From MICHAEL BELL
I don’t know the answer to Jonathan Wallace’s question (Letters, 28
March) as to whether nickel-cadmium batteries should be run down fully or
only part way, but either way I know what to do about it.
If you drop a ‘tired’ battery about a foot onto a concrete floor a few
times it renews the battery wonderfully. The theory (folklore?) is that
a layer of crystals builds up around the electrodes and dropping the battery
breaks the crystals.
Whatever the truth of the theory, it certainly works.
Michael Bell Hitchin, Hertfordshire
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Editor’s note: We have heard that in some cases this does work. But
be careful – you may cause the battery to leak, which could damage your
equipment. As to Wallace’s question, the advice we received from battery
experts is that Ni-Cd batteries should be completely discharged before charging,
but lead-acid batteries should be regularly topped up with charge.
