Cordless drills: How to use, how to choose

The lightest cordless drill/driver in its class GSR 14,4-2-LI Professional and GSR 18-2-LI Professional from Bosch

2009-08-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

The new cordless drill/drivers GSR 14,4-2-LI Professional and GSR 18-2-LI Professional from Bosch are the lightest tools in their class. Including the battery, they weigh only 1.3 kg or 1.4 kg respectively. In addition, they are particularly compact, with an overall length of only 196 mm. This makes them ideal for working in tight spaces. The cordless drill/drivers are the perfect fit for your hand, with a super slim handle shape. Bosch has developed this design in response to professional users' interest in lighter, more convenient cordless drill/drivers. The new tools ensure that work can be carried out efficiently and with less effort, even overhead.

Broad range of applications
The motor and new two-speed planetary gearbox with metal gears are designed to allow the cordless drill/drivers handle a broad range of applications. Maximum screw diameters are 7 mm and 8 mm respectively and the maximum drilling diameters are between 25 and 29 mm respectively for wood and up to 10 mm for metal. Joiners can therefore use the tools for nearly all installation jobs in interior fitting work. The new cordless drill/drivers are also the ideal, compact tools for electricians and car mechanics.

Screwdriver bits or drill bits are rapidly clamped and replaced in the single-sleeve 10 mm "Autolock" keyless drill chuck. The drill/drivers have 15 torque settings, so the optimum torque can be selected for any screwdriving application. An LED lamp provides good lighting for the work area. Using the belt clip supplied, professional users can attach the tool comfortably to their belts or to a ladder, for example.

Flexible battery pack system
The energy for the drill/drivers is supplied by a premium lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 1.3 Ah. Thanks to Bosch's unique "Flexible Power System“, the tool can also be operated with a 3.0 Ah premium lithium-ion battery – which comes in handy when a large number of screws is involved. Bosch supplies the cordless drill/drivers with a 45-minute charger as standard. With Bosch's "Hyper-Charge" technology, the batteries are charged to 75 percent after only half of the charge time.

Premium lithium-ion batteries offer long lifetime
The long lifetime of the premium battery is guaranteed by Bosch's Electronic Cell Protection (ECP). It reliably protects the battery against overload, overheating and total discharge. There is no memory effect and the batteries are fully ready for use, even if they have not been used for months.

Two packaging options: carton package and "L-boxx" case
The new cordless drill/drivers GSR 14,4-2-LI Professional and GSR 18-2-LI Professional are available as of September 2009 specialist retail outlets in two types of packaging. With the carton package the recommended retail prices are 179 euros or 199 euros respectively. The "L-boxx" – an extremely robust, stackable carrying case – is a new addition to Bosch. With this option, the recommended retail prices are 199 euros and 219 euros respectively.

Bosch is offering an attractive promotional set to accompany the launch of the new cordless drill/drivers. The set comprises a GSR 14,4-2-LI Professional in the L-boxx, with a second L-boxx containing a 77-piece accessory kit. The recommended retail price for the set is 229 euros. All prices are excluding VAT.

Source: Bosch site

Take 10% Off all new Porter Cable Tools and Accessories.

2009-01-10T03:21:00.000-08:00

MARRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

2008-12-23T23:13:00.000-08:00

We wish you a marry Christmas
we wish you a marry Christmas
we wish you a marry Christmas
and a happy new year.

Good tidings to you
wherever you are
good tidings for Christmas
and happy new year.

Makita first to adopt new PTI torque testing method for cordless drills that provides a consistent method for product comparison

2008-11-26T01:24:00.000-08:00

Makita U.S.A., Inc., manufacturer of high quality industrial power tools and accessories and member of the Power Tool Institute (PTI), will adopt the new PTI Torque Procedure to measure torque in cordless power drills, including driver-drills and hammer driver-drills in driver-drill mode. The new test method, agreed upon by all major power tool companies in the Power Tool Institute, is the industry’s first standard to measure torque in drills. Torque is one of the best means to measure the performance of cordless professional drills, a product used by pro tradesmen that accounts for a significant share of all power tool sales.

