If only electricity came in a bottle. Although it can be a headache, battery charging doesn't have to be a guessing game. We talked to Team JR member Anderson Yau about proper Ni-Cd charging. Here's his take.

Should you discharge first?

Yes, you should always discharge Ni-Cd batteries to the point where they are depleted and no longer usable in the application they are intended for (i.e. car pack, transmitter pack, or receiver pack).

How do you know when to stop charging?

If you are using a modern peak detection type charger, this is not something you will have to worry about - the charger will automatically stop charging for you. If however, you own a charger with a timer, there are 2 things you can do to determine when to stop charging.

1. Continually to monitor the temperature of the battery pack when charging. When you notice it becoming warm to the touch, stop charging. This should allow the battery to become roughly 85% charged.
2. To safely reach a full capacity charge you will need to add a voltmeter in parallel with the battery to monitor its voltage as it is charging. As soon as the voltage on the voltmeter begins to drop (.005V per cell), the battery pack is fully charged.

Is capacity a factor in charge time?

Yes. With a fixed charge rate the higher the capacity of the batteries the longer it will take to charge a battery pack. To determine how long it will take to charge a fully discharged battery pack use the following: Time= (Capacity/Charge Rate) x .06, where .06 is the conversion factor for converting hours into minutes and amp into milliamp. Let say you have a 1500mAh battery pack and a charger that charges at a 4amp rate. Plugging these figures in would give us 1500/4 x .06 = 22.5 minutes.

Do Ni-Cds really have a memory factor? If so, how do you deal with it?

Yes. Most people often notice these phenomena in the form of reduced battery runtime (capacity) and lower performance due to repeatedly charging the Ni-Cd pack without completely discharging it after use. In many instances you can overcome this phenomena by regularly going through the cycle of discharging your Ni-Cd pack completely after using it and then charging it right before you plan to use it again. This will help most packs regain some capacity, but not necessarily all of its capacity.

How often should you change your batteries?

Ni-Cd batteries are fairly durable batteries so you will not need to change them often unless you notice any performance decrease.

Will running Ni-Cds down to empty before charging diminish their lifespan?

Running Ni-Cds down to empty is good as long as none of the cells in a battery pack go into reverse polarity. You can prevent cell reversal from happening by remembering to not leave your car, radio gear, or other equipment that will drain the battery pack indefinitely after it has ceased to operate.

What's the trick to getting the most charges out of Ni-Cds?

Completely discharge your Ni-Cd batteries after you use it. Let the batteries cool down and rest several hours before you charge it again. When charging, do not let your batteries become overcharged to the point where the pack is too hot to touch. If the cells do become overcharged and vents, it releases chemicals and gases, which make up the battery and therefore reduce its useful life.

Web Reminder: Recycle Your Batteries

Please remember to RECYCLE your Ni-Cd's. Thousand's of battery recycling stations are available all over the country. These include stores like Best Buy, Radio Shack, and Wal-Mart. They accept battery types ranging from Ni-Cd's to Lithium Ion.

To find out where you can recycle you batteries, please visit the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation website at http://www.rbrc.org.