In article ,
Sammy wrote:

How does the capacity of a Duracell-brand AA cell (Duracell ordinary
or Duracell ultra) compare to one of the high-capacity NiMH cells (eg
2100 mAh)?

They're roughly comparable, under conditions of moderate load (e.g.
100 mA or so). The Duracell performance spec indicates that a MN1500
AA alkaline cell has a service life of around 20-22 hours at 100 mA...
and this assumes that the battery can be drawn down all the way to 0.8
volts per cell. This work out to around 2000-2200 mAh, and this
figure seems to be good for discharge rates from trickle-load up to
around 400 mA.

The service life of an alkaline decreases significantly under
conditions of rapid discharge. At a 1-ampere rate, the MN1500 reaches
the 0.8-volt level after only 1 hour, resulting in a useful capacity
of only 1000 mAh. I assume that losses from the cell's internal
resistance (stated to be "usually less than 1 ohm") are responsible
for the reduction in capacity.

I am assuming, of course, that any applicance using the cells would
work down to the 1.2 volts of the NiMH.

If they don't, they'd have problems with alkalines in the latter
portion of the discharge curve, too.

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
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