As long as I have been using and suggesting the usage of rechargeable batteries, I’ve also strongly purported the employment of an intelligent charger with a refresh or reconditioning function.

So, why, when I place a rechargeable battery that’s barely 6 months old on my own Ansmann Energy 16 charger – essentially the most advance charger on the globe – does my battery show as defective? This ever take place? If you’ve used rechargeables for almost any stretch of time, the answer will certainly be a resounding yes.  But you will find there’s good possibility there is nothing wrong with that battery – and yes it actually can be revived for a lot of useful recycles. This is what has happened:
You placed the battery in a rather unsophisticated device, such as a child’s toy and the batteries became overdischarged. Typically, you do not want to overdischarge cells below 1.0 volts and the majority of electronic devices have an automatic “stop-working” voltage cutoff to counteract this. However, many toys and simple devices do not possess this feature.

So, in this instance, your rechargeable battery voltage has dropped below 1.0 volts – say right down to .8 volts. A smart charger will detect this for a bad cell and not start the charging or refresh cycle – as it appears the batteries are depleted.  However, in the event you place this battery inside a “dumb” charger for about 10 minutes, the voltage will rise sufficiently for an intelligent charger to recognize a viable cell and begin the restoration/charging process.By way of a dumb charger, we’re making reference to one of those units that truly cooks batteries. You can pick-up an inexpensive unit cheaper than $10 bucks. We utilize the Ansmann Power Set – an easy plug-in overnight charger to accomplish this – however it is only designed for AA’s and triple A’s. If you need to revive C’s, D’s, or 9V’s try Duracell or Energizer – they specialize in dumb chargers.

Does this mean it is best to give up your intelligent charger? Of course not. Chargers like the Ansmann Energy 8 plus or Energy 16 will still grant you the most recycles out of your rechargeable batteries because of the refresh function.  The refresh function in time breaks down the chemistry within the cell in an intelligent way – by introducing a proprietary algorithim of charge and discharge cycles at different voltage levels. This prevents the cell from developing crystalline formation inside the chemistry whic can shorten battery life and recycles, especially in the latter stages of the cell’s life.

Your best defense against erratic battery behavior is two-fold. First, do not allow you batteries to completely drain. Even with low self discharge batteries that have a shelf life of at least a year, it’s still best to cycle these batteries every 6 months. And secondly, always employ an intelligent battery charger to charge your batteries.