One AA cell has suddenly turned grey underneath the transparent
printed sleeve and it looks like a powdery coating has formed there.

Under normal circumstances I would just throw it away but these are
not normal circumstances (I´m about 8000 miles away from my stash of
spare batteries and over here I´m not allowed out to buy any more) so
I´d like to keep using it for as long as it holds a charge if it is
safe to do so and it will not ruin my equipment.

Any thoughts about whether this might be just corrosion on the outside
of the can or might it be leaking chemicals or is something else
happening?

Thanks!

Nick

Is it under the top bit? It I believe has some seals or pressure release
system for when it overheats. I imagine its better than it blowing up!
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Nick Odell" wrote in message
news
One AA cell has suddenly turned grey underneath the transparent
printed sleeve and it looks like a powdery coating has formed there.

Under normal circumstances I would just throw it away but these are
not normal circumstances (I´m about 8000 miles away from my stash of
spare batteries and over here I´m not allowed out to buy any more) so
I´d like to keep using it for as long as it holds a charge if it is
safe to do so and it will not ruin my equipment.

Any thoughts about whether this might be just corrosion on the outside
of the can or might it be leaking chemicals or is something else
happening?

Thanks!

Nick

On Wednesday, 1 April 2020 17:34:29 UTC+1, Nick Odell wrote:
One AA cell has suddenly turned grey underneath the transparent
printed sleeve and it looks like a powdery coating has formed there.

Under normal circumstances I would just throw it away but these are
not normal circumstances (I´m about 8000 miles away from my stash of
spare batteries and over here I´m not allowed out to buy any more) so
I´d like to keep using it for as long as it holds a charge if it is
safe to do so and it will not ruin my equipment.

Any thoughts about whether this might be just corrosion on the outside
of the can or might it be leaking chemicals or is something else
happening?

Thanks!

Nick

usually means it's leaking, and the leakage is corrosive. In your circumstances I'd keep a close eye on it.


NT

On 20:34 1 Apr 2020, Nick Odell said:

One AA cell has suddenly turned grey underneath the transparent
printed sleeve and it looks like a powdery coating has formed there.

Under normal circumstances I would just throw it away but these are
not normal circumstances (I´m about 8000 miles away from my stash of
spare batteries and over here I´m not allowed out to buy any more) so
I´d like to keep using it for as long as it holds a charge if it is
safe to do so and it will not ruin my equipment.

Any thoughts about whether this might be just corrosion on the outside
of the can or might it be leaking chemicals or is something else
happening?

Thanks!

Nick

This can happen if the cell is overcharged and the resulting internal
pressure blows the seal/valve, leaking electrolyte which dries to form that
residue.

The lost electrolyte means the cell now holds less charge and is more likely
to leak again in future. The cell may stumble along for a while but it's on
its way out.

On 02/04/2020 18:42, Nick Odell wrote:
On Wed, 01 Apr 2020 16:34:25 -0300, Nick Odell
wrote:

One AA cell has suddenly turned grey underneath the transparent
printed sleeve and it looks like a powdery coating has formed there.

Under normal circumstances I would just throw it away but these are
not normal circumstances (I´m about 8000 miles away from my stash of
spare batteries and over here I´m not allowed out to buy any more) so
I´d like to keep using it for as long as it holds a charge if it is
safe to do so and it will not ruin my equipment.

Any thoughts about whether this might be just corrosion on the outside
of the can or might it be leaking chemicals or is something else
happening?

Thanks!

Nick

Seems to be going okay so far....

https://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/w...jpg?&width=640


Ooops!


(Thanks to everyone for your replies. Appreciated.)

Nick

I think Pamela is right, it is a leak and on its way out but in your
circumstances I would probably keep going. The sleeves seem pretty
robust. I don't think it is likely to overhead and blow up like a
Lithium Ion.

How valuable is the kit, and do you stop earning if you stop using it?

