Battery Glossary

Charger / Battery combination:  Before ordering NiMH or Li-Ion batteries, check your battery charger to make sure it will support the desired battery chemistry.  An incorrect charger / battery combination could cause damage to the battery or charger.

Nickel Cadmuim (NiCd):  NiCd continues to be the most commonly used portable battery today.  It provides good load characteristics, is economically priced, simple to use and forgiving if abused. The NiCd has medium energy density and needs regular exercise (full discharge/full charge cycling) to prevent so called "memory buildup". With proper care, the NiCd can provide up to 1500 discharge/charge cycles. At an estimated 6 cents per cycle, the NiCd is the most economical battery available.

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH):  Introduced in the early 1990's as an improvement over older chemistries like Nickel Cadmium (NiCd). Although they may have a very slight memory effect, NiMH batteries are much more reliable than previous chemistries. Compared to a NiCd battery of equal size, a NiMh battery will run for 30-40% longer on each charge. NiMH batteries can also be recharged 60% in just 15 minutes. Additionally, NiMH batteries often have twice the lifespan of NiCds.

Lithium Ion (Li-Ion): Li-Ion is new on the market and in growing supply.  Li-Ion has distinct advantages and disadvantages.  Advantages: 1) Lighter and more compact than NiMh batteries.  2) LiIon batteries do not suffer from memory effect .  3) The battery lifespan will be over 30% longer than NiMh batteries because the cells can accept more charge cycles.  Disadvantages:  1) Limited availability resulting in higher prices in comparison to NiCd and NiMH.  2) The Li-ion battery should be treated with care, as it is very volatile, highly flammable and difficult to extinguish when alight.

Memory Effect : The term "memory" in reference to batteries means the battery "remembers" its usual discharge point and superficially "needs" a charge whenever it hits that point. In other words, if you have a NiMh battery that always gets discharged to only 50% of its capacity, it will eventually not run below that 50% mark if you ever wanted to discharge it to a lower point.

How to maximize the life of your battery : There are several things you can do to maximize the useful life of your battery: Dirty battery contacts are the number one source of charging problems. Clean the battery contacts with alcohol and a cotton swab from time to time. Make sure no cotton is left on the contact points. Don’t leave your rechargeable batteries dormant for extended periods. Take them for a "spin around the block" every so often. Batteries that sit idle for extended periods of time without charging begin to lose their ability to hold a charge and will self-discharge, so remember to charge them again before use. Always store batteries in a cool, dry place away from heat and metal objects.

Intitial Charge Cycle : Initially new batteries (all types) must be charged for 14 - 16 hours continuously. All batteries require a "break-in" period, so don't be alarmed if your battery doesn't hold a full charge right away. A new battery may show false full charge as indicated on your charger. Also the battery may not power up the device because of low voltage. For the first 3 - 5 cycles, please make sure to charge the battery fully and drain it fully before recharging. This will properly condition the battery and will ensure that it will operate at its maximum capacity. This is recommended for all batteries. You can discharge most batteries by unplugging the charger and leaving it turned on until completely discharged.