A nickel-cadmium cell uses nickel oxide hydroxide and metallic cadmium as electrodes. These batteries are prized for delivering massive surge currents without voltage drop, making them ideal for power tools and heavy-duty starting applications. However, they suffer from a memory effect where partial discharges permanently reduce their total capacity.
Heard on the job
Don't leave that nicad pack on the charger all weekend or you'll ruin its capacity.
Also heard as
- NiCd
Related terms
Battery-backed
Describing a volatile memory or real-time clock circuit that uses a small local battery to retain data when main power is lost.
Suicide battery
An internal battery that maintains volatile memory containing critical operational data, rendering the device permanently inoperable if it dies.