[NTLK] 2x00 battery rebuild

[NewtonTalk]

> I was always under the assumption that the battery packs incorporated both
a thermistor *and* a polyswitch.

That's correct.

> So, there's only a single temperature-related component in those packs?

Nope. The yellow Polyswitch protects against battery failure when the pack
is accidently shorted out. This switch is self-resetting, i. e. when the
short is removed and the Polyswitch has cooled off, things will work hunky
dory as before. The thermistor is the little component with the white wires.
It tells the Newton that instead of the battery holder a rechargeable pack
is installed. It also changes its resistance when the cells get warmer
during the charge cycle, which tells the Newton when to stop charging. The
pack will work fine (but be no longer protected against shorts) when you
replace the Polyswitch with a piece of wire, but it will not work if you
leave out the thermistor.

Frank

-- One should always presume one's data has drifted to a place one will
never be able to visit. (Chris Matyszczyk)