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From: ge@phoibos.cs.kun.nl (Ge Weijers)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Nicad "Memory"
Message-ID: <10492@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 6 Aug 90 14:47:32 GMT
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forrette@sim.berkeley.edu (Steve Forrette) writes:

]Can someone recap the discussion of "memory" in nicad batteries?  I'm
]having a problem with my HT5300 AT&T cordless phone.  I had it
]unplugged for about two months, and like a dummy didn't disconnect the
]battery in the handset.  So, I assume that it was on standby (since it
]was off the base for awhile), and totally discharged the battery.
]This is bad news, right?  It's been charging for over two days, and
]reads only 2.65 volts.  The battery is rated at 3.6V, 720mAh.  When I
]take the handset off the base, the LO BATTERY light comes on, and none
]of the keys do anything.  Any thoughts? 

This has nothing to do with the 'memory' effect. The NiCd battery has
been 'shorted' too long, i.e. drained to much. Replacing it is your
only option.  (A better-designed phone would stop drawing current when
the voltage drops below a certain limit. It should NOT light a
battery-low LED until no charge remains. Never discharge below the
1V/cell level, 3V in your case.)  The memory effect comes into play if
you never fully discharge a battery.


Ge' Weijers                                    Internet/UUCP: ge@cs.kun.nl
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science,   (uunet.uu.net!cs.kun.nl!ge)
University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1         tel. +3180612483 (UTC+1,
6525 ED Nijmegen, the Netherlands               UTC+2 march/september