Rechargeable D Cells In 2024

[kilogulf59]

@Lightcollector thanks for the tip on the Basics. The CCRadio 2E Enhanced radio will run on NiMH batteries per the manual.

Looking through my battery supply, I found I have four of these (aside from some NiMH AA cells): Xtar AA 2000mAh / 3300mWh 1.5V Rechargeable Protected Lithium-Ion Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiCoMnO2) Button Top Battery I think I'm going to order the Eneloop single AA to D cell adapters and see how that works out.

This just in...
Sam's Club has a 14 pack of Energizer MAX D cells for $17.98. There's the backup power.

 

[alpg88]

If the draw is below 100ma. a 2aa-d adapter will be more than sufficient, it is for higher draw they have too much resistance, but for 100ma or less they are more than enough. adapter with 2aa wil be lighter too, full capacity nimh D like tenergy weigh 160gr each, aa nimh is about 25g.
xtar li ion and similar have a voltage converter inside that creates " rf noise" it may not affect some radios (i run such cells in my kids walkie talkie with no issues) but some devices may be sensitive to rf noise, if it is radio, you may have signal interference, but you wont know for sure if your radio will be affected unless you try,

 

[alpg88]

I use these with lights that draw about 1A no issues, adapters with coil springs are affected the most, I had one spring get hot so bad it melted the holder around it and popped out.

 

[kilogulf59]

Thanks for that tip on the Xtar cells.
You kind of lost me with the power thing (I'm not electronics savvy) but this is from the manual: Power Consumption AC Power: 8 Watts. Battery Power: 40-50 mA DC.
So I ordered the adapters, they'll be here Tuesday. I'll start with NiMH and then switch to see if I notice any noise.

 

[vicv]

I don't know. Used an older model (but newly purchased) 2D inca. BrightStar model. Definitely not rated for a ton of lumens. Worked properly with 2D cells. Pulled those out. Tossed in 2AA cells using two of the Eneloop D-cell adapters.... ended up with a tiny, yellow, sickly light that could best be described as dimmer than half a lumen! Meanwhile the very same cells in the very same adapters worked flawlessly in a modern-day 2D LED model a few minutes earlier. Don't have an explanation. They should have worked in both lights.

That is strange. Maybe they were really low quality adapters or a bad connection somewhere. Because that is not the norm. Eneloops have about the same voltage under load of a fresh alkaline at the ~1A that a maglite bulb draws. And I get good bright and white light. An led does not need the voltage as the driver will just boost it. And you won't see a difference in cct.

 

[aznsx]

Thanks for that tip on the Xtar cells.
You kind of lost me with the power thing (I'm not electronics savvy) but this is from the manual: Power Consumption AC Power: 8 Watts. Battery Power: 40-50 mA DC.
So I ordered the adapters, they'll be here Tuesday. I'll start with NiMH and then switch to see if I notice any noise.

An RF device of any kind would be the last thing on Earth I would even try cells of that or similar design in. Second-last would be any device w/ digital logic circuitry of any kind. You may well cause yourself problems which may not be discernable with your ear / eyes or by any other practical means, the effects may be variable / intermittent / marginal / inconsistent in practical use, and generally may compromise / degrade its operation in ways you will not be specifically aware of and could drive you crazy. 'A word to the wise' (from someone who does not claim to be, but is already crazy from troubleshooting electronic noise issues for too many years;-)

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/faqs-about-xtar-rechargeable-1-5v-aa-4150mwh-battery.485440/

"Can the electromagnetic wave interference be solved?
Not yet resolved. Because the rechargeable 1.5V lithium battery has a built-in charging/discharging and voltage step-down circuit. It will cause electromagnetic effect from the inductance in the circuit. All the 1.5V lithium batteries on the market have such characteristic."

 

[Monocrom]

I just find it odd that the adapters work perfectly well in newer LED models, but not in the older inca. BrightStar. Checked for tolerances and fit. No issues there.

 

[kilogulf59]

@alpg88 and @aznsx thanks for the advice regarding the Xtar cells. I will not be using them in the radio. After following the links, it's specifically stated "They are also not suitable for radios due to the noise caused by electromagnetic interference."

Oh, I just remembered, I use Eneloop AA to C adapters and cells in my Sangean PR-D15 radio. They work fine. The only thing I noticed was a slight volume drop when the radio is unplugged.

 

[aznsx]

thanks for the advice regarding the Xtar cells.

I should have been more succinct. Since we're talkin' radios in this thread, I should have just posted:

SNR/CNR + N = :-(

 

[Chuckiechan]

This is actually a good suggestion. You get 2xD and 2xC adapters in one of the Eneloop "starter kits" (which, everyone should have at least one of).

If it's just for something used intermittently, it's enough capacity. Plus, you don't need a new charger and/or cells that are almost $10 each.

But, those fricking 10 Amp hour NiMH D-cells are pretty hilariously awesome in terms of capacity.

