[sci.electronics] AAAA batteries?

schuster@cup.portal.com (Michael Alan Schuster) (06/10/91)

Browsing the shelves at Radio Shack today I noticed a really nice,
slim black penlite. In fact ... it was TOO slim! About the thickness
of your average fountain pen; much slimmer than any other penlite.

After looking at the package I was about to put it back on the rack when
something struck me: those batteries look VERY VERY slim! Sure enough;
they aren't triple-A. They were marked AAAA, and the flashlight package
didn't say where to get replacement batteries :-) The RS people sure
didn't know!


                Mike Schuster                      |   -CIS: 70346,1745
-NY Public Access UNIX:  schuster@panix.com        |   -MCI Mail, GENIE:
-The Portal (R) System:  schuster@cup.portal.com   |           MSCHUSTER

ee5391aa@triton.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax) (06/10/91)

In article <43124@cup.portal.com> schuster@cup.portal.com
(Michael Alan Schuster) writes:

>Browsing the shelves at Radio Shack today I noticed a really nice,
>slim black penlite. In fact ... it was TOO slim! About the thickness
>of your average fountain pen; much slimmer than any other penlite.

>After looking at the package I was about to put it back on the rack when
>something struck me: those batteries look VERY VERY slim! Sure enough;
>they aren't triple-A. They were marked AAAA, and the flashlight package
>didn't say where to get replacement batteries :-) The RS people sure
>didn't know!

Mike, I can't be sure the size is correct, but if you open up the case on a
9V battery, you'll find a half-dozen slender cells that I've called "AAAA"
(unofficially, of course) for years.

Rodeo Schlock has their battery card, which can keep you in smoke detector
batteries at no additional charge for years to come. (Store `em in the fridge
...NOT the freezer!)  Get the card; get one of their cheap 9Vers and pop it
open.  See if they fit.

Then, post or email the results...I'm curious.


					d

schuster@panix.uucp (Michael Schuster) (06/10/91)

In article <1991Jun10.012020.19382@ariel.unm.edu> ee5391aa@triton.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax) writes:
>
>Mike, I can't be sure the size is correct, but if you open up the case on a
>9V battery, you'll find a half-dozen slender cells that I've called "AAAA"
>(unofficially, of course) for years.
>
>Rodeo Schlock has their battery card, which can keep you in smoke detector
>batteries at no additional charge for years to come. (Store `em in the fridge
>...NOT the freezer!)  Get the card; get one of their cheap 9Vers and pop it
>open.  See if they fit.

I've opened 9V's before. They seem to come in two varieties:
a stack of lozenge-shaped discs (zinc-carbon types) and
a pack of cylindrical cells (alkaline). Yes ... perhaps the
latter are close in size to the AAAA's. But the AAAA's packaged
with this flashlight carry the usual gold foil wrappings, complete
with the RS 'Enercell' logo. Will have to investigate this....



-- 
                Mike Schuster                      |   -CIS: 70346,1745
-NY Public Access UNIX:  schuster@panix.com        |   -MCI Mail, GENIE:
-The Portal (R) System:  schuster@cup.portal.com   |           MSCHUSTER

ee5391aa@triton.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax) (06/11/91)

In article <1991Jun10.141636.25725@panix.uucp> schuster@panix.uucp
(Michael Schuster) writes:

>I've opened 9V's before. They seem to come in two varieties:
>a stack of lozenge-shaped discs (zinc-carbon types) and
>a pack of cylindrical cells (alkaline). ...

Hmmmm...yes, the 9V batteries I've opened were alkaline units.  I've never
opened up a C/Zn battery, but...HEY!  I've got a bunch of `em up in the re-
frigerator.  Hang on a second while I get one...now, gimme a minute to open
the case...uh, huh!  Mike knows whereof he speaks -- six stacked cells, about
3/8" thick, with a vertical cross-section that just fits into the battery
case.  It looks like a stack of miniture sardine cans.

OK, well, I use alkaline cell in all my flashlights, anyway, so there!  ;^)

Hmmm...this might be a convenient way to make small batteries to give funny
voltages, like 12V, 15V, etc, for a small volume.  It could be used for flash
guns, incendiary ignit...NEVER MIND!  FORGET THAT! I DID _NOT_ SAY INCENDIARY!
IT WAS NOISE ON THE LINE!


						D, er,
						d