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Subject: Re: Trickle Charging
From: Josh (Norm) Audette (jaudette_at_linuxcare.com)
Date: 2002-12-10

<MAIL>
Charging on means charging with ~300 mA, charger off means decharging
~100mA.

So start charging at intervals 15 sec (charge) - 45 sec (decharge) (or is
this what you call trickle charge?).
</MAIL>

<NORM>
        The common definition of trickle charging is to allow a small current
        to continuously charge the battery. With larger currents, rechargeable
        batteries achieve a faster charge time, but they must also be protected
        against overcharge, usually by monitoring dV/dt and either dT/dt or
        just straight temperature. However, a battery cannot be damaged by
        using a small current to charge it, even if you cntinuously apply that
        current. The disadvantage, of course, is that it would take *forever*
        to charge a battery using the same current you'd use for trickle
        charging. More advanced (and thus more expensive) chargers employ a
        separate circuit for trickle charging batteries after a full charge has
        been reached using a higher current.

        You'd have to read the specs for the battery type to determine what a
        proper trickle charge current is (I believe the links in the charging
        code may cover this) but I doubt that the Archos has the ability to
        regulate the available current from the charger.

        You could try faking it by applying the available current for short
        times (as you suggest above) but I worry about what effect this might
        have on the batteries.
</NORM>

  Why, oh why,
  Do my telnet sessions die?
                          - Norm, "Ode to a bad firewall"
- - -.-- .-.. - - -.-- .-.. - - -.-- .-.. - - -.-- .-.. - - -.-- .-..
Josh "Norm" Audette <norm_at_gnurple.net> AIM: normmonkey ICQ: 25260232
Systems and Network Administrator (Contract) <norm_at_linuxcare.com>
              Linuxcare. Simplifying Server Consolidation.
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