How to properly charge a screwdriver battery: 3 best charging methods How to properly charge a screwdriver the first time to activate the battery? How long does it take to charge the tool’s battery? Answers in the article!
Checking the battery condition with a multimeter
A device like the STHT0-77364 can help you troubleshoot various electrical components, including screwdriver batteries. It is best paired with other testers to achieve reliability. This allows you to check the indicators and calculate the error.
Note: Before you start measuring, you need to make sure that the multimeter itself is working. To do this, you just need to connect it to an outlet along with another similar device and check the readings.
Nuances of charging various types of batteries
Most of the features that need to be taken into account are described in the first section. Here is how long the power tool should be kept charging.
Screwdriver battery device
The main components of power tool batteries:
- The case on which the contacts are located;
- Thermistor, which is needed to protect against overheating (not all models have);
- Battery.
The main types of batteries and their features:
- Nickel-cadmium are cheaper than others, are lightweight. Minus in the memory effect. They need to be discharged to zero and charged to the end. If this is not done, the capacity will decrease.
- Nickel metal hydride. This type has a less pronounced memory effect, therefore, such devices are more expensive. If the Ni-MH battery is idle for more than 30 days, a full recharge is required.
- Lithium ion. One of the most popular types. They do not work well in the cold: they discharge faster, and with regular use and storage at subzero temperatures, their service life is reduced. But otherwise, such batteries are better than others. The high cost of Li-Ion is fully justified by the speed of charging and impressive capacity, as well as the absence of the aforementioned memory effect.
Features of charging screwdriver batteries
A very important point is the first charging of the screwdriver, since it depends on it whether the full charge capacity will be activated. Each type of battery has its own characteristics of primary charging. The biggest challenge is charging nickel-cadmium options. Their first recharging should be three times so that the entire charge capacity is filled. Thus, after the purchase, the unit must be fully charged, then turned on and left to work until it is completely discharged, then you need to put it back on to recharge and discharge again, and so on 3 times.
For the first time, the nickel-metal hydride version should be completely discharged immediately, because, as a rule, when you buy such a battery has a small charge, after that you need to leave it to fully charge. Recharge this type of battery only after it has been completely discharged. The full charge-discharge cycle should be considered the first 4-5 times, after which you can additionally recharge the batteries, even if they are not completely discharged.
Lithium-ion batteries are more modern, so there are no special requirements for recharging them, since their capacity does not decrease in any case.
During the first and subsequent recharging, it should be borne in mind that the most optimal recharging effect can be achieved only if this process takes place at a temperature of 10 to 30C. Among other things, it should be noted that when charging, some types of batteries may begin to heat up, which can have an extremely negative effect on the entire battery. Do not allow the entire battery to overheat above 50C. It is best to store the battery separately from the screwdriver after work, although this is not necessary.
Main types of screwdriver batteries
Screwdriver batteries: lithium Li-Ion, nickel-cadmium Ni-Cd, nickel-metal hydride Ni-MH.
Manufacturers of screwdrivers use different batteries in the production of their units, which have their own characteristics of operation and, accordingly, charging. In order for the screwdriver to work without failures for a long time, it is very important to carefully read the instructions that come with it. It should be noted that different screwdrivers differ in many parameters, including price, quality and power, therefore all screwdrivers are divided into semi-professional and professional. Accordingly, the batteries that are installed by the manufacturer also differ in price, quality and, most importantly, in charge capacity.
In professional models, which are more expensive, as a rule, batteries with a larger capacity are installed, so they can work without recharging for a much longer period of time. Most professional builders have a spare, pre-charged battery for uninterrupted work, but if the screwdriver is designed to perform simple housework, it is not necessary to have a second battery, although in some cases an additional screwdriver battery is included with the unit. There are 3 main types of batteries that are most often used in screwdrivers:
- Lithium-ion;
- Nickel-cadmium;
- Nickel metal hydride.
Screwdriver battery connection diagram.
The most widely used today are nickel-cadmium batteries for screwdrivers. This type is distinguished by its rather compact size, relatively low cost and large charge capacity. The main drawback of these batteries is the same memory effect, but with proper use and recharging, batteries of this type can be recharged more than 1000 times, although it should be noted that even with proper use, the charge capacity will gradually decrease until it reaches a minimum. Among other things, it should be noted that such a battery contains highly toxic substances, so their production is significantly harmful to the environment, which has become the reason for their ban in many countries.
Nickel-metal hydride batteries are in second place in terms of frequency of use. Batteries of this type belong to a new generation, as they are completely safe for the environment. This type has a lot of advantages, the main of which is the absence of a memory effect. However, it is worth noting that they have a high self-charging current, and these batteries should be stored exclusively in a charged form, and if the screwdriver is not used for a month, it is necessary to discharge the device and recharge it again.
Lithium-ion batteries are a relatively new product in the market for these products. They have no memory effect, so they do not require recharging cycles to restore their charge capacity. It takes very little time to fully recharge these batteries, and their capacity is quite high. However, these batteries also have disadvantages, including reduced performance in cold weather and a rather high cost.
HOW IS IT CORRECT AND HOW MUCH TO CHARGE THE SCREWDRIVER BATTERY?
Screwdrivers have long been invariably popular not only among professional builders, but also among ordinary people, because these units are indispensable when you need to screw something or, conversely, untwist it. The versatility of screwdrivers is the main reason for the popularity of these units, both in everyday life and in large construction, but all users of these units have a lot of difficulties when it comes to recharging the batteries with which most screwdriver models are equipped.
The thing is that with incorrect charging, a so-called memory effect appears, that is, under certain conditions, the charge capacity may decrease, and in the future the unit will be discharged less completely. As a rule, this effect occurs when a person tries to recharge an incompletely discharged screwdriver battery. Proper charging of screwdriver batteries has a lot of subtleties, so it is very important to consider all aspects of this matter so that the screwdriver retains its functionality and performance for a long time.