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Old 8th Jan 2019, 12:24 am   #41
Jolly 7
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

Here is the battery cover of my Marconi transistor radio advising to use an Ever Ready PP9 battery or equivalent.
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Old 8th Jan 2019, 12:31 am   #42
Jolly 7
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

Quote:
Originally Posted by IanNVJ35 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jolly 7 View Post
Here's an old Ever Ready PP7 battery which I have gutted out. I am hoping to refit it with six NiMH AAs and a fuse so that it can be used in one of my older radios.
It would be nice if I could charge it from the top without having to open it up every time, but not sure how I would going about making a suitable charger.
If you know the mAh of the cells you fit, you can trickle charge them using a bench PSU as a charger. You set a low current and time it with about 40% over charge to counter losses. I do the same and it works well. Takes about 16 hours.
Thanks Ian. I currently don't have a PSU with adjustable current but can continuouly adjust voltage from 1.5 to 9 volts.
My cells are 1.2V 2000mAh. Is there any other way of limiting the current and how could this be calculated and set ?
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Old 8th Jan 2019, 7:06 am   #43
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

I am guessing that Ever Ready is a different company than Eveready here in the states.
Eveready was a sub. of Union Carbide. They made mainly batteries, a few radios, and a LOT of flashlights- what you call torches.
I believe they made a few other products also, but remembering back 55+ years is difficult at times.
They had a logo of a black cat on the battery and "9 Lives" with a lightning bolt.
This pix is for a block battery. It could have been for 22, 45,90 or 4.5 volts. They also made a few 135 V batteries and some odd ones for the military.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ever...sJsM_QAbobRdM:
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Old 8th Jan 2019, 2:03 pm   #44
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

The "very large and expensive" battery to which I referred in post #37 was not a type 991 lantern battery.
I was familiar with 991 lantern batteries and still use the odd one.

The battery that I recall was much larger, and probably contained 4 flag cells. Too big to be portable.
A relative obtained a couple for lighting when other batteries were in short supply.

I have never seen these since, I do recall some pictures of an old Antarctic base that shows what looks like one of these on a shelf.
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Old 8th Jan 2019, 4:00 pm   #45
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

Now I'm trying to remember....

The well-known lantern battery with the conical springs on to was a '996', wasn't it?

There was an identically-sized 6V battery with 4BA screw termnals where the springs would have been on the 996. One in the centre, one towards one corner. I would have to look up the number. Much less common was a version of that that was 1.5V (so the 4 cells were in parallel) again with screw terminals in those positions.

All those contained 4 F-size cells I think.

There was a larger 6V metal-cased battery that was used in some hand lamps. 2BA terminals on top.

I could probably find the numbers for all of those.

But one I vaguely remember (and it was certainly Ever Ready) but which I have not seen for many years. A large 4.5V battery, possibly 3 flag cells inside (yes, that large) with 2BA terminals on top. When I was a kid my father used to 'obtain' them. 3 in series ran my 12V Meccano motors. No I am certainly not thinking of the 126 here which was much smaller (3 E-size cells with 4BA terminals)
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Old 8th Jan 2019, 5:43 pm   #46
broadgage
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

Yes, I recall the above listed batteries, most of which are still available.

996------6 volt, two springs on top.
?---------As above but with screw terminals.
991------6 volt, screw terminals, contains 8 cells.
?---------7.5 volt, screw terminals, similar to a 991 but larger and contains 10 cells.
?---------12 volt, same size as a 991 but different terminal spacing.

All the above are still available.

Also the 1.5 volt battery similar in size to a 996, but with screw terminals and containing 4 cells in parallel.
No longer available AFAIK. IIRC this was a short lived replacement for the "flag" cells when production of same ceased.
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Old 8th Jan 2019, 5:54 pm   #47
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

I've found the following numbers (in an old Maplin catalogue) :

991: larger 6V, 2BA terminals
992 : 6V, screw terminal version of the 996. 4 F cells in series (actually listed as HP992)
993 : 1.5V version of the 992 (4 F cells in parallel)
996 : well-known 6V battery with the conical springs on top. (actually listed as PJ996)

This suggest that '994' and '995' were used for some battery type. No idea what (hence me asking if anybody had any old battery catalogues some time back on this forum)

This Maplin catalogue lists the Flag cell as well as the 993 1.5V battery which suggests they were both being made at that point. All seem to be 'Ever Ready' brand. Also listed are :

No 8 (cylindrical 3V battery)
1289 (4.5V battery with the brass strips on top)
126 (4.5V battery with screw terminals)
AD28 (4.5V battery with socket connector)
HP1 (12V battery with socket connector).
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Old 8th Jan 2019, 7:00 pm   #48
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

The 6-volt 4-flag-cell battery with springs was specified for use in radios like the Roberts R707.

A pair of them were also standard fitment in the yellow flashing-beacon lights which bordered most road-works in the 80s/90s/2000s.

[Two transistors, 3 resistors, 2 electrolytic capacitors and a bulb work fine as a multivibrator]
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Old 8th Jan 2019, 8:39 pm   #49
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

The 1.5 volt Flag cell was seriously large: I suspect one of them would weigh more than a 996.

