DIYbanter - View Single Post - Video showing heavy flour in AA batteries: any way for layman to testNiMH batteries?

isw

In article ,
wrote:

On Sat, 26 Oct 2013 13:31:34 -0700 (PDT), Amanda Riphnykhazova
wrote:

I have a Panasonic DECT phone which takes AAA batteries. The ones I am
using are 2-3 years old and although they always measure OK on a simple
battery meter, give such pathetic call quality that I strongly suspect the
have very few amps indeed. (compared to how the phone used to work). When
left off the hook, the phone is dead within a day or so.

So I just bought on ebay some new NiMH ones called Rayzel (no reviews
available) with an ominously anonymous light green casing. They claim to be
2100 MAH to replace the present 650MAH ones. They say they come from a
place called Virginia but are scheduled to take 5 days to get a couple of
hundred miles to me by USPS.

Then I saw the video showing how these can apparently weigh as much as the
normal ones but be filled with flour or crack or something and in fact be
some poxy module a few millimeters in mass. Which, far from giving 2100Ma,
gives in reality only 66Ma and looks as if it may well last as long as five
minutes so long as no meaningful load is put on it.

Is there any way of testing them to make sure they are what they say they
are before leaving misleading positive feedback? I have no way of knowing
how long the phone which is designed to be left on the hook is supposed to
last when left off the hook. If I buy a very cheap battery tester, would it
have no cut out circuits and put a proper constant load on the battery such
that if left in place, the voltage may lower over the course of a few
minutes connection? (or does that only happen when the battery is actually
completely failing)

I also have a Philips TSU500 remote in which I use slightly pricey Sanyo
Eneloop batteries supposedly heavily quality controlled by Costco before
sale. They are now possibly as old as 6-8 months and used to last a week or
so before stopping working. Now they can go from fully charged (2-3 days in
a charger) to dead in 3 days. Again, I am wondering if there is any way to
test them before I decide that they need replacing rather than that the
TSU500 itself is chewing up batteries and needs replacing!
I wouldn't be surprised if the video is a practical joke. A friend of
mine sent me a link that showed that what is inside the large 6 volt
lantern batteries are just a whole bunch of AA batteries. I told him
that the video was crap. He didn't believe me and went out and bought
one of these batteries and pried the bottom off. Just like I told him
there were 4 large cells in the thing, not a whole bunch of AA cells.
He did call me to tell me I was right and say he felt pretty silly.

Originally, those 6 volt lantern batteries were made up of "G" cells
(same diameter as "D" but taller). More recently, I've come across some
that have "D" cells inside, and no marking on the outside to give a clue.

But here's one: If there are "G" cells inside, the thing will balance
over the middle when laid on the side, but if it has "D" cells, it'll be
bottom-heavy.

Isaac