If it is a preamp for a guitar active pickup (say) then the worst
consequences of failure might be corrosion and a requirement to replace
the battery box. Hard to see how it would destroy a guitar but it might
wipe out something more compact, say a radio mic.

Is "over here" somewhere that you can't even order stuff online? Can you
get "ordinary" AA's? Assuming it is in a multi battery rig then the
"extra" 0.3 volts if you replace just one is unlikely to fry anything.

On Wed, 01 Apr 2020 16:34:25 -0300, Nick Odell
wrote:

One AA cell has suddenly turned grey underneath the transparent
printed sleeve and it looks like a powdery coating has formed there.

Under normal circumstances I would just throw it away but these are
not normal circumstances (I´m about 8000 miles away from my stash of
spare batteries and over here I´m not allowed out to buy any more) so
I´d like to keep using it for as long as it holds a charge if it is
safe to do so and it will not ruin my equipment.

Any thoughts about whether this might be just corrosion on the outside
of the can or might it be leaking chemicals or is something else
happening?

Thanks!

Nick

Seems to be going okay so far....

https://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/w...jpg?&width=640


Ooops!


(Thanks to everyone for your replies. Appreciated.)

Nick

On 03/04/2020 20:11, Nick Odell wrote:
On Thu, 02 Apr 2020 12:52:25 +0100, Pamela
wrote:

On 20:34 1 Apr 2020, Nick Odell said:

One AA cell has suddenly turned grey underneath the transparent
printed sleeve and it looks like a powdery coating has formed there.

Under normal circumstances I would just throw it away but these are
not normal circumstances (I´m about 8000 miles away from my stash of
spare batteries and over here I´m not allowed out to buy any more) so
I´d like to keep using it for as long as it holds a charge if it is
safe to do so and it will not ruin my equipment.

Any thoughts about whether this might be just corrosion on the outside
of the can or might it be leaking chemicals or is something else
happening?

Thanks!

Nick

This can happen if the cell is overcharged.... snip

That mention of overcharging concerns me.

Dont worry., he is talking through his arse.
All the changes that happen under [over]charge happen INSIDE the cell.

Issues outside the cell are down to surface chemistry alone


--
"In our post-modern world, climate science is not powerful because it is
true: it is true because it is powerful."

Lucas Bergkamp

On 20:11 3 Apr 2020, Nick Odell said:

On Thu, 02 Apr 2020 12:52:25 +0100, Pamela
wrote:

On 20:34 1 Apr 2020, Nick Odell said:

One AA cell has suddenly turned grey underneath the transparent
printed sleeve and it looks like a powdery coating has formed there.

Under normal circumstances I would just throw it away but these are
not normal circumstances (I´m about 8000 miles away from my stash of
spare batteries and over here I´m not allowed out to buy any more) so
I´d like to keep using it for as long as it holds a charge if it is
safe to do so and it will not ruin my equipment.

Any thoughts about whether this might be just corrosion on the outside
of the can or might it be leaking chemicals or is something else
happening?

Thanks!

Nick

This can happen if the cell is overcharged.... snip

That mention of overcharging concerns me. I thought all chargers these
days automatically cut out when the battery was fully charged or after
a certain period of time had elapsed? I am currently (sorry about
that) using a two-cell usb-powered charger from Screwfix which blinks
while it is charging and shows a steady light when it has stopped.
(Most of) my other cells run to the end of their charging cycle and
then stop. These ones, I admit, just go blinking on and on.

Nick

Although there are several ways of deciding when to terminate charging, a
cheap charger may only use one and even then not sense the moment
correctly.

For example, a common way is to sense a voltage dip as full charge
approaches but NiMh cells, unlike NiCads before them, change voltage by
only a small amount and a poor charger may fail to sense it.

Excess discharge can also make a cell vent but maybe not in your case.

"Nick Odell" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 02 Apr 2020 12:52:25 +0100, Pamela
wrote:

On 20:34 1 Apr 2020, Nick Odell said:

One AA cell has suddenly turned grey underneath the transparent
printed sleeve and it looks like a powdery coating has formed there.