“Since Makita introduced and commercialized the cordless market nearly 30 years ago, there has been no single standard for measuring torque in cordless drills, and manufacturers have published figures derived from a range of different testing methodologies,” said Stan Rodrigues, Manager, Regulatory and Compliance Department at Makita. “A single standard with a consistent methodology will produce more accurate measurements for comparison, and is a true win for dealers and end-users of driver-drills.”

Prior to PTI’s new standard, power tool manufacturers conducted their own torque measurement in-house or with third party testing labs. The torque numbers were not useful for comparison since the testing hardware and methodologies were not standard. The PTI membership recognized this and worked together to create a new standard.

“Makita supports the new standard,” said Ken Hefley, Makita Senior Vice President, Marketing. “For tradesmen, torque is an important factor in the performance of a drill and a single standard guideline will produce consistent data so professional users can make informed purchasing decisions.”

“Makita is the first to publish torque numbers based on the new PTI Torque Procedure,” added Brad Wheeler, Senior Product Manager for Cordless Products. “Just as Makita is the innovation leader in the cordless category, we are the first to adopt this important standard.”

To learn more about the new PTI Torque Procedure, including the testing hardware and methodology, go to PTI’s website

Source: press release

ToolKing coupons and promotions - Episode 2

2008-10-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

Promotion	Expire
Get $50 Mail-In Rebate When You Purchase Selected Delta Tools at ToolKing.com.	10/31/2008
Receive a FREE Milwaukee 2450-20 Li-Ion Impact Driver when you buy two of any selected Milwaukee tools.	12/31/2008
Receive a FREE Milwaukee 18V XC Battery when you buy a selected Milwaukee	12/31/2008
$200 Instant Rebate on selected Steel City Shaper, Jointer, and Table Saws.	12/31/2008
Coupon TKSAVEGAS - Free Ground Shipping on orders over $75.	12/31/2008
Coupon TKDPD15 - Take 15% off any Delta, DeWalt, and Porter Cable Accessory. Excludes Batteries, Chargers, and Tools.	12/31/2008

17 Safety Rules for Cordless Drills

2008-09-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hold cordless drill by insulated gripping surfaces when performing an operation where the cutting tools may contact hidden wiring.
Wear ear protectors when using the cordless drill for extended periods.
Always use auxiliary handle for maximum control over torque reaction or kick-back.
Always wear safety goggles or eye protection when using cordless drill.
Use a dust mask or respirator for applications which generate dust.
Use thick cushioned gloves and limit the exposure time by taking frequent rest periods.
Secure the material being drilled. Never hold it in your hand or across legs.
Disconnect battery pack from cordless drill or place the switch in the locked or off position before making any assembly, adjustments or changing accessories.
Position yourself to avoid being caught between the tool or side handle and walls or posts.
If the bit becomes bound in the workpiece, release the trigger immediately, reverse the direction of rotation and slowly squeeze the trigger to back out the bit.
Do not grasp the tool or place your hands too close to the spinning chuck or drill bit.
When installing a drill bit, insert the shank of the bit well within the jaws of the chuck.
Do not use dull or damaged bits and accessories.
When removing the bit from the tool avoid contact with skin and use proper protective gloves when grasping the bit or accessory.
Check to see that keys and adjusting wrenches are removed from the drill before switching the tool "ON
Do not run the cordless drill while carrying it at your side.

These rules are part of rules from the user manual for Bosch cordless drill. So the last and main rule: Rule 17 - read the user manual carefully, and follow the instructions. Good luck and happy drilling!

Discount coupone from Tool King dedicated to Independence Day!

2008-07-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Happy July! Just for two days only, July 4th-5th, we are celebrating Independence Day with a BOOM from ToolKing.com!

Take 5% Off plus Free Shipping. Use Coupon Code BOOM at checkout. (Valid: July 4th-5th Only)

Cordless drill features: Chuck size

2008-06-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

A chuck is a specialized type of clamp used to hold materials or rotating tools.
A drill chuck is a specialised three-jaw chuck, used to hold drill bits or other rotary tools.

