Re: looking for good cordless phone sets

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Dave Houston" <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:45dce3d5.97518406@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> "Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> >That's gonna be hard to find.  This unit takes a 3 AAA cell NiMH pack
with a
> >small two pin connector.  Easily replaced if you have a source of AAA
> >soldertab cells and a soldering iron.
>
> There's usually a small circuit board tucked between the NiMH cells with a
> thermistor and a few other components to limit the charging rate. You'll
> need to salvage it from the old pack (unless it's the reason the old pack
> died). The thermistor needs to sense the temperature of the charging NiMH
> cells - that's why it's nestled amongst them.

I'm not sure this pack has anything but batteries.  Since it's still under
warranty, I am not slicing it open to see!  There's a thin plastic wrap over
the three batteries and I can trace the wiring and the solder tabs with my
finger and I don't see (actually it's more like feeling) any other
components.  It takes 20 hours to charge so I am assuming it's very low
current trickle.

I recently discovered that LIon batteries absolutely need thermal and
voltage monitoring during charging because they will overload and explode
when left on unsupervised trickle charge.  But I thought NiMh could safely
trickle charge without any detection hardware on the pack.  My NiMH AA and
AAA sized standalone chargers I have (except for a 15 quick charger) don't
monitor temperature, they just monitor charging voltage.  The LIon chargers
that I just bought for CR123 and CRV3 photo-type batteries both have
"fingers" that contact the battery at its midpoint.  While I haven't opened
them to inspect them, I assume that finger is there to make sure the charger
shuts off if the battery gets too hot.  None of my NiMH chargers have
fingers except for the quick chargers.

As you point out, I will be careful to insure that if there are any
components in the old battery pack, they get transferred to the new one,
should I decide to build my own.   I suspect that Walmart will be selling
replacement battery packs for little more than what it would cost me in time
and effort to build one.  I'm actually quite happy that Uniden is using NiMH
batteries.  Lots of consumer crap still comes with NiCads and their infamous
memory problem.

> UnidenDirect has refurbed units but even those cost far more than you
paid.

I wasn't really in the market for new phones but when I saw a package that
came with a base station and a total of three handsets for $72, I couldn't
resist.  I just hope they are still on sale today when I go back because I
could use another three handsets and a spare base at less than $20 a
handset!

> I have 2.4GHz units but I seldom use the microwave while on the phone and
am
> never in more than one room at once so I cannot comment on interference or
> conferencing.

(-:  I have some 2.4GHz wireless cams that would not work at all when near
my Panny 2.4GHZ phone (which apparently has a 900MHz return channel!!) and
the phone would cut out or get scratchy at the ends of the house.  The
5.8MHz phone is much, much cleaner and had far less of the compression
"twang" I heard on the Panny.  While I am not overly fond of wireless cams,
there are times when they are invaluable and the new phones are quite an
improvement.  I stood next to both the microwave and the wireless cam
transmitter and neither had any effect on the phone and vice-versa.

--
Bobby G.