nessus@nsc.UUCP (Kchula-Rrit) (07/02/85)
["With such a weapon I could boil the Earth to vapor."]
Last weekend I purchased a FM-Walkman(tm) clone/superset. It is one of
those little radios(mine is AM/FM) with the head-phones and has General
Electric's name on it. In the package I found an offer for G.E.'s rechargable
Nickel-Cadmium batteries.
Friends of mine have told me that these things tend to eat batteries at a
rather rapid rate. Since batteries can be rather expensive(my unit uses 3 "AAA"
-types), this sounds like a good thing to have. However, my SO gave me a hand-
held wire-wrap gun in 1981 with a set of G.E.'s "C"-size Ni-Cd batteries. These
batteries have exhibited the "memory" effect that Ni-Cd's are known for. Not
wishing to have this experience again, I have the following questions for the
net...
0. Has G.E. improved their Ni-Cds in the past few years?
1. How can I prevent/delay the "memory" effect from biting me?
2. How do Ni-Cds perform in FM-Walkman/clones/supersets?
3. Is $10.95 a "good" price for a set of 4 "AAA"-size batteries+charger?
4. Is there a manufacturer that makes a "better" Ni-Cd for a better price?
I have posted this to net.analog because there was a discussion recently
about batteries and recharging... Thanks for any info.
From the alter ego of--
Kchula-Rrit
!menlo70!nsc!nessus
P.S. I almost forgot: Walkman and FM-Walkman are trademarks of Sony, G.E. is
probably a trademark as well.
K-Rrnrh@lzwi.UUCP (N.R.HASLOCK) (07/03/85)
In article <2936@nsc.UUCP>, nessus@nsc.UUCP (Kchula-Rrit) writes: > However, my SO gave me a hand-held wire-wrap gun in 1981 with a set > of G.E.'s "C"-size Ni-Cd batteries. These batteries have exhibited > the "memory" effect that Ni-Cd's are known for. > I have the following questions for the net... > > 0. Has G.E. improved their Ni-Cds in the past few years? > 1. How can I prevent/delay the "memory" effect from biting me? > 2. How do Ni-Cds perform in FM-Walkman/clones/supersets? > 3. Is $10.95 a "good" price for a set of 4 "AAA"-size batteries+charger? > 4. Is there a manufacturer that makes a "better" Ni-Cd for a better price? > > Kchula-Rrit > !menlo70!nsc!nessus In general, Radio-Control Model freakshave been using Ni-Cads to their limits for many years. If you know of someone with this hobby, talk to them. The modelling magazines carry usful articles fairly often. Answers 0. There has been no design change that I know of. 1. 'Memory' effects come from repeated incomplete discharge of the cells and can be cured by discharing the cells through a standard load, whatever it takes to have the current be 50ma. ( You must recharge them first and it may take two or three cycles to get the capacity back ). Nasty ways to treat Ni-Cads include overcharging with a fast charger, unlikely with the GE device but check the charging current. Remember that Ni-Cads are considered good for only 200 to 300 charge discharge cycles so curing 'memory' will shorten the life of the cells. Recommended charging current is 1/10 of the capacity of the cells. 2. I run my walkman with ni-cads and have no complaints. I can listen to the radio for an hour or two after the cassettes will no longer turn. 3. Price seems fair. Compare with Radio Shack. 4. Not that I know about. -- -- {ihnp4|vax135|allegra}!lznv!nrh Nigel The Mad Englishman or The Madly Maundering Mumbler in the Wildernesses Everything you have read here is a figment of your imagination. Noone else in the universe currently subscribes to these opinions. "Its the rope, you know. You can't get it, you know."