Discharging NI-MH ????

I posted a description of one about two weeks ago.

Here it is again:

take a 5v relay and wire its coil in series with its normaly open contacts. In paralllel with the coil, wire a discharge resistor and an indicator. The indicator would be a 1k resistor in series with an LED or a light bulb, whatever you have handy.

For the resistor use one that will give you about a half an amp at the voltage you want and as large a power rating you can get. 10 Ohm, 10 Watt is good for 6 volt batteries. Remember that it will get hot, so place it "in the air" with some ventilation.

Wire a momentary contact switch across the relay contacts to act as a start switch.

To use, press the button on the momentary contact switch. The current drawn will discharge the battery, light the indicator and keep the relay energized. When the battery voltage goes to low to keep the relay closed, it will open and stop the cycle. This prevents problems caused by discharging the battery too far.

Geoff.

See Maxim's Application note number 172

Actually, make that application note 936. I have a copy of an app note that has number 172 on it, but a Google search for Maxim app note 172 brings up something different. This may not be totally what you are looking for, but it may give you an idea.