NiCad Battery Question
 

I have an outdoor garden solar powered decoration that uses a small
solar panel and that charges a Ni-Cad AA Rechargeable Battery. The
battery needs replacing and it is an AA 1.2v at 600mAh. I looked at
Target, Walmart, and another store and yes, they all have the AA
Rechargeable Batteries but with like a 1000mAh rating. I do not know if
I need to stick to the 600mAh rating or can I use the 1000mAh rated
rechargeable battery? This decorative device is just a fiber optic
display in a gazing globe so the battery powers a bulb for the fiber
optics at night.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Lou

NiCad Battery Question
 

Lou wrote:
I have an outdoor garden solar powered decoration that uses a small
solar panel and that charges a Ni-Cad AA Rechargeable Battery. The
battery needs replacing and it is an AA 1.2v at 600mAh. I looked at
Target, Walmart, and another store and yes, they all have the AA
Rechargeable Batteries but with like a 1000mAh rating. I do not know if
I need to stick to the 600mAh rating or can I use the 1000mAh rated
rechargeable battery? This decorative device is just a fiber optic
display in a gazing globe so the battery powers a bulb for the fiber
optics at night.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Hi Lou...

Go ahead and use the larger capacity; it will make virtually no
difference, but if dollars mean much to you...

Last summer in our Walmart (Winnipeg, Canada) they had the smaller
capacity nicd's at a price that was almost a give-a-way. (pkg of 4
for only two or three dollars). The trick was that they weren't in
the places that you'd normally expect to find batteries, but were
rather hanging on the wall in the garden supplies department

Take care.

Ken

NiCad Battery Question
 

Ken Weitzel wrote:

Lou wrote:
I have an outdoor garden solar powered decoration that uses a small
solar panel and that charges a Ni-Cad AA Rechargeable Battery. The
battery needs replacing and it is an AA 1.2v at 600mAh. I looked at
Target, Walmart, and another store and yes, they all have the AA
Rechargeable Batteries but with like a 1000mAh rating. I do not know if
I need to stick to the 600mAh rating or can I use the 1000mAh rated
rechargeable battery? This decorative device is just a fiber optic
display in a gazing globe so the battery powers a bulb for the fiber
optics at night.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Hi Lou...

Go ahead and use the larger capacity; it will make virtually no
difference,

Agreed. It certainly won't harm anything.


but if dollars mean much to you...

Last summer in our Walmart (Winnipeg, Canada) they had the smaller
capacity nicd's at a price that was almost a give-a-way. (pkg of 4
for only two or three dollars). The trick was that they weren't in
the places that you'd normally expect to find batteries, but were
rather hanging on the wall in the garden supplies department

It's really difficult to find those low capacity batteries any more.

NiMH AAs are up to 2700-2800 mAh now if you go for the latest hi-spec ones.

Graham

NiCad Battery Question
 

It doesn't pose a problem to use a higher mah hour rating, in fact it
will run longer. I just got a new solar pool lamp, and the instructions
for it say as much. Additionally mine says to charge for two days before
using to get the battery fully charged. What this means is that I have
to bring it in at night and put under a lamp so that it doesn't run all
night. I would expect that if I put a battery with twice the capacity, I
probably should charge for 4 days .

Lou wrote:

I have an outdoor garden solar powered decoration that uses a small
solar panel and that charges a Ni-Cad AA Rechargeable Battery. The
battery needs replacing and it is an AA 1.2v at 600mAh. I looked at
Target, Walmart, and another store and yes, they all have the AA
Rechargeable Batteries but with like a 1000mAh rating. I do not know if
I need to stick to the 600mAh rating or can I use the 1000mAh rated
rechargeable battery? This decorative device is just a fiber optic
display in a gazing globe so the battery powers a bulb for the fiber
optics at night.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Lou



--
Joe Leikhim K4SAT
"The RFI-EMI-GUY"©

"Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."

"Follow The Money" ;-P

NiCad Battery Question
 

**THE-RFI-EMI-GUY** wrote:

It doesn't pose a problem to use a higher mah hour rating, in fact it
will run longer. I just got a new solar pool lamp, and the
instructions for it say as much. Additionally mine says to charge for
two days before using to get the battery fully charged. What this
means is that I have to bring it in at night and put under a lamp so
that it doesn't run all night. I would expect that if I put a battery
with twice the capacity, I probably should charge for 4 days .

Simply charge it first in an external charger. Problem solved.

--
GO ALINGHI! Beat the Kiwis.

