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Old 10th Jun 2016, 10:49 am   #56
turretslug
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Surrey, UK.
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Default Re: Amazing D cell discovery!

Quote:
Originally Posted by emeritus View Post
I note that a comment in the link given in post #42 by someone who was involved in the submarine project, mentions that they had had problems with "a certain popular make", but does not say which one.
To be honest, I hadn't actually read that far into the article, but it doesn't come as too much surprise. I'd first heard of this drone in an article way back in New Scientist where the apparently most cost-effective use of 5,000-odd D cells was commented on. My instinct was, I hope they give each contact face a good clean on fitting- experience with multi-D cell packs in Nagra IV portable recorders and the like had shown that a quick, firm scrape of each end of a cell across denim was wise before fitting in order to remove any film present. Nagra were prudent in that one of the contact pips in each battery-holder row is actually a protruding end of a 20mm fuse (ceramic for compression strength- cell dimensions vary fractionally and a firm push is sometimes necessary) in sprung holder, demonstrating acknowledgement that a pack of alkaline Ds is potentially quite hazardous. One thing I pretty much instinctively do with any battery appliance that plays up is to whip the cells out, give the ends a denim scrape and try again before actually condemning and replacing them. A denim scrape also frequently works with fibre-optic ends, but it's very unofficial....
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