More on Batteries

[Zscoundrel]

Pretty good info, but the 'memory' issue in ni-cads is actually just a 
build up of hydrogen gas on the surface of the electrodes.  If you can 
get the electrolyte to re-absorb the gas the battery will work better. 
 This is how the 'reformer' chargers work.

Jonathan Hutchins wrote:

>
>Nickel-cadmium batteries were originally developed for use in jet aircraft, 
>whose engines require significantly more power to start than internal 
>combustion engines.  Ni-Cad's can provide more current than lead-acids, but 
>have some quirks.  The old liquid-electrolyte Ni-Cads did have "memory" 
>problems of not being able to deliver  a full charge if they had only been 
>lightly discharged repeatedly.  A regular maintenance procedure was to 
>completely drain the battery by using shorting plates connecting the terminals 
>of each internal cell.  This restored the ability to deliver full capacity.
>
>The modern Ni-Cads we use in electronics are a far remove from these old open-
>container things, and studies have shown that capacity lost to "memory" is 
>insignificant.  Still, high-tech chargers for Ni-Cads and other modern 
>batteries often do a "conditioning" cycle, fully discharging the battery and 
>recharging it in a carefully calculated pattern to give the battery new life.
>
>So your best bet for a UPS is a good car battery, keep it clean and charged, 
>don't deep cycle it if you don't have to.
>
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