Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!news.cs.indiana.edu!maytag!xenitec!lemsys!clemon From: clemon@lemsys.UUCP (Craig Lemon) Newsgroups: sci.electronics Subject: NiCd Memory (True or False, opinions?) Message-ID: Date: 24 Jun 91 14:09:19 GMT Organization: Not an Organization Lines: 56 I'd like to start a little discussion on NiCd memory (notice little, I don't want to be solely responsible for starting a noticeable bandwidth flare-up net-wide. Moderate's OK :-) I know that in 1985 when I bought my first cordless phone (Radio Shack, ick!) NiCd memory was a thing known only to Electronics hobbyists and professionals. It was never really worried about too much by the general public. The phone manual instructed us to leave the handset on charge whenever we weren't using it so it would be ready whenever we wanted it because it didn't affect the batteries anyways. I knew about memory but I ignored it and left it to charge when I wasn't on the phone. As you can imagine, cordless phones are probably _the_ best "medium" in which to create cases of NiCd memory : on 0:15, charge 30:00, on 0:30, charge 0:05, on for 0:30 again etc...etc... I was particularly bad for this. Now these batteries are badly memorized or just plain worn out. It'll still let the phone standby for 12 hours (which is all some new manufacturers claim) and talk for a good hour I think. The Bat Low light comes on but the phone takes a long time to die after that. Now time have changed. Just as the 'net _seemed_ to declare memory a fallacy, the cordless phone manufacturers and vendors have caught on! I've been shopping for a new cordless phone and I've wasted more time listening to EVERY salesman tell me over and over to charge the handset for 16 hours, and then not charge it again until the BATTERY LOW light comes on. The Panasonic dealers even said that after the initial charge I should run it down and charge it again before using. This woman also said that I should put tape over the chargin contacts if I'm tempted to hang it up! The above seems like an awful lot of bother to prevent an effect that doesn't exist. Have there been any further discoveries into : NiCd Memory : Fact or Fiction (the Saga Continues...). ? I thought that my previous battery lasted pretty good and I'm not sure if getting 6 more months out of a battery is worth always having a 50/50 chance that you'll be able to finish a phone call on the present battery power. I know that some people will say, "You don't want to bother with it. Just charge it all the bloody time and don't bother us with it!". I don't want to turn this into a strictly cordless phone discussion but it's just an example. What's happening with the memory scene? Even if these habits do not prevent the maybe non-existant memory, is it better for the NiCd anyhow? What about those new rechargables developed in Canada (Yah!). I think that they were Chromium something. (Sorry, I've handed my OAC Chemistry textbook back already :-) They claim to have 50% more energy and are 50% cheaper to produce. If anyone is familiar with these please post. Do _they_ have a rumoured memory? Disclaimer : I hope I don't have a problem because I metioned Panasonic in this post :-) -- Craig Lemon - Kitchener, Ontario. Amiga B2000 UUCPv1.13D. clemon@lemsys.UUCP lemsys!clemon@xenitec.on.ca | Please Mail any binaries xenitec!lemsys!clemon@watmath.waterloo.edu | to 'files' at this site ..!uunet!watmath!xenitec!lemsys!clemon | instead of 'clemon'