Reliability of batteries and their damage to equipment

[Zenith26kc20]

Ni-cads gas off when they get old too. My IVIE spectrum analyzer was a victim of it's internal batteries! I use Ni MH now for rechargeables.

[Ed in Tx]

I had excellent results from the Energizer "E2 Titanium AA" cells. I put a pair in my HVAC thermostat in 2001 and kinda forgot it has batteries in it until last summer. Expecting to see some leakage I took it off the wall and all was clean. Tested the battery voltage and they still had about 1.4V per battery. They had an expiration date in 2007. I think I got my moneys worth! Seems they quit making those when I tried to find more.

BTW I've had NiMH leak too.

[wa2ise]

Why do the makers insist on putting corrosive crap in batteries anyway?

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Zenith26kc20

Ni-cads gas off when they get old too. My IVIE spectrum analyzer was a victim of it's internal batteries! I use Ni MH now for rechargeables.

I use NiMH batteries in a 2-meter amateur radio transceiver as well. Its first set of batteries was, IIRC, four NiCads, but they never leaked or otherwise made a mess in the battery compartment -- they just got old and to the point where they wouldn't hold a charge any longer. That's when I bought a set of four NiMH cells, and never looked back. Those batteries are much better than NiCads because, among other things, they do not have the "memory" effect NC batteries have, so one can recharge NiMH cells whenever they get weak -- no waiting for the batteries to go almost completely dead, as with NiCads. The memory effect in the latter is the phenomenon by which a NC battery, if charged before it is completely dead, will charge only to a certain point, then will not take any further charging.

I have used NC batteries in my portable ham gear for years, but since discovering NiMH cells and being very pleased with their performance, as I said earlier, I will not go back to the former. A four-cell battery pack I use with another handheld I own also has NiMH cells, but it doesn't get much use for reasons better gone into in the Amateur Radio forum. That NiMH pack, however, to the best of my knowledge, still works, and well.

I wonder if NiCad cells are still being manufactured today, or are all rechargeable batteries sold in the US now NiMH cells or packs? I would think, considering the fact that NiMH cells have no memory effect and can have higher current output than NC batteries, the former have pretty much if not totally replaced the latter in most high-current applications such as two-way radios, TV remotes, flashlights, any motorized device, et al.

[Ed in Tx]

I generally replace old NiCads with NiMH too, but some NiCad chargers won't charge NiMH properly. Maybe not up to a full charge, or the trickle charge current might be too high for NiMH.