Under normal circumstances I would just throw it away but these are
not normal circumstances (I´m about 8000 miles away from my stash of
spare batteries and over here I´m not allowed out to buy any more) so
I´d like to keep using it for as long as it holds a charge if it is
safe to do so and it will not ruin my equipment.

Any thoughts about whether this might be just corrosion on the outside
of the can or might it be leaking chemicals or is something else
happening?

Thanks!

Nick

This can happen if the cell is overcharged.... snip

That mention of overcharging concerns me. I thought all chargers
these days automatically cut out when the battery was fully charged
or after a certain period of time had elapsed?

No they don't. Have a look at Big Clives teardowns of
the worst of the chinese designs with the cheapest crap.

And there are plenty of even branded laptops that ****
the battery much quicker when left on the charger 24/7

I am currently (sorry about that) using a two-cell usb-powered
charger from Screwfix which blinks while it is charging and
shows a steady light when it has stopped.

But it may not be that great about deciding when its fully charged.

(Most of) my other cells run to the end of their charging cycle
and then stop. These ones, I admit, just go blinking on and on.

So clearly the cells are being overcharged.

On Thu, 02 Apr 2020 12:52:25 +0100, Pamela
wrote:

On 20:34 1 Apr 2020, Nick Odell said:

One AA cell has suddenly turned grey underneath the transparent
printed sleeve and it looks like a powdery coating has formed there.

Under normal circumstances I would just throw it away but these are
not normal circumstances (I´m about 8000 miles away from my stash of
spare batteries and over here I´m not allowed out to buy any more) so
I´d like to keep using it for as long as it holds a charge if it is
safe to do so and it will not ruin my equipment.

Any thoughts about whether this might be just corrosion on the outside
of the can or might it be leaking chemicals or is something else
happening?

Thanks!

Nick

This can happen if the cell is overcharged.... snip

That mention of overcharging concerns me. I thought all chargers these
days automatically cut out when the battery was fully charged or after
a certain period of time had elapsed? I am currently (sorry about
that) using a two-cell usb-powered charger from Screwfix which blinks
while it is charging and shows a steady light when it has stopped.
(Most of) my other cells run to the end of their charging cycle and
then stop. These ones, I admit, just go blinking on and on.

Nick

On Sat, 4 Apr 2020 05:58:22 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:


No

No? LOL

--
Kerr-Mudd,John addressing senile Rot:
"Auto-contradictor Rod is back! (in the KF)"
MID:

On Thu, 2 Apr 2020 17:20:52 +0100, newshound
wrote:

On 02/04/2020 18:42, Nick Odell wrote:
On Wed, 01 Apr 2020 16:34:25 -0300, Nick Odell
wrote:

One AA cell has suddenly turned grey underneath the transparent
printed sleeve and it looks like a powdery coating has formed there.

Under normal circumstances I would just throw it away but these are
not normal circumstances (I´m about 8000 miles away from my stash of
spare batteries and over here I´m not allowed out to buy any more) so
I´d like to keep using it for as long as it holds a charge if it is
safe to do so and it will not ruin my equipment.

Any thoughts about whether this might be just corrosion on the outside
of the can or might it be leaking chemicals or is something else
happening?

Thanks!

Nick

Seems to be going okay so far....

https://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/w...jpg?&width=640


Ooops!


(Thanks to everyone for your replies. Appreciated.)

Nick

I think Pamela is right, it is a leak and on its way out but in your
circumstances I would probably keep going. The sleeves seem pretty
robust. I don't think it is likely to overhead and blow up like a
Lithium Ion.

How valuable is the kit, and do you stop earning if you stop using it?

If it is a preamp for a guitar active pickup (say) then the worst
consequences of failure might be corrosion and a requirement to replace
the battery box. Hard to see how it would destroy a guitar but it might
wipe out something more compact, say a radio mic.

