Battery Chargers; What To Look For, What To Avoid.

Batteries, or dry cells are manufactured to supply steady and uninterrupted D.C power to different modern day gadgets that run with electrical energy. Batteries are generally lead-acid cells. Over 15 billion are produced every year and are sold worldwide. Many of these are alkaline-batteries which are discarded after being used for a single time. But there are also some which can be charged again and again after every use and are known as "rechargeable batteries". These should be kept at fully charged condition so as to meet the D.C. power demand whenever needed. Therefore suitable battery chargers are required to charge those types.

The different types of battery chargers are:

1) Medical
2) Automotive
3) Commercial
4) Industrial

These may be stationary or portable.

These rechargeable batteries are of high capacities. Rechargeable batteries, like Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) or Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries can be charged several hundreds of times and last far longer period in high drain devices.

By using these repeatable charging batteries people can save tons of money. When the charge goes down below a certain level it stops supplying D.C power to electrical instruments, then the battery needs to be charged to regain its capacity of supplying D.C power. Low quality chargers can even damage batteries and shorten their lifetime. The charger takes current directly from electric lines and induces the electric charge into the batteries.

The charging of these depends on different factors such as its capacity, its age, its initial charges, etc. Different chargers vary widely in this matter. There is a tendency of generating heat during the charging of rechargeable batteries which is one of the most commonly cited factors for the damage of these battery. The heat mainly generates due to the internal resistance and chemical reaction of the rechargeable batteries. Excessive current can also damage the battery after it is fully charged.

There are some automatic chargers which initially charge at a very high rate and continuously monitor the cell voltage to reduce or shut off the charging when the battery tends to charge fully. The battery chargers can take 1 hour to 8 hour of time for charging depending upon the design and ratings of these chargers. There are also different visual indications like LED on the battery chargers. These indicators indicate that the rechargeable type batteries should
not get overcharged and help them preventing them from overheating.

Nowadays there are wide applications of rechargeable styled batteries. These types are even used in power generating stations as a substitute of D.C current and emergency Lighting System. They are also used in vehicles like cars, trolleys, bus, etc. There are also some battery driven cars which run on streets completely based on battery-power and not on fuel.

The use of rechargeable batteries can also be found in laptops, IPods, cellular phones, electric wheelchairs, etc. Therefore suitable chargers are essential for the charging of these re-chargeable batteries.

Battery Chargers

Many new portable appliances and electronic devices use rechargeable batteries. Cars, boats, and motorcycles are also equipped with rechargeable batteries. How do battery chargers differ for each type of battery? What are the different options for recharging batteries?

Auto and marine and truck batteries are 12 volt batteries. Chargers for 12 volt batteries are much more advanced than traditional versions. Battery chargers such as the Battery Minder charge batteries without overcharging which can ruin a battery. Another very useful tool for auto and marine batteries are jump starters. Many newer models are portable and can jump start up to 30 cars without having to be recharged. A great model is the PowerTank jump start equipped with a florescent light and battery tester. Solar battery chargers are available for a wide range of devices. ICP Solar chargers are great for people on the go.

Cell phones, PDAs, and other small electronic devices use different chargers than auto or marine batteries. Typical small appliance battery chargers are wall or desk mountable. They can charge batteries much quicker than conventional battery chargers. Some even pop out the battery when it is fully charged to avoid the “memory effect” that is common with NICD batteries. ICP Solar chargers are also available for small portable appliances. When charging a cell phone battery, chargers vary greatly by brand and are only compatible with the cell phone manufacturer.

Many types of batteries are rechargeable. However, choosing a battery charger varies for each type of battery. Factors include voltage, type of battery, for example, lithium, NICD or lead acid, all require a different type of battery charger because they use different technologies. How a battery is charged can greatly affect the life of a battery, so it is important to follow procedure for each type of battery for proper charging.

Battery – Make Electronic Objects Mobile

A battery is a device that stores chemical energy and is available in an electric form. The batteries contain a series of electrochemical devices that contains one or more fuel cells, galvanic cells and flow cells. This electric battery is an interconnected array of one or more than one voltaic cells that are used in the cars, in torches, laptops, digital watches and almost every electronic goods that we use in our daily life.

Series of battery cells

The cells in the battery are connected either in parallel, in series or in both combinations. While the parallel combination of cells has the same voltage power as a single cell, it can supply a higher current than a single cell can. The parallel arrangements, however, suffer from a recurrent problem. If one cell discharges faster than its neighbor cell, then current will flow from the full cell to the empty cell, thereby wasting a lot of power and causing excess of overheating. Another marked disadvantage is if one of the cells gets short-circuited due to an internal fault, then its neighbor will be forced to discharge its maximum current into the faulty cell, thereby leading to sudden explosion.

The capacity of a battery to store charge is often expressed in ampere hours [1 A.h = 3600 coulombs]. If the battery can provide one ampere [1A] of current for completely one hour then it is said to have a real-world capacity of 1 A.h.

Types of batteries

There are some common battery types that are used in everyday life. The different types include rechargeable and disposable batteries, homemade cells, and traction batteries and flow batteries.

Disposable batteries

Also called primary cells are intended to use only once until the chemical changed that induce electrical current supply are complete and the battery is then discarded. They are commonly used in smaller and portable objects with low current drain. They are usually contained in light drain and heavy drain appliances, digital cameras, watches, computer clocks, and hearing aids.

Rechargeable batteries

These are secondary cells that can be recharged after they have been drained. This is done by conveniently applying externally supplied electrical current that reverses the chemical reactions that usually occur in use. It is used in appliances like alarm systems, vehicles, vacuum tube radio sets, absorbed glass mats etc.

Traction batteries

These batteries are designed to provide power to move vehicles like electric cars and tow motors. A peculiar characteristic of traction batteries is the electrolytes in the batteries are gelled.

Flow batteries

They are a special class of battery that stores additional quantities of electrolyte outside the main power cell of the battery and are circulated throughout by pumps or through movement. They have a high capacity and are specially used in the marine appliances.

So whether it’s your car, PC, laptop cell phone or MP3 player, the batteries are almost everywhere to make you electrically mobile.