I have been playing with my wii...

[--Pete]

Hi,

I have an intense hatred for rechargeable batteries. They never seem to last very long before you get a battery only capable of having a 5 minute charge, especially with the NiCad batteries.

You've been bit by the 'charge memory' bug. If you routinely partially discharge a battery and then recharge it, it takes a 'set' and pretty soon, that's all the use you can get out of it. Newer batteries and other technologies are much better than the old NiCads were. Using disposable batteries is not only worse for the environment, it is worse for your wallet. If you can get a smart charger you can get hundreds of cycles from a set of rechargeable batteries. Back when I was flying electric RC, I'd get a year or more of pretty frequent flying out of a battery pack, and that was with fast charging, which is harder on the pack than normal usage.

So, if you feel like it, check it out -- may be worth your effort.

--Pete