Battery Tips
TYPES OF BATTERY
Most portable rechargeable batteries contain a number of individual cells
- Ni-Cd are Nickel Cadmium dry cell batteries
- Ni-MH are Nickel Metal Hydride dry cell batteries
- Li-Ion are Lithium Ion dry cell batteries
- Lipo are Lithium Polymer dry cell batteries (these can explode if overheated)
- Lead Acid and Lead Gell Batteries are wet cell batteries
VOLTS, AMP HOURS
Volts are the voltage and electrical current capacity for your portable device as designated by the manufacturer and can not be changed.
Ah or Amp Hours are the recommended “run time” or hours that the device is likely to operate for on a fully charged battery.
At Battery Repack Ltd we can often increase the Ah of you battery by repacking with higher capacity cells.
mAh or Milli-Amp-Hour are 1/1000 of an Ah [1,000 mAh = 1 Ah]
REPACKING, REPOWERING, COMPATIBLES
Repacking is the process if using your existing battery case and replacing the old cells with new cells. Battery Repack Ltd are recycling the cases and the old cells
Repowering is the process of repacking with higher capacity (Amp Hour) cells to improve run time and performance.
Compatibles are batteries offered as replacement for OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) batteries. Simply put, OEM are Branded with the brand of the device, where- as Compatibles must not have the Brand.
Battery Repack Ltd will always identify products as “OEM Brand” when this is applicable.
CHARGING A BATTERY
Battery Repack recommend that to provide the best performance you battery be fully charged before using and immediately recharged once discharged.
Ni-Cd batteries should be fully charged and then fully discharged for the first 3 times of using as the battery cells can develop a ‘memory’ preventing full recharging.
Ni-MH battery and lithium battery can be used immediately they are recharged.
Any fully discharged battery should be immediately recharged.
Always leave a clear space around battery rechargers to allow cooling as the recharging of any battery generates heat when current is forced into the battery.
LEAVING THE BATTERY ON THE CHARGER
We recommend you do not leave the battery in the charger once charged.
Especially remove Li-Ion as these batteries must not be left unattended in the charger and should be removed immediately that they are fully charged.
Always leave a clear space around battery rechargers to allow cooling as the recharging of any battery generates heat when current is forced into the battery.
UPGRADING BATTERIES
Ni-Cd can be upgraded to Ni-MH and the same chargers and devices used.
Ni-Cd and Ni-MH may not be upgraded to Li-Ion
Most chargers for Ni-Cd and Ni-MH and Li-Ion come with circuit boards to prevent over charging and overheating.
It is a fact that Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries are more chemically stable (less prone to overheating) than lithium batteries.
Li-Ion batteries have built in electronics and repacking should only be attempted by an experienced professional such as Battery Repack Ltd.
STANDARD CHARGE OR FAST CHARGE
Many chargers are divided into fast charging mode and standard charging mode.
When using Standard charging (also known as trickle charging) with a small current, the charging time is longer than fast charging mode.
Although Standard charging takes longer it is recognised as better for the life of the battery.
When using the Fast charging mode with a larger current flow, the charging time is significantly reduced. Sometime between 1 and 2 hours.
Fast charging mode can save time, but there is cumulative damage to the battery that may result in reduce battery life.
STORING RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES
If batteries are not in use for a long time, we recommend they be kept in a clean and dry place and recharged every couple of months to prolong battery life.
To avoid power loss and other problems, keep battery terminals clean.
RECYCLING OLD BATTERIES
Lead cell batteries (wet cell) can be recycled at most metal recyclers.
Dry cell batteries can be recycled at some metal recyclers
Battery Repack will accept these for disposal if they are clearly labelled as to type of battery.
Plastic cases from most batteries can be recycled.
Old power tools and electronic goods can be recycled at most metal or electronics recyclers.