If you have at home a remote controller, mp3 player, Ipod, digital clock, digital camera, then you know what is the difference between tantan topup and non rechargeable batteries. You probably used many different batteries, including rechargeables and non-rechargeables, Alkaline and Oxyride, Energizer and Duracell and so on. In this article I would like to present some tips of prolonging battery life. There are many rumors about prolonging battery life and some of them are true.
Firstly, you should know that most common rechargeable batteries are NiMH (nickel-metal hydride cell) and NiCd (nickel-cadmium). The abbreviation NiCd is derived from nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd). NiMH battery uses hydrogen-absorbing alloy instead of cadmium. If you just bought NiMH or NiCd, they need to be fully discharged and charged 3 times before using them. That way you will prolong their life, otherwise the battery might loose its capacity over time in a phenomenon known as “memory effect”. It’s OK to fully discharge batteries before using them even if they are old.
Secondly, you should know NiMH and NiCd batteries self discharge at a much faster rate than Alkalines. It is calculated that at room temperatures NiMH and NiCd will self discharge at a rate of few percents per day, while Alkalines will self discharge at a rate of less than 2% per year. So storing Alkalines in a freezer will not help much, but it could help if you did so with NiMH and NiCd batteries. NiMH’s stored in a freezer could retain over 90% of their power for full month. However, do not use them immediately after taking out of the freezer. Wait until they reach room temperature. If you don’t want to store your batteries in a freezer, store them in dry and cool place, without heat situations.
Fourthly, it is always better to recharge your batteries slowly. Try to avoid using all those quick chargers, that recharge batteries in a timeframe between 15 and 30 minutes. Some of them are good, and some not so good. They might damage your battery. A battery that is slow charged will most likely last a bit longer than the one that is quick charged, however the difference is very small.
