dougdrake2 Posted November 12, 2001 Share Posted November 12, 2001 Hi all - Nothing whatsoever to do with a/v equipment, but I know there are some very knowledgeable folks here, and I don't know who else to ask. Is there an easy way to see if a rechargeable NiCAD battery is shot, as in shorted out or something? My cordless drill charger got fried the other day, but I don't know which of my two batteries was in it which may have caused it. The only way I thought of testing them (since I couldn't try charging them) was to check for resistance across the + and - terminals of the battery to see if there was a short. One battery gave me about 9.6 ohms and the other gave me 0.6. They are 12v batteries. Thanks in advance. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted November 12, 2001 Share Posted November 12, 2001 Doug, I don't know the answer to the big question. I'd check to see which takes a holds a charge. But obviously you don't want to do that for fear it will harm a new charger. I would like to point out that using an ohm meter to measure battery resistance is very risky to the meter. Some years ago I thoughtlessly left a Triplet analog meter on "ohms" and then tried to measure a battery voltage. More than the fuse burned out. Newer microprocessor based meters have circuit protection which should prevent the distruction of the meter. But it is still a bad idea. My best guess is to just measure battery voltage, even if almost fully discharged. One with an internal short will probably give zero voltage. A good but discharged battery should show some voltage even if one or two volts. Again, a guess. You might find a battery specialty store in your area which can help. I found one in the Dallas area which specialized in tool type rechargeables. I'm a bit cautious because improper charging can cause a battery explosion. I've done that too, as a young lad with a rechargeable toothbrush. I've noted that unless it is an expensive piece of equipment, a new battery and charger is often getting close in cost to a new drill. But then you've figured this out already. It annoys me that the economics work like this. This is good excuse to visit Home Depot. Good luck, Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted November 12, 2001 Author Share Posted November 12, 2001 Gil - Yeah, you're right. A new drill set isn't that much more. But I found a parts distributor that can get me these parts fairly cheap -- a charger is only $6.50 and I can use the remaining battery I have that IS good. See, if I save money on this, I can spend more on the audio stuff (it all works out, doesn't it?). Thanks for taking the time to reply. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Doug, I know this is a charged discussion, but drills are boring. fini This message has been edited by fini on 11-13-2001 at 09:41 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted November 13, 2001 Author Share Posted November 13, 2001 Fini - Couldn't agree more... Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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