How to Revive a ‘Dead’ Rechargeable Battery in 30 Seconds

Have a rechargeable battery that won’t recharge properly? Before throwing it out, there’s something you should try. Here’s a 2-minute video by Lensvid that will teach you one technique for reviving “dead” rechargeable AA and AAA batteries.

Photographers often make use of rechargeable AA or AAA batteries (in equipment like flashes and remote releases, for example). If the batteries won’t recharge properly, reviving them like this could save you money and the hassle of buying replacements.

First things first, you’ll need to arm yourself with a pair of metal barbecue tongs.

Then, take a fully charged battery (of the same type) and your “dead” battery and hold the two negative ends so they are touching. Hold them together between the tongs like this for 30 seconds:

It might not always work, but Lensvid says it has yet to see this trick fail. Lensvid says the revived battery seems to work just “like a normal battery” afterward.

(via Lensvid via Fstoppers)