FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions | NextBatteries.com

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Economic Nexus?

Economic nexus is when a seller must collect sales tax in a state because they earn above a sales or revenue threshold in that specific state. Economic nexus is most common for out-of-state sellers. Economic nexus is basically sales tax nexus for online sales.

WHat is the difference between NiMH, NiCD & Li-Ion?

NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) and NiCd (Nickel Cadmium), they are both Nickel bases batteries. The major differences between the two types of batteries are capacity, memory effect and environmental friendliness. NiMH batteries have high capacity, no memory effects and environmentally friendly. Li-Ion is right now the go-to battery chemistry. Li-ion batteries produce the same energy as Ni-MH battery but weighs approximately 20%-35% less. This can make a noticeable difference in devices such as cellular phones, two-way radios, bar-code scanners or notebook computers where the battery makes up a significant portion of the total weight. Another reason Li-Ion batteries have become so popular is that they do not suffer from the "memory effect" at all.

What is Memory Effect?

Memory effect, also known as battery effect, lazy battery effect, or battery memory, is an effect observed in nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries that causes them to hold less charge.

What is Capacity?

Battery capacity is a measure (typically in Amp-hr) of the charge stored by the battery, and is determined by the mass of active material contained in the battery. The battery capacity represents the maximum amount of energy that can be extracted from the battery under certain specified conditions.

What is Chemistry?

Chemistry is the driving force behind the magic’s of batteries. A battery is a package of one or more galvanic cells used for the production and storage of electric energy by chemical means. A galvanic cell consists of at least two half cells, a reduction cell and an oxidation cell.

What is Volt?

Voltage is the electrical pressure required to start/ turn on an electrical equipment. If the voltage of an electrical source(battery/ power input) is too low, it will not be able not turn on the equipment and if the same is too high than the required voltage, it may damage the equipment. This is measured in Volts or V.

What are Smart Batteries?

Smart Batteries are Impres Compatible batteries, they work with Motorola Impres (TM) Chargers and will show battery information on LCD display about adaptive reconditioning, end-of-life display, and other advanced features.

What are Smart Chargers?

NextBatteries.com SMART BATTERY CHARGER with LCD display shows adaptive reconditioning, end-of-life display, and other advanced features. The charger is used charge and analyze Motorola Impres (TM) batteries as well as charge conventional non-smart batteries. They are available models in Single, 3 Bay and 6 Bay battery charging configurations. Please Contact Us for more information or to Request A Quote.

What is the difference between Standard Rapid Charger and Smart Battery Chargers?

NextBatteries.com Rapid Chargers are Tri-Chemistry Chargers which can charge NiCd, NiMH and Lithium batteries both Standard and Smart (Impres Compatible) batteries. The Smart Chargers comes along with the Standard features and also have a LCD display which tells you about adaptive reconditioning, end-of-life display, and other advanced features.

What is Intrinsically Safe Battery or IS Battery?

Intrinsically Safe Batteries - Safety is vitally important when using electronic devices in hazardous areas. Intrinsic safety (IS) ensures harmless operation in areas where an electric spark could ignite flammable gas or dust.

What is the difference between rapid charger and trickle charger?

The difference between rapid charger and trickle charger is that during the rapid charger will charge your battery up to about 80% of the full battery charge within 1-2 hours whereas trickle charger will take 10-12 hours to fully charge, that is why they are also called Overnight Chargers.

What are the Li-Ion & Li-Polymer battery shipping regulations?

Li-ion and Li-Polymer batteries can be shipped ground without Dangerous goods fees. However, Air/Expedited shipping for Li-ion and Li-Polymer battery attracts Dangerous Goods Fees, that will be charged on top of the air/expedited shipping cost.

Ground shipping of Li-ion and Li-polymer batteries is not possible to Alaska and Hawaii, so they will ship Select 2nd day or Overnight shipping to HI & AK.

Due to shipping regulations, Li-ion and Li-polymer cannot ship to all countries, so please check here, if your country qualifies for Lithium battery shipping for Internationals orders.

What is a battery?

