How Much Battery Charges From a Screwdriver

How to charge the battery of a screwdriver

Among power tools, both household and professional, a screwdriver is one of the most popular. With its help, you can not only twist and screw the screws, but also drill holes. Tools that are powered from the network, you can not always use and not everywhere, and the cord all the time interferes with the work. Cordless screwdrivers are spared these shortcomings. With them you can move freely and not depend on the availability of the outlet in the room.

An important element of each cordless tool is a battery that allows you to work with it autonomously. This is very convenient, but sooner or later, each owner of such a power tool raises the question of how to charge the battery of a screwdriver.

Content

1. Types of batteries used for screwdriver operation
2. Battery Charging Features
3. How long does it take to charge a screwdriver battery?
4. Do I need to charge batteries before storage?
5. What to do if the screwdriver’s battery does not charge?

Types of batteries used for screwdriver operation

Before you purchase new batteries for a screwdriver, you must carefully study the instructions for the device. Tools necessary for work can be professional, domestic and semi-professional. Batteries for them differ from each other in capacity, quality and price.

For certain works, certain types of cordless tools designed for different loads are also designed, therefore, different batteries are needed for them. The greater the battery power indicator, the longer it can work. For convenience, it is better to have two batteries so that you can recharge the second when working with one. Often a second battery is already included when selling the tool.

Various types of batteries can be used for screwdrivers. The most commonly used are nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) and nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH), and more recently, lithium-ion (Li-Ion).

The most common of them are nickel-cadmium batteries, which are compact in size, large capacity and reasonable price. These batteries can be efficiently charged more than a thousand times depending on their design, the purity of the materials, the mode of operation, including the correct charge. However, these devices have the so-called memory effect, and if you charge them without waiting for a full discharge, the battery capacity will gradually decrease. In addition, the production of such elements is so toxic that the European Union abandoned it on its territory.

Read more: DIY battery repair for a screwdriver

In second place in frequency of use. nickel-metal hydride batteries, representing a new generation of such devices. From an environmental point of view, both the production and disposal of these batteries are practically safe. The pluses of this type of battery include the fact that they have less pronounced memory effect, and the minuses are high self-discharge current. These batteries must be kept charged, and if they are interrupted for more than a month, they must be fully recharged.

Not so long ago, more powerful lithium-ion batteries began to be used for cordless tools. They also do not have such a drawback as the memory effect, which requires the recovery of the capacity of periodic discharge cycles. However, these batteries do not tolerate low temperatures, and it is undesirable to work with them in cold weather. Despite the fast charge and high capacity, they are not very popular yet, since their price is quite high.

Battery Charging Features

How to charge the battery of a screwdriver so that it lasts as long as possible?

The batteries must be charged before using them for the first time, as they are discharged during storage. In order for the screwdriver’s battery capacity to become the maximum possible for the nickel-cadmium element, it is recommended to charge it three times and then discharge it. Thus, since the new battery has incomplete capacity, it must be brought to its full working capacity. After that, the batteries will need to be charged as soon as their power becomes minimal. Li-ion batteries are easier to use. They do not have a memory effect, so you can not bring them to a complete discharge and charge when convenient.

When charging, it is necessary to take into account the optimal temperature regime of the process. It is better that the ambient temperature is above ten degrees and does not exceed forty. During charging, the batteries sometimes heat up, but this should not be the case, since overheating negatively affects their operation, and they need to be cooled. It is undesirable to leave batteries in the charger. And it’s better to store them by disconnecting them from the screwdriver, separately from the tool itself. If the batteries are not used for a long time, they should be recharged once a month.

Batteries are better to buy at specialized points of sale. Proper operation will help to increase their service life. It is undesirable to completely discharge the elements during operation, until the engine stops. The fact that they need charging will be indicated by their markedly reduced performance characteristics.

Read more: How to choose a saw

How long does it take to charge a screwdriver battery?

As a rule, the charging time of the screwdriver’s battery is indicated in the tool manual. Carefully adhere to these recommendations. Often the charger has a special display system that helps you understand how the charging process is going. Thanks to this, you can easily determine how much to charge the battery of a screwdriver. When charging is completed, you must interrupt it in time so that the batteries are not damaged. On average, a battery charger for a screwdriver can recharge from about half an hour to 7 hours. Practice shows that a 1.2 Ah Ni-Cd battery is charged with a current of 250 mA for about seven hours. Charging current is supported by a network adapter.

