UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Old torches

TonyDuell · 23rd Sep 2019, 6:41 pm

The 1950's/1960's valve portable radios here normally took a special 1.5V LT battery. The most common ones in my experience were the AD35, which was 2 F cells in parallel (I think, may have been the smaller E cells) and the AD4 which was 4 F cells in parallel. Individual E and F cells were not common, although they did exist (Ever Ready U17 and U18, for example).

I've seen a recharageable 996 battery where the body was roughtly triangular in cross-section (and filled one half of the normal space occupied by such a battery). The hypotenuse face (if you see what I mean) had the pins of a BS1363 13A plug coming out of it (and the earth pin was arranged so tit would contact the remaining corner of the battery compartment for a 996 battery, this holding this odd-shaped thing in place). Of course it included the charger circuitry, to charge it you just plugged the whole thing into a mains socket.

As for modern LED torches, I bought a cheap one from a high street shop (Wilko I think) and while it's bright the batteries do not last that long. It's just an LED and the switch, relying on the internal resistance of the battery to limit the current (!) and with fresh alkaline cells it draws around 1A from them.

23rd Sep 2019, 6:41 pm	#229
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,213	Re: Old torches - anyone here collect them? The 1950's/1960's valve portable radios here normally took a special 1.5V LT battery. The most common ones in my experience were the AD35, which was 2 F cells in parallel (I think, may have been the smaller E cells) and the AD4 which was 4 F cells in parallel. Individual E and F cells were not common, although they did exist (Ever Ready U17 and U18, for example). I've seen a recharageable 996 battery where the body was roughtly triangular in cross-section (and filled one half of the normal space occupied by such a battery). The hypotenuse face (if you see what I mean) had the pins of a BS1363 13A plug coming out of it (and the earth pin was arranged so tit would contact the remaining corner of the battery compartment for a 996 battery, this holding this odd-shaped thing in place). Of course it included the charger circuitry, to charge it you just plugged the whole thing into a mains socket. As for modern LED torches, I bought a cheap one from a high street shop (Wilko I think) and while it's bright the batteries do not last that long. It's just an LED and the switch, relying on the internal resistance of the battery to limit the current (!) and with fresh alkaline cells it draws around 1A from them.