Old dry cells and batteries. - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Phil G4SPZ · 20th Apr 2007, 1:37 pm

Split from this thread:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=16077

Station X, Graham, Forum Moderator.

------------

Ah, the memories start trickling back... does anyone also remember the Ever Ready 'Bijou' battery (which I seem to remember as about the size of two sub-C cells in series) and the 3-volt pencil torch battery that contained two AA-size cells in series in a paper wrapper? I also remember 2-cell bicycle lamp batteries, a large single-cell named 'FLAG', and a 1.5 volt cell with blue and white stripes that was designed for gas ignitors...

If someone has a battery catalogue from the 1950's-60's or a link to one, it would make pleasant browsing!

Phil

Station X · 20th Apr 2007, 2:43 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by G4SPZ

a 1.5 volt cell with blue and white stripes that was designed for gas ignitors...

I remember those. They had a screw top to fit the ignitor. 1.5 volts wasn't enough to ignite natural gas, so on conversion a 3 volt version was introduced in the same size case.

Paul_RK · 20th Apr 2007, 4:44 pm

Here's a surviving Exide Bijou, together (in one view) with a couple of veteran Ever Ready cells I've come upon in recent years. The Exide must pre-date my childhood somewhat, given that its price includes a farthing.

Paul

Mike Phelan · 20th Apr 2007, 4:57 pm

IIRC the Bijou was a Number 8 in Ever Ready parlance. The gas lighter cell was a big thing; the thread was on the outside (-ve) and the +ve terminal was about 20mm diameter.
I made a polystyrene cutter with one!

A_W_TYE · 20th Apr 2007, 9:29 pm

Hi All

Re the Title

Can anybody remember names of other batteries from years gone by, I remember three off the top of my head.They were Exide also as in car batteries Vidor which are still going and Flying bomb they done the PP3 and the old U7's.

Best Regards.

Alan

'LIVEWIRE?' · 20th Apr 2007, 9:48 pm

Add to those already mentioned. RAY-O-VAC(Still being produced??) They were the first company I knew of to produce Long Life (possibly early alkaline) alternatives to the standard Zinc-Carbon cells. Very useful in the EAR 'Autobat' Record Player I had about 44 years ago!

batterymaker1 · 21st Apr 2007, 1:17 am

Rayovac is alive and kicking over here.

Was there a brand called Oldham? Heard mention of it, never seen a battery from them, though.

Paul_RK · 21st Apr 2007, 1:36 am

I've not seen an Oldham battery either, but as most types are given Oldham equivalents on the Newnes R+TVS chart ( http://www.vintage-radio.info/docs/p...quivalents.pdf ) their existence seems well vouched for. I'd guess only occasional types survive from many of the less prominent makers of years ago: well, even some Ever Ready versions are hard enough to track down. One likely rarity here is a Siemens Full O'Power 1438, equivalent to the AD3.

Paul

Focus Diode · 21st Apr 2007, 5:16 am

Re Paul's Thread #3 I remember a version of the Eveready SP11 on the left giving the identification "SUPER" in place of "BATTERY". Think the "SUPER" version is older.

Brian R

jim_beacon · 21st Apr 2007, 7:59 am

Oldham retreated into the standy power and traction battery world. They are now part of the Chloride group, but I think the name is dormant.

Jim.

John M0GLN · 21st Apr 2007, 8:52 am

Looking in an old catalogue I see Siemens did a 'Full O' Power' battery, there were also Drydex, Hellesens and Pertrix, I seem to remember the TV adverts for Oldham car batteries, wasn't it ' I told 'em Oldham ' or was that for something else?

John

Mike Phelan · 21st Apr 2007, 9:03 am

I, too, remember the ad. I think Drydex were the same company as Exide? ISTR seeing the factory sign "Exide-Drydex" near the M62 in "Death Valley", Manchester.

ronbryan · 21st Apr 2007, 10:51 am

This British made Exide Drydex SP2 may well have come from "Death Valley". It was fitted to my AVO 8 Mk II in the sixties.

Compared to the older Bijou cell illustrated earlier, the Drydex name seems to have taken a bit of a back seat, with Exide being dominant.

Ron

batterymaker1 · 21st Apr 2007, 2:33 pm

Death Valley? I must hear more...