NiCad Battery Question
 

UCLAN wrote:
**THE-RFI-EMI-GUY** wrote:

It doesn't pose a problem to use a higher mah hour rating, in fact it
will run longer. I just got a new solar pool lamp, and the
instructions for it say as much. Additionally mine says to charge for
two days before using to get the battery fully charged. What this
means is that I have to bring it in at night and put under a lamp so
that it doesn't run all night. I would expect that if I put a battery
with twice the capacity, I probably should charge for 4 days .

Simply charge it first in an external charger. Problem solved.


Some of my cheapo garden lights batteries failed, and as an experiment I
just popped in normal AA duracells. That was last summer and they are
still working fine. And yes, before you flame me (groan)they are in a
place where an explosion of fire wouldn`t be a problem. They stay lit
all night on an afternoons sunlight charge.


Ron(UK)

NiCad Battery Question
 

"Ron(UK)" wrote:

UCLAN wrote:
**THE-RFI-EMI-GUY** wrote:

It doesn't pose a problem to use a higher mah hour rating, in fact it
will run longer. I just got a new solar pool lamp, and the
instructions for it say as much. Additionally mine says to charge for
two days before using to get the battery fully charged. What this
means is that I have to bring it in at night and put under a lamp so
that it doesn't run all night. I would expect that if I put a battery
with twice the capacity, I probably should charge for 4 days .

Simply charge it first in an external charger. Problem solved.


Some of my cheapo garden lights batteries failed, and as an experiment I
just popped in normal AA duracells. That was last summer and they are
still working fine. And yes, before you flame me (groan)they are in a
place where an explosion of fire wouldn`t be a problem. They stay lit
all night on an afternoons sunlight charge.

You can actually get 'rechargable alkaline' types I believe but I expect the
wide availability of cheap Nicad and NiMH means they never took off.

Graham

NiCad Battery Question
 

In article ,
Eeyore wrote:
You can actually get 'rechargable alkaline' types I believe but I expect
the wide availability of cheap Nicad and NiMH means they never took off.

According to Which? tests they performed badly especially if heavily
discharged. Only possible benefit I could see was the nominal 1.5 volts
per cell.

--
*I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

NiCad Battery Question
 

On 20 Jun, 03:57, **THE-RFI-EMI-GUY** wrote:

It doesn't pose a problem to use a higher mah hour rating, in fact it
will run longer. I just got a new solar pool lamp, and the instructions
for it say as much. Additionally mine says to charge for two days before
using to get the battery fully charged.

ignore it, just put it out and it'll run fine. There is some bizarre
advice about in instruction leaflets on this for some reason. Maybe an
exercise in reducing successful guarantee claims.


NT

NiCad Battery Question
 

In article . com,
wrote:
It doesn't pose a problem to use a higher mah hour rating, in fact it
will run longer. I just got a new solar pool lamp, and the
instructions for it say as much. Additionally mine says to charge for
two days before using to get the battery fully charged.

ignore it, just put it out and it'll run fine. There is some bizarre
advice about in instruction leaflets on this for some reason. Maybe an
exercise in reducing successful guarantee claims.

I've never understood this long charge with new batteries. Ages ago I
bought a PPPro cordless drill with a crude fast charger (4 hours) which
reckoned you doubled that for the first one before using. Which I'd say
would fry them, as they arrived with near a full charge anyway by the
lights on the side of the battery.

--
*It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

NiCad Battery Question
 

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in
:

In article . com,
wrote:
It doesn't pose a problem to use a higher mah hour rating, in fact it
will run longer. I just got a new solar pool lamp, and the
instructions for it say as much. Additionally mine says to charge for
two days before using to get the battery fully charged.

ignore it, just put it out and it'll run fine. There is some bizarre
advice about in instruction leaflets on this for some reason. Maybe an
exercise in reducing successful guarantee claims.

I've never understood this long charge with new batteries. Ages ago I
bought a PPPro cordless drill with a crude fast charger (4 hours) which
reckoned you doubled that for the first one before using. Which I'd say
would fry them, as they arrived with near a full charge anyway by the
lights on the side of the battery.


Some batteries are not shipped formed (charged). The solar lights are NOT
fast chargers...

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NiCad Battery Question
 

On Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:54:26 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article . com,
wrote:
It doesn't pose a problem to use a higher mah hour rating, in fact it
will run longer. I just got a new solar pool lamp, and the
instructions for it say as much. Additionally mine says to charge for
two days before using to get the battery fully charged.

ignore it, just put it out and it'll run fine. There is some bizarre
advice about in instruction leaflets on this for some reason. Maybe an
exercise in reducing successful guarantee claims.