Decca's first transistor sets,m the TP22 and TT33, also used a pair of 996s, while one was used in Philips' 1950s "Plattenschlucker" or slot record player able to play 45s while on the move, the AG9123.

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Old 8th Jan 2019, 8:56 pm   #50
broadgage
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

Yes, the odd battery to which I refer was VERY large and heavy, and the dimensions certainly suggest that it contained 4 flag cells.
It was approaching the size of a 6 volt lead acid vehicle battery.
Many times the weight of a 996 lantern battery.
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Old 8th Jan 2019, 9:56 pm   #51
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankB View Post
I am guessing that Ever Ready is a different company than Eveready here in the states.
The British company was originally the export arm of the American one, but became independent in 1914: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britis...trical_Company
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Old 9th Jan 2019, 2:01 am   #52
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

Re #46 and #49, Flag cells are still available from Farnell for about £12.

The Ever Ready batteries mentioned in #47, other than the 1.5V ones, are listed in the 1986 Maplin catalogue.

Last edited by emeritus; 9th Jan 2019 at 2:12 am.
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Old 9th Jan 2019, 2:06 pm   #53
broadgage
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Re #46 and #49, Flag cells are still available from Farnell for about £12.

The Ever Ready batteries mentioned in #47, other than the 1.5V ones, are listed in the 1986 Maplin catalogue.
I cant find flag cells, or close equivalent from Farnell, any chance of a link or part number ?

I THOUGHT that production had ceased years ago.
The only somewhat similar product that I have seen in recent years are the large cylindrical cells produced by Cegassa, these however are air/alkaline and not a replacement for large zinc carbon cells.
They have a very limited current capability, and once activated a limited life.
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Old 9th Jan 2019, 6:58 pm   #54
Neil Purling
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What was the main use for the Ever Ready FLAG cell? I thought of something like a door bell system with a long wire run. Perhaps a replacement for a group of glass wet-Leclanche cells.
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Old 9th Jan 2019, 7:05 pm   #55
TonyDuell
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I don't know if CPC counts as Farnell, but the Flag cell is listed here :

https://cpc.farnell.com/univercell/d...-5v/dp/BT05682

Weren't Flag cells used to power things like Planset telephones if there was no available mains supply?
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Old 9th Jan 2019, 8:09 pm   #56
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

I remember that in the mid-1960s whrn they were demolishing a local railway station there was an entire building, about the size of a typical garage, _full_ of decaying Flag-cells all arrayed on by-then crumbling/sagging wooden staging, along with some open-topped glass-cased lead-acids.

"Odd" and obsolescent versions of the batteries we remember from our youth are still used in some places - electric-fencers for example.

https://www.batterystation.co.uk/bat...attery-1-pack/

https://www.batterystation.co.uk/bat...attery-1-pack/

These are "Eveready" brand - not sure what their country-of-manufacture is!
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Old 9th Jan 2019, 8:12 pm   #57
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https://cpc.farnell.com/univercell/d...-5v/dp/BT05682

"Univercell DB8014 Alkaline LR 40 cell battery", £11.78 + VAT, currently 5 in stock. I found it be googling " flag battery".

Evidently not LeClanche technology, but an alkaline substitute of the same dimensions.

PS post crossed with #55
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Old 9th Jan 2019, 9:45 pm   #58
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

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Originally Posted by G6Tanuki View Post
These are "Eveready" brand - not sure what their country-of-manufacture is!
Somewhere where zinc refining/general chemicals handling are relatively unhindered by H + S considerations?.....
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Old 9th Jan 2019, 9:46 pm   #59
broadgage
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What was the main use for the Ever Ready FLAG cell? I thought of something like a door bell system with a long wire run. Perhaps a replacement for a group of glass wet-Leclanche cells.
In the UK, they were largely replacements for wet Leclanche cells for bell ringing, railway signalling, and intruder alarms.

One type of intruder alarm passed a current continually through a loop of wire in order to detect a thief cutting the wire.
The flag cells had to supply this current for weeks or even months between battery changes.
25 to 50ma was a common current for the anti-tamper loop. A separate set of cells rang the alarm bells if the loop was broken, and sometimes telephoned the police*
It was common practice to fit new cells to the bell circuit every three months, the removed "bell circuit" cells should be virtually unused and were therefore fitted to the "anti tamper loop" for another three months.
After three months service in the anti tamper loop, the cells were discarded or used for any non critical purpose.

* A sophisticated MECHANICAL device was used to ring the police, spring powered and triggered by the electric alarm system.
This dialed a preset number, and then played a record down the phone line.
The record was specially recorded for each premises.
"Send police to high street bank, 123 high street anytown, intruders are in the bank" or something similar.
This message was recorded numerous times on the same record which once triggered played continually until the spring ran down.
Bank managers kids had plenty of well used but still useful flag cells. Some firms donated the old cells to a school.
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Old 9th Jan 2019, 11:23 pm   #60
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Default Re: Is Ever Ready still a part of your life?

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Originally Posted by broadgage View Post
Some firms donated the old cells to a school.
I never saw a flag cell at school, but I associate them with education because they featured in many science books.

Am I talking about the right thing, an oversized U2 with a pair of knurled terminal nuts at the top +ve central, and -ve at the edge?
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