Paul_RK · 21st Apr 2007, 2:38 pm

A few more survivors:

(1) The big one

Siemens Full O'Power 1438, ready to take its place in a Roberts P4D, though I think this particular one came from a wartime Ever Ready model.

(2) Drydex grid bias, a tad mouldy, showing again the prominence given the Drydex name over Exide way back when. Not too hard to work out that Drydex signified "dry", and so Exide's market-leading accumulators just carried the Exide brand.

(3) Another GB battery, from "Marspen". Otherwise known as St. Michael's...

(4) A couple more *coughs* D cells. Though their appearance is very similar, the "Leakproof" one has a cardboard outer jacket, while the "Sealed" is in metal. Presumably once the "Leakproof" name had been dropped it made sense after a while to change the number from LP U2 to SP2, as in the SP11 above.

Paul

Tom_I · 21st Apr 2007, 4:34 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by batterymaker1

Death Valley? I must hear more...

Bill, others may be able to elaborate more, but as far as I know, it's a stretch of the M60 orbital motorway round Manchester, in NW England.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Phelan

ISTR seeing the factory sign "Exide-Drydex" near the M62 in "Death Valley", Manchester.

(To keep things vaguely on topic.) Could this have been the Clifton Junction works mentioned in the attached ad? I think that's in the right place for "Death Valley".

Tom

paulsherwin · 21st Apr 2007, 4:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by batterymaker1

Death Valley? I must hear more...

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.sr...9500&ay=403500

Paul

johnlees · 21st Apr 2007, 10:02 pm

I remember that Oldham car battery ad. It was extremely irritating and corny. "I told 'em - Oldham !" It's still ringing in my ears now ! Now that is a blast from the past !

evingar · 21st Apr 2007, 10:24 pm

I bet nobody can remember being able to buy these :-
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8/Evingar/Small.jpg

They came inside an old medical "electric shock" machine that I bought in a junk shop.

Station X · 21st Apr 2007, 11:28 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael cumming

shame i cant post imiges on here

Is that because you don't have a scanner/digital camera, or are you having problems uploading images?

20th Apr 2007, 1:37 pm	#1
Phil G4SPZ Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Bewdley, Worcestershire, UK. Posts: 4,748	Old dry cells and batteries. Split from this thread:- https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=16077 Station X, Graham, Forum Moderator. ------------ Ah, the memories start trickling back... does anyone also remember the Ever Ready 'Bijou' battery (which I seem to remember as about the size of two sub-C cells in series) and the 3-volt pencil torch battery that contained two AA-size cells in series in a paper wrapper? I also remember 2-cell bicycle lamp batteries, a large single-cell named 'FLAG', and a 1.5 volt cell with blue and white stripes that was designed for gas ignitors... If someone has a battery catalogue from the 1950's-60's or a link to one, it would make pleasant browsing! Phil __________________ Phil Optimist [n]: One who is not in possession of the full facts Last edited by Station X; 20th Apr 2007 at 2:41 pm. Reason: Thread split to prevent it going OT.

20th Apr 2007, 4:57 pm	#4
Mike Phelan Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Posts: 4,609	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. IIRC the Bijou was a Number 8 in Ever Ready parlance. The gas lighter cell was a big thing; the thread was on the outside (-ve) and the +ve terminal was about 20mm diameter. I made a polystyrene cutter with one! __________________ Mike.

20th Apr 2007, 9:29 pm	#5
A_W_TYE Pentode Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, UK. Posts: 181	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. Hi All Re the Title Can anybody remember names of other batteries from years gone by, I remember three off the top of my head.They were Exide also as in car batteries Vidor which are still going and Flying bomb they done the PP3 and the old U7's. Best Regards. Alan

20th Apr 2007, 9:48 pm	#6
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. Add to those already mentioned. RAY-O-VAC(Still being produced??) They were the first company I knew of to produce Long Life (possibly early alkaline) alternatives to the standard Zinc-Carbon cells. Very useful in the EAR 'Autobat' Record Player I had about 44 years ago!

21st Apr 2007, 1:17 am	#7
batterymaker1 Heptode Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Posts: 674	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. Rayovac is alive and kicking over here. Was there a brand called Oldham? Heard mention of it, never seen a battery from them, though. __________________ Just playing with high voltage....

