Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcvax!ukc!mucs!s2!dente From: dente@s2.uucp (Colin Dente) Newsgroups: sci.electronics Subject: Re: This is really twisted [Smart Charger] Message-ID: <5901@ux.cs.man.ac.uk> Date: 24 Apr 89 13:05:49 GMT References: <6.244B3B30@angel.ucm.org> <5770017@hpscdc.HP.COM> <535@cbnewsc.ATT.COM> Sender: news@ux.cs.man.ac.uk Reply-To: dente@s2.UUCP (Colin Dente) Organization: University of Manchester, UK Lines: 38 In article <535@cbnewsc.ATT.COM> parnass@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (Bob Parnass, AJ9S) writes: >In article , hobbit@topaz.rutgers.edu (*Hobbit*) writes: >> I just opened up what porports to be a battery charger for some unknown >> kind of radio... >> The charger's called "Smart Charger" [haw!!] and is made >> by Alexander Mfg, Mason City Iowa. > >The Alexander SM12000 Smart Charger is shown in the new Alexander catalog. >It is supposed to rapid charge a battery at a 450 mAh rate. >A 500 mAh battery will be fully charged in 1-1/2 hours. [Details of operation deleted....] Just a thought.... I recall several years ago that Wireless World published a description of an all-singing, all-dancing battery charger that (if my memory serves me correctly) charged the battery at a very high rate (~250mA??) for a short while (sorry about the lack of specifics, but it was a long time ago...), then discharged it slowly for a few seconds, examining the discharge characteristic. Apparently, this allowed the circuit to know exactly when the battery was fully charged, and thus the high charge rate didn't do any damage (no overcharging at all). Could this be something similar? As I said, just a thought..... Colin =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | Colin Dente | JANET: dente%s2@uk.ac.man.cs.ux | | Dept. of Electrical Engineering | ARPA: dente%s2%man.cs.ux@ukacrl.BITNET | | University of Manchester | UUCP: ...!mcvax!ukc!man.cs.ux!s2!dente | | England | | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ======================================================================= | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=