Re: [NTLK] "Slapping your cells silly" {Battery treatment revisited}

From: Dan (dan_at_dbdigitalweb.com)
Date: Thu Apr 29 2004 - 09:51:41 PDT


>Hello Everyone:
>
>I found the postings about the "slam-the-Hell-out-of-it" battery
rejuvenating
>technique quite interesting. When you stop and think about it, it makes
>perfect sense: a battery cell is just a bunch of chemicals with two metal
*snip*

Yes interesting but I personally would never do it *directly* to a battery
pack. They are after all just plastic and you could mangle them so that
rebuilding them would not be possible. Put them in a small box and padded
as if you were going to ship it. Tape the box shut well, and then kick it
around. It shouldn't damage the pack that way and may "renew" it for awhile
and you won't risk damaging the pack to the point that rebuilding later
becomes impossible.

Another method (which I have not heard mentioned before on the list that I
read many years ago) is with NiCads you take a 12 volt car battery and with
jumper cables gently tap each cell a couple of times (in parallel) for a
second each tap. Nicads have a tendency to get cadmium "wiskers" that
develop throughout the cell and short it out so it will no longer hold a
charge. The idea is you "burn" out those wiskers and the cell no longer
shorts out. But you have to be VERY VERY VERY VERY careful with this. If
you tap too long you could heat up the battery so it explodes (sending toxic
cadmium everywhere). That is why I say just a couple of quick taps. And I
would wear eye protection (at least) to be cautious. I have done this
myself and it did rejunivate some NiCads, and you will see sparks that is
normal.

But as I said be very very careful and you must do it to each individual
cell. AND only to NiCads, Nickel Metal Hydroxide batteries (like the MP2000
packs) are totally different and you must never do this to them.
*Disclaimer* this can be risky if you are not careful and you blow yourself
up, don't blame me you have been warned.

-Dan

-- 
This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries
Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/
WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/


This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Thu Apr 29 2004 - 10:00:03 PDT