Ever Ready Winner battery capacity?
 

Hello All

Does anyone have a data sheet for the Ever Ready Winner grid bias battery (see the photo) showing the mA-hour capacity?

I realise that these batteries were intended for use where the current consumption was very small over a long time, but I've seen one used in the Denco MTO.1 modulated oscillator where the negative 3V cells were used to supply the filament on a DL92 at 50mA and the top sections supplied HT at 9V to the anode.

I was wondering how long the battery would last at 50mA discharge rate.

best regards ... Stef

Re: Ever Ready Winner battery capacity?
 

There is a 9V Zinc Carbon Vidor battery providing the same taps apart from 7.5V (is the same tap labelled 7.5V and 9V on the Winner?), listed in their 1985 professional battery catalogue. No equivalent is identified but the dimensions of the case are given that you can check against your Winner. Second item on the second page of the attached PDF, Vidor L9-2146, capacity 0.9mAh.

Manufacturers always seem to have been very reluctant to provide any data on the capacity of their batteries for domestic use.

Re: Ever Ready Winner battery capacity?
 

... or is each tap connected to the +ve end of the respective cell but -9V to the -ve casing of the left-hand one?

Re: Ever Ready Winner battery capacity?
 

Yes, clearer illustration here: https://cossor.com/how-to-make-a-grid-bias-battery/

Re: Ever Ready Winner battery capacity?
 

Thanks to all, most useful information.

My Winner is very similar in size to the Vidor L9-2146 as shown on the list from Emeritus. The capacity is given as 0.9Ah, not 0.9mAh as stated in the post.

0.9Ah was a bigger capacity than I expected. I remember these batteries were still in use when I was at University in the 1970s as a handy source of a variable (in steps) voltage. I think they were also used in schools.

best regards ... Stef

Re: Ever Ready Winner battery capacity?
 

0.9AH could well be the capacity at an expected very low drain. Whether it would manage that at 50mA load- I wonder?

Re: Ever Ready Winner battery capacity?
 

I believe batteries were characterised generally at the 10-hour rate. Now 90mA for 10 hours is 0.9AH, so as 50mA is less current than this, I'd expect to get a bit better than 0.9AH.

However, for grid bias use, current drain is very low and I would have thought the manufacturer would be aiming to maximise shelf-life, rather than capacity (maybe smaller quantities of chemicals and zinc, but of a higher purity, so 'side reactions' are minimised and shelf-life increased, even though total Joules of energy are lowered).

Re: Ever Ready Winner battery capacity?
 

Another data point can be gleaned from:
https://www.americanradiohistory.com...ion-Manual.pdf

The first chapter of the manual describes a personal superhet using the D90 series of valves. The 7.5V, 50mA filament supply for the four valves connected in series is provided by a Vidor L5059 battery. The HT battery is said to be the limiting factor in overall battery life, so I guess we can assume that the LT battery was lasting for a reasonable amount of time.

best regards ... Stef

Re: Ever Ready Winner battery capacity?
 

The Winner 9 is not listed in my 1966 Ever Ready catalogue, but HT and combined HT/LT
types are. I do not know when sales to consumer outlets ended.

I have here L9-1508 which might be close, branded Kenrey Electronic Instruments, in
a brown cardboard case, "manufactured by Crompton Eternacell" and this must be at
least 30 years old and is still functional.

Re: Ever Ready Winner battery capacity?
 

1962, my 21st birthday, and my late sister paid £5 towards a £10 radio. The "Monty", L and M, powered by a PP3. Depending on use, the PP3 lasted 3 to 5 days, and they were 2/3d each. I fitted a suitable earphone type socket, and using a GB battery, I suddenly had a worthwhile playing period. I had a part time job selling hot dogs, so it was hung up in the canopy with the battery held to it by rubber bands (pieces of M/C inner tube I think)
The actual capacity, no idea, but very many times more than the E.R. PP3. Flying bombs seemed to last as well as the E.R., but only 1/9d each. Don't remember the cost of the GB, but value for money by comparison. I used to extend the life with a recharge, not in the least effective with the PP3.
Les.

Re: Ever Ready Winner battery capacity?
 

Apologies for the typo in my post: I had originally typed 900mAh and didn't notice the error. Possibly due to the wet weather, our broad band kept failing and it took four goes and a reboot of the home hub before I could post a message that included an attachment!