Re: [Paddlewise] Battery Questions

> Bill Leonhardt wrote:
> >
> > I paddle with several devices that are powered with conventional alkaline
> > AA and C dry cell batteries (flashlight, head light, strobe, weather radio
> > sometimes, etc).  [snip]
> 
> > 1.   What do you do with slightly used batteries that you don't want to
> > take to sea?

Dave Kruger wrote:
> Same as you -- put 'em in noncritical devices.  For me, that's usually some
> flashlight.  Seems like we use those up pretty fast.  I also buy the
> alkalines with the little strip on the side which allows you to check their
> capacity (Duracell "PowerCheck" is one type) before each trip.  With the
> PowerCheck, seems like there is plenty of capacity (for at least 1/2 hour
> of transmitting on my VHF) until the strip moves off the middle of the
> green range.
> >
> > 2.   Are rechargeable AA and C batteries a practical alternative to
> > conventional alkaline cells?  Do they work as long when needed?  Are there
> > problems with charging memories (theirs, not mine)?
> 
> NiCads can fail unexpectedly, so I do not use them in critical devices,
> such as my VHF.  There are some rechargeable alkalines out, now, which
> might be a better alternative.  I believe there are some new variants on
> NiCads which may have greater reliability.
> 
> --
> Dave Kruger
> Astoria, OR

We just got a Nikon 900S digital camera that eats AA cells, so all the
slightly used cells from headlamps and such go into a bag for the cam.
(Not a water resistant camera, but great for photographing stuff for
websites). The advent of the digital camera has created suficient demand
that a new class of rechargeable is available at "reasonable" cost. NiMH
(Nickel Metal Hydride, or if you prefer, National Institutes for Mental
Health) batteries have about 50% more capacity than NiCads, and can be
recharged indefinitely at rates of up to .5C. For example, the capacity
of an AA NiMH is about 1400 maH (milliamp-hours) and can be recharged at
700ma in about 2 hours. They live for over 1000 cycles and the cost has
got down to $2.50 each in qty 10 from mail-order sources. NiCad chargers
work fine with NiMH cells. 

Also available is a charger that accepts 12 - 19 volts input and works
with your car's cigar lighter or with 18v solar panels. I'm still
researching the available hardware, so I won't post sources until I've
tried them personally, but if you search with "solar battery charger",
"NiMH", and "photovoltaic", you'll see what's out there.

Roger, in North Plains, OR where the cricks are risin' and if I stay
healthy, looking forward to a New Year's Day paddle on "Lake Tualatin".
> ***************************************************************************
> PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
> Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
> Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
> ***************************************************************************
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************