DIYbanter - View Single Post - Wiring a furnace to run off an extension cord.

James Sweet[_2_]

wrote:
On Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:56:48 -0500, mm
wrote:

On Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:05:21 -0800, James Sweet
wrote:

You have to get the batteries out? I don't know but isn't it more
convincing when the batteries are stuck inside?

Well if you can't get them out, you have to remember what brand they
were to find out where to send them. Sometimes you can tell, sometimes
it is not obvious.
Oh, yeah. You're right.

They should mark the brand on the ends too. It's probably a sleezy
trick by the makers to avoid paying out when they leak.

I'm finally reading the manual for my fancy camera, and it gives
several reasons why rechargeables won't have power as long as one
would want. Not using them for a long time was one. (I can find the
list if you want.) Maybe it's not true and they just don't want
people complaining to them, the camera company, when it probably is
either normal or a battery problem.

Rechargeable batteries have a lower nominal voltage than alkalines, for
some things this is a problem, for others it is not, and more things
these days are made with rechargeable batteries in mind. In my own
experience, they last longer in things like cameras, but it depends on
the nature of the load. The big advantage is when they go dead, you pop
them in the charger and use them again over and over, I'd be perfectly
willing to sacrifice some run time for that. Environmentally better than
tossing out piles of dead alkalines as well.
Yeah, the AA are 1.2 volts and the batteries-in-camera plug-in charger
(not included) is supposed to be 5 volts for 4 of them. If I
eventually try to use these in a penlight, I don't suppose they will
work. Not enough voltage.

I don't remember how dead they were when I stopped using the camera
last Jan. or Feb, but on election day, they were totally dead. They
seemed to charge up fine but I haven't tried to use them or to measure
their voltage.

The other set, in the fridge since last January, were still 1.24 or
1.26 volts when I took them out last week.

NiCads loose about 20%? charge per month - they are USELESS for
standby power apps where they sit unused for months, and are then
expected to work.

They do, and so do conventional NiMH batteries, but there is a new breed
that does not suffer from this problem. Look up Sanyo Eneloop, there are
a number of clones, known as low self discharge, hybrid, etc. I've been
using mostly Eneloops in my stuff and they live up to their claims, and
will hold roughly 85% charge over a year of sitting. I've heard some
others are about the same, only ones I've had any real negative
experience with were Tenergy, they're cheap, but worthless.