You have to be careful with C and D cells because often the are a paper case wrapped around a AA cell battery. You absolutely have to go by capacity, hope the vender is honest.

 

[alpg88]

Yes, companies do that, even so called reputable ones. Full capacity D is 8000 or 10000mah (8ah for low self discharge cellls) C are 5000mah, or 4000 for LSD.

 

[Schokokeks]

You have to be careful with C and D cells because often the are a paper case wrapped around a AA cell battery. You absolutely have to go by capacity, hope the vender is honest.

Yeah, I mentioned that above.

Checking the weight is a good way to double check that. If it says 10,000mAh, and it's not like 1/3 of a pound, it's not going to actually be 10,000 mAh, haha.

 

[kilogulf59]

While looking at rechargeable D cells, I noticed that Energizer NiMH cells are only 2500 mAh. My guess was that they're essentially a NiMH AA cell in a D cell wrapper.

 

[kilogulf59]

JIC anyone's interested, this is the final plan. I've decided to go with Eneloop AA to D adapters and batteries. This for a few reasons.
One, the DC feature is, for me, primarily a backup.
Two, all I needed to buy was the adapters.
Three, with this setup, I'll get perhaps 20 to 30-hours of run time (that's realistically, mathematically it's 40 hrs), which is enough for my needs.
Four, options. I have both primary and secondary AA cells and primary D's on hand.
And five, I don't have to worry about the NiMH cells leaking and ruining my radio.

This seemed to me to be the most efficient and economical way to go.

FYI, the adapters arrived yesterday and I'm setting up the radio today.

As always, thanks to everyone here for your assistance, it is greatly appreciated.

 

[alpg88]

If you use those adapters i posted the picture of, even if cells leak, they leak inside the adapter and will not damage your radio. you can easily clean up the leak with hydrogen peroxide from a drug store. It dissolves the leaked mess almost instantly. and the thing about modern cells, they still leak, it even looks like they leak more, but it is not as corrosive, so springs and contacts will not rust as easy or as fast,

 

[MidnightDistortions]

I've been window shopping some Tenergy 10,000 mAh NiMH D-cells on Batteryjunction. I've heard they're decent, but would be glad to hear more opinions on this subject.

The D-cell battery situation is half of what's given me pause on doing a 2.4v 2D Mag conversion.

I haven't tried Tenergy other than the 9V ones. They hold up well but well I'd go with Amazon Basics as their AA and AAAs are good.

 

[MidnightDistortions]

JIC anyone's interested, this is the final plan. I've decided to go with Eneloop AA to D adapters and batteries. This for a few reasons.
One, the DC feature is, for me, primarily a backup.
Two, all I needed to buy was the adapters.
Three, with this setup, I'll get perhaps 20 to 30-hours of run time (that's realistically, mathematically it's 40 hrs), which is enough for my needs.
Four, options. I have both primary and secondary AA cells and primary D's on hand.
And five, I don't have to worry about the NiMH cells leaking and ruining my radio.

This seemed to me to be the most efficient and economical way to go.

FYI, the adapters arrived yesterday and I'm setting up the radio today.

As always, thanks to everyone here for your assistance, it is greatly appreciated.

Its going to be best to do the AA to D conversions initially as you may need a way to charge the D cells and ideally to make sure the device will run on NiMH batteries. If anything all you need is one AA per adapter if you get the ones where it can be used with just one. I got a 3AA>D which allows this.

Later on if you do want the high capacity (actual D NIMH) then as I said with another post Amazon Basics is the best bet. I got some Sunlabz cells which doesn't hold a charge for very long anymore which makes them difficult to use but they're about 9 years old. I plan on getting new ones so I'll probably get different brands to see how they hold up.

 

[WC8KCY]

A bit late to the discussion here, but...

I have a similar application here and ended up going with Tenergy NiCd D cells. Rated for 5000 mAh, but actually test out in the low 4000 range. No worries; these will power my kitchen radio for about five months of normal listening on a single charge. I also deploy them in a 2D incandescent flashlight and have noted no issue at all with self-discharge. One maintenance charge per year and they're good to go. I am very pleased with these cells.

 

[kilogulf59]

@WC8KCY my electronics/battery knowledge is limited so I have to ask, why NiCd instead on NiMH?

I did some research and, if I'm interpreting this correctly, it would seem that, aside from cost, NiMH would be better for our use. Both are 1.2 v but the NiMH has double the mAh. Thus my confusion.

To add; I do have a NITECORE New i2 charger that would handle NiCd D cells, now you have me thinking (THAT is a dangerous thing🤔)

 

[Sarratt]

I recently got a CC Crane EP Pro radio and am using 3AA to D cell parallel adapter and it seems to be working fine. I am not electric savvy but I am assuming that the run time of the radio will be a lot less than conventional D cells. (?) I'm using 2400 AA cells made in Japan ( Ikea Ladda which get great reviews). The manual says roughly 300 hours with the D cells any idea how much less with the adapters ?
Thanks very much for this thread.