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How to Reset a Nickel-Cadmium Battery

Nickel cadmium (NiCad) batteries need to be reset occasionally. The frequency depends on the way you recharge and use your battery. NiCads are susceptible to "memory effect." This is when you find the battery discharges very quickly, but also takes only a few minutes to apparently recharge. In fact the battery isn't fully charged; the NiCad crystals have expanded in size, so they are unable to retain a full charge. When this happens the battery needs to be reset.

Things You'll Need

Battery charger

Instructions

- 1
  Put your NiCad battery on charge until the charger or device it powers indicates it's fully charged. If the battery charges while in the electrical device, ensure that the device is turned off before charging.
- 2
  Turn off the charger, or remove the charging plug once the battery is charged. Turn on the device.
- 3
  Allow the device to operate for as long as it takes until it stops operating. It's not likely to be long, but it's important that you let it run until it runs out of battery power. Turn off the device. Leave the device turned off for 15 to 20 minutes.
- 4
  Turn on the device. It does operate again. Let it run until it stops, and then turn it off and leave it for about five minutes. Continue to repeat the process until the device doesn't operate when you turn it on. While the process can be a little boring, it is resetting the structure of the NiCad crystals. The crystals get reduced in size, similar to when you first got your battery.
- 5
  Put the NiCad battery on charge again. If the device has an internal battery and turns on automatically when you start to charge it, turn it off.
- 6
  Let the battery charge. It will take much longer than before if the process of resetting it has worked. If you find it doesn't take very long, you need to repeat the entire process once more. If there's no subsequent improvement in charge time, you need to replace the battery.
- 7
  Turn off the charger once the battery is fully charged. Turn on the electrical device. You will find that it runs much longer than before but probably not quite as well as when it was new. However, if you repeat the process every two or three months, you will find it will improve even more.

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