Re: Portable Battery tests

classic Classic list List threaded Threaded
2 messages Options
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Portable Battery tests

alorona
Howie this is excellent data. Thank you for your work in this area.

The table really clearly shows the tradeoffs between cost, weight, volume, capacity and everything else. Alkaline batteries do pretty well for themselves, although I'm not sure why the voltage for 8 cells is listed at only 9.6 V. Is that the ending voltage after the discharge tests?

The measurement that caught my eye is the third-to-the-last column, "MAH ACTUAL % OF ADVERTISED" because I abhor false advertising and go out of my way to boycott it. I'd say those at 0.90 and above are acceptable, while the ones at the bottom should be ashamed of themselves. QuickCable at 11% of advertised? Really?

Al  W6LX
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [hidden email]
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: Portable Battery tests

k6dgw
The issue is discharge curve.  A very good LiFePO4, LiIon, or Lipoly
battery will have a very flat discharge curve, maintaining its terminal
voltage under load right up to near total discharge.  At that point, the
terminal voltage will adopt the glide angle of a brick at which point my
K2 conveniently shuts down.  I get around 90% of the rated capacity of
the battery.  The "really good deals" on eBay exhibit a discharge curve
that continually decreases, and will fall below the value usable by your
radio much more quickly.  The energy [or most of it] is still there, you
just have to find a transceiver that will run on less than 8 volts.

Shrink-wrapped Li<mumbles> almost always come from 'you know where' and
employ cells rejected by real battery makers.

73,

Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County

On 8/17/2018 3:35 PM, Al Lorona wrote:
> Howie this is excellent data. Thank you for your work in this area.
>
> The table really clearly shows the tradeoffs between cost, weight, volume, capacity and everything else. Alkaline batteries do pretty well for themselves, although I'm not sure why the voltage for 8 cells is listed at only 9.6 V. Is that the ending voltage after the discharge tests?
>
> The measurement that caught my eye is the third-to-the-last column, "MAH ACTUAL % OF ADVERTISED" because I abhor false advertising and go out of my way to boycott it. I'd say those at 0.90 and above are acceptable, while the ones at the bottom should be ashamed of themselves. QuickCable at 11% of advertised? Really?
>
> Al  W6LX
>

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [hidden email]