background preloader

How To

Facebook Twitter

Articles - Rebuilding NiCd Rechargable Battery Packs. Home > Articles > How To > Advanced > Rebuilding NiCd Rechargable Battery Packs Rebuilding NiCd Rechargable Battery Packs By Dave Bonandrini - 8/29/2007 REBUILDING NiCd RECHARGABLE BATTERY PACKS The second most important tool in your telescope building toolbox is your cordless drill (the most important is your router). The problem with cordless drills is that the batteries only last a few years, and they cost more to replace than the entire drill kit you bought in the first place.

The specs on my packs state that you should get 250 charging cycles out of them. I dare say that most people can rebuild their pack totally free. Like all of my articles, I must include the usual disclaimer that everything you do in this hobby is dangerous. Besides saving money, why would I want to rebuild a battery pack? Reason number one is that usually only one or two cells in the whole pack are bad. When you first take a pack off the charger it should read higher than the voltage printed on the pack. 1. 2. 3. 10 awesome ways to use a USB flash drive. Your trusty USB flash drive is much more versatile than you might realize, packing capabilities that go well beyond storing and transferring files. These little-known tricks can be utilized by computer newbies and technogeeks alike to achieve anything from restoring a virus-ridden computer to launching and playing portable apps right from the drive.

Unlock our top-10 ways to use a USB flash drive with the guide below. Thanks to fellow How To blogger Ed Rhee, and the team at CNET, you'll be surprised to find that storing files might not be the best use of thumbdrives after all. 1. Lock and unlock your computer, secret agent style With Predator, you can turn your USB drive into a "key" that unlocks your computer when plugged in, and locks it when it's removed.

If anyone attempts to access your computer without the key (or top-secret password), they'll be hit with an epic "ACCESS DENIED" message. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Bonus: Quickly remove USB devices without using Safe Removal. How to Wash and Waterproof a Softshell Jacket. So, you've properly cleaned your softshell, dried it on low, and it still isn't as waterproof as it use to be. It looks as if the DWR has worn off. Most DWRs, especially on softshells are hydrophobic fabric treatments that resist fabric saturation and they do wear off over time. Whenever your softshell begins to wet out, it is time for a treatment.

To retreat your garment's DWR and restore that weather resistant finish. You have two options to retreat the garment: either wash in or spray on. First, before using any sort of waterproofing agent, ensure that the garment has been cleaned properly with some sort of tech detergent. Again, though many companies like McNett / Revivex and Grangers produce softshell treatments, Nikwax Softshell Proof is easy to use and very effective.

Directions for a wash-in application using Nikwax Softshell Proof Directions for a spray-on application using Nikwax spray-on Softshell Proof. MIT TechTV – Machine Shop 1. Mrpete222's Channel.