What is the difference betwen Nickel-Cadmium and Nickel Metal Hydride?
Nickel Cadmium rechargeable packs/cells have been on the consumer market for a few decades. They typically offer standard running times (known as “Capacity”) for portable electronic devices such as Camcorders, Cellular Phones, Walkie-Talkies, Laptop Computers, etc. NiCad batteries use an older technology and must be drained and then fully recharged each time they are used, or their power capacity will gradually diminish. This is called the ‘memory effect’. Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable packs/cells represent a newer chemistry, and have been on the consumer market for this decade only. They provide longer running time without increasing physical size. Also, they contain no materials classified as “heavy metals”, such as Cadmium. This means that they do not require the stringent disposal methods that Nickel Cadmium batteries do. Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries have a higher resistance to the memory effect and offer longer talk and standby times. However, they are moderately more
