Rechargeable Battery Question

[herbajones]

How does it affect the life of the rechargeable battery to keep topping it off when it's half or 3/4 full, or is it best to use it until it's almost empty.and then completely recharge it ???

 

[reltolbert]

In my opinion, since I use re-chargeable batteries all the time, it doesn't matter
if you top it off or re-charge it from the beginning since they don't have a 'memory'.

 

[grouser]

depends,,, nicad batteries will die fast this way,,,,, NimH (sp) are better and can handle this type of "topping off" for a ong time,,,, but it is good to drain it down every once in awhile lipo batteries are a different story and are very user friendly as far as charging goes but can catch fire if not careful

 

[herbajones]

I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear...I'm talking about the SEALED UNIT battery pack.

 

[NebTrac]

Herb,

I've been "topping" mine off for a year and a half now with no problems. I do let it run completely down when I can't dig in the winter and then charge it right back up. In Andy's book he states with the rechargeable batteries in the E-Tracs the don't create a memory. Meaning you can recharge them anytime at any level.

NebTrac

 

[treasure sstate]

On page 15 in the owners manual on the right side in the warning area it sates "the NiMH battery pack DOES NOT need to be drained of all power before being recharged."

 

[JamesBondaka]

Furthermore, probably draining the pack all the way down(close to or minimal power)...probably does more damage to the pack as opposed to just partial recharging..

 

[Ray-Mo.]

n/t

 

[DukeOBass]

How long do you charge it for then? The total 18 - 24 hours?

 

[reltolbert]

DukeOBass,

Your right, it takes 18-24 hours to charge a sealed NiMH battery pack from start or half that time to top it off, so I use my deluxe 1 hour
charger and actually can re-charge my NiMH batteries in 15 minutes while I'm waiting for my battery pack to recharge.

 

[Ray-Mo.]

I try to get a full 18+ hour charge when they are about all the way down and they seem to last better after a long charge.....

 

[jquist]

My year old E-trac battery is toast. I was told that I overcharged it and that it isn't part of the warranty. Disappointed with Minelab. My dealer (Streeter) is willing to replace it on his dime. That is why I buy local.

 

[treasure sstate]

jquist that overcharged bit is bunk. Cause also on page 15 of the manual it states "the battery will not be damaged if left on the charger for more than 18 hours." But there are some "do nots" on the same page.

 

[Digger]

That's' the beauty of the NiMH battery packs. They don't need to be fully discharged before you can recharge them. And, charging them for more than 18 hours will not damage them. Page 85, E-TRAC manual. HH Randy

 

[Ray-Mo.]

n/t

 

[JamesBondaka]

I have got you beat by another week on that!

 

[grouser]

Furthermore, probably draining the pack all the way down(close to or minimal power)...probably does more damage to the pack as opposed to just partial recharging..

this is simply not true,,,, technology has come along way to fix the memory problem but if you really read articles written about the different battery types you would see that the type of battery in the Etrac would live longer and happier if you drain it down once in awhile,,,,

 

[Ray-Mo.]

n/t

 

[JamesBondaka]

this is simply not true,,,, technology has come along way to fix the memory problem but if you really read articles written about the different battery types you would see that the type of battery in the Etrac would live longer and happier if you drain it down once in awhile,,,,

Oh contrare my friend.....This was the case for older type rechargeables but not in this case as a general rule. If you drain down the battery really low or till "dead", its much harder or not possible for it to recover totally from such a drain. Quoted from Minelab tech, "draining rechargeables to absolute zero(or close to it) will likely result in damage to the battery itself". Unlike older rechargeable battery designs, the rechargeable battery provided can be recharged at any time. Regardless of whether or not it already has a partial charge, memory will not occur.

 

[grouser]

here is just ONE article I found about conditioning batteries,,,, you do as you like with yours,, but even my electric toothbrush says to use the battery down to the cutoff level and fully recharge once in a while,,,
"What is battery conditioning or exercising?

When you intentionally discharge a battery down to a certain minimum voltage and then recharge it this is known as battery conditioning or reconditioning . It is also sometimes referred to as battery exercise. This is particularly important to reduce what some call the memory effect experienced using NiCD batteries if you habitually do not fully discharge them each time you use them. For NiCD batteries this must be done periodically, approximately every 10 charge/discharge cycles or so, or the batteries will begin to lose capacity. For NiMH batteries conditioning is not really needed to reduce any memory effect because that is negligible in this type of battery. However, reconditioning is very convenient for both NiMH and NiCD batteries because brand new batteries are not charged when you receive them and they must be charged and discharged three to five times before they reach their full capacity. In addition, occasionally conditioning rechargeable batteries helps to ensure that they give you years or service and save you as much money as possible, before you recycle them and get new ones.


this is from this web site,,,
http://www.greenbatteries.com/bachfa.html#What%20is%20battery%20conditioning