Page 402 - Battery Reference Book

Alkaline manganese primary batteries 3513
The additional cost of the alkaline manganese shavers, electronic photo-flash, movie cameras, pho-
construction, as opposed to the carbon-zinc type tography, radio-controlled model planes and boats,
of battery, is usually not warranted for intermittent glo-plug ignition (model planes), toys, cassette players
discharges, despite its improved performance. For and recorders, any high-drain heavy-discharge sched-
example, comparing an HIP2 carbon-zinc battery with ule use, alarm systems, roadside hazard lamps, radio
an Mn1300 (E.C LR20) alkaline manganese cell on a location buoys, pocket calculators, hearing-aids, light
five 2Wday dixharge to an end-voltage of 1.1 V, the meters, measuring instruments.
Mn1300 gives twice the discharge life but costs three The choice of battery type from the wide variety
times as much as the HP2. Only on continuous high- available for a particular application undergoes distinct
rate discharges does the alkaline manganese system changes as new types of battery are developed over
have an undoubted economic advantage. It is also the years. Consider, for example, the use of primary
recommended for low-temperature discharges. batteries in cameras, which goes back two decades and
In radios, alkaline manganese batteries usually last is now accepted at all levels of photography. Modern
twice as long as standard carbon-zinc batteries. In cameras have numerous electrical functions. with loads
battery-powered toys, alkaline manganese batteries last ranging from the 20 min rate in built-in direct-fire flash
up to seven times as long as standard carbon-zinc bat- bulbs to the 1 year-plus rate found in exposure meters
teries. Alkaline manganese batteries are excellent for under dim lighting conditions. The old distinctions
photo-flash applications. In addition to high amper- between meter, motor and flash batteries has become
age, they have more energy than standard carbon-zinc diffuse, with power now often supplied from a central
photo-flash batteries. Some electronic flash units use source and subsequently stabilized to suit the different
transistor or vibrator circuits in a converter to change functions. The following camera functions may be
low-voltage d.c. into the high voltage necessary to electrically operated:
charge the flash capacitor. The current drains involved
strain the capabilities even of high-amperage photo- 1. Film transport
flash batteries. The alkaline manganese battery pro- 2. Light meter
vides both a sustained short recycling time and two to 3. Aperture
three times as many flashes as carbon-zinc photoflash 4. Shutter
or general-purpose batteries. This is because of the 5. Focus
unusual cell construction, which provides a very low 6. Focal length
internal resistance, such that the battery delivers its 7. Flash
energy faster than standard carbon-zinc types. The 8. Low light warning
characteristics of these batteries make possible the 9. Sound.
development of equipment which up to this time had
been thought impractical because of the lack of a suit- Table 35.1 shows that the number of camera
able power source. applications has increased more than seven times
Alkaline manganese primary batteries are ideally since 1965. Note that alkaline manganese overtook
suited for USE: in many types of battery-operated mercury batteries in terms of number of applications in
equipment, for example heavy-duty lighting, transis- 1971 and are now well ahead. Silver oxide batteries are
tor radios (particularly heavy current drain), electric not very significant, but are rapidly gaining strength.

Table 35.4 Increase in number of applications of different types of primary battery in cameras since 1965
Approximate launch year
Up to 1966 I967 I969 1971 I972 I974 1976 1978 1980
1965

New applications
Alkaline manganese 173 82 42 107 172 135 312 313 385 441
Mercury -zinc 185 104 30 91 112 120 253 168 138 104
Silver oxide-zinc 0 3 0 6 7 21 46 68 118 160
Carbon-zinc 0 0 0 2 16 0 5 2 0 0
Total 358 189 72 212 307 276 616 551 64 1 711
Cumulative number
Alkaline manganese 173 255 297 404 576 711 1023 1336 1721 2168
Mercury-zinc 185 289 319 416 528 648 90 1 1069 1207 1311
Silver oxide-zinc 0 3 3 9 16 37 83 151 269 429
Carbon-zinc 0 0 0 2 18 18 23 25 25 25
Total 358 547 619 831 1138 1414 2030 2581 3222 3933