Mike (Trumpy)
Great topic for discussion.
I prefer slow (trickle) charging, but I think NiCd's may not like to be slow charged ... I'll check into this, as it has been a year or two (or three, or five, or eight, or ...) since last reading up on Charging Techniques.
BTW, quite a few of the Charger Schematics I have for NiCd "Simple" Chargers, use only one Diode. Maybe this is why they tend to be "Fast Chargers".
Scott35