As increasing numbers of families make the move to re-chargeable batteries, the call for excellent battery chargers will get more significant. What is the point of employing re-chargeable batteries in the event that you’re not able to accomplish optimum recycles from them? Let’s take into account, the true reason for utilizing rechargeable batteries to start with is to try to lower your expenses and save the earth from the extreme wastefulness of use-and-throw batteries.
So, how do you get the most from your nimh rechargeable batteries? I advise having a battery charger which will refresh or recondition the batteries. Before moving forward, I’ve already presumed you have chosen a high-quality, high-capacity re-chargeable battery like the Ansmann type. And, before I explore things to look for in a charger that reconditions, allow me to discuss what it’s not.
There are several battery chargers that offer a “discharge” process, which merely discharges the cell right down to a base level – generally around 1.0 Volts. This discharge concept was related to the use of Nickel Cadmium batteries and was fairly good at preventing “memory effect.” After discharging the cell, the battery would then be recharged back up to full charge. Despite the fact that sounds like an acceptable, clear-cut tactic, just discharging a battery does almost nothing in order to keep the chemistry with the nimh cell well balanced. As the nimh battery ages, it could develop “crystalline” creation inside of the cell. Even though this does not result in memory effect as seen using the older Ni-cad batteries, it will minimize what number of recycles you can acheive at maximum capacity. A basic discharging of the cell does not address this event.
To stop or diminsh crystalline formation in the cell, refreshing or reconditioning of the cell is well-advised. So what does a refresh cycle involve? With Ansmann energy series battery chargers, the Ansmann technical engineers have designed a proprietary algorithm of charge and discharge cycles at numerous voltage values. When the cell is in need of refresh, this circuit occurs automatically and is undertaken on the cell right before recharging. By applying this type of charging process, you will notice a boost in power with your rechargeables as well as more life. Practically speaking, our assessment of this benefit, as well as those of our clients gives roughly a 20%-25% amplified life span of your cells. By way of illustration, let’s presume for your usage the batteries could in theory be recycled one thousand times. This would be under ideal conditions, with the use of a top-quality battery charger that refreshes the cells. Without the refresh option, your usage of the batteries could decrease down to seven hundred and fifty cycles instead. So, as an example, you use your batteries, in a wireless microphone, 2 times weekly. An additional two hundred and fifty charge cycles might mean another 2-3 years of use before being forced to remove and replace them. That is a substantial savings – and really worth the few additional bucks you would spend choosing a battery charger that can refresh your batteries.