I am wanting to build an NiCD/NiMH smart charger. After looking around, I think I will use the DS2714 chip. I did some searching in the forums, and to my surprise, no one has asked about this chip before, even though there are several threads over smart chargers. Any reason why, or any chip you would recommend instead?
A regular 8-bit PIC should do it, as you only need to monitor the voltage and current. The A/D on a PIC would do fine. A little searching will probably turn up some charts for voltage and current charging specs.
A temperature sensor for stopping the charge would be a good addition. Especially if you are going to leave the packs unattended. They smell pretty bad if they overcharge and pop. It is a lingering smell, too.