lightningbug
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2006
- Messages
- 190
Howdy,
I have a lot of lights that use the AAA battery cage. This is proving to be a source of frustation for me. When using any battery format, whether it be carbon-zinc, alkaline, ni-cad, or ni-mh, the lights work great for awhile and then dim down. The lights should burn with useable light for anywhere from an hour to 50 hours. So, when they start to decrease in brightness after only 20-30 minutes of use, it's frustrating.
Here's the question:
When checking the batteries (all types), there is always one battery severely discharged, while the other two remain near peak voltage. For instance, on a 9 LED light, I just pulled the cage and checked the voltage on each battery; 1) 1.51v, 2)1.49v, 3)1.01v (these happen to be carbon-zinc). Now, with my ni-mh batteries, I thought perhaps I had a couple of bad batteries, and marked them with a sharpie. After charging, their voltage is similar to others alike. Placed back in the cage, and running the light, now, another battery will discharge while its partners remain at peak voltage. Why is this happening?
If I'm not mistaken, the cage merely is a compact method of storing the batteries in series. If the batteries are in series, it seems logical to me that all would discharge at a similar rate.
Again, this seems to happen with all battery types, new and used, and in several different lights and configurations, so someone please explain to me the whys and wherefores of electrical theory, rules, etc.
Thanks in advance!
73
I have a lot of lights that use the AAA battery cage. This is proving to be a source of frustation for me. When using any battery format, whether it be carbon-zinc, alkaline, ni-cad, or ni-mh, the lights work great for awhile and then dim down. The lights should burn with useable light for anywhere from an hour to 50 hours. So, when they start to decrease in brightness after only 20-30 minutes of use, it's frustrating.
Here's the question:
When checking the batteries (all types), there is always one battery severely discharged, while the other two remain near peak voltage. For instance, on a 9 LED light, I just pulled the cage and checked the voltage on each battery; 1) 1.51v, 2)1.49v, 3)1.01v (these happen to be carbon-zinc). Now, with my ni-mh batteries, I thought perhaps I had a couple of bad batteries, and marked them with a sharpie. After charging, their voltage is similar to others alike. Placed back in the cage, and running the light, now, another battery will discharge while its partners remain at peak voltage. Why is this happening?
If I'm not mistaken, the cage merely is a compact method of storing the batteries in series. If the batteries are in series, it seems logical to me that all would discharge at a similar rate.
Again, this seems to happen with all battery types, new and used, and in several different lights and configurations, so someone please explain to me the whys and wherefores of electrical theory, rules, etc.
Thanks in advance!
73