Some cheap or poorly designed fast NiMH battery chargers will decrease the battery life by overcharging or generating excess heat. These are caused primarily by:

• Not detecting the “End of Charge”; and,
• Continuing to charge at a high rate.
• Some NiMH Batteries cannot handle high charge currents; and,
• When heat builds up, the NiMH Battery Charger fails to take appropriate action.

Other NiMH Battery Chargers are also capable of reducing the life of your NiMH battery. Using a medium rate or an overnight charger can also cause damage from over charging or the build up of excess heat.

Overnight chargers usually operate for a fixed or maximum period of time. You are expected to remove your NiMH rechargeable batteries if they are charged before the “maximum” or “timeout” period is reached.

Let’s say that your NiMH batteries are charged after 8 hours, but your overnight NiMH battery charger continues for 12 hours. After 8 hours, the batteries have reached end of charge and any excess charge will result in a build up of heat. The NiMH batteries could now being damaged.

Overcharging can reduce the life of your NiMH rechargeable batteries. A rechargeable battery that is always slow charged will usually last longer than one that is always rapid charged. The difference is small if you are using a quality fast NiMH battery charger.

The lesson remains the same. Pay now or pay later. Take care of your things, and they will last longer. Try and save a few bucks, and you could be throwing some of your money away.

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