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Do Ni-MH batteries die out?

L

LuDaCriS66

Platinum Member
Just wondering if these lose their charge over time?? Like how other rechargeable batteries have a shorter life after every charge.
 
yes they do. THe one that i havein my MD player is supposed to have a life of 1.5 years or 1000 cycles. Being 3 years old, It is definitely time to get a new one. That thing is good for about 5 songs now🙁

 
as far as I know Ni-MH batteries do not die out as quick as like Ni-Cd. I believe NiMH are in the same category as the Lithium ion batteries, you can recharghed them even if they are only half-used and it won't decrease there life. I tried looking for a FAQ online about them, but I am at a friends house who only gets a 26.4 connection so it will be a while till these pages load up 🙂 Like I said before, I think they will last alot longer then the Ni-Cd batteries, but they will eventually die like all rechargable ones do, just no where near as fast as a Ni-Cd
 
Thanks for the info.... I just thought it would suck bad if I had to keep buying a new battery for my digital camera.. the Canon S10 eats battery power fast with the LCD on..
 
Ni-MH batteries have higher capacity but Ni-Cads have a higher sustained current draw.

Both can be ruined if drawn down absolutely flat then recharged.

 
Just as a reference point, my 1800mah Gold Peaks have lasted 100 pics so far in my Kodak DC120, mostly macro pics too.
I haven't even had the chance to use the second set of them I have sitting in the chargeer...for the past 3 weeks :Q 😀
Highly recommended!!!
 
Any battery no matter what type will lose some of its capacity every cycle (though a very very small amount for NICD/NIMH/LI-ION). The overall life of a NIMH is probably a few years. I have found that overall NIMH batteries don't last anywhere near as long as NICD. I've seen NIMH batteries that are only a few years old and they can't hold any charge. OTOH I have some really really old NICD's (10+ years) that still hold their full capacity (and they were not properly cared for).

Pretty much the only advantages to NIMH are they hold more per charge and they are more environmentally friendly. NICD's last more cycles, weigh a lot less, cost less, and put out more power.

I have recently found out that the ratings (in mAH) the companies tell you is not very accurate. I have been doing some testing and my 1200, 1500, and 1600mAH NIMH batteries only hold about 900-1100mAH. My GP 1800's only hold 1450mAH. OTOH my NICD 700's tested at 680mAH.
 


<< Ni-MH batteries have higher capacity but Ni-Cads have a higher sustained current draw.

Both can be ruined if drawn down absolutely flat then recharged. >>



WTF? Aren't you SUPPOSED to draw them down before recharging them?
 
NiMH lose alot of charge while stored.(called self-discharge, leak at bottom of bucket). This is not the same as memory effect. Memory effect is when battery capacity(bucket size) gets gradually reduced. NiMH suffers some memroy effect, but not as bad as NiCd, but it loses so much charge than NiCd in short period, about 1-2% a day at room temp.
 
Since we are on the topic of batteries.... my laptop battery died. Is Lithium ion really that much better then NiMH? Someone told me that they didn't last as long as NiMH. If so why are they more expensive?
 
Lithium-Ion batteries are very lightweight and small for the capacity (mAh) they hold. I don't think they can deliver the same kind of current (amps) that Ni-MH and Ni-Cd can deliver though, so they're not as suitable for high draw devices.

I'm not sure a single cell can be ruined by fully discharging it, but a cell that's in a pack can be destroyed by reversing the polarity. This happens if one cell develops a lower capacity over time and then runs down completely while the other cells are still able to deliver some power. The dead cell is essentially charged backwards by the other cells that still have power, thus reversing the polarity, killing a cell and rendering the battery pack useless.

The best way to prevent this, is to just drop the pack in the charger as soon as the voltage starts to drop, instead of attempting to fully drain the battery. For example, on a cordless drill, recharge when it starts to slow down (it is essentially dead at that point, so you wont be contributing to any memory effect). Do not stand there and run the motor until it stops completely.
 
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