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Can a NiMH battery be charged by a NiCad charger?


Wubs

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If the charger is a "fast" one for Ni-Cads then it will probably overcharge Ni-MH cells because of the difference that occurs when they are fully charged. Fast charging is 4 hours or less. Fast overcharging results in venting or in an explosion.

If the charger is designed to charge overnight then the higher capacity of the Ni-MH cells need longer charging time.

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Thanks  for the quick reply!

This is exactly what I needed to know, I have  an old toy that needs the NiCads replaced and it charges overnight (8 hours), so it should be OK to replace the 4 AA NiCads with 4 AA NiMHs, correct?

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

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That is correct, the Ni-MH cells will charge fine, but take longer for a full charge. Compare the mA/hr rating of the different types to determine how much longer.
Some old AA Ni-Cads were rated at only 500mA/Hrs. New Ni-MH cells have 5 times that capacity so will take 5 times longer to fully charge.

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