Thin AA batteries - Page 2 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

crackle · 2nd Dec 2018, 12:52 pm

I was talking about making a new tube for the AA batteries, not AAA ones.

Mike

julie_m · 2nd Dec 2018, 11:27 pm

This brings back a few memories .....

For awhile, I was running a stereo radio-cassette recorder (meant to take six C cells) from six AA NiCad cells; housed inside a pair of tubes made from a Rice Krispies carton, with a suitably-sized coin at the negative end of each one to improve contact with the springs. I think I must have ended up giving the recorder away, because I have no recollection of it breaking and I would not have thrown it away while it still worked. It was quite a nice one, too; with a DIN socket for audio in and out, headphone and speaker jacks and even left and right mic inputs. Not to mention a proper energised erase head.

Apropos of not much, that set had a hum problem which took ages to trace -- it eventually turned out to be sensitive which way the mains connector was inserted in the socket. Thus explaining why sometimes, carrying the set from room to room (and during the proceedings, disconnecting, accidentally reversing and reconnecting the mains lead) would cause it to stop humming -- or start again!

McMurdo · 3rd Dec 2018, 12:31 am

I've found a few batteries that have supposedly grown fatter in recent years. For example I have one appliance, I cant remember what, that takes 6xAA batteries. These days I have a devil of a job getting the cover on without the batteries trying to kick each other out of bed, so to speak.
My Beckman multimeter takes a PP3 and a duracell is a tight squeeze.
Some torches that always accepted batteries now seem more fussy, whether plastic or metal. In some cases I've resorted to peeling the label off the battery to make it fit.

Keyfob 12V batteries seem to vary in size too; some are a good 1mm longer and dont always fit.

Argus25 · 3rd Dec 2018, 3:01 am

The trick here is to buy the standard Eveready zinc carbon AA cell (either the red or black ones), strip off the outer coat, leaving the bare zinc case and discard the metal button on the negative end. In fact Eveready once supplied these, with a thin white paper coat & blue writing(and no metal button) for use in pocket hearing aids. The reason was resistance develops between the button and the zinc case sometimes and causes motorboating, so a better connection it obtained directly to the zinc case.

G6Tanuki · 3rd Dec 2018, 6:40 pm

Be careful taking the outer 'jacket' off batteries - I've got a couple of rubber-cased flashlights here where the connection from the negative terminal of the stack of batteries runs to the switch by way of a thin brass strip down the inside of the battery-space. If the outer insulation is stripped from the cells a short-circuit is inevitable.

2nd Dec 2018, 12:52 pm	#21
crackle Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Basildon, Essex, UK. Posts: 4,100	Re: Thin AA batteries I was talking about making a new tube for the AA batteries, not AAA ones. Mike

2nd Dec 2018, 11:27 pm	#22
julie_m Dekatron Join Date: May 2008 Location: Derby, UK. Posts: 7,735	Re: Thin AA batteries This brings back a few memories ..... For awhile, I was running a stereo radio-cassette recorder (meant to take six C cells) from six AA NiCad cells; housed inside a pair of tubes made from a Rice Krispies carton, with a suitably-sized coin at the negative end of each one to improve contact with the springs. I think I must have ended up giving the recorder away, because I have no recollection of it breaking and I would not have thrown it away while it still worked. It was quite a nice one, too; with a DIN socket for audio in and out, headphone and speaker jacks and even left and right mic inputs. Not to mention a proper energised erase head. Apropos of not much, that set had a hum problem which took ages to trace -- it eventually turned out to be sensitive which way the mains connector was inserted in the socket. Thus explaining why sometimes, carrying the set from room to room (and during the proceedings, disconnecting, accidentally reversing and reconnecting the mains lead) would cause it to stop humming -- or start again! __________________ If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments.

3rd Dec 2018, 12:31 am	#23
McMurdo Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK. Posts: 5,276	Re: Thin AA batteries I've found a few batteries that have supposedly grown fatter in recent years. For example I have one appliance, I cant remember what, that takes 6xAA batteries. These days I have a devil of a job getting the cover on without the batteries trying to kick each other out of bed, so to speak. My Beckman multimeter takes a PP3 and a duracell is a tight squeeze. Some torches that always accepted batteries now seem more fussy, whether plastic or metal. In some cases I've resorted to peeling the label off the battery to make it fit. Keyfob 12V batteries seem to vary in size too; some are a good 1mm longer and dont always fit. __________________ Kevin

3rd Dec 2018, 3:01 am	#24
Argus25 No Longer a Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia. Posts: 2,679	Re: Thin AA batteries The trick here is to buy the standard Eveready zinc carbon AA cell (either the red or black ones), strip off the outer coat, leaving the bare zinc case and discard the metal button on the negative end. In fact Eveready once supplied these, with a thin white paper coat & blue writing(and no metal button) for use in pocket hearing aids. The reason was resistance develops between the button and the zinc case sometimes and causes motorboating, so a better connection it obtained directly to the zinc case.

3rd Dec 2018, 6:40 pm	#25
G6Tanuki Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 14,010	Re: Thin AA batteries Be careful taking the outer 'jacket' off batteries - I've got a couple of rubber-cased flashlights here where the connection from the negative terminal of the stack of batteries runs to the switch by way of a thin brass strip down the inside of the battery-space. If the outer insulation is stripped from the cells a short-circuit is inevitable.