargeable battery to 40-50% of its highest capacity.
But all experts are sure that the battery should be store in a cool place at the temperature of 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit.
You're probably interested if "conditioning" is necessary for all rechargeable batteries. Generally, conditioning is "deep cycling" a battery. The individual drains the battery of its capacity before a complete recharge.
Several newer battery chargers have a conditioning "cycle" that can be done with a button. Conditioning is good for often recharge of the batteries which are used for a short time. For instance, a flashlight that's turned on and off in course of a camping trip.
