On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:25:32 -0700, "Capt. JG"
wrote:

"Goofball_star_dot_etal" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:13:50 -0700, "Capt. JG"
wrote:

"Goofball_star_dot_etal" wrote in message
news On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 09:31:33 -0700, "Capt. JG"
wrote:

"Goofball_star_dot_etal" wrote in message
om...
On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 09:13:26 -0700, "Capt. JG"
wrote:

"Vito" wrote in message
om...
"Capt. JG" wrote in message
...
I just got my HX350S battery back from primecell. I really like the
handheld, even if it's a bit heavy.

They replaced the NiCd with a NiHh and claim that the battery life
will
be double or more. Anyone seen this or have experience with
rebuilds?
It
sure was a lot cheaper than replacing the whole handheld.

On Ham Radios, NiHh has been outperforming the old NiCd for some
years
because it has far less tendency to gain a "memory". A NiCd that
originally has 1000Ah capacity (for example) will quickly drop to
half
that if only half discharged before being recharged.



Hey Vito... you're right, and I've noticed that with other devices.
This
particular VHF battery (the original) was fairly incredible (perhaps
it
was
the radio itself). It never seemed to die. Then, suddenly it wouldn't
hold
a
charge.

Nicads can grow metal crystals which short across the electrodes. It
is possible to fuse these with a short, heavy burst of charging
current and get your battery back.



You mean internal to the battery pack right...

Inside a cell between anode and cathode.

the electrode seats inside
the VHF are fine as far as I can tell.



Ah... thanks for the clarification. All know/care when I need it is it's
charged and it works.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourc...nicad+whiskers



Interesting... I would have to open the battery case though?


You can find out if a cell is shorted if it measures 0V (after
charging) only really by opening the case but you could also zap the
lot in series 'just in case'. I would not suggest how to do this
however, in case someone gets a face full of battery.. but you could
Google for info.

I have the charger that originally came with the VHF, but I don't recall if
it's a fast or slow charger.