It should be borne in mind that there are two types of battery chargers. regular and pulse. A standard conventional charger is more often used in a non-professional tool, it charges the battery in about 3-7 hours. Pulse. more suitable for professional mechanisms. Thanks to him, the battery can recover in a maximum of an hour.

Do I need to charge batteries before storage?

If the cordless tool is not used for a long time, experts advise you to carefully consider the battery cells.

It is recommended that the nickel-cadmium batteries be discharged before storage, but not to zero, but to the point where the tool stops working at full strength. With long-term storage, to restore the battery capacity, you need to make 3-5 full cycles of its discharge and charging. During operation of the tool, it is also advisable to ensure that the battery is not partially discharged before charging, but completely.

Nickel-metal hydride batteries have a higher self-discharge value than previous cells. They are recommended to be kept charged, and after a long “rest”, charged for about a day. Partial discharge is preferable for this type of battery. Their capacity decreases after 2-3 hundreds of charge-discharge cycles.

Lithium-ion batteries, characterized by the absence of a “memory effect", can be charged at any time, no matter what the degree of their discharge. These batteries have the lowest self-discharge at high capacity. It is not recommended to completely discharge them, as this may lead to the disconnection of the protective circuit. Power tools with such batteries are equipped with control electronics, when the temperature or voltage rises, disconnecting the cell from the load. These batteries are recommended to be kept at 50 percent charge. The number of charge-discharge cycles does not affect the capacitive characteristics of the elements, however, their useful life is limited by time and is about two years.

What to do if the screwdriver’s battery does not charge?

If the screwdriver’s battery does not charge, it’s possible that the cause should be sought in its deterioration or in the malfunctioning charger. However, the problem is often a violation of the contact between the battery terminals of the screwdriver and the charger, since over time they are unbent. In this case, you can disassemble the charger and bend its terminals.

In addition, after some time of use, both the contacts of the battery and the contacts of the charger may oxidize and become contaminated. Even minor changes of this kind can interfere with normal battery charging. This is usually expressed in a significant reduction in both the charge time and the duration of the cordless power tool itself. To avoid this, you need to periodically wipe the contacts of the battery, charger for the battery of the screwdriver and tool.

Video: How Much Battery Charges From a Screwdriver

Unfortunately, the characteristics of battery cells deteriorate over time. So, with the improper use of nickel-cadmium batteries, most often used in household models of screwdrivers, they quickly lose their capacity. Experts sometimes advise "overclocking" such batteries. The battery pack is disassembled and problematic elements are identified. After that, their charging is required. What current to charge the screwdriver battery in this case? Experts recommend that you first charge such elements with a higher current than it should be, then discharge them and charge them again, but with a small current. If the electrolyte has not yet evaporated in Ni-Cd batteries, such “therapy” may help bring them back to life.

In addition, you can restore one battery pack from two that partially lost capacity by selecting entire banks from them and soldering together. After that, to equalize the charge, it is required to fully charge and discharge the reconstructed unit several times.

Also, the reason is that the battery does not charge, it may be in the temperature sensor (video).

Screwdriver battery charge time. Find out how long it takes to charge a screwdriver’s battery on ionpower

The convenience of a cordless screwdriver is largely due to the fact that it can be used away from an outlet. The main thing is not to forget to charge the battery. But in order to use the tool with the greatest efficiency, you should still know the exact time of charging the battery of a screwdriver. This will help to avoid an unpleasant situation when the calculations turned out to be incorrect, and it is impossible to finish the work, because the power tool refused to work. There are two practically unmistakable ways to find out. The first is to find this information in the instructions for the device itself. As a rule, it is available, because the manufacturer is interested in the buyer acquiring the next tool in their company, which means that he will try to give the most comprehensive information on any issues, including how long the screwdriver’s battery is charging. The second way is possible for those batteries that are equipped with a charge indicator. Once the scale is full, you can remove the battery and get to work. But in this case, you will have to determine how much you need to charge the battery of the screwdriver yourself, time tracking. The fact is that modern screwdrivers use mainly two types of batteries: nickel-cadmium and lithium-ion. They have different characteristics, including charging time. But to have an accurate idea of ​​how much to charge the external battery of a screwdriver is not necessary for this. Nickel-cadmium batteries, of course, are cheaper than their more modern counterparts. But they have one not very convenient feature. memory to charge. That is, with incomplete discharge, they perceive the level of remaining energy as a zero mark, thereby reducing capacity. To avoid this phenomenon every time you have to completely exhaust and replenish the battery capacity. Lithium-ion batteries have no such drawback, so they can not be charged all the specified time and can not even be used with a full charge. But the operating time will be directly proportional to how "filled" the battery. However, with such a battery, charging is faster than with nickel-cadmium cells.

