On Sun, 15 Oct 2017 16:34:32 -0500, Peabody
wrote:
And just to check my logic, it does make sense, doesn't it, that if the
problem follows the battery, then the battery is the problem, not the radio?
Yep. It's probably the battery. However, if both BP40 battery packs
are the same age, it's likely the working battery pack will soon fail.
Buy a replacement BP40 for both radios.
I usually don't have any problems with NiCd or in this case NiMH
battery packs. You're probably safe at buying the cheapest. However,
LiIon batteries and packs are another story, which are full of
counterfeits and defective cells.
NiMH cells come in different capacities varying from 500 to 1000 ma-hr
capacity. For example, the BP38 battery is rated at 4.8v 700 ma-hr,
while the BP40 is rated at 550 ma-hr. For a dollar more, the BP38
seems like a better deal. The problem is with no-name pre-packaged
battery packs, you don't really know what capacity you're getting
until it arrives.
If this were my radio, I would buy 4ea AAA NiMH LSD (low self
discharge) cells, such as Eneloop cells, and weld them into a
replacement battery pack. The ability to charge the battery and know
that it will be mostly at full charge months later, is worthwhile.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eneloop
Be sure to check the charge current to make sure that you're not
overcharging or quick charging the Eneloop batteries.
The thing that's curious is that if I wait a while after the shutdown, I can
fire up the radio again, and it shows a full battery indicator, and the thing
will run in listening mode for another hour or two. Maybe it's a heat
related connection issue inside the battery pack. I further assume that at
these prices for replacements, it makes no sense to try to replace the NiMH
AAA cells in the pack, particularly since I don't know for sure that the
problem isn't in the electronics inside the battery pack.
One of the NiMH failure modes is accellerated self discharge. It will
charge up to normal terminal voltage, but rapidly discharge itself
(without a load). It also acts like a battery with much lower
capacity than might be expected. I think that's what you're seeing.
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558