The image above show the traditional keyed style of drill chuck. These chucks require a key to provide the necessary torque to tighten and loosen the jaws. The rotary action of the key turns the outer body which acts on an internal screw; this in turn moves the threaded jaws in or out along a tapered surface. The taper allows the jaws to encompass various sizes of drill shanks.

Chuck size is important feature in determining the purchase of a cordless drill. At cordless drill market you can find two main sizes, cordless power drill with a 1/2" chuck and cordless power drill with a 3/8" chuck. With a 3/8" chuck size you are limited to only using drill bits with a 3/8" shank. Anything larger needed for your project you would need a 1/2" chuck size. But with the 1/2" chuck you can use all bits with a 1/2" shank, and most bits that are 5/8" or larger.

For the average homeowner for a general-purpose tool a 3/8" should be fine, however for heavy-duty work a half-inch (1/2") chuck drill should be the best choice.

Also I suggest to choose keyed drill chuck since it is very hard to loosen up jammed drill bit with keyless drill chuck.

Related posts:
Cordless drill features: Electric brake.

MAKITA CA, MAKITA COM and other regional sites of Makita Corp.

2008-06-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

Today I looked at statistics from Google Analytics, and saw that a lot of people looking for address of Makita web site in Canada, therefore I decided to publish a list of almost all regional Makita web sites:

Makita USA (also known as Makita Com)

Makita Canad(also known as Makita Ca)

Makita Latin America

Makita Brazil

Makita Belgium

Makita Russia

Makita Austria

Makita Czech Republic

Makita Denmark

Makita Finland

Makita France

Makita Germany

This list is not full, if you want to view full list of official sites please visit
this page

Related links
If you are looking for Makita tools try to visit this site
Also you can read about Makita company - top cordless drill maker

Milwaukee Cordless Drill Review

2008-05-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Tool review from Toolbelt Tips where Collin De Ruyck talk about his favorite cordless drill made by Milwaukee.

Makita customer service e-mail address. Where to find?

2008-05-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Who knows where to find the email address of Makita customer service?
I can't find it, I spent several hours trying to find e-mail address and did not find it at all. I just want to ask them a few things about cordless drill Makita BDF452HW. It is so easy to put e-mail address to your site, but they think that it is not necessary.

P.S
I checked sites:

Coupons from Toolking.com!

2008-04-19T01:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday ToolKing.com!

Tool King has been in business for 30 years, but today is the birthday for their website, ToolKing.com! Website has been online now for 7 years. I would like to celebrate Toolking.com's birthday with all. And I want to share their coupons with you.

Coupon	Description	Expires	Visit site
Coupon code TKDW5OFF	Take $5 off all DeWalt power tools $25 or more.	April 30, 2008	visit site
Coupon code TKMK5OFF	Take $5 off all Makita power tools $25 or more.	April 30, 2008	visit site
Coupon code TKMW5OFF	Take $5 off all Milwaukee power tools $25 or more.	April 30, 2008	visit site
Coupon code TKFS10OFF	Take $10 off all Festool cordless drills, saws, and sanders $25 or more $25 or more.	April 30, 2008	visit site
Just visit site to get discount	Take 15% off any Delta, DeWalt, or Porter Cable accessory. Excludes batteries, chargers, and tools.	Dec. 31, 2008	visit site

Happy purchase with coupons from Toolking.com!

UPDATE: Click on link for latest ToolKing coupons

Cordless power drill + Office Chair = Fun!

2008-04-12T03:33:00.000-07:00

Do you love spinning on office chair? Then try this steps bellow and have much more fun.

How to have fun with cordless drill:

Install a hook into the basement ceiling

Buy a steel rod from Home Depot and bend one end of it to form a mating hook

Insert the other end in a powerful cordless drill

Position a spinning chair under the hook, connect to the ceiling, and start spinning insanely fast

Idea and photo was "stolen" from Cevyn

What's the difference in Makita BDF452H and Makita BDF452HW?

