Sharkey,

You caught me on that one. I typically refer to anything other than a lead acid (PbS04) as a Edison. Of course the classic Edison is a Nickel Iron (circa 1902) but I thought they were commercially gone not to long after Tesla and his damn AC. I just assumed that these were NiCd and since they looked like they were made in the last 40 years or so.

So who knows the answer. These puppies say Edison but does that definitely mean they are Nickel Iron's?

I'll check my old HP's for the rebuild articles.

Travis

Sharkey Said

Travis;

Excuse me if I stoop to pick a nit, but if what you have are true Edison
cells, then they aren't nickel-cadmium, but nickel-iron. Either way, you're
still looking at ten cells in series for 12 volts and elevated charge
voltages.
If the batteries were dry, it's probably time to rebuild them again, as
oxygen from the atmosphere has likely contaminated the plates. The good
news is that rebuilding Edison cells is a fairly simple process, which
doesn't involve disposal of toxic cadmium sludge from the bottom of the
cell casings.
I think HP has run a couple of articles on the subject, and I've had some
conversation with Richard Perez about the same. These batteries are
definitely worth resurrecting. Once that is accomplished, a proper
regulator will keep them functional for decades to come.

-S

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