Understanding your batteries in a portable world. Article on battery choice and how to maximize service life

Batteries have become essential travel companions. They help us call a friend, assist in computing a transaction and support critical missions when lives are in danger. What are the most common batteries in use today, and how do they compare in terms of run-time, cost, longevity, reliability and maintenance requirements? Are there methods to restore batteries that appear "dead"? In this article we explore the advantages and limitations of today's most popular battery systems. We examine the batteries not only in terms of energy density but address service life, load characteristics, maintenance requirements, self-discharge and operational costs. Since the nickel cadmium remains a standard against which other batteries are compared, we evaluate alternative chemistries against this classic battery type. The alternative chemistries are: Ni-MH, sealed Pb-acid, Li-ion, Li-polymer, and reusable alkaline batteries. Battery maintenance and battery analysers are discussed.