Tait T3010II, Operator'S Manual

28

Battery Use

Both NiCd and NiMH batteries perform best when they are not

repeatedly recharged after only short periods of use - ie the

battery should be allowed to substantially run down before

recharging.  To ensure a long and trouble-free battery life it is

recommended that you get into the routine of using the radio

until the “low battery” indication appears, before recharging it

fully.
If your application makes it inconvenient to follow such a rou-

tine, you should still ensure that the battery is fully discharged

and recharged at least once every week.  This can be done

either by using a suitable charger with inbuilt discharge func-

tion (see “Battery Problems”), or by using the radio until it

switches itself off and then recharging the battery fully.
Both types of batteries will also self-discharge - ie if the bat-

tery is charged and then left to sit without being used, it will

gradually discharge by itself.  NiMH batteries can self-discharge

in less than one week if left in warm moist air.  NiCd batteries

self-discharge more slowly.  To prevent self-discharge, batter-

ies may be left in the charger, after the green “full charge” light

has illuminated.

Battery Charging

Tait rechargeable batteries must only be charged using Tait

specified charging equipment.  There are several models of

battery charger available which fall into two basic types, “trickle”

and “fast”.
Tait trickle chargers charge the battery slowly but do not sense

when the battery has been fully charged. To avoid repetitive

overcharging, it is important to avoid making a habit of re-

charging batteries after they have had only a small amount of

use (see “Battery Use” above).  Because of their susceptibility

to damage from overcharging, it is recommended that NiMH

batteries not be routinely subjected to trickle charging.
Tait fast chargers are fitted with a device that senses when the

battery has reached full capacity and commences trickle charg-

ing, thus eliminating the possibility of overcharging. They are

therefore suitable for “topping up” partially discharged batter-

ies of both types. Some models of  fast charger (eg T3002)

also have an inbuilt discharge function, which enables the bat-

tery to be periodically given a full discharge and charge cycle,

quickly and without the need to use the radio to discharge the

battery.