Types of small rechargable batteries

[LeeRevell]

Found this website that discusses the different types of AA/AAA rechargeable batteries used for small devices.  What devices each is best for, relative MAH ratings, ease of charging, how long they last, etc.  Good info to have if you use the small rechargeables.


http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2014/01/know-batteries.html

 

[highdesertranger]

thanks Lee I needed this info. highdesertranger

 

[blars]

Omits LiFePO4 and non low self discharge NiMH, does not mention the Lion capacity loss issue even when stored properly. For a "prepper" I would expect usability after years of storage to get at least a mention.

 

[sillysal54]

Wow that is a great site. Thanks for sharing....I too needed that info,

 

[Canine]

I use the Eneloops and really like them.

 

[akrvbob]

Amazon has come out with it's own BASICS brand and I have some. It would be difficult to do a real comparison to know which is better, it or Enloops. But so far they seem just as good as my Enloops for about half the price. But without a detailed test there is no way to know for sure.
Bob

 

[Canine]

Amazon has come out with it's own BASICS brand and I have some. It would be difficult to do a real comparison to know which is better, it or Enloops. But so far they seem just as good as my Enloops for about half the price. But without a detailed test there is no way to know for sure.
Bob

I also have both. They seem to be about the same, but have stuck with the Eneloops to make sure I'm not getting a seconds.( A seconds being a product that is good, but doesn't quite make the first quality standards.) I've purchased pants that have an off color, but are just fine. I purchased a coat that had a zipper that was sown just a bit off, but it worked just fine and was only noticeable upon the most intense scrutiny. Saved a lot of money doing that.

I'm not saying the Basics are seconds. Just a thought I had.

 

[LeeRevell]

In keeping with the spirit of my original post on small batteries, I present these two articles I found in an e-mail from All Outdoors_dot_com.  It gives a quick rundown of one writer's experiences and opinions on storing and recharging the various types of small batteries.  Full credit is given to the author.

Part One:

Batteries for bomb shelters, Part I
(when you need power, but there isn't any)
Posted September 16, 2013 in Flashlights, Gear, Survival by Tony Sculimbrene
 
There are lots of scenarios where you can imagine not having power for a day or two.  In those scenarios batteries aren’t really an issue.  Most modern devices that you would reasonably need in a two-day power outage don’t gobble up that many batteries.  Even portable gaming devices, for kids or to pass the time with, are much better than they used to be.  The real challenge comes when you have to plan for longer power outages or for going to places that have no reliable power at all.
There are literally thousands of different kinds and sizes of batteries, but for this article, I am only going to look at the most common cells in their most common application.  This means I will be looking at AAA, AA, CR123a, C, and D cells. In an emergency these cells will run things like lights and, via power converters or emergency chargers, your cellphone.  Other more energy intensive operations require specific cells.
So let’s take a look a what kinds of batteries you should keep in long-term storage for situations where you may not have access to fresh batteries for a quite a while.
A very short battery primer
Batteries have a set of terms all their own and it is probably worth running through them up front. 
First, there are two kinds of batteries–primary cells and rechargeables.  Second, there are multiple battery chemistries: alkaline, NiCAD, NiHM, and lithium. Primary cells come in alkaline or lithium chemistries.  Rechargeables come in NiCAD, NiHM, and lithium chemistries, though very few devices or companies still make NiCAD batteries. 
Third, there are lots of specs for batteries, but if you are looking for batteries for long-term storage, you only need to know three: shelf life (measured in years), overall energy storage (measured in milliamps per hour, abbreviated maH), and energy output (measured in volts). 
Primary AA and AAA cells, regardless of whether their chemistry is alkaline or lithium, output 1.5V.  Primary CR123a and CR2 cells, which are only available in lithium configurations, output 3.0V.  You can get rechargeables that will output energy at many different levels, regardless of size.  Finally, rechargeable cells have a specific technical nomenclature, which I’ll explain here in order to help you search for cells online. But after explaining these technical terms I’ll stick to the more normal names for the rest of the article.
We might call them AAA cells, but when they are rechargeable batteries their proper name is a series of numbers.  All primary cells have rechargeable cell equivalents with numerical names. The AAA rechargeable cell is a 10440.  The naming system is quite ingenious.  The first two numbers are the cell’s diameter in millimeters, the second two are its length in millimeters, and the final number, a zero, means that the cell is round.  An AA is 14500, a CR2 is a 15270, and a CR123a is a 16340 (though it is sometimes called a RCR123a).  
Rechargeable cells come in two configurations for charging and use–protected and unprotected cells.  This prevents accidental overcharge or over-discharge in use.  Unless you have a good familiarity with the products and know that your device can handle an unprotected cell, it is probably best to opt for the more expensive protected cell.  Unprotected cells can put out more energy, but you need a device that can a) handle that increase; and b) has a built in protection device.  High end flashlights, such as the Arc 6, can handle unprotected cells. 
Finally, though the names are standardized, some rechargeable cells are just slightly larger than their primary cell cousins.  You might have to slice off the label (and just the label, unless you want folks to think you’re Walter White) to get the cell to fit.
 