2008-03-30T01:58:00.000-07:00

The answer is there are NO DIFFERENCE, because model BDF452H does not exist, this just misspelling. You can check official page of Makita BDF452HW

Related post:

Makita BDF452HW review

Sponsor link: buy cordless drills at World-Tools.com. Use the power of tools

Top cordless drill makers: Makita

2008-03-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

Makita Corporation is Japan's number one manufacturer and exporter of electric power tools.
In 1958, Makita introduced their first electric tool. In January of that year, Makita began selling portable electric planers, the first such product in Japan.
The company credited its success in the domestic power tool market to high quality construction, pioneering research and development, and a unique system of direct distribution. Instead of relying on wholesalers to market its tools to retailers, Makita employed its own direct sales force. Makita used its comparatively low-cost production base to advantage in Europe and the United States. By the end of the 1970s, the company had captured almost one-fifth of the global professional tool market, nearly matching Black & Decker Corporation's market share. On the product development front, the company introduced the world's first cordless miter saw and also launched a line of 18-volt cordless power tools during 1999. Among the new products debuting the following year was a circular saw with an attached dust collector and also the world's first line of cordless tools powered by nickel-metal hydride batteries. The latter were more environmentally friendly than the previously ubiquitous nickel-cadmium batteries, which contained cadmium, a heavy metal. By this time, the company had developed a recycling program that enabled customers to return their used batteries--both types--to any retailer within Makita's huge worldwide network.
Today Makita is one of the world's largest power tool manufacturers with seven manufacturing facilities globally and a selection of over 350 superior, innovative tools and well over 4,500 accessories.
Makita continues to set the standard for quality, reliability and performance by manufacturing innovative power tools. More informations about Makita you can find here, also you can visit official site of Makita Corp.

Related posts:

Top cordless drill makers: DeWalt

Makita regional sites

The Power of Cordless Drill

2008-03-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

A funny commercial about Milwaukee's Cordless Drill.

Cordless drill features: Electric brake.

2008-03-07T14:15:00.000-08:00

Electric brake is drill feature which helps you to stop the spinning bit.
Once you stop holding the power trigger the braking will start so the drill stops rapidly permitting you to put the drill down more safely, otherwise you run off time when waiting for the spinning bit to stop before you can put it down. Before electric brake system masses became impatient and place the drill down while it was spinning down and this was an unsafe practice and was the case of injuries where the spinning bit got caught on the cable and cause electrocution or caught something else which spun the drill causing the bit your enter the persons arm or hand causing physical damage.

The feature description taken from here

Related posts:
Cordless drill features: Chuck size

Cordless drill is #1 gift for men

2008-03-02T01:12:00.000-08:00

WOW, cordless drill is #1 gift for men accordingly gift list for men

Rule #1: When in doubt, buy him a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has one. I have a friend who owns 17 and he has yet to complain. As a man, you can never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why.

I'm totally agree. Buy him a cordless drill! :)

Cordless drills reviews collection: Makita BDF452HW 18v Lithium Ion Cordless Drill

2008-03-01T01:24:00.000-08:00

Online you can find a lot of reviews for different types of cordless drills and different models, but they are scattered in open spaces of the Internet, and this process can take a lot of time. From today I will publish posts with links to the reviews that I found. The purpose of such posts to facilitate process of finding reviews. And so begin.

Reviews for Makita BDF452 18v Lithium Ion Cordless Drill

review by FritzM at Lumberjocks.com

review by DGunn at Lumberjocks.com

review by Vestax at DiyMobileAudio.com

and for the end you can read a great collection of Makita BDF452HW reviews from Amazon

Makita BDF452 cordless drill

You can read official description from Makita or read about Makita BDF452HW on Squidoo

And also you can view Makita BDF452HW demo from ToolKing.com

Update 2009-10-24:

Today I searched for new reviews of Makita BDF452HW drill. Reviews which I found I just added to this post.

BDF452HW drill review from ToolBarn in their blog

review by OnlineToolReviews.com

read forum posts about
BDF452HW Battery Charging Problem

forum posts about man looking good cordless drill

What's the difference in Makita BDF452H and Makita BDF452HW?

