Every battery type has a different chemistry, but they share a common
problem. The battery has a certain amount of capacity. When you've
filled that capacity, if you try to add more charge, you cause some
undesirable reaction.
Let's look at lead acid batteries, for example. Discharged, you have
two lead plates surrounded by water. Charged, you have a lead-sulfate
plate, and a lead plate, surrounded by acid. But you can only raise the
acid to a particular level of acidity, and the plates to a certain level
of saturation. Beyond that, the acid begins to boil and vent gas. The
more it boils, the more of it 'evaporates'. And as it evaporates, you
lose capacity and risk damaging the plates.
Other batteries have other reactions when overcharged, but all have some
sort of negative reaction. Overcharging a Lithium Ion battery is
dangerously catestrophic. Because of this fact, lithium ion batteries
have charge regulators for each cell, to prevent a serious explosion.
This is a rather simplified explanation.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
In a message dated 9/2/2005 1:03:05 AM Pacific Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Trickle charging means charging a battery at the same rate as it is self
discharging, thus maintaining a full capacity battery. One must be
careful, however, that the charge rate is not more than the self
discharge, or overcharging and possible damage or leakage may occur.
==========
I've never understood how it is possible to overcharge a battery.
OTOH, I guess I don't really understand batteries either. But it seems like
an oxymoron or something.
Marnie