Medium-term options
Alkaline batteries have come a long way in recent years, moving beyond the gimmicky packaging (remember the squeeze testers that showed up how much life was left?) to include real performance upgrades. But alkalines pale in comparison to lithium chemistry batteries in terms of the three most important criteria for batteries: 1) shelf life; 2) overall energy storage; and 3) energy output.  Provided your devices can take the increase, you should stock lithiums as your main “primary” cells.  You can find lithium versions of the two regular batteries, AAAs and AAs, but it is much more difficult to find lithium C and D cells.  Obviously the CR123a cells are strictly lithium.
In terms of shelf life, there are a few things to consider.  First, no cell — primary or rechargeable — will last forever.  They all lose power. There are two ways to deal with this, depending on the battery type.
A primary alkaline cell will discharge at a slower rate if it is kept in a refrigerator.  The cool temperature is a huge help, but, and this is a crucial point, the low humidity will increase the battery’s resistance over time, meaning that the battery won’t work as well.  In order to prevent this from happening, you can store the batteries in a vapor-proof container.  Doing that will preserve some of the necessary internal fluids in the battery and allow it to work.  This storage method will give you a small advantage, but generally I don’t think it is worth the effort.  First, it means that you have to have a working fridge.  Second, it means that you are taking up space from food.  Third, if the vapor container doesn’t work then the whole thing is shot.
Instead, I think the better option is just to invest in lithiums.  They have a much longer shelf life than alkalines, with most having something like 80% of their power after a few years and some high quality ones having that much power after 5 years.  Generally, I buy reliable but cheap CR123a batteries, with brands like Titanium.  In reality, these will last about 2-3 years in storage or in a low parasitic drain light (most modern lights have a parasitic drain rate that’s below the battery’s discharge rate, meaning they do not tax batteries inside them).
But after 2-3 years, it is a crap shoot.  I recently went through a backpack and found old, cheap CR123a batteries.  They were more than 3 years old and they were dead as a doornail.  But my expensive cells, Duracells and Surefires were still good.  In terms of brands, I would recommend Energizers for Lithium AAA and AAs, and Surefires or 47s batteries for CR123a cells.  47s are (or were) a badge swap with the Panasonic lithiums.  The reality is that a lot of the CR123a batteries on the market are simply relabels made by Panasonic.
Rechargeable cells are not a good option for medium term storage or “set and forget” storage.  Even the best rechargeables can’t hold a charge past 3 years, and the lithium rechargeables die even faster than the slow discharge NiMH batteries in my experience.
Conclusion
In the short and medium term, your best battery options are high quality primary lithium cells.  These cells are more expensive, but they have a much longer shelf life than alkalines or rechargeables, much greater power storage capacity, and much higher power output.  
When bought in batches over the Internet AA, AAA, and CR123a primary lithiums approach the price of alkalines, costing some where around 25%-30% more.  Amazon has a subscription service that can drive the price of cells down even more while keeping you restocked, if that is a concern.
None of these options are really more than a medium term solution.  For power in remote places beyond the 5 year mark, you need to get creative.  I have thought about this problem a lot and I think I have a flexible solution that I will outline in Part II.
 

 

[LeeRevell]

And Part Two:

Batteries for Bomb Shelters, Part II
(A five to ten year plan for keeping the lights on.)
Posted September 25, 2013 in Flashlights, Gear, Survival by Tony Sculimbrene
 
