steve1 Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Do they "wear out"? As in, do they eventually stop holding a charge? I know nothing about the wretched things and the one Mrs steve makes me carry seems to need recharging just about every day; even though I never use it. steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
giz Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Any rechargeable battery will eventually reach the end of its life, especially if you don't sometimes let it fully discharge (although some types differ and don't like being left discharged). I bought a new battery for an old Nokia for ??5 online recently, just seach for the model name + battery and you will find loads of suppliers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Don't know if "wear out" is the term, but they do lose performance. IF the phone is a contract one you can almost certainly get a free new one, and if it's a basic pay as you go one you can pick them up ever so cheap. If you check out the main network shops they often have refurbished or ex-demo models cheap. It was the same story when I wanted new batteries for my cordless drill recently-cheaper to buy a new one. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewC Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 all rechargable batteries eventually lose the ability to hold a charge. There is a neat trick to extend their lives that my FiL taught me. (contractor with lots of rechargable tools) Fully discharge the battery then leave it in the freezer for 12 - 18 hours. Unless the battery is totally fecked and beyond dead it will reverse the aging process for a while and the battery will again hold a charge and not die out as quickly. Oh yea, if you are doing this to a phone, remove the battery before freezing it. LCD displays can crack when they freeze. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Rickard Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Be careful with buying third-party batteries though. They're a total mixed bag - some will work perfectly fine, others will result in third degree burns - I've seen many a story about just such things. Personally, I'd stick with original batteries from a decent retailer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted November 30, 2009 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 30, 2009 Yes the batteries have a finite life, I generally reckon on a couple of years before replacement; 3rd party replacements can be a really variable ( catching fire and all that) but tend to be cheap so worth a gamble IMHO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard320 Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Do they "wear out"? As in, do they eventually stop holding a charge? I know nothing about the wretched things and the one Mrs steve makes me carry seems to need recharging just about every day; even though I never use it. steve Oh yes, most certainly. Mine died at about 4 years. At the phone store, they pointed out that I had fulfilled my two year contract and was eligible for a new free phone etc etc etc. I just wanted the battery. They had to send me to another branch to get it - apparently phones go obsolete faster than computers. My dinosaur couldn't surf the web, take pictures, or mate with bluetooth. As an aside, Prius batteries are nothing more than huge amounts of cell phone batteries. The optimum charge is 60%; Toyota engineers figured out that they last almost forever when kept near there. So they use 60% as target which gives a margin for long downhills and lots of regenerative braking. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 .....Prius batteries are nothing more than huge amounts of cell phone batteries. The optimum charge is 60%; Toyota engineers figured out that they last almost forever when kept near there. So they use 60% as target which gives a margin for long downhills and lots of regenerative braking. And there I was, about to suggest that they be stuck in a freezer..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calnefoxile Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 There is a neat trick to extend their lives that my FiL taught me. (contractor with lots of rechargable tools) Fully discharge the battery then leave it in the freezer for 12 - 18 hours. Unless the battery is totally fecked and beyond dead it will reverse the aging process for a while and the battery will again hold a charge and not die out as quickly. oooohhhh I didn't know about this trick, I'll try it on my Bosch Drill Batteries, mind you they are about 5 years old and the charge lasts about 5 mins, if I'm lucky, and as new ones are about ??40 EACH anything to get them back will be good. Many Thinks for the tip Regards Neal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 Thanks for the replies and helpful hints chaps. steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 Avoid cheap batteries marked "made in PRC" or similar - they're probably worse than the one you want to replace. Drill batteries can be made up from NiMH AA cells - use the higher capacity ones (LIDL and ALDI ones seem OK). The drills are often cheaper than the batteries - if you can get them! This seems to apply to lots of things these days. (New print head for my Canon printer ??80, the printer cost ??50! Pity, it was one of the few models for which the ink doesn't cost more than the printer. - See all the Lexmarks at boot sales. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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