Dead batt technique - It's ALIVE!!!

[Webby]

IMHO, the 510 is the finest PV made, so forgive my obvious bias...

Made in China doesn't have quite the same ring to it as German Engineering and I doubt anyone in the forum would disagree. We don't "refurb" attys/batts so replacing them leaves me with plenty to tinker with.

I've found taking a 510 batt (manual or auto) and using a voltage test kit just until the light begins to dim drains the batt far enough to retake a full charge in some cases.

I'm not an electrical engineer, so my methods are far from scientific, but I'm curious if anyone else has tried this procedure with more reliable results?

[Stehle]

Originally Posted by Webby

IMHO, the 510 is the finest PV made, so forgive my obvious bias...

Made in China doesn't have quite the same ring to it as German Engineering and I doubt anyone in the forum would disagree. We don't "refurb" attys/batts so replacing them leaves me with plenty to tinker with.

I've found taking a 510 batt (manual or auto) and using a voltage test kit just until the light begins to dim drains the batt far enough to retake a full charge in some cases.

I'm not an electrical engineer, so my methods are far from scientific, but I'm curious if anyone else has tried this procedure with more reliable results?

Was the battery really "dead" to begin with?

[STILLSMOK9]

O bviously if he had to replace it

[stevo_tdo]

Oh crap, i'm trying to remember. There are a few test the battery charger has to perform to begin proper charge. If the battery is above a specific voltage it immediately goes into normal charge. If below that specific voltage it goes into a very low ma trickle charge. All the while the temperature of the battery is being monitored and charge current being adjusted accordingly. If any of these precharge test come back bad then charging will not complete. I theorize that in some instances the battery is not dead enough to begin a preconditioning charge but too full still to except the full charge current without tripping the temperature monitor sensor. Which would eventually charge the battery but would take forever. So doing a slow drain would adequately drain the battery down past this threshold. Allowing a proper charge to initiate

Just my thought, if anyone has a better answer please tell. I blew half of this answer out my arse. Some of the best solutions in history have come from ass blowing (that's not what i meant).

[Webby]

Originally Posted by Stehle

Was the battery really "dead" to begin with?

I'd love to know the stats on user error vs malfunction, but for argument's sake - I'd say generally no. My personal take is that most of the time, attys work well (and long) enough that newbie users leave their "spare" on charge for days...weeks...etc.

By the time they finally go use them, they have about a 25-50 puff life.

[Webby]

Originally Posted by stevo_tdo

Oh crap, i'm trying to remember. There are a few test the battery charger has to perform to begin proper charge. If the battery is above a specific voltage it immediately goes into normal charge. If below that specific voltage it goes into a very low ma trickle charge. All the while the temperature of the battery is being monitored and charge current being adjusted accordingly. If any of these precharge test come back bad then charging will not complete. I theorize that in some instances the battery is not dead enough to begin a preconditioning charge but too full still to except the full charge current without tripping the temperature monitor sensor. Which would eventually charge the battery but would take forever. So doing a slow drain would adequately drain the battery down past this threshold. Allowing a proper charge to initiate

That's kind of where I was going - I remember breathing life into VHS camcorder batteries in the early 80's by touching posts and completing the circuit just until the light began to dim. Too far and you reverse the charge and the battery is dead.

At least in nicads this has worked for years. I sat looking at a pickle jar or "bad" batts on my desk and thought there had to be a way to slap the side of the TV and get a better picture...

YSUUSYs NiCd Battery Repair

[Stehle]

Originally Posted by Webby

That's kind of where I was going - I remember breathing life into VHS camcorder batteries in the early 80's by touching posts and completing the circuit just until the light began to dim. Too far and you reverse the charge and the battery is dead.

At least in nicads this has worked for years. I sat looking at a pickle jar or "bad" batts on my desk and thought there had to be a way to slap the side of the TV and get a better picture...

YSUUSYs NiCd Battery Repair

These are Lithium Batteries in all our PV's no?

They may have different properties, charge differently and have no memory.

Its just IMHO... but I'm interested in the subject and will keep following this tread.

[stevo_tdo]

I'd do some hands on with the matter but the only bad batteries I've had so far were malfunctioning from new with messed up autoswitches.