[pct-l] Lithium Batteries
kcristler
kerouc at verizon.net
Sat Mar 28 23:31:48 CDT 2009
vin and josh,
great replys. read the reviews and learned a lot. one thing more. They make a rechargeable lithium camera battery. Why can' t they make a rechargeable AA?
Kerry
----- Original Message -----
From: Vincent Rupp
To: kcristler
Cc: The Incredible Bulk ; pct-l at backcountry.net ; Trekker4 at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, March 28, 2009 8:52 PM
Subject: Lithium Batteries
I think the difference is lithium (AA) vs. lithium ion (cell phone). Iif I recall college physics correctly, ions are some sort of magic.
How long a battery lasts relates to both how the device sucks the power and the total energy jammed into the battery.
Standard alkaline batteries aren't 1.5V for long. I tried using some in my digital camera - got about 60 photos out of it. Then tested the batteries with a multimeter and the voltage was still around 1.3 each. Guess it just doesn't work at that voltage, but most electronic devices perform fine within a range. A light just gets dimmer as the battery weakens. I think that's why the Nimh are 1.2V - doesn't much matter for most electronics. Energizer's lithium AA runs about $9 at Target; I think those stay at a much higher voltage until they die. Supposedly, my camera will take over 1,000 photos (without the flash) on a set of these.
When I was battery shopping, I ran across this discussion by an engineer on the relative merits of types of batteries (first customer review)
http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-L91BP-4-Lithium-Batteries-4-Pack/dp/B00003IEME/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1238296513&sr=8-1
On Sat, Mar 28, 2009 at 7:46 PM, kcristler <kerouc at verizon.net> wrote:
bulk and trekker,
I can't believe how tunnel visioned i am sometimes. I thought lithiums
were rechargeable because my lithium camera battery is rechargeable. This is
interesting. Lithiums appear to supercede alkalines in the throw away
battery class. Hikers use lithiums to avoid the hassle of recharging NimH
batteries, i guess. But rechargeables would be much cheaper in the long run,
correct? One quibble. 1.2 V is not equivalent to 1.5 V. That is probably why
lithiums last twice as long as NimH. Thanks for the beta. I needed it in my
dulled state.
Kerry
----- Original Message -----
From: "The Incredible Bulk" <taterno at cox.net>
To: <kerouc at verizon.net>; <pct-l at backcountry.net>; <Trekker4 at aol.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 28, 2009 6:20 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Steri pen water purification
>I have never seen rechargeable lithium batteries in the AA form factor, but
>that is not to say that this is not a new battery. My advise is to read
>the package label carefully. If rechargeable is not indicated on the
>label, do not attempt to charge these batteries. Lithium batteries have
>been known to explode if mishandled, and I have seen it first hand when I
>used to use them for RC car racing.
>
> Tom KI6ASP
> The Incredible Bulk
> pctaddict.blogspot.com
>
>
> ---- Trekker4 at aol.com wrote:
>
> =============
> No, the only lithium's I know of are not rechargable, definitely not if
> they're the blue and silver ones from Eveready. Regardless, an AA is an
> AA; good
> question, but the voltage is equivalent.
> Buy your Eveready Lithiums at Sam's, $20 for 12 - a lot less than $10
> for 4. They have a shelf life of 15 years, and last 7 times as long.
>
>
> In a message dated 3/28/2009 5:20:31 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
> kerouc at verizon.net writes:
>
> I just bought a 4 PACK of lithium AA at Wal Mart for $10. Now I 'm
> wondering
>
> about charging them. I have a AA NimH charger, but I notice they are 1.2
> volts and the lithiums are 1.5 V. Do I need a new charger for the
> lithiums?
> If so, where to buy one?
> Kerry
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Charles W. Davidson" <chaseat99 at gmail.com>
> To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>; "atl atl" <AT-L at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 7:59 AM
> Subject: [pct-l] Steri pen water purification
>
>
>> Hi Gang,
>> I just got back from a 6 day hike. I tested out my new
>> Classic model Steri Pen that I purchased at REI. I sent the faulty
>> Journey model steri pen back to Nitro-Pak for refund. They said that
>> they found nothing wrong with it so I ended up paying shipping including
>> the initial free shipping. The gadget worked periodically ( I just
>> retired from 36 years at Corning where I repaired electronic
>> instruments). Counting shipping and all cr123 batteries I purchased
>> testing the thing it cost me a bit. I should have gone to REI in the
>> first place and I will not use the other site again.
>> But now I am happy with the Classic model Steri-Pen. It uses AA
>> batteries and will clean twice as much or ~ 100 liters of water on 4
>> lithium AA's. I get an 8 pack Lith AA at Walmart for <$10. which is the
>> same cost as 2CR123's. It seemed a bit odd purifying the same water
>> sources that I have drank from for many years. However it is so easy and
>> quick that I really did not mind the 90 second wait for each liter. The
>> device worked will with standard size small neck soda bottles or large
>> mouth (my preference). Large mouth do not freeze up as fast as the small
>> ones. Both store better upside down in cold weather because freezing
>> starts in the air gap on top.
>>
>> Chase
>> Photo's and video of my hike @
>>
>> My Journal http://postholer.com/chaseat99
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Pct-l mailing list
>> Pct-l at backcountry.net
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>>
>
>
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> --
> Tom
> The Incredible Bulk
> pctaddict.blogspot.com
>
>
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