Battery Basics: Knowledge is Power (page 2)
Getting the Lead Out
Lead-acid batteries don't cost as much to manufacture as nicads and so are usually less expensive to buy. Though their low energy density means you pack around more weight for the same amount of power you'd pull from a lighter nicad, lead-acid batteries are durable and free of the infamous nicad voltage depression. More on that below.
As lead-acid batteries discharge during use, their output voltage drops at a slow, steady rate, which makes it easy to estimate how much power remains. But this law of diminishing returns also means the faster you use a lead-acid battery, the less power it gives you. Rapid charging or discharging tends to lower the overall power available between recharges. To get the most out of lead-acid batteries, store them fully charged, and charge them periodically if they're going into long-term stor…
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