NiMh batteries, the first battery revolution
NiMh batteries were the first evolution to the classic NiCd batteries. Altough widely used, NiCd batteries suffer from the infamous “memory effect”. NiMh batteries on the other hand, offer higher power storage capacity without such adverse effect. Although NiMh batteries still exhibit some symptoms related to the “memory effect” problem (quickly degrading battery performance when users charge it before being completely depleted) it so happens at a far lesser scale than those affecting NiCd batteries. NiMh is also able to return back to its full performance at a faster rate than the NiCd packs.
NiMh batteries were a welcome addition to the world of rechargeable batteries. Nowadays, they’ve been mostly replaced by another newer generation of advanced batteries, the LiIon battery; but we can still find NiMh in some low cost products where price matters the most. Nevertheless NiMh is responsible for the arrival of the first generation of truly portable cellular phones, and is – in part - responsible for the great boom in battery technology evolution that spawned from it.
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