How do you discharge a battery?

There are several ways to discharge batteries, but electrochemical discharge using salt solutions has proven to be simple, fast, and inexpensive. So far, there is no consensus in the literature on the time and concentration for the appropriate electrochemical solution for discharge.

Should a lithium battery be fully discharged?

You should NEVER fully discharge a lithium battery. It ruins it. You should also NEVER discharge them fast as that will create internal heating which could cause them to explode or catch fire. I knew that question was coming!!!!

How long should a 5ahr battery be discharged?

However, this achieves your goal. Just discharge them at about C/10 until they do not pass anymore current. So if they are a 5Ahr battery, discharge them at 500 mA until they go dead. C/10 should be a same rate for most battery packs

Why does a battery recover after a heavy discharge?

One oddity you'll run into is the weak cells can get charged in reverse polarity, while the remaining good cells still will have a positive charge on them. That's why a battery seems to recover after its been discharged heavily, then allowed to rest for a period of time.

Can a battery be discharged with an incandescent bulb?

As SgtWookie noted, an incandescent bulb is a good way to discharge a battery since their resistance reduces as the voltage drops, tending to maintain the discharge current. Just use more lamps or a larger lamp to obtain a faster discharge. But don"t exceed the batteries maximum current rating (not necessarily determined by the AH rating).

What's the fastest way to charge a battery?

BTW Those batteries don't hold their charge anymore The fastest way is shorting the battery, the best way is to not short the battery, but have a controlled discharge, like you are doing with the lamp.