 
In the first part of this series, I looked at a little bit of the technical aspects and naming conventions of batteries, as well as at some options for short to medium term storage. Those options will cover you about 90% of the time, but if you’re going someplace where you won’t have electricity for an indefinite period of time, then even the best lithium primary cells won’t work.
You need something else. Here is one game plan.
Let’s suppose that you’re living in a place that has very little reliable power, ever. In that case, even lithiums are delaying the inevitable. Eventually, no matter what you do, they will either discharge completely or run out of juice. Then what? There are, of course, self-powered flashlights, but they’re garbage. Besides, they really only take care of your  lighting needs. If you want to run your phone or radio or computer, then you might need something else. In those instances, ironically enough, I’d recommend rechargeable batteries. There are a host of off-grid ways to recharge batteries, and most NiMH and Li-Ion batteries are both low discharge and have tens of thousands of charge cycles. This means that if you have a way of recharging them, they could last you for a very, very long time.
Thinking about this after our editor proposed the article, I did research on a bunch of different options and came to the following conclusion: the most versatile and reliable system would be to use a solar charger, a “power tank”, and a set of good NiMH batteries. This setup could be used to power virtually all of your gear, lights, radios, and phones, for a very long time.
Of course, the reality is that there is no truly indefinite option. Everything wears out eventually, but a good set of NiMHs can be charged, used, and recharged over 1500 times and hold their charge for a time period close to that of a lithium primary (3 years for the NiMH v. 5 years for the Lithium primary). So if you’re using one of the modern power-sipping flashlights that has month-long runtimes on the lowest modes, that means that this system could keep your flashlight working for as close to “indefinitely” as you’d care to get.
Here’s how the components break down.
The Charger
Solar power has been around for a long time, and while it’s “free” in the sense that you don’t need an outlet, it’s expensive to buy and very slow to work. But if you’re in the middle of nowhere, you probably have a surplus of time and a deficit of electricity. In this case, there are a host of solar powered units that will recharge batteries.
You can opt for one that charges only your smartphone, or one that charges regular rechargeable batteries (AAAs, AAs, etc.). Given the increased utility of a multidevice charger, I’d opt for a solar powered battery charger. C. Crane industries was kind enough to send me a charger to try out, the aptly and simply named Solar Battery Charger.
This charger really did work. I picked a pair of AA NiMH batteries and they were charged over the course of a day. The charge times are slow, but again, you’ll probably have a lot of extra time. A pair of AAs charge fully in 15-31 hours. Mine took just about 12, so I imagine they had a little juice left in them. Two important points though: it only works with NiMH and NiCAD rechargeables, so leave those lithiums at home, and it charges AAAs and AAs in pairs. These are minor limitations though.
 
The Power Tank.
The reason to go with a battery charger instead of a smartphone charger is that you now have juice for your flashlight, walkie talkie, and a radio. Your phone has a built in battery, and really that’s probably the one device you really need. Here, a little extra preparation can solve this problem too. Lots of companies make battery-based external chargers for smartphones, like this one from Energizer. While these devices typically drain rechargeables faster than primaries, if you have a free power source like the Sun, this is not much of a concern. The other good thing is that a lot of these power tank devices have multiple connectors, which allow you to charge an array of devices from a single power tank. This means that even if you have multiple devices with proprietary batteries, with the right power tank, you can still get them to work. And the beauty of this setup is that you can power all of your devices from the rechargeable batteries that are charged by the Sun. The powerXtender from iGo uses 2xAA batteries, and, with multiple connectors, it can charge just about any device on the planet. (They have a list of compatible devices on the site.) I have an iGo charger, and the connector system works flawlessly. Be quick though because, for whatever reason, the powerXtender is out of production. The combination of rechargeables, the solar powered charger, and the battery-based external charger gives you a huge amount of flexibility. You can power every device with a single set up. You can use common sized cells to run all of your familiar devices for a very long time, and if you happen upon some primaries, those will work too. This strategy should serve you well for a very long, but not truly indefinite time. The NiMHs as far as recommendations for NiMH batteries go, there is no real debate about which are best. For years, flashaholics have proven the superiority of Sanyo’s Eneloop system. They have the longest shelf life for rechargeables, and they have a very high number of charge-recharge cycles that will provide you with a long lifespan. Plus, they even come charged. Finally, they have a bit higher power capacity than most non-lithium primaries. I have used other NiMH cells, Rayovac and Tenergy to name a few, but none work as well or have as low a discharge rate as the Eneloops. They may be more expensive (only marginally so), but they are the best, long-term battery solution out there. Conclusion In the long term, a solar charger, a power tank, and a set of Eneloop NiMH batteries will serve you well for a very long time. There is no truly indefinite solution. All of these things are machines, and machines eventually wear out. But these three things together can keep you stocked with useful electricity for a while. Somewhere someone is working on a real self-powered flashlight. When it is released, I’ll be the first in line. It’d be nice if it could also charge my cell phone, but until that product is released, the best approach is to use lithiums for medium term, and a solar powered charger for rechargeables in the long term. There is no permanent solution, nothing that will work forever, but the solar powered charger might last five to ten years, depending on how you use it. Hopefully, by that time you’ll have moved to a place with power, power will reach you, or you’ll have learned to adapt to an electricity free life.