Use seven simple steps to recondition your NiCad battery.
You probably use nickel cadmium (NiCad) batteries in many of your electrical devices, although lithium-based batteries are increasingly in use due the extra power lithium batteries can produce. NiCad batteries can only be charged and discharged a certain number of times before they appear to go dead quickly. Fortunately, NiCad batteries are the easiest battery to recondition as a DIY task.
Instructions
1. Make sure your NiCad battery is fully charged, according to the battery charger display. The best way to recondition your NiCad battery is to start the process using a battery that is charged as much as possible.
2. Remove the NiCad battery from the charger as soon as it indicates it's charged. Put the battery into the electrical unit it powers immediately.
3. Turn on the device. If the NiCad battery powers a mechanical device such as a power tool, put it on the highest setting, or if it's an electronic device such as an iPod or a cell phone, open as many applications as your device allows. The reason your battery goes dead quickly and needs reconditioning is because the crystals in the battery have changed their structure over time and can no longer retain the correct amount of energy.
4. Let the device run until it stops or closes down automatically. Turn off the device and leave it for a short time. Half an hour is about right.
5. Restart your device and let it run at medium power, if it's mechanical, or open a few applications if it's electronic. Let it operate as before until you find it stops then turn it off. The process of discharging the battery in a systematic way is restructuring the crystals. They are breaking down, and the smaller the crystals become the more energy the battery can retain.
6. Repeat the process of turning it on and letting it run until it stops or turns off until you find the battery won't power the device and the motor doesn't run, or the applications don't open. Your NiCad battery is completely dead, the crystals are restructured and the battery is almost reconditioned.
7. Put your NiCad battery in the battery charger to complete the reconditioning process. Let it charge until the charger indicates the battery is full. Be prepared for it to take a lot longer than you've gotten used to. Remove the reconditioned battery from the battery charger once full. You will find that it powers your device considerably better next time you use it.
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