20th Apr 2007, 4:44 pm	#3
Paul_RK Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 4,259	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. Here's a surviving Exide Bijou, together (in one view) with a couple of veteran Ever Ready cells I've come upon in recent years. The Exide must pre-date my childhood somewhat, given that its price includes a farthing. Paul Attached Thumbnails

21st Apr 2007, 1:36 am	#8
Paul_RK Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 4,259	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. I've not seen an Oldham battery either, but as most types are given Oldham equivalents on the Newnes R+TVS chart ( http://www.vintage-radio.info/docs/p...quivalents.pdf ) their existence seems well vouched for. I'd guess only occasional types survive from many of the less prominent makers of years ago: well, even some Ever Ready versions are hard enough to track down. One likely rarity here is a Siemens Full O'Power 1438, equivalent to the AD3. Paul

21st Apr 2007, 5:16 am	#9
Focus Diode Octode Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Borough of Gateshead, UK. Posts: 1,420	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. Re Paul's Thread #3 I remember a version of the Eveready SP11 on the left giving the identification "SUPER" in place of "BATTERY". Think the "SUPER" version is older. Brian R

21st Apr 2007, 7:59 am	#10
jim_beacon Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bishop's Waltham, Hants, UK. Posts: 939	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. Oldham retreated into the standy power and traction battery world. They are now part of the Chloride group, but I think the name is dormant. Jim.

21st Apr 2007, 8:52 am	#11
John M0GLN Octode Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Southport, Merseyside, UK. Posts: 1,156	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. Looking in an old catalogue I see Siemens did a 'Full O' Power' battery, there were also Drydex, Hellesens and Pertrix, I seem to remember the TV adverts for Oldham car batteries, wasn't it ' I told 'em Oldham ' or was that for something else? John

21st Apr 2007, 9:03 am	#12
Mike Phelan Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Posts: 4,609	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. I, too, remember the ad. I think Drydex were the same company as Exide? ISTR seeing the factory sign "Exide-Drydex" near the M62 in "Death Valley", Manchester. __________________ Mike.

21st Apr 2007, 10:51 am	#13
ronbryan Octode Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Guildford, Surrey, UK. Posts: 1,960	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. This British made Exide Drydex SP2 may well have come from "Death Valley". It was fitted to my AVO 8 Mk II in the sixties. Compared to the older Bijou cell illustrated earlier, the Drydex name seems to have taken a bit of a back seat, with Exide being dominant. Ron Attached Thumbnails Last edited by ronbryan; 21st Apr 2007 at 10:57 am. Reason: Thought of something else.

21st Apr 2007, 2:33 pm	#14
batterymaker1 Heptode Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Posts: 674	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. Death Valley? I must hear more... __________________ Just playing with high voltage....

21st Apr 2007, 2:38 pm	#15
Paul_RK Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 4,259	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. A few more survivors: (1) The big one Siemens Full O'Power 1438, ready to take its place in a Roberts P4D, though I think this particular one came from a wartime Ever Ready model. (2) Drydex grid bias, a tad mouldy, showing again the prominence given the Drydex name over Exide way back when. Not too hard to work out that Drydex signified "dry", and so Exide's market-leading accumulators just carried the Exide brand. (3) Another GB battery, from "Marspen". Otherwise known as St. Michael's... (4) A couple more coughs D cells. Though their appearance is very similar, the "Leakproof" one has a cardboard outer jacket, while the "Sealed" is in metal. Presumably once the "Leakproof" name had been dropped it made sense after a while to change the number from LP U2 to SP2, as in the SP11 above. Paul Attached Thumbnails

21st Apr 2007, 10:02 pm	#18
johnlees Hexode Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK. Posts: 283	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. I remember that Oldham car battery ad. It was extremely irritating and corny. "I told 'em - Oldham !" It's still ringing in my ears now ! Now that is a blast from the past ! __________________ Now that's the kind of Long Wave I like ! (Severn Bore near Gloucester)

21st Apr 2007, 10:24 pm	#19
evingar Octode Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Newbury, Berkshire, UK. Posts: 1,770	Re: Old dry cells and batteries. I bet nobody can remember being able to buy these :- http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8/Evingar/Small.jpg They came inside an old medical "electric shock" machine that I bought in a junk shop. __________________ Chris