by IC-Johnny » 29 Nov 2006 11:09
Any deveice that uses the nickle-cadmium type rechargeable batteries should be charged to the manufacturer's recommendation for their first charge. Overcharging them will only shorten the battery's lifetime.
Another recommendation I could share with you is to allow the battery to run out completely prior to re-charging the unit. I know it's second nature to want the device to be on "hot standby", fully charged and ready to go for the next use.
The problem with the NiCad batteries is that if you use the device, say for ten minutes at a time, then immediately re-charge it for another six hours, the batteries will quickly develop the "memory effect". Basically, this means that the batteries will eventually be expected to provide you with ten minutes of usage for the full time charge cycle. Under those conditions only expect a year's use and you will be replacing the batteries.
The best thing is to use the device until it shows signs of slowing down, then let the unit run down completely before recharging. That will give you the longest lifetime that is expectable for those batteries.
If the batteries provided with the unit are nickle-metal-hydride they will not be affected by the same memory effect. Nickle metal hydride batteries are lighter in weight and provide an even amount of current availability, but when they run out, they do so very fast.
Here in the US Nickel Cadmium batteries are an environmental disposal problem. There is something about the chemical break-down of the cadmium. This may be a factor in pricing the unit, because some countries may require the use of nickel-metal-hydride (NiMh), instead of the NiCad type. The extra cost in those type of batteries may make up for the price difference of being "environmentally friendly"
With regard to the idea of changing the power supply for the 230 V European system, that's a good idea, but make sure that the power supply you purchase uses the exact same voltage, and most importantly, the same current rating. This current rating is usually expressed in milliamps [ma] or in Europe, this may be referred to as Volt-Amps [va].
Just my 2 cents!
IC-Johnny, BSEE
