UK Maplin D size Hybrid batteries for £3.50 each

[Pummy]

This is mainly for the UK flashaholics. Has anyone purchased these cells for use in a maglite conversion? Anyone have any experiences with them and seem like a good buy?

Just built my first 3D MC-E conversion and after depleting the duracrll packs I have, I am looking at NiMh power sources going forward.

Any constructive feedback would be appreciated.

If you are wondering why I am posting at 04:30 on a Sat morning, it is because aspheric lens with my new toy almost looks like the predator tracking laser from the shoulder cannon and the mates found it hilarious in the midnight fog here.

 

[uk_caver]

I hadn't realised Maplin were doing Cs and Ds.

I wonder who the original manufacturer is - are many companies actually making full-capacity Cs and Ds?

 

[Pummy]

I have depleted these cells now and they lasted at least 1.5 hours on full pelt. I will be sending silverfox one cell out of 4 I purchased to do a test on them so please keep an eye out for them. Seems like a decent backup in case you get caught in a pinch, assuming Silverfox does not find anything off about them.

 

[Mr Happy]

So do you have a link? I don't see them on Maplin's web site.

 

[Pummy]

Hi

I searched for "Hybrid" and found them on the listing, however here is the link...

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=219932

But the price has now gone upto £9.99 :shakehead

They WERE £6.99 at which point I thought they were a bargain, esp when 2 Alkalines were costing a pound or two less.

EDIT: I also emailed Maplin to ask them why the price went up by 33%. Will let y'all know the response

 

[Mr Happy]

Even at £9.99 they are still less than half the price of these: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=217912

 

[Pummy]

I have not yet seen anything from Silverfox about the D size testing. Hopefully they are not taking up too much of his time for the testing. When I see something I will add it to this thread. for reference.

 

[mcnair55]

Never been a lover of Maplins,always find they are far overpriced from other vendors but you may have a bargain.

 

[uk_caver]

Never been a lover of Maplins,always find they are far overpriced from other vendors but you may have a bargain.

They're often not great, but can be good for some things.
I don't buy much there except for stuff I can't get (at all, or in small quantities) elsewhere, or things that are on offer, which can sometimes be pretty good value if you wanted them anyway.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Pummy,

I have to put together the graph for this cell, but I am pretty impressed with it. It has been a long time since I tested a cell that actually gave more capacity than the labeled value.

The initial 1 amp discharge came in at about 8600 mAh, and the 16 amp discharge came in at about 8000 mAh. After 30 days, looking at the low self discharge properties, I had about 7900 mAh at a 1 amp draw. That means that it lost around 8% during that time. Keep in mind that self discharge is the most rapid during the first month, then it settles down a little from there.

I will put the graph together and post it here.

Tom

 

[McAllan]

I hadn't realised Maplin were doing Cs and Ds.

I wonder who the original manufacturer is - are many companies actually making full-capacity Cs and Ds?

Sorry I can't directly answer your question.
But I've seen non sleeved LSD D size from Ansmann, Tecxus and Conrad's own brand (Yeah all rebranded too). They state them as 8500 mAh however not 8000.
They might be non sleeved but if you think about it the density is not as high as AA so 8500 is not as much as you first think.

 

[Mr Happy]

They might be non sleeved but if you think about it the density is not as high as AA so 8500 is not as much as you first think.

True enough. A D cell has approximately 7x the volume of an AA cell, so the capacity ought to be about 7x greater. However,

7 x 2000 = 14 000

and

8500 / 7 = 1200

We are mostly not seeing the capacity in D cells that might be expected.

 

[McAllan]

We are mostly not seeing the capacity in D cells that might be expected.

Suspect they limit the capacity due to the fact that not many chargers can handle them and almost none if they were 14 Ah. The only one I know if which can do but still have quite long charge times is Conrad's Charge Managers.

On the positive side they're much more durable and with only a little care they should last 10 years without much capacity loss. Have some 7 Ah non LSD D size and they're rapidly approaching 10 years (~8 years now from my memory) and they're still fulfilling their "6800 mAh minimum" statement. Have thought of replacing them with LSD because of convenience.

 

[easilyled]

Is there a charger available from Maplin (or elsewhere in the UK) that is suitable for these batteries? Any links please?

 

[Pummy]

Hello Pummy,
I have to put together the graph for this cell, but I am pretty impressed with it. It has been a long time since I tested a cell that actually gave more capacity than the labeled value.
Tom

Thanks Tom

I will keep an eye out for the graphs and your opinion on the cell.

 

[Pummy]

Is there a charger available from Maplin (or elsewhere in the UK) that is suitable for these batteries? Any links please?

Most chargers can charge them, the issue is how long it takes to fill up the cell with 8amps. Most chargers will drip feed these cells at 500mAh, 100mAh as they are geared up for the smaller AA sizes or D sizes that are only 2500mAh. If you take a look at the charging rate for any NiMH D size charger, consider how much time you need to have the cells charged in.

The guys / girls on here make recommendations for a few chargers that you can get in the UK shipped from the US or from the far east.

Do a search and you should find something in your budget and fits your requirements.

 

[TinderBox (UK)]

The price of the d 8000mah from Maplinare £14.99 for 2

I was think of getting some aa to d cell battery holder , i hear you can get a 4 x aa to d holder.

Does anybody know where to buy these aa to d holders from.

 

[Pummy]

That is a rip off. I remember getting them for half that price last year. In any case, despite the price of them for a pack of two, wait for Tom to do his analysis and post it up, as they may still be of "some value" compared to the Accupower versions from the US.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Pumy,

After struggling with my graphing software for an extended length of time, I was finally able to generate some graphs on this cell.

At 16 amps there was a lot of heat from the cell during the discharge, and the cycle life would probably be shortened with continued use at this load. Short term would be OK, but a continual discharge got hot.

It was refreshing to see an underestimated labeled capacity. I can think of a few brands that would label this as a 10000 mAh cell.

And while I was working on this I was able to do a 30 day self discharge test.

After 30 days it still had about 91% of its original capacity.

I am impressed with the performance of this D cell.

Tom

 

[Pummy]

Thanks Silverfox.

I knew it would take some time for you to get the data for this cell together, and I really appreciate it.

It would seem like this cell is worth buying. I just checked the Maplin site and they are back at £6.99.

Seem like good cells for a 3D SST90 @ 9A, assuming I have not been out for so long that something new has come onto the scene