What kind of batteries are these?! Help please!

[Cole07]

So, the other day i was messing around with some of my old cheap flashlights. I stumbled across and old Coleman rechargable one with an incandescant bulb in it. Tried turning it on but it would not work at all. So I decided to take out the batteries just to see what kind they were. What I saw surprised me. They looked like they were C cell sized batteries but the are thinner and shorter. So even though they weren't the right size, i took them and tested them on a battery tester and it said they were mostly good. So just out of curiosity I placed them in an am/fm radio combo light just to see. But i think they were a little to short. So now i have these two batteries. I have no clue about the voltage rating. But they are rechargable. I would like to find a good use for them but I can't seem to. Also, they are made by moltech and are NICKEL-CADIUM. I will post a link to a website that shows you pictures of them along with a comparison to c size batteries. Can anyone help identify what kind of battery they are and what I could possibly use them in???

http://s691.photobucket.com/albums/...ries. nickel cadium. rechargable. c batteries

 

[Cole07]

I hope that link works. If not... can someone tell me how to correctly let people view my photos on photobucket. Thanks. :duh2:

 

[VidPro]

Sub-C , used to be used in many power tools, and rechargable items with built in (non accessable) cells.
Very robust cell usually, had about 1500-2200ma in them, ni-cd. often used in series, and worked good for that using slow charging to balance.

uhh use them in anything you would replace a 1.5v alkaline with ?
they are 1.2v type cells get to about 1.4v on the charger, and down to about .9v when fully discharged.
most of them would handle a pretty hard and fast discharge, they used And use SUB-C cells in Radio control devices like cars and planes because of the discharge speeds they could handle (not that this one is made for that).

 

[Cole07]

Well i would do use them in stuff. But i cant because they don't fit correctly.

 

[VidPro]

Well i would do use them in stuff. But i cant because they don't fit correctly.

uhh Shims? myself for C sized items i prefer the newer LSD C ni-mh , because they have more capacity.

many ways to try and wedge them into stuff, putting sleeves around them, using springs , and other ways to get them bigger around, and extend the connection points out.
wire them up direct with soldering, make a battery pack with them, then attach some lead on to get power from.
Imagine!

 

[Cole07]

Well can you give me any suggestions on how to do some of this? Thanks for the quick replys.

 

[VidPro]

to make them bigger around
PVC pipes, duct tape, tape and foam, cardboard , cardboard sleeves, something in your kitchen or shop that fits , and doesnt conduct electricity. modified toilet paper roll.

to make the connections
Anything metal that will conduct, Washers, metal pipe cut right, Springs, a hunk of metal tab item, nickle plated neo magnets, a ball of foil.

Disclaimer: if the two Poles connect your going to have a LOT of energy, and could cause a big problem, burn your hands and stuff, but then you will learn

 

[Cole07]

HA! Sounds dangerous. But I guess I will give it a try. These Ni-CD batteries don't have a tendancy to explode a lot do they? Cause if they do I'm not even going to attmept doing anything with them. oo:

 

[VidPro]

they will only blow out if you overcharge them REALLY fast, the internal chemicals dont Burn like say lithium.
you could run a nail through them, and they would just short out, you could saw them in half and they would just short out.
if you put them in a fire they would explode pretty good, but just because of the stuff inside expanding beyond the containment.

ni-Cds are being discontinued in some european countries because of the Toxic Cadmium , leaking out of dump landfills and going into groundwater (or some such thing) so like about everything in batteries the internal cehmicals are not safe for human skin and consumption, and in the eyes and all.

 

[Cole07]

Actually I'm beginning to wonder if the cells aren't toast because when i put them on the battery tester, it quickly went from the side good all the way down to bad in about 10 seconds. Dang. I will put them back in that flashlight to see if it will charge them to a usable state. I'm not very happy with this because i was hoping i would have a good set of rechargables. Oh well. We will see... Thanks a lot!! :twothumbs

 

[jchoo]

Ni-Cd cells were subject to pretty severe memory effects. In your case, if the light lived on the charger 24/7 and was only used for short bursts, the cells would IIRC form crystalline structures inside, in effect reducing capacity. For example, your flashlight that was hypothetically used for 30 min a day and then recharged might only have 1/4 the capacity of an identical flashlight that got drained all the way dead every night. The batteries tend to optimize themselves for the usage that they see. The only way that I know of to reverse this is to do several (5-10 in my experience) cycles on a smart charger/discharger. Each full charge/discharge will see a slight increase in capacity.

 

[VidPro]

ni-cds long since parked will usually be good, but only after many cycles on the charger, so round and round they go.

which brings up - chargers not designed for ni-cds , sometimes wont treat them correctally. so even though most ni-mh chargers will work for ni-cds, not all of them will do it correctally. with a really robust ni-cd you might not get a V-drop on termination as easily.

 

[Cole07]

So what you guys are saying is that if I charge them, then use them in something, then repeat, it would breath new life into them??? :huh:

 

[jchoo]

The flashlight has a specific charger, right? Put the cells back in the light (clean the contacts up if you're feeling saucy) and charge it overnight. Turn it on tomorrow, let it drain until you see about .9v under load on each cell. Put it back on the charger, and 12 hours later (or however long it takes to give a full charge) do it again. And again, and again, until you start to see an increase in runtime. Once you do, you know your cells are on the way to recovery. If you DON'T see an increase in runtime, there may be internal damage to the cells and I'd suggest giving up and just recycling them.

If you need replacement sub-c cells for your light, they can be had from several CPF vendors - batterystation and batteryjunction come to mind immediately.

 

[Cole07]

Yea I put them back in the light because that is the charger. But I don't have a voltage check thing. All I have is this cheap little battery checker and it has 3 parts. If the dial goes to the left its bad, the middle its ok and to the right its good. But no real voltage reading. Any tips on how to tell the voltage?

 

[Illum]

Not that the pictures tell alot...overexposed and focus set probably on infinity
Rehosted from photobucket








Other than it being a Sub-C variety I can't tell anything else:candle:

 

[Mr Happy]

I don't have a voltage check thing. ... Any tips on how to tell the voltage?

You have to use one of those voltage check thingies. There is no other way. If you live in the USA you might be able to get one for under $5 from Harbor Freight Tools.

 

[Cole07]

Not that the pictures tell alot...overexposed and focus set probably on infinity
Rehosted from photobucket








Other than it being a Sub-C variety I can't tell anything else:candle:

Sorry about that. :sigh: My camera is just a crappy little HP camera. It won't even let me turn the flash or anything off. So thats why they are such poor quality pictures.

 

[Cole07]

You have to use one of those voltage check thingies. There is no other way. If you live in the USA you might be able to get one for under $5 from Harbor Freight Tools.

Well lets put it this way. I had a little mechanical one (not digital readings) with a dial and everyting. Until one day when i turned the dial to check the AC current on something, and the ball bearings for the knob busted! IT PI**ED ME OFF SO BAD! lol funny story though. :thumbsup:

 

[jchoo]

Check Radio Shack, Harbor Freight, or Fry's Electronics (if you have any of those). You should be able to find an inexpensive (less than $20) Digital Multi-Meter. Make sure you read the directions and use it properly, lest you destroy your new meter.