Batteries articles

Review of aa battery charger types (03/26/2012)
... Some people may prefer the design of the battery charger to be compact and handy which let them bring along easily during traveling.Another important feature to look at the battery charger should be the charging rate. With the latest technology used in the charger allow the battery to be quickly charged as fast as 4 minutes. This is good for gaming or entertainment devices for non-stop fun.Battery charger is not only limited for travel use only, it is also made as a fixture in the household item list in a larger scale....

Information about ultra fast Chargers (08/27/2010)
... Based on pulse charge technology, these chargers intersperse one or several brief discharge pulses between each charge pulse. This promotes the recombination of oxygen and hydrogen gases, resulting in reduced pressure buildup and a lower cell temperature. Ultra-fast-chargers based on this principle can charge a nickel-based battery in a shorter time than regular chargers, but only to about a 90 percent SoC. A trickle charge is needed to top the charge to 100 percent. Pulse chargers are known to reduce the crystalline formation (memory) of nickel-based batteries....

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR LEAD ACID BATTERIES (05/12/2010)
... How does a battery work? In a normal battery we have three basic elements: one plate made of lead, an electrolyte of sulfuric acid and another plate made of lead oxide. When the battery is discharged, the sulfuric acid in the electrolyte reacts with the lead and lead oxide releasing electricity, forming lead sulfate. This leaves a watery electrolyte solution. When a battery is completely discharged, what is left is lead sulfate and water. When you start recharging the battery, the lead sulfate is broken apart by the electric current....

Charging the Lead Acid Battery (01/22/2007)
... The third stage is the float charge, which compensates for the self-discharge after the battery has been fully charged. Correctly setting the cell-voltage limit is critical. A typical voltage limit is from 2.30V to 2.45V....

Advantages and disadvantages of the Lead Acid Battery (01/17/2007)
... (Engineers may argue that the word ‘sealed lead acid’ is a misnomer because no lead acid battery can be totally sealed. In essence, all are valve regulated.) The SLA has a typical capacity range of 0.2Ah to 30Ah and powers portable and wheeled applications. Typical uses are personal UPS units for PC backup, small emergency lighting units, ventilators for health care patients and wheelchairs....

The Lithium Ion Battery (01/17/2007)
... A large quantity of rechargeable lithium batteries sent to Japan had to be recalled in 1991 after a battery in a mobile phone released flaming gases and inflicted burns to a person’s face. Because of the inherent instability of lithium metal, especially during charging, research shifted to a non-metallic lithium battery using lithium ions. Although slightly lower in energy density than lithium metal, the Li-ion is safe, provided certain precautions are met when charging and discharging. In 1991, the Sony Corporation commercialized the first Li-ion battery. Other manufacturers followed suit....

Advantages and Limitations of the Lithium Polymer Battery (01/14/2007)
... Such innovative batteries are still a few years away, especially for the commercial market. Unfortunately, the dry Li-polymer suffers from poor conductivity. Internal resistance is too high and cannot deliver the current bursts needed for modern communication devices and spinning up the hard drives of mobile computing equipment. Although heating the cell to 60°C (140°F) and higher increases the conductivity to acceptable levels, this requirement is unsuitable in commercial applications. Research is continuing to develop a dry solid Li-polymer battery that performs at room temperature....

Charging the Lithium Ion Battery (01/09/2007)
...20V. The tolerance on all Li-ion batteries is a tight +/-0.05V/cell. Industrial and military Li-ion batteries designed for maximum cycle life use an end-of-charge voltage threshold of about 3.90V/cell....

Advantages and Disadvantages of Supercapacitor (12/31/2006)
... The one using high surface area activated carbons is the most economical to manufacture. This system is also called Double Layer Capacitor (DLC) because the energy is stored in the double layer formed near the carbon electrode surface. The electrolyte may be aqueous or organic. The aqueous electrolyte offers low internal resistance but limits the voltage to one volt. In contrast, the organic electrolyte allows two and three volts of charge, but the internal resistance is higher....

Advantages and disadvantages of the Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) Battery (12/26/2006)
... A periodic full discharge is so important that, if omitted, large crystals will form on the cell plates (also referred to as 'memory') and the NiCd will gradually lose its performance. Among rechargeable batteries, NiCd remains a popular choice for applications such as twoway radios, emergency medical equipment, professional video cameras and power tools. Over 50 percent of all rechargeable batteries for portable equipment are NiCd. However, the introduction of batteries with higher energy densities and less toxic metals is causing a diversion from NiCd to newer technologies. Advantages and Disadvantages of NiCd Batteries Advantages Fast and simple charge — even after prolonged storage....

Advantages and disadvantages of the Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Battery (12/21/2006)
... There is potential for yet higher capacities, but not without some negative side effects. Both NiMH and NiCd are affected by high self-discharge. The NiCd loses about 10 percent of its capacity within the first 24 hours, after which the self-discharge settles to about 10 percent per month. The self-discharge of the NiMH is about one-and-a-half to two times greater compared to NiCd. Selection of hydride materials that improve hydrogen bonding and reduce corrosion of the alloy constituents reduces the rate of self-discharge, but at the cost of lower energy density....

Types of Chargers (12/20/2006)
... Many third party manufacturers are prepared to build low quantities of custom chargers. Other benefits third party suppliers can offer include creative pricing and superior performance. Not all third party charger manufacturers meet the quality standards that the industry demands, The buyer should be aware of possible quality and performance compromises when purchasing these chargers at discount prices. Some units may not be rugged enough to withstand repetitive use; others may develop maintenance problems such as burned or broken battery contacts. Uncontrolled over-charge is another problem of some chargers, especially those used to charge nickel-based batteries....

Charging the Nickel Metal Hydride Battery (12/16/2006)
... The popularity of the NiMH battery has introduced many innovative charging techniques. Most of today’s NiMH fast chargers use a combination of NDV, voltage plateau, rate-oftemperature- increase (dT/dt), temperature threshold and timeout timers. The charger utilizes whatever comes first to terminate the fast-charge. NiMH batteries which use the NDV method or the thermal cut-off control tend to deliver higher capacities than those charged by less aggressive methods. The gain is approximately 6 percent on a good battery....

Advantages and limiations reusable Alkaline Batteries (11/03/2006)
... The longevity of the reusable alkaline is a direct function of the depth of discharge; the deeper the discharge, the fewer cycles the battery can endure. Tests performed by Cadex on ‘AA’ reusable alkaline cells showed a very high capacity reading on the first discharge. In fact, the energy density was similar to that of a NiMH battery. When the battery was discharged, then later recharged using the manufacturer’s charger, the reusable alkaline settled at 60 percent, a capacity slightly below that of a NiCd. Repeat cycling in the same manner resulted in a fractional capacity loss with each cycle....