Store Rechargeable Nickel-Cadmium Batteries
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Store Rechargeable Nickel-Cadmium Batteries

Nickel cadmium (NiCd) batteries are used to power a wide range of cordless drills, although lithium-based batteries are beginning to replace them. Lithium batteries produce greater output and can power your device for longer, but the storage capability of lithium batteries is not as good as NiCd, according to Battery University. Temperature and the amount of charge in the Makita power tool battery during storage are important if you want to keep your NiCd battery in good condition.

Charge your NiCd battery until full. Put your battery into the cordless drill and turn it on.

Run the cordless drill for about 15 minutes, and then turn off the drill and remove the battery. Test the voltage using a voltmeter. The best way to store a NiCd battery is to allow it to discharge about 50 percent of its energy.

Put the prongs on the end of the wires from the voltmeter onto the two battery terminals of the NiCd battery. The red wire needs to touch the positive terminal labeled "+" and the black wire needs to touch the negative terminal labeled "-."

Read the voltmeter display. It reads about 1 volt if the NiCd battery is about 50 percent charged. A NiCd battery produces 1.2 volts when fully charged, but a 50 percent charge doesn't relate to 0.6 volts. Battery voltage drops slowly, allowing the battery to power the cordless drill for longer without it slowing down. If the voltmeter reads higher than 1 volt, put the Hitachi cordless drill battery into the power tool and turn it on for about five minutes and then check again. Repeat the process if necessary until it reads 1 volt.

Place your NiCd battery in a cool dark place. If you store the battery between -30 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, you can expect it to operate at about 99 percent efficiency after one year. The higher the temperature you store the battery at, the less efficient it becomes.

Your NiCd Paslode battery will self-discharge during storage, but providing you recharge it fully before you need to use, it will work normally.
 

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