Battery Charging

[gibsondan]

Will leaving a fully charged battery connected to the charger all the time when not hunting damage the battery? The reason I ask is because where I work depleted radio batteries are stored in chargers when not in use. Some stay inside a charger for days after they are fully charged. It doesn't damage the batteries. I believe I read in the E-trac manual that leaving a battery connected to a charger that plugs into a car lighter won't damage the battery. However it doesn't say anything about the charger that plugs into an outlet. Do any of you leave your rechargeable battery connected to the charger all the time? If so, any problems?

 

[unearth]

I leave my e-trac re-chargeable battery in the charger until I need it, usually every 3-5 days depending on how much I've been detecting. I've never heard anything about that being a problem.

 

[DirtDean]

I've never left mine plugged in for more than 24 hrs. it may not hurt it at all, just a precaution for me.

 

[grumpyolman]

Not all batteries react the same to continual charging. Nimh don't have a 'memory' and you can leave them charging as long as you want. However, Ni-cads do not like to be kept trickle charged all the time and lose their longevity in the device in which they operate. IE they'll only operate the item for 2 hours instead of 6 when they were new.
The battery doesn't know if it's being charged by a wall outlet that is converting AC to DC or it's getting the current from a battery source (or a solar panel) that's already coming out DC. Solar panels, they have small portable ones, are nice when you are out of contact with power sources like when back packing into the woods.
Working knowledge of batteries and their treatment and maintenance is better learned somewhere else than a detecting forum. Go to one of the websites for HAM radio or RC cars, planes, and helis. Those people power almost all their equipment with batteries of some kind and are excellent resources for learning about the batteries. For example, I have a battery charger that will 'recondition' NiCads. Your Nicad needs reconditioning if it only runs the device it is in for 50% of the time it did when new.. Put it on the battery charger/conditioner, and it will correctly discharge the battery and then start a recharge cycle. When it's done it'll tell you how many Mah, or gallons of gas, the battery allowed to be put back into it. If there is a dead cell in the pack it won't take much of a charge and you have to replace the dead cell or get a new pack. On the other hand if the battery pack has just been neglected, the charger will restore the battery pack very close to its original storage capacity. No need to know all the stuff but basic knowedge of battery operation is helpful in this hobby. 73s K7GOM.