Old Ever Ready - what battery?

Ganp · #1 10-01-2006, 11:36 AM

This Ever Ready has been lurking at the back of a drawer for ages. The bulb still works, but none of the family can remember what battery it took.

It measures 1 inch diameter body by 4 1/2 inches long and is just too big for a C cell.

Does anyone have any idea what battery this would have used?

nikon · #2 10-01-2006, 12:07 PM

It should take two C cells.

Ganp · #3 10-01-2006, 12:47 PM

I thought it would be C cells, but the outer body diameter is fractionally smaller than a C cell. plus the switch (as seen in the 3rd picture) narrows the inside clearance even more.

Brighteyez · #4 10-01-2006, 01:23 PM

The appearances look a lot like the Eveready Art Deco, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, Baby lights that are circa 1940-1950 in the U.S. But the Girl Scout and Baby lights took C cells, and the others took D cells. If the length of this light appears to be long enough to take 2 cells, I suppose it could have taken something unusual, like an A sized battery (17mm x 50mm). If the length appears to be appropriate for 2 C batteries (or it was designed for 2 A batteries,) you could probably fashion a sleeve to enable the light to use AA batteries (or just wrap a couple of AA batteries in enough paper to form a sleeve.) Insofar as runtime is concerned the alkaline batteries of today (even in AA size) would most likely exceed the capacity of the carbon zinc batteries that were common in the pre/post war years.

Martin · #5 10-01-2006, 01:58 PM

Most likely this light asks for a 2R10 battery.
They contain 2 series-connected cells in a common sleeve.
I used to disassemble them as a kid. My father yet has a few old German flashlights that take these batteries but he has removed the old batteries years ago and not used the lights since.
It's probably most economical to fit an up-to-date battery and put a matching bulb, but you can still get the original battery here or here.

Kirk · #6 10-01-2006, 09:15 PM

Martin is correct. EverReady called the battery a 2B (or a #8 battery) cell because it is made of 2 "B" cells stacked end to end. If you have access to one of those 4.5 volt "flat" batteries that seem to be popular in Europe, I understand you can take it apart and get 3 of the B cells out of it. Please let us know if this works.
Kirk

Ganp · #7 10-03-2006, 04:38 PM

Thanks for the info' guys.

I'll get one of those "flat" batteries and try separating the cells.

When I have it sorted I'll post again.

thunderlight · #8 10-28-2006, 08:41 PM

I just acquired an Eveready Daylo that appears to use the same type of battery. I put 2 AA batteries [NIMH] in it, along with a cardboard sleeve to make up for the extra diameter and it appears to work fine. So this may work for your flashlight as well.

Martin · #9 11-01-2006, 05:13 PM

Ganp: Today I saw the original (zinc-carbon) Varta ones at my local Toom Baumarkt. They are EUR 1.49 each while postage is EUR 6 for 1 Kg within Europe.
So I could actually send you some "real" ones.

paulr · #10 11-01-2006, 05:56 PM

Hmm, according to those German pages, the 2R10 battery is around 72mm long, so too short for two AA's to fit in. The adapter to use a CR123A sounds like a reasonable plan for occasional use. Otherwise, a pair of 2/3A or 4/5SC NiMH cells in series (2.4 volts) should work pretty well too.

thunderlight · #11 11-01-2006, 09:11 PM

Hmm, wonder what kind of batteries the Daylo used originally. Two AA batteries fit, but they are definitely too narrow, and two C batteries are definitely too wide. I'm guessing that quite a variety of [now obsolete] cylindrical battery configurations existed before the current standards emerged.

paulr · #12 11-02-2006, 12:22 AM

There is enough length in the light for two AA's? In that case I'd just make an adapter sleeve. Two alkaline or NiMH AA's from today will certainly have more energy than whatever weird, slightly larger zinc-carbon battery they used back then.

Martin · #13 11-02-2006, 01:46 PM

To clarify: The 2R10 battery is 74mm long and 22mm in diameter. This is the one I can buy here in Germany.
A series-connection of 2 AA is longer than this.

thunderlight · #14 11-02-2006, 04:28 PM

To clarify things, since I messed things up to begin with

:

The original post was about the light pictured in the first posting. I indicated that I had just purchased an old Eveready Daylo flashlight that might have had similar battery compartment characteristics. It turned out that the Daylo could run with 2 AA batteries and a sleeve to accommodate the extra diameter of the compartment itself. I posted this information because I thought that I might have had the same issue with the Daylo.

It looks like the original flashlight uses a different battery configuration, so hopefully the posts can return to the topic of batteries for the flashlight in question, that of the original posting.
.

Ganp · #15 11-09-2006, 11:28 AM

I have been away from this thread for a few days....thank you all for the extra info'.

The internal dimensions behind the tail of the lamp are 23mm diameter by 67mm between the lamp tail and the spring.....the spring is 15mm long.

This gives about 69mm to 78mm space for the battery so it looks like the 2R10 is right for length. However, the internal diameter is restricted by the switch mechanism and seems to have only 21mm clearance. So the 2R10 may fit depending on exact dimentions.

It would be really nice to be able to use this torch in its original condition but I aslo intend to make an LED insert (combined LED module and battery holder) that can be inserted without making any alterations to the ogiginal at all.

This is going to be a long term project though as at the moment I am too busy with this one .

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin

Ganp: Today I saw the original (zinc-carbon) Varta ones at my local Toom Baumarkt. They are EUR 1.49 each while postage is EUR 6 for 1 Kg within Europe.
So I could actually send you some "real" ones.

Martin - If you PM me the necessary details I would like to take you up on your kind offer of assistance.

Colin.

Ganp · #16 11-20-2006, 08:38 PM

Thanks to you all for your input, and to Martin for sourcing the 2R10 batteries. I can now use this torch as originally intended, although from a practical point of view it is more of a novelty than a useful tool - as the beamshots testify.

Photos taken at the same exposure and with the camera set to daylight white balance.

Colin.

paulr · #17 11-20-2006, 09:11 PM

If it uses a PR base bulb you could put in a 4-cell bulb and two CR123A's in a sleeve... with whatever stock bulb you probably could use a single CR123A somehow. A 3x 2/3A or 2x 4/5SC NiMH pack would also fit in there.