Is "over here" somewhere that you can't even order stuff online? Can you
get "ordinary" AA's? Assuming it is in a multi battery rig then the
"extra" 0.3 volts if you replace just one is unlikely to fry anything.

Not able to order anything on line. Even in the best of times on-line
ordering still meant on-foot collecting which at the moment we are not
allowed to do. Even so NiMh cells are comparatively expensive so I
guess I will have to use supermarket alkalines if I have too many NiMh
failures. I do not forsee any problems there - unlike the time I
destroyed a perfectly good film camera by putting rechargeables in the
compartment clearly labeled "use alkaline cells only." I told uk.d-i-y
about that at the time.

"Over here" is Buenos Aires, Argentina where I will probably be for
the next few months. Apart from the pocket SW Receiver (3x AA) and the
electric shaver (2x AA) it is mainly photographic equipment, including
a medium format film camera which uses 8x AA cells in the motor drive.
I have had to take a different spin on photography: since us over-65s
are not allowed out of the house under any circumstances, instead of
stuff like wandering around railway sidings photographing old trains,
it has become a matter of trying to find new and interesting ways of
looking at whatever I can see from the balcony.

Thanks for all the advice,

Nick

On Friday, 3 April 2020 19:32:08 UTC+1, Nick Odell wrote:
On Thu, 2 Apr 2020 17:20:52 +0100, newshound
wrote:

Is "over here" somewhere that you can't even order stuff online? Can you
get "ordinary" AA's? Assuming it is in a multi battery rig then the
"extra" 0.3 volts if you replace just one is unlikely to fry anything.

Not able to order anything on line. Even in the best of times on-line
ordering still meant on-foot collecting which at the moment we are not
allowed to do. Even so NiMh cells are comparatively expensive so I
guess I will have to use supermarket alkalines if I have too many NiMh
failures. I do not forsee any problems there - unlike the time I
destroyed a perfectly good film camera by putting rechargeables in the
compartment clearly labeled "use alkaline cells only." I told uk.d-i-y
about that at the time.

"Over here" is Buenos Aires, Argentina where I will probably be for
the next few months. Apart from the pocket SW Receiver (3x AA) and the
electric shaver (2x AA) it is mainly photographic equipment, including
a medium format film camera which uses 8x AA cells in the motor drive.
I have had to take a different spin on photography: since us over-65s
are not allowed out of the house under any circumstances, instead of
stuff like wandering around railway sidings photographing old trains,
it has become a matter of trying to find new and interesting ways of
looking at whatever I can see from the balcony.

Thanks for all the advice,

Nick

There's also the world of macro. Don't even need equipment for it, can make extension tubes from cardboard. Nothing moves so manual lens control is workable. Ring lights are useful but not essential, there are ways to bodge one from card. You probably know all that.
Perhaps you could pay someone to bring you some NiMH from a local shop.


NT

On 05/04/2020 00:03, Nick Odell wrote:
On Fri, 3 Apr 2020 18:36:41 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Friday, 3 April 2020 19:32:08 UTC+1, Nick Odell wrote:
On Thu, 2 Apr 2020 17:20:52 +0100, newshound
wrote:

Is "over here" somewhere that you can't even order stuff online? Can you
get "ordinary" AA's? Assuming it is in a multi battery rig then the
"extra" 0.3 volts if you replace just one is unlikely to fry anything.

Not able to order anything on line. Even in the best of times on-line
ordering still meant on-foot collecting which at the moment we are not
allowed to do. Even so NiMh cells are comparatively expensive so I
guess I will have to use supermarket alkalines if I have too many NiMh
failures. I do not forsee any problems there - unlike the time I
destroyed a perfectly good film camera by putting rechargeables in the
compartment clearly labeled "use alkaline cells only." I told uk.d-i-y
about that at the time.

