TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Can I Substitute a NiMH Battery for NiCd in a Cordless Phone?

Re: Can I Substitute a NiMH Battery for NiCd in a Cordless Phone?

Robert Bonomi (bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com)
Mon, 18 Apr 2005 03:05:39 -0000

In article <telecom24.168.5@telecom-digest.org>, <curious@nospam.com>
wrote:

> I recently bought a cordless phone, which came with a NiCd battery.
> In the manual it says:

> "To reduce the risk of fire, use only 3.6V 850mAh Nickel Cadmium
> (Ni-Cad) cordless telephone replacement battery pack."

> I've heard about the dreaded "memory effect" with NiCd batteries, so
> I'm interested in replacing it with a NiMH one. Someone who is
> selling a 3.6V 1000mAH NiMH battery on Ebay claims it works with my
> phone, but will it really be safe? Wouldn't want to install a NiMH
> battery and have the house burn down.

*BELIEVE* the manufacturer's statements. They know how the phone is
designed/built.

Different _types_ of batteries require different kinds of re-charging
circuitry.

Using "type b" batteries in a "type a" charger -- *whatever* 'a' and
'b' are, is asking for trouble, unless you know enough about the
charger circuitry to _know_ that it is not going to be a problem.

Some chargers have 'smarts' enough to handle mixed types of batteries,
many others *do*not*.

Just because a battery "fits" (physically) the device, does not mean
that it is advisable, or even sensible, to do use it in that device.

Comment: If you get a new battery charger, as well as the batteries,
and the batteries have to be removed from the phone to be charged,
then the issue above is moot. If the batteries are automatically
recharged when the phone is in the base station (typical), the above
*does* apply.

Note: "memory effect" in NiCD batteries is mostly a thing of the past;
newer designs have all but eliminated the issue.

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