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Ni-Cd Batteries Health

Points to Remember

#1: Charge control is the key to battery management.

 More batteries are destroyed or damaged by bad charging techniques than all other causes combined. Once a battery reaches full charge, the charging current has to go somewhere—most often, generating heat and gases. Both are bad for batteries. (More) 

#2: Heat is the enemy of batteries.

 A NiCd stored, used, or charged under high temperature conditions will die an early death. Heat causes the separator to weaken, the seals to weaken, and greatly accelerates changes in the plate material, some of which cause the dreaded memory effect. So even though the cells may not vent, the heat by-product is wearing down the cells. Specifically, hydrolysis or degradation of the separator material, usually polyamide, is greatly accelerated at high temperatures. This leads to premature cell failure (More) .

#3: Take care of your cells, and they will take care of you. I have a set of cells from 1995 that are still working. Sintered plate, 450 mAh old technology—originally trickle charged, now rapid charged many times using a delta-V technique. (More)

# 4:  Memory effect

People tend to attribute any failure of a NiCd to memory, which is seldom the case. (More)

Do’s & Don'ts:

DON’T deliberately discharge the batteries to avoid memory.

DON’T leave the cells on trickle charge for long times, unless voltage depression can be tolerated.

DON’T overcharge the cells. Use a good charging technique

 DO let the cells discharge to 1.0V/cell on occasion through normal use.

DO protect the cells from high temperature both in charging and storage.

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