Who wants to save BIG BUCKS on AA batteries watch the video :thumbup:

[deepdiger60]

This is a great trick i just learned on you tube who would of ever thought there was 32 AA batteries in a 6 volt battery , i go sometimes on a 2 or 3 day hunt in the middle of nowhere i always bring my AA battery pack if iam not near my car charger what a deal 32 for the price of 4 !! . Jim save money
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV6kxQYGVs0

 

[dewcon4414]

Ive saw that some time ago.... you are right way cool for the price. It would be interesing to see the specs and test the volts. Im going to buy one and try it out.

Dew

 

[PowerDetecting]

thats cool but those are not going to run your detector for very long. Its like buying a dollar store brand battery

 

[Critterhunter]

Now that's too cool! I always thought a latern battery was indeed made up as one "cell" with some internal layers (1.5V per cell) to generate 6 volts. Never even considered it might have a bunch of standard smaller cells in it!

Let's see here, 4 cells in series = 6V. So that means there are 8 4 cell series "packs" in there that are connected in parallel. Meaning, 8 groups of 4 cells wired in series, and then those 8 4 cell series "packs" are then wired in parallel to each other. Wiring in series increases voltage (1.5V X 4 = 6V), but wiring in parallel increases capacity but not voltage (the voltage stays at 6V total, but by wiring in parallel all those 4 cell series pairs you now get higher capacity = more run time).

I run a 3 cell lipo in my GT for less weight, more run time, 1 hour charge times without pushing the pack. So I'm not really interested in getting the 32 cells out of a lantren battery, but what I AM interested in is reversing that. Meaning, now when a latern battery goes dead I can open it up and fill it with 32 of my nimh rechargeable AAs (I have a ton of them). Because when I deer hunt, fish, or camp, besides my propane lantren, I also have one that runs on a 6 volt lantren battery, and I also have several flashlights that do as well. No more buying latern batteries for me! And high capacity nimhs will give you longer run times than non-rechargeable AAs anyway, especially under high amp draw applications such as a flashlight.

Thanks again for posting that. Did you post it in the modifications forum? If not, I'm going to quote your post to give you credit and stick the video link in there from you.

Oh by the way, I've got a friend who gets free batteries all the time and gives me a bunch. Anything I want, but I only stick them in devices that would be a hassle to use nimhs in because regular nimhs will self drain over days or weeks. There are now low self discharge nimhs though that will hold their charge for months if not a year or so, and in the future when I buy more nimhs it will be the low self discharge type. Then I can use them in things like TV remote controls where as my normal nimhs would need recharge every few weeks or so from just sitting.

Also, my friend gave me a bunch of those Energizer non-rechargeable AA lithum batteries. If you guys have never used these do yourself a favor and buy some. Sure, they are more expensive, but they will give like 2 to 4 times longer run time than regular AAs, more than making up for the bit extra cost. They also are super light. Much lighter than regular AAs. Really lightens up a device by using them in it.

 

[Critterhunter]

Rather than re-post your message and the video in the modifications forum, I just posted a link in there to your thread here.

Again, that is too cool...

 

[cadman_us]

Fake....

http://www.snopes.com/photos/humor/batteryhack.asp



http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Stories/006.2/index.html

 

[Critterhunter]

WOW! It is fake! That got me good, because I did the math as shown above and you can generate a 6 volt pack with large capacity if you pair the AAs in series and parallel probably as explained. I re-watched the video and notice he is trying to separate the lid and then the video sort of fades and next thing you know the lid is now cracked open a bit. Obviously the video was stopped before the lid really was pried off, then filled with the AAs, and then the lid put back on and now it's starting to come off when the video comes back. Also, when he opens the lid I don't see any metal on top of the lid or cells, which would be needed to put 8 4 cell series cells in both series as 4 cells per, and then the 8 "packs" or cells in parallel to each other. I should have caught that the first time I watched, but assumed the metal to do the pairings and series was just via contacts on the lid and of course under the cells too inside.

Really got me with that one! You should have saved it for Aprils fools day to get everybody. Would be a good idea, because by then there will be new people on here you can get with it.

Also, notice the title of the video..."Gagfilms"

I'm going to have the last laugh here though, because it still gave me an idea...I can put 4 D sized rechargeable nimhs in series=6 volts, and then stick as many 4D series pairs as I can fit inside a lantren battery in parallel, because then I can still do the rechargeable thing and save myself buying latern batteries for future fishing/camping trips in my electric lantren and flashlights that use them. Easy to do with a few DD holders from Radio Shack, a little soldering to pair up the holders, and a bit more soldering to tie them to the two terminals on top of the lantren battery.

 

[Birdseed]

Sorry guys

Every one of these "Lantern Batteries" I have ever opened has contained 4 X 1.5 carbon cells that fit neatly into the enclosure. Not much good for anything but their intended purpose.
Maybe we get different ones down here in Tasmania, but I think not.

