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Difference between battery sizes

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JimM:
Hi all

Apart from the obvious physical dimensions what is the difference between an AA and a D cell battery. They both are 1.5V but does the larger one have more power, last longer etc

Reason I ask, is that I have a 4 x D Cell LED Maglite torch, but no spare batteries in the house. D cells are going to cost over £10, but for the same money I can get a load of AAs and a 4 pack of AA-D converters (or I have a few spare AA rechargeables I could use)  However if the AAs aren't going to last very long then I'd probably be better off going with the 'proper' size

Cheers

Jim

andyf:
Putting it at its simplest, Jim, the bigger the battery, the more electricity there is within it. D cells are the same voltage as AAs, but that voltage will last much longer. Overall, D cells may be cheaper.

As to rechargeables, a rechargable D cell doesn't hold as much as a "disposable" one. Same with AAs. And rechargeables of any size only put out 1.2 volts each - 80% less than their disposable equivalents. That means that if your torch really wants 6 volts from 4 x 1.5V batteries, it will only get 4.8V from 4 rechargeables. The beam won't be anything like as bright. Of course, if your converter will take five 1.2V rechargeables, they will add up to 6V.

If you fancy your chances  :zap: at simple electronics, "disposable" batteries can be recharged ten times or so - see
http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=2583.0

Andy

Darren:
You could change the bulb to a lower voltage and use rechargeables ...?

Do they make a 4.8V bulb, or something close?

Andrew_D:
You said you are using an LED light...they don't use very much current, so the AA's will probably last plenty long enough. Sure, they won't last as long as the D's, but you probably won't notice the difference with LED bulbs.

Andrew

Bluechip:

--- Quote from: Darren on January 27, 2010, 07:53:41 PM ---You could change the bulb to a lower voltage and use rechargeables ...?

Do they make a 4.8V bulb, or something close?

--- End quote ---

Not LED's, but they do make incandescent lamps Darren, but usually in the 'flanged' sort.

CPC have the 2x, 3x, 4x 'ni-cad level' @ 2.8V, 3.6V,4.8V.

http://cpc.farnell.com/_/2-4prkm700/lamp-p13-5s-700ma-2-4v/dp/LP02588

Must admit, never seen other types, ie, LES, MES etc. with these voltages.

Just had to remember to change the lamp if ni-cads replaced by zinc oxide, otherwise torch lit up magnificently, but not for long   :doh:

Dave BC

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