The 'ready' light lies: advanced battery maintenance as a function of quality control

摘要

The ready light on a charger indicates that the battery is fully charged, ready to go. In no way, however, does 'ready' guarantee sufficient battery capacity or assure state-of-health. Similar to a toaster that pops up the bread when brown, thecharger fills the battery with energy and 'pops' it to ready when full. Full charge is commonly detected by a rise in battery temperature.Rechargeable batteries gradually lose their ability to hold charge as part of a natural aging process. Operators are often oblivious to the fact that their batteries barely last a day with no reserve energy to spare. Weak batteries can hide comfortablybecause little demand is placed on them on a routine day. The situation changes when full performance is required during an emergency. Total collapse of portable systems is common and such breakdowns are frequently related to poor battery performance.