I hate NiCad batteries. I hate them so much. They do nothing but destroy vintage / retro computing. The Osborne, Amstrad Mega PC and Sega TeraDrives are all powered by either Dallas DS1287 or equivalents or CR2032 / BR2032 coin cells. No more leaking those toxic chemicals all over my keyboard port and PCB tracks!
Good news was that one of the two boards worked and could be used in the future if it is required. At the moment I do not have much use for a 486DX running at 33MHz, but who knows what the future holds. If you ever come across a NiCad battery on anything, remove it before it leaks onto your precious vintage goods!