Battery can be any device that stores energy for later use. The word battery is limited to an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy into electricity, by use of a galvanic cell. A galvanic cell is a fairly simple device consisting of two electrodes (an anode and a cathode) and an electrolyte solution. Batteries consist of one or more galvanic cells. A battery is an electrical storage device. Batteries do not make electricity, they store it. As chemicals in the battery change, electrical energy is stored or released. In rechargeable batteries. This process can be repeated many times.

How do I identify my battery?

The first information to provide would be the make and model of the equipment that you require the battery for .e.g. Toshiba Satellite Pro 400, or Compaq Presario 1283. There is also usually a label on the battery, and some of this information on the label will help our sales team to identify your battery quickly.

This information includes the voltage of the battery pack (note: this is not the same as the voltage on the power supply), the capacity of the battery pack and the chemical construction of the battery pack e.g. Li-ion, Ni-MH or Ni-Cd. This information can be used to ensure the information you have provided matches the information we have about your battery. Many battery packs also have part numbers on the label; this can sometimes be used to help identify the battery. We would suggest that it is best to have whole this information written down or close to hand before you call our sales team. This will help us deal with your call in an efficient manner.

How long will the new main battery power the laptop?

Battery run-time of a laptop is difficult to determine. Actual battery running time depends upon the power demands made by the equipment. The use of the screen, the hard drive and other accessories results in an additional drain upon the battery, effectively reducing its running time. The total run-time of the battery is also dependent upon the design of the equipment. Generally, a new Hi-Capacity battery will run 30% to 50% longer than the old battery did when it was new.

How to maximize your battery performance?

It is recommended to condition (fully charge and discharge) the new battery few times to allow it to reach its maximum rated capacity.

Condition the Ni-MH and Ni-Cd battery at least once a month. It will reduce the memory effect.

Use the battery at least once a month even it was kept in a dry and cool storage.

Clean the metal connector (the contact to the notebook, usually in color of gold or silver) by alcohol or Electronics Cleaner Degreaser. It will maintain the good conductivity, which improves the power conduction from battery to Notebook.

Fully optimize the Power Management features provided in system BIOS and Operating System will also improve the battery performance. Consult the user's manual to fully understand the usage of these features.

How long does battery last?

The life span of a notebook battery is about 1.5 to 3 years operating under normal conditions. As rechargeable battery begins to die, the user will notice a decline in the running time of the battery.

How can batteries be connected?

Note: When interconnecting batteries (cells), they must be identical in voltage and amp rating!

Batteries may be connected in series. The positive terminal of the first battery is connected to the negative terminal of the second battery; the positive terminal of the second is connected to the negative of the third, and so on. The voltage of the assembled battery is the sum of the individual batteries. The batteries are connected: + to - to + to - to + to -, etc. The capacity of the battery is unchanged.

Batteries may also be connected in parallel. The positive terminal of the first battery is connected to the positive terminal of the second battery, the positive terminal of the second is connected to the positive of the third; the negative terminal of the first battery is connected to the negative terminal of the second battery, the negative terminal of the second is connected to the negative of the third and so on. The batteries are connected: + to + to + and - to - to -. In this configuration, the capacity is the sum of the individual batteries and voltage is unchanged.

For example, (5) 6V 10AH batteries connected in series produces a battery array that is 30 Volts and 10AH. Connecting the batteries in parallel produces a battery array that is 6 Volts and 50AH. Ordinary auto batteries are designed in the same fashion. Six 2-volt cells are arranged in series to produce a 12v battery. Many Ni-Cd batteries are arranged in the same way.

The rating for battery.

V (volts): The voltage of the new battery should always match the voltage of the original. mAh: It standards for milli-Amp hours (1 mAh=0.001Ah), High amp-hour ratings means a longer run-time and will not cause incompatibilities.

How do I charge my batteries?

Our Ni-MH chargers are fully automatic. Plug your charger into an A/C power source and place your batteries into the charger in matched pairs of two or four batteries to begin charging. Red lights indicate charging in progress. The lights will turn green when charging is complete and the charger will automatically switch to a trickle charge. The trickle charge will keep your batteries fully charged and ready for use. Refer to our Charger Manuals page for more detailed operating instructions for your model charger.

