A Cordless Phone's Major Problem - Dealing w/ Batteries?

Brian James asks: "I am sick to death of cordless phone batteries going dead at the drop of a hat. And with frequent recharging they tend not to hold much of a charge. Replacement often equals the cost of a new phone altogether... so what's the point? Ultimately I wish cordless phone manufacturers would design a phone that used standard rechargeable batteries, preferably with 2 battery bays and a switch that allowed you to switch over to the fresh set when one set starts to go dead (of course, I don't see this happening any time soon). Is there any way to modify a cordless phone such that I can run the handset off of standard batteries? I don't care how 'cheap and dirty' it ends up, I just need to know I can pop in a fresh battery and call the guy back, without waiting 8 hours for it to charge up." A few cordless phone manufacturers do have a clue. Some phones allow you to charge an extra battery in the base while the other is being used by the phone, which works well (I have a Sony 900Mhz model that does this). It would be interesting to see if someone has done what the poster has asked, however if you'd like to recommend a cordless phone that keeps downtime to a minimum, I'm sure such would be appreciated.

Comments

Ni-Cd memory a MYTH

[PD]

http://www.repairfaq.org/ELE/F_NiCd_Battery.html

This FAQ explains the whole thing.

The REAL thing to watch out for is completely discharging a pack. The first cell that goes dead will be driven in reverse by the other cells. That's bad news, and it kills that cell.

Apparently NiMH batteries are even MORE sensitive to this than the NiCd batteries.

So, charge your phone often. Don't let it run all the way down.