Both definitions are used. Sometimes it is defined as 0.10C, or charging at 10%
of rating. However, that charge rate will fully charge a battery in 24 hours.
As far as I can make out the smartest modern chargers will charge briefly for a
short time every couple of hours to keep the batteries topped off in trickle
mode. Older, dumber, chargers leave a continuous low charge current (too low to
over heat).
However, cell life is rated in number of charge cycles. As I understand it
every time a charge current is sent to the cell that is one cycle. That would
make it appear that the very best way to handle recharging is to fully charge
the battery and then only recharge when it is down to 1.0V (fully discharged).
That should give you maximum cell life from the battery. However in real life
that does not work too well. You have to change batteries at inconvenient
times, etc. So I would guess using the battery as much as possible without
having to wait on long recycle times and without getting caught with low
batteries when you need them is the best way to do that.
Alternatively, for high availability use, fully charge batteries after each
use, then top them off with a smart charger if they have set more than a week
or so before the next use. That way the battery uses two charge cycles for each
use, but I would think they will last longer than leaving them in the charger
with it charging them for a few minutes every few hours.
Of course most folks just use them, and charge them willy-nilly and they still
seem to last a couple of years. Sometimes we can worry too much about such
things.
graywolf
http://www.graywolfphoto.com
"Idiot Proof" <==> "Expert Proof"
-----------------------------------
Dario Bonazza wrote:
Discussing batteries and chargers, what does trickle charge mean exactly?
Apparently, some manufacturers (e.g. Quantum) mean a charger function
for maintaining the batteries charged after the normal charging cycle is
complete. That means that if you need the batteries you can use them
after the recharge cycle, while if you have to store the batteries for a
long time, they are kept at full charge by the charger, which does some
small charge from time to time, just to compensate for auto-discharge.
In this case, you get 100% battery power after normal recharge and
before trickle charge, and then again 100% power at any time after
trickle charge.
The batteries are supposed to stay in the charger idefinitely.
Other manufacturers call trickle charge the last part of the standard
recharge cycle, a slower final charge where the batteries are filled up
as much as possible. In this case, you get say 80-90% battery power
after quick charge (with no trickle charge), while you only get 100%
power if you let the charger perform the complete cycle, including the
quick charge and the trickle charge.
The batteries are supposed to stay in the charger only for their
recharge cycle (with or without trickle charge depending on the urgence
of using them).
Please enlighten me. Thanks.
Dario
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