It has been Interesting to watch the cell phone industry grow over the past few years. Early in the 1980's a cell phone was either something that was mounted in a motor vehicle or it was carried in a satchel or case and was unaffordable for most people. By the 1990 hand held brick size cell phones had became available and were not the status symbol they had been just a few years earlier because the prices had dropped significantly but they were still beyond the average person's budget. At the turn of the century cell phones small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, take pictures, text message, and surf the web were priced so most people could afford them.

The decrease in size of the phones was partially accompanied by a decrease in size of the power source, battery, they used. Smaller batteries would result in shorter charge life of the battery if the transmitter portion was operated at the same level as earlier models so the transmitter power was decreased. The lower power was possible because many more cell cites had been erected.

Cell phones are carried by most people today even by children. This means rechargeable batteries are being carried by almost everyone.

A cell phone battery can be fairly expensive to purchase and sometimes it is cheaper to get rid of the phone and buy a new one then it is to just buy a new battery. Either way if a battery can be made to last longer it will save the user money.

The safety issues and money saving suggestions of this article does not just apply to cell phone batteries but to all the rechargeable batteries which are used in many of the modern portable electronic and electrical devices.

A battery supplies energy by converting chemical energy into electrical energy. A chemical reaction is taking place inside the battery cells. The chemical erodes the metal plates inside the battery which changes the properties of both the chemical and the metal plates which results in free electrons on the negative metal plate and a defiance of electrons on the positive plate. This difference of electron levels between the two metal plates, electrodes, is transferred to the terminals of the battery. When the two terminals are connected through an electrical circuit the electrons will move from the negative terminal to the positive terminal thus forming an electrical current.

When the electrons build up on the negative electrode to a certain level the chemical action stops until some of the electrons are drained off to the positive electrode. When these electrons are drained off the chemical reaction can start again and release more energy up to the point where the chemical has so eroded the electrodes that it can no longer work to supply sufficient current to run the device to which the battery is attached.

A rechargeable battery, also known as a secondary cell, has a chemical that is able to be restored to its original structure by reversing the current flow through the battery. The flow of electricity inside a battery will produce heat whether the current caused internally by the battery discharging or by an external source used to charge the battery.

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