"Over here" is Buenos Aires, Argentina where I will probably be for
the next few months. Apart from the pocket SW Receiver (3x AA) and the
electric shaver (2x AA) it is mainly photographic equipment, including
a medium format film camera which uses 8x AA cells in the motor drive.
I have had to take a different spin on photography: since us over-65s
are not allowed out of the house under any circumstances, instead of
stuff like wandering around railway sidings photographing old trains,
it has become a matter of trying to find new and interesting ways of
looking at whatever I can see from the balcony.

Thanks for all the advice,

Nick

There's also the world of macro. Don't even need equipment for it, can make extension tubes from cardboard. Nothing moves so manual lens control is workable. Ring lights are useful but not essential, there are ways to bodge one from card. You probably know all that.
Perhaps you could pay someone to bring you some NiMH from a local shop.



Yes, well... Can not use cardboard with the medium format camera since
it has a leaf shutter between the lens elements and needs an
electrical connection to fire it. But I have a Pentax SLR and DSLR
here for which the lenses are interchangeable and I have a macro lens
in my kit.

My other half comes from here and lives here most of the year and
today the task will be to d-i-y a set-up to digitise some old slides
from her childhood. Of course back at home I would have put them in my
9600dpi Canon scanner but for some reason which escapes me now I did
not think to put that in my luggage before I left Dear Old Blighty.

Nick

(Apologies for thread drift)
Could this be the same Nick Odell who appears in
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xuaydz after about 9 minutes? I've
made a few instruments (dulcimer, mandolin, Tenor Guitar, Melodeon, and
Hurdy Gurdy and restored a few others). The aim is to eventually make
reproduction English Guittars, if I can ever get rid of everything else
that needs doing.

On Fri, 3 Apr 2020 18:36:41 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Friday, 3 April 2020 19:32:08 UTC+1, Nick Odell wrote:
On Thu, 2 Apr 2020 17:20:52 +0100, newshound
wrote:

Is "over here" somewhere that you can't even order stuff online? Can you
get "ordinary" AA's? Assuming it is in a multi battery rig then the
"extra" 0.3 volts if you replace just one is unlikely to fry anything.

Not able to order anything on line. Even in the best of times on-line
ordering still meant on-foot collecting which at the moment we are not
allowed to do. Even so NiMh cells are comparatively expensive so I
guess I will have to use supermarket alkalines if I have too many NiMh
failures. I do not forsee any problems there - unlike the time I
destroyed a perfectly good film camera by putting rechargeables in the
compartment clearly labeled "use alkaline cells only." I told uk.d-i-y
about that at the time.

"Over here" is Buenos Aires, Argentina where I will probably be for
the next few months. Apart from the pocket SW Receiver (3x AA) and the
electric shaver (2x AA) it is mainly photographic equipment, including
a medium format film camera which uses 8x AA cells in the motor drive.
I have had to take a different spin on photography: since us over-65s
are not allowed out of the house under any circumstances, instead of
stuff like wandering around railway sidings photographing old trains,
it has become a matter of trying to find new and interesting ways of
looking at whatever I can see from the balcony.

Thanks for all the advice,

Nick

There's also the world of macro. Don't even need equipment for it, can make extension tubes from cardboard. Nothing moves so manual lens control is workable. Ring lights are useful but not essential, there are ways to bodge one from card. You probably know all that.
Perhaps you could pay someone to bring you some NiMH from a local shop.



Yes, well... Can not use cardboard with the medium format camera since
it has a leaf shutter between the lens elements and needs an
electrical connection to fire it. But I have a Pentax SLR and DSLR
here for which the lenses are interchangeable and I have a macro lens
in my kit.

My other half comes from here and lives here most of the year and
today the task will be to d-i-y a set-up to digitise some old slides
from her childhood. Of course back at home I would have put them in my
9600dpi Canon scanner but for some reason which escapes me now I did
not think to put that in my luggage before I left Dear Old Blighty.

