Charging battery when half charged?

Google "NiMh Memory" you will find that technically they do not have memory but in reality they do a little after time. Most people do not have to worry about it. The Battery will probably crap out first. As the previous poster who stormed out of here said, "Believe what you want". It really does not matter to me one bit if people believe it or not. I have never had one with memory.

From http://www.greenbatter​ies.com/nibafa.html#Ni​MH memory

"Do NiMH batteries have memory effect?

Technically, NiMH batteries do not have a "memory effect", but strictly speaking neither do NiCds. However NiMH batteries can experience voltage depletion, also called voltage depression, similar to that of NiCd batteries, but the effect is normally less noticeable. To completely eliminate the possibility of NiMH batteries suffering any voltage depletion effect manufacturers recommend an OCCASIONAL, complete discharge of NiMH batteries followed by a full recharge. NiMH batteries can also be damaged by overcharge and improper storage (see the NiCd section immediately above this one). Most users of NiMH batteries don't have to be concerned with this voltage depletion effect. But if you use a device say a flashlight, radio, or digital camera for only a short time every day and then charge the batteries every night, you will need to let the NiMH (or NiCd) batteries run down occasionally. "

Wilt wrote in post #10760346
...But if you use a device say a flashlight, radio, or digital camera for only a short time every day and then charge the batteries every night, you will need to let the NiMH (or NiCd) batteries run down occasionally. "

In other words, it shouldn't hurt anything to "top off" your NiMH batteries once in a while, as long as you're not doing it every single time over a prolonged period.

So if you suddenly realize that you didn't charge your battery the night before you're going somewhere and you stick it on the charger to "top off" the batteries, it's not like they're going to burn to the ground or ooze out of your camera or anything. I'd much rather charge them than have them go dead 15 minutes into the shoot the next day. I've read other texts that say allowing NiMH's to go completely dead does more damage to them than topping them off.

If you get a charger that has a discharge or "recondition" cycle, you can eliminate the problem altogether....stick the batteries in there and cycle them every couple weeks. Done!

People worry to much about batteries. Worst case they last 2.5 years instead of 3 and you go buy some more a few months early.

tkbslc wrote in post #10760568
People worry to much about batteries. Worst case they last 2.5 years instead of 3 and you go buy some more a few months early.

Exaaaaactly. I can afford 9 bucks a pop for 4 new rechargeable AA's every 30 months...not worth losing sleep over IMO. I do whatever I need to make sure they're charged and ready when I need them (although I do generally avoid the high-mAh 15-minute "quick charges")....if that shortens their life by a few months, so be it.