Batteries and Chargers this holiday season

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"...one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought." - Albert Einstein

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Thursday, December 21, 2006

Batteries and Chargers this holiday season

The global battery market is about $50 billion US dollars. It is predicted that in 2007 the US demand will be $14 billion. Consumers spend a lot of money on batteries and our portable equipment (and many non-portable products) depend on them. I am presenting some facts to help you choose and care for your batteries this holiday season - it'll save you a bundle!

dam lightnin.jpg

The non-rechargeable cells are the first type I want to discuss and they come most often in three flavors: carbon-zinc, alkaline, and lithium. The carbon-zinc may be alternatively called by many misleading terms such as heavy duty or extended. Stay away from these batteries. You get about 300% more capacity from alkaline and they can be had for about the same money as the carbon-zinc. Unless the battery label says alkaline or lithium the battery is an old fashioned carbon-zinc.

Storing alkaline or lithium batteries in the refrigerator to extend their storage time is of little benefit. Their self discharge is only a few percent per year at room temperature. In very hot climates, like if you live on the equator, you may find benefit in storing them in your fridge.

Lithium batteries are the little coin cells. They work well at low temperatures, have an even higher capacity than alkalines and much longer storage time (low self-discharge rate). Lithium batteries also come in the popular AA, AAA, C and D sizes. The voltage is slightly different than regular alkaline cells and they MAY NOT WORK in all equipment as a replacement for alkalines. If you do use them as a replacement you may find a real benefit in certain applications. Applications you might want to use these disposable cells in are in digital cameras as a set of backups in case your rechargeables run out, or in outdoor thermometers so you don't have to replace the cells as often, or in your TV remote controls. In low duty cycle applications like remote controls they may last many years.

Now in some of the products that use the non-rechargeable batteries you can use rechargeables. Either NiCad's (Ni-Cd) or Nickel-Metal-Hydride (Ni-Mh). If the label or instructions say you can then go right ahead and use the one they suggest. But if you want to use them in a childs toy then each technology has its own advantages. NiCad's have a lower capacity than NiMh, and suffer from a memory effect. On the other hand they have a low internal resistance. You only want to use them in equipment that has a high current draw or motor like cordless drills. When you use them you want to use the equipment until the NiCad battery is fully discharged before you charge them again. If you don't the battery will develop 'memory' and permanently lose the capacity below where you started charging it.

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dude said...

Just wondering why you put your huge picture in your 'battery lecture'. It looks funny!

Saturday, December 30, 2006 9:06 PM

Damon said...

I need huge picture to fit huge head dude. Look at head... can't you see?

Tuesday, January 02, 2007 11:55 AM