What is a battery cycle?

Cycle life is measured by the amount of times a battery may be charged and discharged. Every time a battery is charged and discharged, it uses one cycle. Cycle life is very important in battery applications such as laptop batteries and emergency light batteries. A Ni-Cd battery has a cycle life of 500-1000 or more cycles.

Does it really help to store batteries in the refrigerator?

Yes, but only if they can be kept dry as well. The higher the temperature, the more the free flow of ions or self-discharge from the battery. Storing primary batteries (D's, C's, AA's, AAA's, 9 volt, etc.) in a cooler environment slows down this rate of discharge that all batteries experience even when not in use, hence a longer shelf life. However, if this is done, it is important that the batteries be kept as dry as possible by keeping them in an airtight container in the driest part of the refrigerator, the door side for example. Long-term exposure to moisture inside the refrigerator can cause internal corrosion to the battery. When removing batteries from the refrigerator, allow them to warm up to room temperature before using them in your device.

Can I use my old Ni-Cd battery charger to charge my Ni-MH batteries?

No, you can use a new Ni-MH charger to charge your old Ni-Cd batteries but you should not try to charge Ni-MH batteries with a Ni-Cd charger. Here's why: Ni-MH and Ni-Cd batteries are chemically very similar and when both are fully charged, the battery voltage will start to drop. The Ni-MH voltage drop is much more subtle and more difficult to detect. Ni-MH chargers usually have an over temperature sensor and shutoff to prevent overcharge as well as a more sensitive voltage drop detector where Ni-Cd chargers usually only use the voltage drop to determine when to stop charging. If you charge Ni-MH batteries in a Ni-Cd charger, it will probably miss the voltage drop and keep right on charging causing the batteries to overheat. Overcharging and overheating Ni-MH batteries can damage them internally and reduce battery life.

How to prolong lithium-based batteries

Simple Guidelines:
  • Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (In this respect, lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries.) Short battery life in a laptop is mainly cause by heat rather than charge / discharge patterns.
  • Batteries with fuel gauge (laptops) should be calibrated by applying a deliberate full discharge once every 30 charges. Running the pack down in the equipment does this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate and in some cases cut off the device prematurely.
  • Keep the lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car. For prolonged storage, keep the battery at a 40% charge level.
  • Consider removing the battery from a laptop when running on fixed power. (Some laptop manufacturers are concerned about dust and moisture accumulating inside the battery casing.)
  • Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion batteries for later use. Observe manufacturing dates. Do not buy old stock, even if sold at clearance prices.
  • If you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one to the fullest and keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze the battery. For best results, store the battery at 40% state-of-charge.

    Battery Glossary

    Battery: Two or more cells connected together.

    Cell: An electrochemical system that converts chemical energy into electrical energy.

    Capacity: This is amount of energy a battery cell or battery pack actually provides. The higher the capacity the longer the equipment will run on battery power. Usually measured in Amp hours (Ah) or Milliamp hours (mAh).

    Battery Charge: This is the process of passing electricity into the battery pack so the pack can be used to provide power when the user is away from mains power

    Li-ion: Lithium Ion. This is one the newest battery types available. It can offer the same power as a Ni-MH battery in a smaller and lighter package. This type does not suffer from 'Memory Effect' but it is expensive to manufacture.

    Ni-Cd: Nickel Cadmium. This is one of the oldest battery technologies that are still in use. Usually found only in older equipment or applications that require a high power drain. Very prone to 'Memory Effect'.

    Ni-MH: Nickel Metal Hydride. This battery type has virtually replaced the Ni-Cd batteries. This type offers higher capacities, around 30% more than a Ni-Cd cell of the same physical size. This type is also reported to suffer less from 'Memory Effect'.

    Battery Float Voltage: A unit for measuring electrical pressure. All batteries provide DC (Direct Current) electricity. It is important to ensure that the equipment you are powering is being provided with the correct volt or else damage may occur.