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Increase life of battery

828 views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  marcantaya 
#1 ·
which is better for a ni mh, to leave a little of juice left in it when i charge it, or to burn it dead? are there any other ways to help my battery last longer?
 
#2 ·
If by "burn it dead" you mean keeping your lights on until they go out or very dim, then that's one of the worst things you can do with a battery of any variety. Best thing with NiMH is to turn your lights off when thy start to noticeably begin to dim and go yellow (or peferably before that!) and then only recharge it just before you're ready to use it again.
 
#4 ·
Not sure I understand you - what do you mean by "time my ride"? Are your lights dim when you get back from a single ride, having started with a fresh battery, or are you doing multiple rides until they dim? If the former, then you may not have a high enough capacity battery; if the latter, then don't do that, recharge every time you use them.

In any case, when you get in switch your lights off as soon as you are finished. Then recharge them the day before you need them again (if you're using them every day, it's fine to put them straight back on charge as soon as you finish).
 
#5 ·
Nimh and Lithium batteries don't develop memory issues like old NIcad batteries so can be recharged after use although I prefer to charge mine when the lights start to dim a little.

The 10W Nighthawk I just bought is supposed to have a 9 hour run time when using alkaline batteries (4 AA) and since I use rechargable Nimh batteries in everything I expect a much longer burn time between charges.

With smaller lighting devices like my 5 light LED lights I've had the Nimh batteries double the claimed run time so expect similar results with the new light.
 
#7 ·
marcantaya said:
which is better for a ni mh, to leave a little of juice left in it when i charge it, or to burn it dead? are there any other ways to help my battery last longer?
I googled it - this is what came up...

Duracell NiMH Battery Storage

Ni-MH batteries can give years of safe and reliable service if they are used in accordance with recommended procedures and are not abused. Batteries should be kept clean and dry both during use and storage. They can be stored for many months in a charged or discharged state without any detrimental effects as long as they are not exposed to extreme temperatures for any long period of time. After periods during which the battery has not been used, the battery should be charged before being placed in service. Extended overcharging or overheating of the battery should always be avoided.

Varta NiMH: Battery storage in any state of charge is possible. Storage temperatures between -20 and +35 are recommended, relative humidity approximately 50%. In case of long term storage cells must be recharged once a year.

Sanyo NiMH: Under the recommended storage conditions (-20 C to +35 C) the Twicel can be stored indefinitely in either a charged or uncharged state. Recovery may take several cycles. If a battery is stored for a prolonged time connected to a load, electrolyte fluid will leak, the battery will begin to deteriorate, and capacity will be impaired after storage. During long time storage battery deactivation may tend to occur, and for this reason charging may stop early during recharging after storage. This problem can be solved by charging and discharging the battery several times.

Sanyo NiMh Battery Storage: Generally speaking, a loss of voltage and capacity of batteries due to self-discharge during storage is unavoidable. The factors inducing this self-discharge of Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries is listed below:

The inside of the cell is a hydrogen atmosphere at low pressure, which gradually reduces the active materials at the positive electrode, resulting in a drop of cell capacity. Accompanied by this, the negative electrode which is thermodynamically unstable in its charged state gradually gives off hydrogen gas, thus reducing cell capacity.
The active materials at the positive electrode in its charged state self-decompose, causing the cell capacity to decrease.
Impurities within the cell, especially nitric ions, are reduced at the negative electrode and diffuse to the positive electrode where they are oxidized. This results in a lowered cell capacity.
The factors (2) and (3) also apply to Nickel-Cadmium Batteries. As discussed above, the self-discharge of Nickel-Metal-Hydride Batteries during battery storage causes a loss in stored energy. However, once recharged, this lost portion of the capacity will be almost completely restored. The self-discharge characteristics of Nickel Metal Hydride batteries is affected by storage temperature. . . If the battery is stored at high temperatures, the self-discharge will be accelerated. Also, the longer the storage period, the more the cell capacity decreases. As mentioned above, since the capacity of Nickel Metal Hydride batteries lost by self-discharge can be restored by recharging, there are virtually no noticeable adverse effects of battery storage. However, prolonged storage at high temperatures may deteriorate or deform the gasket or the separator, and should be avoided. Either fully charged or discharged, Nickel Metal Hydride ( NiMH ) batteries may be stored indefinitely. . . In either cased (charged or discharged) the capacity is recovered within two or three charge / discharge cycles.

Panasonic NiMH Battery Storage

Because long term storage can accelerate battery self-discharge, and lead to the deactivation of reactants, locations where the temperature ranges between +10°C and +30°C are suitable for long term storage.

When charging for the first time after long term storage, the deactivation of reactants may lead to increased battery voltage, and decreased battery capacity. Restore such batteries to orginal performance by repeating several cycles of charging and discharging.

When storing batteries for more than one year, charge at least once a year to prevent leakage and deterioration of performancedue to self-discharging.


Good luck
:cool:
 
#9 ·
im saying that when im done with my ride there is usually about 30 minutes of life left until they are dim. i wanted to know if i should turn them on when i get home to use most of the juice, or just charge them with life left in them. ill do the latter, thanks for the replies
 
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