Rechargeable nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries have gained popularity because they carry more charge per use than comparably sized nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries, and they do not suffer as greatly from the "memory effect" that reduces both overall battery capacity and operation time. NiMH batteries are also made from environmentally friendly materials. A NiMH battery is designed to deliver between 500 to 800 full charges over its lifetime, but if you find your battery is holding less time per charge, you may want to occasionally recondition it.
Instructions
1. Fully discharge your NiMH battery. Insert your battery and turn on the device it controls. Disable any power-saving or automatic turn-off features in your device, and disconnect any power adapters. Let the device run from battery power until the battery completely discharges.
2. Fully charge your NiMH battery. If you have a NiMH battery recharger, insert the battery into it and connect it to the power source. The charger indicator light will tell you when the battery is fully recharged and ready to remove from the charger. Otherwise, plug in the device power adapter, and let the NiMH battery recharge while the device is turned off. Most devices have indicator lights that let you know when the battery is at full power.
3. Remove your NiMH batteries when the device they power is not in use. Even though the batteries will continue to discharge, the rate will be slower, thus extending the time until the next battery charge is required. This will improve the total number of cycles in the battery lifetime.
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