I've never understood this long charge with new batteries. Ages ago I
bought a PPPro cordless drill with a crude fast charger (4 hours) which
reckoned you doubled that for the first one before using. Which I'd say
would fry them, as they arrived with near a full charge anyway by the
lights on the side of the battery.

It's an old scheme to attempt some form of SOC equalisation in series strings.
Fine for C/10 but a bit extreme for fast chargers.

NiCad Battery Question
 

On 22 Jun, 08:45, budgie wrote:
On Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:54:26 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:
In article . com,
wrote:

It doesn't pose a problem to use a higher mah hour rating, in fact it
will run longer. I just got a new solar pool lamp, and the
instructions for it say as much. Additionally mine says to charge for
two days before using to get the battery fully charged.

ignore it, just put it out and it'll run fine. There is some bizarre
advice about in instruction leaflets on this for some reason. Maybe an
exercise in reducing successful guarantee claims.

I've never understood this long charge with new batteries. Ages ago I
bought a PPPro cordless drill with a crude fast charger (4 hours) which
reckoned you doubled that for the first one before using. Which I'd say
would fry them, as they arrived with near a full charge anyway by the
lights on the side of the battery.

It's an old scheme to attempt some form of SOC equalisation in series strings.
Fine for C/10 but a bit extreme for fast chargers.

Also dont you think double charge time a bit excessive for this
though?

Also I'd think in this app it would be more important that the cells
run flat at the same time than that they hold the maximum battery
capacity.

And of course equalising is more relevant to used batteries rather
than new.

4 reasons so far why its not good practice.


NT

NiCad Battery Question
 

In article ,
me wrote:
I've never understood this long charge with new batteries. Ages ago I
bought a PPPro cordless drill with a crude fast charger (4 hours) which
reckoned you doubled that for the first one before using. Which I'd say
would fry them, as they arrived with near a full charge anyway by the
lights on the side of the battery.


Some batteries are not shipped formed (charged).

I've yet to come across a power tool recently supplied with totally
uncharged batteries. It may have been the case once.

The solar lights are NOT fast chargers...

Didn't say they were. Just expanding a point which was brought up.

--
*I am a nobody, and nobody is perfect; therefore I am perfect*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

NiCad Battery Question
 

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
In article ,
me wrote:
I've never understood this long charge with new batteries. Ages ago I
bought a PPPro cordless drill with a crude fast charger (4 hours) which
reckoned you doubled that for the first one before using. Which I'd say
would fry them, as they arrived with near a full charge anyway by the
lights on the side of the battery.


Some batteries are not shipped formed (charged).

I've yet to come across a power tool recently supplied with totally
uncharged batteries. It may have been the case once.

The solar lights are NOT fast chargers...

Didn't say they were. Just expanding a point which was brought up.


As already suggested, do the initial charge with your normal NiCd/NiMH
charger. For several days, the solar lights will probably still be lit
at dawn the next morning! Also, once in a while, it won't do any harm to
repeat this exercise, and especially if you 'lay them up' for the
winter.
Ian.
--

NiCad Battery Question
 

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 03:58:38 -0700, wrote:

On 22 Jun, 08:45, budgie wrote:
On Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:54:26 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:
In article . com,
wrote:

It doesn't pose a problem to use a higher mah hour rating, in fact it
will run longer. I just got a new solar pool lamp, and the
instructions for it say as much. Additionally mine says to charge for
two days before using to get the battery fully charged.

ignore it, just put it out and it'll run fine. There is some bizarre
advice about in instruction leaflets on this for some reason. Maybe an
exercise in reducing successful guarantee claims.

I've never understood this long charge with new batteries. Ages ago I
bought a PPPro cordless drill with a crude fast charger (4 hours) which
reckoned you doubled that for the first one before using. Which I'd say
would fry them, as they arrived with near a full charge anyway by the
lights on the side of the battery.

It's an old scheme to attempt some form of SOC equalisation in series strings.
Fine for C/10 but a bit extreme for fast chargers.

Also dont you think double charge time a bit excessive for this
though?

Yes. But having said that, we are talking consumer electronics, and the
uncontrolled variable is the consumer.

Also I'd think in this app it would be more important that the cells
run flat at the same time than that they hold the maximum battery
capacity.

Yes.

And of course equalising is more relevant to used batteries rather
than new.

Not necessarily so. AFAIR no-one ever claimed that all cells in a pack started
life in the pack at exactly the same SOC.

Certainly SOC variation is a result of cell use in the real world.

4 reasons so far why its not good practice.

2.5 probably. I didn't say for a moment that I endorse the practice.