What is the “Memory” effect I hear about?
A. This is a misleading term used to describe the capacity loss often associated with NiCDs. It has nothing to do with not being discharged completely before recharging and is in fact due to overcharging. It also applies to NiMH batteries just as much!! The reason that the failure to discharge is often blamed is that the use of “dumb” chargers will overcharge a half depleted pack, causing a capacity reduction. The average user can easily assume that this is caused by failure to discharge first and so the cell “remembers” how much it was used. The solution is simple: get a peak charger/discharger and throw your “dumb” chargers out. A battery pack with “memory” can often be revived by repeatedly cycling it on an automatic discharge/peak charge charger.