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How to charge Ni-Cd batteries: process description

Thanks to improved production, Ni-Cd batteries are used today in most portable electronic devices. Reasonable cost and high performance made the presented variety of batteries popular. Such devices are now widely used in tools, cameras, players, etc. For the battery to last for a long time, you need to learn how to charge Ni-Cd batteries. Adhering to the rules of operation of such devices, you can significantly extend their service life.

Main characteristics

To understand how to charge Ni-Cd batteries, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of such devices. They were invented by W. Jungner back in 1899. However, their production was then too costly. Technology has been improved. Today on sale are easy-to-use and relatively inexpensive batteries of nickel-cadmium type.

The presented devices require that the charge occurs quickly, and the discharge is slow. over, the empty capacity of the battery must be performed completely. Recharging is performed by pulse currents. These parameters should be followed throughout the life of the device. Knowing how to charge the Ni-Cd battery with current, you can extend its service life by several years. over, such batteries are operated even in the most difficult conditions. A feature of the presented batteries is the “memory effect". If the battery is not completely discharged periodically, large crystals will form on the plates of its cells. They reduce battery capacity.

Benefits

To understand how to properly charge Ni-Cd batteries of a screwdriver, camera, camera and other portable devices, you need to familiarize yourself with the technology of this process. It is simple and does not require special knowledge and skills from the user. Even after long periods of storage, the battery can be recharged quickly again. This is one of the advantages of the presented devices, which make them popular.

Nickel-cadmium batteries have a large number of charge and discharge cycles. Depending on the manufacturer and operating conditions, this indicator can reach more than 1 thousand cycles. The advantage of a Ni-Cd battery is its endurance and the ability to work in busy conditions. Even when operating it in the cold, the equipment will work properly. Its capacity under such conditions does not change. At any degree of charge, the battery can be stored for a long time. An important advantage is its low cost.

disadvantages

One of the disadvantages of the presented devices is the fact that the user must learn how to properly charge Ni-Cd batteries. The presented batteries, as mentioned above, have a “memory effect". Therefore, the user should periodically carry out preventive measures to eliminate it.

The energy density of the presented batteries will be slightly lower than other types of autonomous power sources. In addition, in the manufacture of these devices, toxic materials are used that are unsafe for the environment and human health. Disposal of such substances requires additional costs. Therefore, in some countries the use of such batteries is limited.

After long-term storage, Ni-Cd batteries require a charge cycle. This is due to the high rate of self-discharge. This is also a disadvantage of their design. However, knowing how to properly charge Ni-Cd batteries, to operate them correctly, you can provide your equipment with an autonomous power source for many years.

Varieties of Chargers

To properly charge the nickel-cadmium type battery, you need to use special equipment. Most often, it comes complete with a battery. If for some reason there is no charger, you can purchase it separately. On sale today are automatic and reversible impulse varieties. Using the first type of device, the user does not need to know to what voltage to charge Ni-Cd batteries. The process is performed automatically. In this case, you can simultaneously charge or discharge up to 4 batteries.

Using a special switch, the device is set to discharge mode. In this case, the color indicator will glow yellow. When this procedure is completed, the device automatically switches to charging mode. The red indicator lights up. When the battery reaches the required capacity, the device will no longer supply current to the battery. In this case, the indicator lights up in green. Reversible chargers belong to the group of professional equipment. They are able to perform several charge and discharge cycles with different durations.

Special and universal chargers

Many users are interested in the question of how to charge the battery of a Ni-Cd type screwdriver. In this case, a conventional device designed for finger batteries will not work. A special charger is most often supplied with a screwdriver. It should be used when servicing the battery. If there is no charger, you should purchase equipment for the batteries of this type. In this case, it will be possible to charge only the battery of a screwdriver. If in operation there are batteries of various types, it is worth purchasing universal equipment. It will allow serving autonomous energy sources for almost all devices (cameras, screwdrivers and even batteries). For example, it will be able to charge iMAX B6 Ni-Cd batteries. It is a simple and useful household appliance.

