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From: mbeck@bnl.UUCP (Mark Becker)
Newsgroups: net.analog,net.consumers
Subject: NiCad Battery Recharging - watch out...
Message-ID: <829@bnl.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 15-Dec-84 06:24:01 EST
Article-I.D.: bnl.829
Posted: Sat Dec 15 06:24:01 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Dec-84 07:03:37 EST
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Xref: watmath net.analog:129 net.consumers:1568

[For those that like to live dangerously...]

     Several years ago I was busy zapping life into dead nicads.  One of
cells proved stubborn so it was left on overnight recharge (*low current for
a D-sized cell*) and in the morning I found that the cell had exploded,
burying the casing into the wall about a foot from my head.

     A few months later one of the things destructed in my hands while
zapping with a capacitor and a 15-volt supply.

     The incidents bothered me enough and started taking safety pre-
cautions:
	facemask -	why bother getting that stuff on your face?
	heavy gloves -	ditto for hands.
	metal box for zapping - (insulated with sticky paper)
			if it explodes it might as well do it in there.

     There were a lot of articles published in Popular Electronics on
how to "revive" dying carbon-zinc batteries... from fancy recharging
circuits to "punching holes in the case and soaking in salt-water".

     Play it safe.

Mark Becker
UUCP: ...philabs!sbcs!bnl!mbeck
ARPA: mbeck@BNL