Abstract
A battery cycler that could prolong the life of nickel-cadmium batteries used in personal sampling pumps was described several years ago in the industrial hygiene literature. Cycling involves discharging a battery to a predetermined voltage level, then recharging at a fixed rate for a timed interval. The cycler evaluated here was fashioned after that earlier cycler, but has an improved recharge timer. Current capacity measurements of batteries during discharge have shown that cycling can improve the capacity of older batteries. Measurements on 17 used battery packs gave the following results: 5 improved substantially, 2 improved slightly, 9 were unchanged, and 1 actually deteriorated. Measurements on newer, unused battery packs showed there is no benefit to cycling them. Kovein, R. J.; Abell, M. T. Benefits of a nickel-cadmium battery cycler.