Press battery discharge

Pressed Ni-Cd batteries are characterized by a special design. How to charge and discharge the presented devices depends on their internal resistance. This indicator is affected by some design features. For long-term operation of the equipment, disk-type batteries are used. They have flat electrodes of sufficient thickness. During the discharge process, their voltage slowly drops to 1.1 V. This can be checked by plotting the curve.

If the battery continues to be discharged to a value of 1 V, its discharge capacity will be 5-10% of the initial value. If the current is increased to 0.2 C, the voltage decreases significantly. This also applies to battery capacity. This is due to the inability to discharge the mass over the entire surface of the electrode evenly. Therefore, today their thickness is reduced. At the same time, 4 electrodes are present in the design of the disk battery. In this case, they can be discharged with a current of 0.6 C.

Cylindrical batteries

Today batteries with cermet electrodes are widely used. They have low resistance and provide high energy performance of the device. The voltage of a charged Ni-Cd battery of this type is held at 1.2 V until 90% of the specified capacity is lost. About 3% of it is lost during a subsequent discharge from 1.1 to 1 V. The presented type of batteries can be discharged with a current of 3-5 C.

Roll type electrodes are installed in cylindrical batteries. They can be discharged with current with higher rates, which is at the level of 7-10 C. The capacity indicator will be maximum at a temperature of 20 ºС. With its increase, this value changes insignificantly. If the temperature drops to 0 ºС and lower, the discharge capacity decreases in direct proportion to the increase in the discharge current. How to charge Ni-Cd batteries, the varieties of which are commercially available, need to be considered in detail.

General charging rules

When charging a nickel-cadmium battery, it is extremely important to limit the excess current flowing to the electrodes. This is necessary due to the growth inside the device at such a pressure process. When charging, oxygen will be released. This affects the current utilization factor, which will decrease. There are certain requirements that explain how to charge Ni-Cd batteries. Process parameters are considered by manufacturers of special equipment. Chargers in the course of their work tell the battery 160% of the nominal capacity value. The temperature range throughout the process should remain in the range from 0 to 40 ºС.

Standard charge mode

Manufacturers must indicate in the instructions how much to charge a Ni-Cd battery and how much current it needs to be done. Most often, the execution mode of this process is standard for most varieties of batteries. If the battery has a voltage of 1 V, it should be charged within 14-16 hours. In this case, the current should be 0.1 C.

In some cases, process characteristics may vary slightly. This is influenced by the design features of the device, as well as the increased active mass tab. This is necessary to increase the battery capacity.

The user may also be interested in how to charge the Ni-Cd battery. In this case, there are two options. In the first case, the current will be constant throughout the process. The second option allows you to charge the battery for a long time without the risk of damage. The scheme involves the use of stepwise or smooth reduction of current. In the first stage, it will significantly exceed the rate of 0.1 C.

Accelerated charge

There are other methods that accept Ni-Cd batteries. How to charge this type of battery in accelerated mode? There is a whole system. Manufacturers increase the speed of this process through the release of special devices. They can be charged at high current rates. In this case, the device has a special control system. It prevents a strong recharge of the battery. Such a system can have either the battery itself or its charger.

Cylindrical types of devices are charged with a constant current type, the value of which is 0.2 C. The process will last only 6-7 hours. In some cases, it is allowed to charge the battery with a current of 0.3 C for 3-4 hours. In this case, process control is essential. When the procedure is accelerated, the overcharge indicator should be no more than 120-140% of the capacity. There are even batteries that can be fully charged in just 1 hour.

Stop charging

Studying how to charge Ni-Cd batteries, you need to consider the completion of the process. After the current stops flowing to the electrodes, the pressure inside the battery still continues to rise. This process occurs due to the oxidation of hydroxyl ions on the electrodes.Over time, a gradual equation of the rate of oxygen evolution and absorption at both electrodes occurs. This leads to a gradual decrease in pressure inside the battery. If the recharge was significant, this process will be slower.

Mode setting

To properly charge a Ni-Cd battery, you must know the rules for setting up the equipment (if provided by the manufacturer). The nominal capacity of the battery must have a charge current of up to 2 C. It is necessary to choose the type of pulse. It can be Normal, Re-Flex or Flex. The sensitivity threshold (pressure reduction) should be 7-10 mV. It is also called Delta Peak. It is best set to a minimum. The swap current must be set in the range of 50-100 mAh. In order to be able to fully use the battery power, you need to perform high current charging. If its maximum power is required, the battery is charged with low current in normal mode. Having considered how to charge Ni-Cd batteries, each user will be able to complete this process correctly.