A better option might be the LiFePO4 AA cells now available. These are available at reasonable price and often come with dummy cells to enable the user to fill a battery pack with the correct amount of genuine cells and dummies to give the correct voltage. For the sovereign I guess one would pack the alkaline holder with 4 cells and 4 dummies. This would give a12.8V pack.

I don't know if this is feasable or even recommeded, maybe Critter could offer some advice.

I have been away caravanning for quite a while so, I don't know if this subject has been done over or not. Will be back on again more actively in the next month or two.

Cheers from downunder

Pete

 

[deepdiger60]

Sorry about that folk,s but i got fooled to i never opened one of those battery,s live and learn just saved me 5 bucks to dam gag films Jim

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Jim,great idea.Thanks Ron

 

[Critterhunter]

Birdseed, I haven't read heavily into the LifePo cells yet, as they are failry new (came around about 4 years or so maybe), but I believe the fully charged voltage is 3.3V per cell, or in otherwords 13.2V. If that's the case then using 4 dummies and 4 regulars they *might* be well within the voltage regulator input window specs for most regulators in detectors. My 3 cell lipo is 12.6V at full charge and my GT has had no issues with the regulator shutting down on thermal overload. That's only .6V higher is using the 4 Lifepos4 batteries. Even store bought non-rechargeable AAs can have a higher starting voltage than 12V when new, so regulators usually have a pretty wide window of input voltages they will tolerate, such as say perhaps 10V (lowest) to maybe 13.5 to 14.5V (highest) *perhaps* on the Sovereign/Excalibur. No way to know for sure unless you open a detector, write down the regulator's model #, and then look up it's specs on the net.

If you don't and the voltage is out of specs for the regulator's upper range, the regulator will no longer be able to shunt off the excess voltage as heat, and if your *luck* the machine will just appear to shut off due to the internal thermal overload switch on the regulator, and once it cools back down the machine will work again. But thermal overloads have a limited life span so often the first tripping is the last and now you've got to replace the regulator. I'm assuming detectors are using linear regulators because they shunt off excess voltage as heat. I might be wrong but I doubt detectors use switching regulators, because not only are they a bit more expensive but they generate a lot of noise (which is a no-no in a detector) due to how they pulse the output voltage to control the static fixed voltage level the circuit board needs to operate stable.

I think those LifePo4s also have the advantage of not going bad if drained dead, don't they? Meaning, with my 3V series lipo lipos should never be drained past 3V per cell or it might ruin them. Luckily the Sovereign/Excals low battery alarm kicks in at about 9.8 to 10.2V or so, well above the minimum 9V for a 3 cell series lipo.

 

[Dodqe]

Hey Critterhunter... Let is know how the d cells work out.
I too would like a rechargeable lantern cell.

 

[Birdseed]

Critter

Thanks for the info, I will investigate further. LiFePO4 batteries are also much safer to charge, evidentley the internal resistance must be higher, therefore limiting output current in the case of an internal or external short circuit.

I have been looking into using these cells to re-pack redundant Ham Radio hand held tranceiver battery packs. As the voltage is approximately double the old packs can be repacked with fewer cells. This enables much greater scope. As most of these "Hand-Helds" run anywhere from 7.4V up to 16V inclusive one is able to replacer the old NiCds with room to spare, and at most times with better capacity than the originals. Nice to return lovely old, but otherwise unusable tranceivers back into service.

Love your posts Critter, nice to see you back as a regular for the last few months. I am slowly reading all posts on this forum back to April.

Cheers

Pete down-under

 

[Critterhunter]

Good luck on reading through all those old posts, especially my novels. Far as the LifePos being safer to charge, far as I know they are still charged like nimhs or nicads without a balance charger and balance plug? If that be the case then no safer than anything else in that respect. Lipos (not Lifepos) got a bad rap early on as they didn't feature balance ports. Many a fire from that when a cell will get overcharged as the pack as a whole charged. These days with balance plugs/chargers for lipos in many ways I feel they are more safe to charge than nimhs or nicads even. I've had nimhs go nuclear because they were being charged as a whole (not monitoring individual cells via a balance plug) and get a cell or two severly overcharged. More of a risk at higher charge rates above 1C, but never the less still a risk. Never had a problem with a lipo charge, and being able to watch the individual cell voltage as they charge gives me way more peace of mind than a nimh or nicad pack not telling me what it's up to when I drop in on it.

Thanks for welcoming me back. I did have an absence for a while but that was a bit further back than a few months ago. Some I'm sure hope I'll disappear once again though.

 

[chakra22]

http://kipkay.com/videos/battery-hacks/6-volt-battery-hack/

 

[Dennisjf12]

This does not work any more, there not any AA battery in side now