Nick

On Sat, 4 Apr 2020 21:43:00 +0100, wrote:

On 05/04/2020 00:03, Nick Odell wrote:
snip
My other half comes from here and lives here most of the year and
today the task will be to d-i-y a set-up to digitise some old slides
from her childhood. Of course back at home I would have put them in my
9600dpi Canon scanner but for some reason which escapes me now I did
not think to put that in my luggage before I left Dear Old Blighty.

Nick

(Apologies for thread drift)
Could this be the same Nick Odell who appears in
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xuaydz after about 9 minutes? I've
made a few instruments (dulcimer, mandolin, Tenor Guitar, Melodeon, and
Hurdy Gurdy and restored a few others). The aim is to eventually make
reproduction English Guittars, if I can ever get rid of everything else
that needs doing.

Oh dear: I am afraid you have me banged to rights there. I have been
retired now for quite some time and although I have had ambitions to
turn a basement room into another workshop, details like boomerang
kids at home and spending too much time down here in South America
have kind of got in the way. Maybe if I ever manage to get home again
and maybe if being in lockdown in the UK becomes an ongoing thing I
can get those ambitions back on track.

Delighted to hear about what you have been building. I have enjoyed
building reproduction historic instruments myself. Mainly as an
exercise to experience how early makers used to work.

There used to be some good usenet newsgroups for instrument makers but
I am afraid they seem to have gone the way of so many other good
groups. Still: at least uk.d-i-y is still thriving!

Nick

On Saturday, 4 April 2020 21:03:47 UTC+1, Nick Odell wrote:
On Fri, 3 Apr 2020 18:36:41 -0700 (PDT), tabbypurr wrote:
On Friday, 3 April 2020 19:32:08 UTC+1, Nick Odell wrote:
On Thu, 2 Apr 2020 17:20:52 +0100, newshound
wrote:

Is "over here" somewhere that you can't even order stuff online? Can you
get "ordinary" AA's? Assuming it is in a multi battery rig then the
"extra" 0.3 volts if you replace just one is unlikely to fry anything..

Not able to order anything on line. Even in the best of times on-line
ordering still meant on-foot collecting which at the moment we are not
allowed to do. Even so NiMh cells are comparatively expensive so I
guess I will have to use supermarket alkalines if I have too many NiMh
failures. I do not forsee any problems there - unlike the time I
destroyed a perfectly good film camera by putting rechargeables in the
compartment clearly labeled "use alkaline cells only." I told uk.d-i-y
about that at the time.

"Over here" is Buenos Aires, Argentina where I will probably be for
the next few months. Apart from the pocket SW Receiver (3x AA) and the
electric shaver (2x AA) it is mainly photographic equipment, including
a medium format film camera which uses 8x AA cells in the motor drive.
I have had to take a different spin on photography: since us over-65s
are not allowed out of the house under any circumstances, instead of
stuff like wandering around railway sidings photographing old trains,
it has become a matter of trying to find new and interesting ways of
looking at whatever I can see from the balcony.

Thanks for all the advice,

Nick

There's also the world of macro. Don't even need equipment for it, can make extension tubes from cardboard. Nothing moves so manual lens control is workable. Ring lights are useful but not essential, there are ways to bodge one from card. You probably know all that.
Perhaps you could pay someone to bring you some NiMH from a local shop.



Yes, well... Can not use cardboard with the medium format camera since
it has a leaf shutter between the lens elements and needs an
electrical connection to fire it. But I have a Pentax SLR and DSLR
here for which the lenses are interchangeable and I have a macro lens
in my kit.

My other half comes from here and lives here most of the year and
today the task will be to d-i-y a set-up to digitise some old slides
from her childhood. Of course back at home I would have put them in my
9600dpi Canon scanner but for some reason which escapes me now I did
not think to put that in my luggage before I left Dear Old Blighty.

Nick

You don't need a shutter to do macro. A black cloth & very low lighting works. Film is as you know tolerant of off exposure to a sufficient extent. Crude yes, but it works, and doesn't imply low quality results.


NT