Links

2008-02-27T11:17:00.000-08:00

Visit DoItYourself.com - The Leading Home Improvement and Remodeling Website Featuring the Internet's Largest Hardware Superstore

Click my Brick Directory

123 Web Directoty

Directory, direct links

Are You INTO TECHnology?

Find Top Links - Link Directory

Webmaster Earth Directory

Kasan Web Directory

Woodworkers Shop Tools Hardware and Supplies - We've got the best brand tools in the business. Delta, Jet, DeWalt, Bosch, and Porter Cable.

Top cordless drill makers: DeWALT

2008-02-24T01:54:00.000-08:00

You buy a machine and what you really get is satisfaction, entire satisfaction.

- R. E. DeWALT

The original company was started in 1924 by Raymond E. DeWalt, the inventor of the radial arm saw. The company grew quickly and was reorganized in 1947, manufacturing radial arm saws and other stationary woodworking machines. After buying the company in 1949, American Machine & Foundry Co. Inc. sold it to Black & Decker in 1960. Black & Decker divested itself of the radial arm saw manufacturing branch in 1989, selling it to two executives. Radial arm saws that use the original DeWalt design can still be obtained from the Original Saw Co.

In 1992, Black & Decker started a major effort to rebrand its professional quality and high-end power tools to DeWalt.

In 1994, DeWalt took over the German high end wood working power tool producer ELU. DeWalt enlarged their assortment of cordless tools and other tools using ELU's technology. DeWalt has maintained this focus on high-end branding, and consistenly is identified as the most preferred brand of commercial tools in recent surveys of commercial contractors

Today the DeWALT Power Tools line consists of over 200 electric power tools and over 800 accessories including: drills and hammer drills; screwdrivers; circular, chop, miter, table, reciprocating, and jig saws; planers; impact wrenches; die, angle, and bench grinders; shears; nibblers; sanders; laminate trimmers; routers, and plate joiners.

You can visit official DeWALT site

Information source Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Post sponsored by Cheap Dewalt Power Drills - Find the very best cheap Dewalt Power Drills on sale at discount prices.

Top cordless drill makers: Makita

Maintaining cordless NiMH/NiCad(NiCd) batteries

2008-02-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

Cordless drill do not need cord because the drill use energy from the battery. The battery is a very important part of cordless drill and cordless tools in general. Exist different types of batteries for cordless tools, and each type has its own features in maintenance and use. The main battery types are nickel-cadmium (NiCad^[1], NiCd) batteries, Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries and Lithium-ion batteries (sometimes abbreviated Li-ion batteries). NiCd and NiMH batteries is used often in cordless tools so in this post I want to give you information about using and charging NiCd and NiMH batteries. In internet you can find a lot of information about maintaining NiMH/NiCad batteries and in this post I will try to combine information from different sources in such manner that you will can see the overall picture of how to use and how to charge NiMH/NiCd batteries.

NiCd battery

The nickel-cadmium or NiCd battery is the most popular type of rechargeable battery in the world today, despite the development of new types offering higher energy storage density. Thats no doubt because the NiCad combines relatively low cost with fairly high storage density, the ability to deliver very high load currents on demand and the ability to be recharged very quickly.

The basic nickel-cadmium battery was invented in 1899 by Waldmar Jugner, but the modern sealed type dates from about 1947.

NiCd (NiCad) battery construction

NiCds battery are composed of an anode (positive plate of nickel oxide/hydroxide), a cathode (negative plate of cadmium metal with cadmium hydroxide) with two layers of porous separator material impregnated with electrolyte of potassium hydroxide ('caustic potash'). The sandwich is then rolled up and packaged in a nickel-plated steel can.

NiCd batteries approximatively have an energy storage density of between 40 and 60 watt-hours per kilogram.

The principal advantages of NiCd over other rechargeable types is lower weight for a given quantity of stored energy, good charging efficiency, low internal resistance, thus can achieve a higher maximum discharge rate (which can be important for applications such as power tools), and non-critical charging conditions.

