It could be that the NiMH are old and tired but it may also be that you
don't understand the oddities of NiMH batteries. While they pack a lot
more power than an alkaline or NiCad cell they also have a very high
self-discharge rate. Just sitting on the shelf doing nothing they lose
about 3% of their charge *per day*. Let them sit around for a week or
two and they begin to look like weaklings.
If it's been more than a few days since you've used them it's always a
good idea to top them up. Topping up was a no-no for NiCad cells
because of their "memory effect" but is a necessity for NiMH.
The memory effect on NiCad cells is that if you only drain them to, say,
half power then they come to "remember" that half power setting as the
zero power setting. The more frequently you top them up the less
capacity you get from them. Resolving the problem requires multiple
full dicharge cycles to reset the "memory". NiMH do not suffer from
this problem but they're happy to use up the power all by themselves.
Chuck Norcutt
Candace Lemarr wrote:
> The thing is...the NiMH battery is not giving me much life at
> all...perhaps they are tired and I need new ones.
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