Page 408 - Battery Reference Book

Drain characteristics of major consumer applications 36/5

8. 15-30 V Photographic, wide-range oscillators, night hikes or camping trips), the alkaline cell provides
radiopaghg, hearing-aids, portable applications, significantly greater performance. When an ordinary
instrument operation, electronic cigarette lighters. 2D cell flashlight is used continuously, the alkaline-
9. 60-90 V Portable applications, lighting. powered light can last 18-20 h or more while ordinary
10. 225-500 V Electronic flash, geiger counters, carbon-zinc flashlight cells will only last 3-4 h.
mass spectrometers. Another area where alkaline cells have an even
greater advantage is in the smaller penlight flashlights.
The advantage for alkaline cells applies to smaller cells
36.1 Comparison of alkaline to an even greater degree. Also, since flashlights may
manganese and carbon-zinc cell be called on to do their job only once or twice a year,
drain rates shelf life can be a very important factor to the user.
Alkaline cells have distinct advantage in this respect
In general, devices using lights or motors will have and this is the reason why the smaller carbon-zinc
high drain rates. The bigger the job to do (i.e. the flashlights have never become very popular.
brighter the light, the greater the load the motor is
driving), the greater the drain rate will be. Another
general point is that when any device is used 36.2.2 Radios
continuously it will exhaust the energy of the cells Radios generally involve the lowest current drain of
much more rapidly, since the cells are deprived of a all the major categories of application. The drain of
chance to rest and recover some of their energy. the more typical or popular radios runs from 10 to
Alkaline manganese dioxide cells have a superior 20 mA. The bigger transoceanic or AWM radios that
performance over carbon-zinc cells at various drain are becoming more and more popular can run higher
rates. The benefits to be derived from alkaline batteries than this, at about 50mA. Also, if the volume of the
depend, of course, on the type of equipment and how radio is turned up very high, the drain will be higher.
it is used. Generally, the higher the drain rate of the Again, the greater the power output, the greater the
equipment and the heavier the use, the greater the required drain rate. Of course, the life of cells in radios
margin of superiority of alkaline cells. They are the is dramatically affected by how the radio is played,
ideal power source for calculators, photo-flash units, but the generally lower drain rates will assure many
toys, flashlights, cassette recorders and other heavy- more hours of use than are available for flashlights.
drain equipment. No matter what kind of battery- Some radios can be played continuously for more
operated equipment is used, if it runs on regular than lOOh with alkaline batteries. However, in this
carbon-zinc cells, it will always run longer on alkaline application, the advantage for alkaline is a matter of
manganese cells. degree, running from a low of about 2:l to a high of
Another point worth mentioning is the ability of about 4: 1 over ordinary carbon-zinc radio cells.
alkaline manganese cells to deliver a constant level of
power with high efficiency under continuous or heavy
duty, high-drain conditions where carbon-zinc cells 36.2.3 Tape recorders
are unsatisfactory. In such applications as flashlights Tape recorders are becoming an increasingly important
and cassette recorders, reduced power could result in usage, and currently account for between 10 and
dim lights and reduced tape speeds, respectively. 15% of the total replacement cell market. The sound
reproduction in a tape recorder is, of course, much
36.2 Drain characteristics of major the same as in a radio, but the added requirement of
a motor to turn the spindle for the tape adds quite
consumer applications significantly to the drain. As a result, the drain rate in
36.2.1 Flashlights and lanterns tape recorders runs between 100 and 200mA, which
explains why they are a popular application for alkaline
Because they )obviously involve lightbulbs, these are an cells.
application with a relatively high drain rate, with active
drains running anywhere in the range of 250-5OOmA. 36.2.4 Toys
Alkaline systems are proving especially suitable to
lighting applications because of their long storage life There is, of course, a wide variety of battery-powered
and dependable performance. toys and the newer electronic games. Generally
When flashlights are used intermittently, as by a speaking, the function of a cell in a toy or game is
night watchman making his rounds and turning the to provide the power for either a light or a motor
light on occa,sionalIy to check a meter or a lock, the that causes the toy to move in one way or another.
drain is the least severe and the alkaline cell would For this reason, toys or games in general have a very
have only a small advantage. However, in situations high drain rate, running anywhere from 50 to 1000 m.4
of an emergency nature (power shortages, flat tyres, (1 A). Many devices of this type would be at the high
etc.) or when the light is used for longer periods (on end of this scale, where the superiority of alkaline cells