The well-known drawback of NiCds is the "Memory effect."
It occurs by the formation of crystals(Cadmium crystals) inside the battery. These crystals are hard to dissolve and the ones responsible for the “memory effect”. So the trick to avoid the “memory effect” is to avoid the formation of those crystals inside the battery. This is typically accomplished by recharging the battery only when it is discharged and not when it is partially discharged. Careful recharging using the correct techniques can also be used to reverse crystal growth.
Remember, NiCd cannot be fully discharged or they will be damaged. Fully discharged usually means having a voltage below 1 V per cell (NiCd batteries are usually formed by grouping several 1.2 V cells; typical NiCd batteries are 3.6 V packs using three 1.2 V cells).
So the “trick” that is recommended by many people to solve “memory effect” by fully discharging NiCd batteries by shorting them (or any other sort of “quick discharge”) does in fact more damage than good to the batteries, even though several people claim that they can recover NiCd batteries with “memory effect” by doing this.
Also, high temperatures help the crystals to be formed. Heat is the enemy of batteries. A NiCd stored, used, or charged under high temperature conditions will die an early death. Heat causes the separator to weaken and greatly accelerates changes in the plate material.

NiCd charging & chargers

NiCd batteries need to be recharged with a reasonable amount of care, largely because they can be damaged by overcharging. The demand for rapid charging has lead to a great increase in overcharging abuse. Most all NiCd cells can be rapid charged. The trick is to stop charging when it is fully charged. The so called "rapid charge" type of cells just incorporate protection against overcharging at high currents.

NiCd batteries can charge at several different rates, depending on how the cell was manufactured. The charge rate is measured based on the percentage of the amp-hour capacity the battery is fed as a steady current over the duration of the charge. Regardless of the charge speed, more energy must be supplied to the battery than its actual capacity, to account for energy loss during charging, with faster charges being more efficient. For example, the typical "overnight" charge, called a C/10 charge, is accomplished by applying 10% of the batteries total capacity for a period of 14 hours; that is, a 100Ah battery takes 140Ah of energy to charge at this rate. At the "fast charge" rate, done at 100% of the rated capacity, the battery holds roughly 80% of the charge, so a 100Ah battery takes 120Ah of energy to charge (that is, approximately 1 hour and fifteen minutes)

How the terminal voltage of a typical NiCd cell (and
also its temperature) tends to vary during charging. Both the inflection point and the voltage peak are used for end-of-charge detection in high-end chargers.

The best method of charging is the method so called delta-V method. If one plots the terminal voltage of the cell during a charge with a constant voltage, it will continue to rise slowly as charging progresses. At the point of full charge, the cell voltage will drop in a fairly short time. The amount of drop is small, about 10 mV/cell, but is distinctive. There are circuits out there built specifically to look for this. This method is expensive and tedious, but gives good reproducible results. There is a danger in this though. In a battery with a bad cell this delta - V method may not work, and one may end up destroying all the cells, so one needs to be careful. If one ends up putting in more than double the charge capacity of the cell, then something is wrong.

Another cheap way is to measure the cell temperature. The cell temperature will rise steeply as full charge is reached. When the cell temperature rises to 10 degrees C or so above ambient, stop charging, or go into trickle mode.

Whatever method one chooses, a failsafe timer is a requirement with high charge currents. Don't let more than double the cell capacity of charge current flow, just in case. (i.e. for a 800 mAh cell, no more than 1600 mAh of charge).

A lot of work done by battery researchers in recent years, has shown that NiCds
respond better to a pulsed charging waveform than to a steady DC current. By applying the charge current in one second pulses with brief rest periods between them, the cells are better able to absorb the charge efficiently. This is particularly true at the higher charge rates used in fast chargers.

NiMH battery

The first consumer grade NiMH batteries began to appear at the end of the 1980s. Positive electrode development was done by Dr. Masahiko Oshitani from Yuasa Company, who was the first to develop high-energy paste electrode technology. The association of this high-energy electrode with high-energy hydrid alloys for the negative electrode, discovered by Philips Laboratories and French CNRS labs in the 1970s, led to the new environmentally friendly high energy NiMH battery.

