Battery Wisdom....
Welcome to our Battery Wisdom Page! It is with great pleasure that we at MaxxPacks.com invite you to educate yourselves and take advantage of this page that we have set up just for you.
Ni-Cd - Nickel Cadmium batteries are the most sought out rechargeable batteries in the world. We carry AA, AAA, C, D, and Sub-C Ni-Cd batteries and battery packs for remote control vehicles and drills. It is important that you discharge these batteries before charging them, or they will lose their capacity and you will get less run-time in-between charges. This is often referred to as the ?Memory Effect?. We sell several chargers that have a discharge function built in to eliminate the "Memory Effect". It is also very important that you recycle these batteries because nickel cadmium is toxic and harmful for the environment. Our AA, AAA, C, Sub-C and D Ni-Cd batteries are low in price and are perfect for low-draining devices like television remote controls, RC Vehicles, Clocks, battery light back-ups, solar lights, flashlights?
Ni-MH - Nickel Metal Hydride is the newest battery chemistry available in AA, AAA, C, Sub-C, and D size batteries. Ni-MH batteries have higher capacities than Ni-Cd batteries and are not affected by the Memory Effect. In addition most NiMH cells have now surpassed Nicads in discharge rates. They are more expensive than Ni-Cd batteries, however they will last longer than Ni-Cd batteries in-between charges, and will therefore have a longer life span. When deciding on purchasing the capacity that best suits your needs, please keep in mind that although the AA Ni-MH batteries will last longer in-between charges, their life-cycle will be sacrificed slightly. They are most often used in high-draining devices like Digital Cameras, Pagers, Hand-Held Radios, Walkie Talkies, Cellular Phones, Children Toys, Shavers, Tazers, Flashlights. We have many chargers available for these batteries and urge you to check out the Battery Charger section on our website.
LI-ON- Lithium Ion is the newest battery chemistry that exists today. Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries can be just as high in capacity as Ni-MH batteries, but to date, are only available in laptop and cellular phone batteries. Lithium Ion batteries are smaller and lighter in weight than Ni-MH batteries. They are memory free and more expensive and require a special charger.
Amp Hours (Ah) Refers to the amperage the strength of the electrical current expressed in amperes that the battery can hold. The higher the Ah, the longer the battery will last in-between charges.
Capacity Measured in Amp Hours or Milliamp Hours and is the amount of time the battery can supply the necessary voltage.
Cell One individual battery canister. Commonly arranged with other cells to form battery packs of different voltage and capacities.
Charge With the use of a charger, charging a battery will insert energy into it.
Condition The process by which a battery is discharged and charged in order to guarantee maximum performance (Ni-Cads only).
Discharge The process of taking energy out of a battery.
Life Cycle The amount of times a battery can be charged and discharged before it no longer has any power.
Memory Effect The Effect that represents the decrease in capacity and voltage in Ni-Cd batteries due to repetitive charging and incomplete discharging. This results in loss of run-time in-between charges.
Milliamp Hours (mAh) Applies to how much energy the battery can store, the capacity of the battery. The higher the mAh, the longer the run-time in-between charges. One mAh is the equivalent to 1/1000 Amps. IE: 2.7 Ah = 2700 mAh
Self-Discharge If batteries are fully charged and sit on the shelf for one-two months, they will Self-Discharge. By Self-Discharging the batteries will lose capacity on their own without being used or placed in a charger that discharges the batteries.
Battery Classification
Ni-Cd - Nickel Cadmium batteries are the most sought out rechargeable batteries in the world. We carry AA, AAA, C, D, and Sub-C Ni-Cd batteries and battery packs for remote control vehicles and drills. It is important that you discharge these batteries before charging them, or they will lose their capacity and you will get less run-time in-between charges. This is often referred to as the ?Memory Effect?. We sell several chargers that have a discharge function built in to eliminate the "Memory Effect". It is also very important that you recycle these batteries because nickel cadmium is toxic and harmful for the environment. Our AA, AAA, C, Sub-C and D Ni-Cd batteries are low in price and are perfect for low-draining devices like television remote controls, RC Vehicles, Clocks, battery light back-ups, solar lights, flashlights?
Ni-MH - Nickel Metal Hydride is the newest battery chemistry available in AA, AAA, C, Sub-C, and D size batteries. Ni-MH batteries have higher capacities than Ni-Cd batteries and are not affected by the Memory Effect. In addition most NiMH cells have now surpassed Nicads in discharge rates. They are more expensive than Ni-Cd batteries, however they will last longer than Ni-Cd batteries in-between charges, and will therefore have a longer life span. When deciding on purchasing the capacity that best suits your needs, please keep in mind that although the AA Ni-MH batteries will last longer in-between charges, their life-cycle will be sacrificed slightly. They are most often used in high-draining devices like Digital Cameras, Pagers, Hand-Held Radios, Walkie Talkies, Cellular Phones, Children Toys, Shavers, Tazers, Flashlights. We have many chargers available for these batteries and urge you to check out the Battery Charger section on our website.
LI-ON- Lithium Ion is the newest battery chemistry that exists today. Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries can be just as high in capacity as Ni-MH batteries, but to date, are only available in laptop and cellular phone batteries. Lithium Ion batteries are smaller and lighter in weight than Ni-MH batteries. They are memory free and more expensive and require a special charger.
Key Terminology when dealing with Batteries
Amp Hours (Ah) Refers to the amperage the strength of the electrical current expressed in amperes that the battery can hold. The higher the Ah, the longer the battery will last in-between charges.
Capacity Measured in Amp Hours or Milliamp Hours and is the amount of time the battery can supply the necessary voltage.
Cell One individual battery canister. Commonly arranged with other cells to form battery packs of different voltage and capacities.
Charge With the use of a charger, charging a battery will insert energy into it.
Condition The process by which a battery is discharged and charged in order to guarantee maximum performance (Ni-Cads only).
Discharge The process of taking energy out of a battery.
Life Cycle The amount of times a battery can be charged and discharged before it no longer has any power.
Memory Effect The Effect that represents the decrease in capacity and voltage in Ni-Cd batteries due to repetitive charging and incomplete discharging. This results in loss of run-time in-between charges.
Milliamp Hours (mAh) Applies to how much energy the battery can store, the capacity of the battery. The higher the mAh, the longer the run-time in-between charges. One mAh is the equivalent to 1/1000 Amps. IE: 2.7 Ah = 2700 mAh
Self-Discharge If batteries are fully charged and sit on the shelf for one-two months, they will Self-Discharge. By Self-Discharging the batteries will lose capacity on their own without being used or placed in a charger that discharges the batteries.