Whats different between Nimh and Nicd?

[nofear6150]

I am wondering what the heck the difference is between Nimhs and Nicds? Which one is better overall?
Thanx

[KerryG]

NiCad has a tendency to develop a memory based on the charge rate, level of charge the battery had when charged, and the rate of discharge. You must fully discharge NiCads before charging to keep them in good shape. With Nimh, they do not have the memory problem but require a more expensive charger and dont have as much peak voltage. Lately, I have seen the price of Nimh actually going lower than NiCads. If you just romp around then Nimh may be a good choice, if you race, you might want Nicads for that little extra boost of power. On the other hand, Nimh batteries are a lot lighter than Nicads. Hope this helps.

[ 07-05-2001: Message edited by: Administrator ]

[jrob440]

I agree w/ Kerry.

NiMH have a higher power to weight ratio, which is why they have higher mahr ratings. They also have higher internal resistance and lower voltage, which is why you hear people say that they don't have the "punch" of a NiCd. You can get around this problem by using a motor with a lower number of turns. The lower resistance in the motor offsets the higher resistance in the batteries.

[KerryG]

Excellent point there. I see a lot of people saying everything is about the batteries when it obviously isn't always the case. Granted, a bad battery pack will take you out of the running, but with a good set of cells, the motor and gearing are also very important.

[ 07-05-2001: Message edited by: Administrator ]

[SirSpeedy]

The latest generation of Panasonic Nimh, the Stock Metal Hydrides have lower resistance, more runtime and great voltage. They perform better than any Nicad I have ever owned. You will need a charger that has an adjustable peak detection.

These cells are very durable, and perform very well on the track.

See ya...