The nickel-metal hydride or NiMH battery is in many ways a development from the NiCd. The construction of most NiMH batteries is almost identical to that of NiCds.
Like NiCds the positive plate is of nickel with nickel oxide/hydroxide, and the electrolyte is potassium hydroxide. However in the NiMH battery the negative electrode is made from a hydrogen storage alloy such as lanthanium-nickel or zirconium-nickel. NiMH batteries have up to 30% higher energy storage density compared with NiCds, but still display some memory effect. Theyre not as happy with deep discharge cycles, though, and tend to have a shorter working life. The self-discharge rate is also about 50% higher than NiCds.
Compared to NiCd, NiMH batteries have a higher capacity and are less toxic, but are still slightly more expensive. In addition, a NiCd battery has a lower self-discharge rate (for example, 20% per month for a NiCd, versus 30% per month for a NiMH under identical conditions).

Charging NiMH batteries

The charging voltage for NiMH batteries is in the range of 1.4-1.6 V/cell. A fully charged cell measures 1.35-1.4 V (unloaded), and supplies a nominal average 1.2 V/cell during discharge, down to about 1.0-1.1 V/cell (further discharge may cause permanent damage).

Unlike NiCds, NiMH batteries tend to dissipate heat during all of the charging process not just following the full charge point, as with NiCds. This tends to mean that NiMH batteries can only be charged at about half the rate of NiCds, unless temperature sensing is used to limit charging current.

Broadly speaking, though, most of the charging techniques which is used for charging NiCd batteries can be used with NiMH batteries. The main difference is that although the charging voltage characteristic of a NiMH cell has the same basic
shape, the actual voltage levels are different. So chargers for NiMH cells must usually be arranged to sense the terminal voltage rate of change, and use the positive delta voltage (+DV) method of end-of-charge detection.

Many modern pulse-type chargers are designed to charge either NiCd or NiMH cells, and can automatically sense which type is present adjusting their charging characteristic to suit.

Summary

Do let the cells discharge to 1.0V/cell on occasion through normal use.

Don't leave the cells on trickle charge for long times, unless voltage depression can be tolerated.

Do protect the cells from high temperature both in charging and storage.

Don't overcharge the cells. Use a good charging technique.

Use correct charger type for NiCd or NiMH battery.

Remember, you CAN NOT USE charger which charge NiCd batteries for charging NiMH battery and you CAN NOT USE charger which charge NiMH batteries for charging NiCd battery. If you want to charge NiCd and NiMH batteries by one charger, use charger that supports both types.

For more information you can read following:

Nickel-cadmium battery

Using & charging NI-CAD batteries

The Truth About NiCd Batteries

Nickel-metal hydride battery

Footnotes

^ The abbreviation NiCad is a registered trademark of SAFT Corporation and should not be used to refer generically to nickel-cadmium batteries, although this brand-name is commonly used to describe all nickel-cadmium batteries. On the other hand, the abbreviation NiCd is derived from the chemical symbols of nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd), though it is not to be confused with a chemical formula.

Which Cordless Drill Should You Purchase?

2008-02-19T14:05:00.000-08:00

Consumer Reports tested dozens of cordless drills and found that you don't have to pay top dollar to buy one that gets the job done. Video from KCRA Sacramento's Channel 3

Inside the cordless drill

2008-02-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

Today I want to talk about parts from which cordless drill is assembled. Take a look at the parts diagram of cordless drill DeWALT DC727:

Main parts of cordless drill are:

1 - CLAMSHELL SET

2 - CHUCK

9 - DC SWITCH

11 - ADJUST COLLAR

13 - MOTOR

14 - TRANSMISSION/CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

866 - BATTERY

You can see that cordless drill is very simple tool. And now you can ask, so if cordless drills are so simple inside, why exist so much different models on the market?
And the answer is: the main difference between models consist in battery type and battery voltage, motor type, supported operations and weight. Exist and other parameters but this is key factors.

In conclusion these are the main features to remember to look for when buying a cordless drill:

Battery type and Voltage

Chuck Size

Number of Speeds

Clutch (Torque) Settings

Weight

These words make me laugh

2008-02-09T08:33:00.001-08:00

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

found here