AA Battery

[EricSeipel]

Not sure if this is the appropriate place for this...its not really a MOD perse more of a Battery question.

Why does no one use strait up AA batteries? Is it because you need a bigger volume of standard battery compared to Li Ion? ie. a 16850 is 3.7v and the same-ish size as a AA at 1.5v? Or maybe is it because Li Ion recharge better (more times, less memory, something) than a AA? Is it price thing (could AA be more expensive, chargers, batteries) over time? Is it an environmental thing?

I ask this because i work at a job where we have LOTS of AA batteries where some are only ~90% discharged and we can not reuse them, due to the possibility that they are more discharged than that and our clients would get PISSED if a wireless mic dropped out in the middle of a keynote speech. I have a great cigar tube that holds 3 AA batteries (4.5v, 3.9v under load) perfectly with room at the top for a button and connector and it works B-E-A-utifully...

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Eric

[inquisitorj]

There are mods out there that use multiple AA batteries. I think that all of the reasons above are why 3.7V Li Ions are more popular. Lots of power in a small package with lots of reuseability. It would take 2 to 3 standard batteries to out put the voltage of 1 standard 3.7v cell. FYI, a 14500 battery is the same size as a AA battery. Here is the breakdown on battery sizes. The first 2 digits are the width in millimeters. Using the 14500 as an example it is 14mm in diameter. The next 2 digits are the length. Again with the 14500 as an example it is 50mm long. The last digit means that the battery is cylindrical or round in shape. Then you can figure out the sizes of the other batteries using this formula. The 18650 is 18mm in diameter, 65mm tall, and is a cylinder.

[Rothman]

There's a guy on the ECF forums that made a mod that uses 5 or 6 standard AA batteries. It's huge.... Doing some research, it looks like many have tried and nobody has made it work well. The batteries drain extremely quickly. If you really want to go that route, it's possible but, the mod will be huge and inefficient. Best to stick with Li Ion. just my $.02

[Mad Hatter]

There's a guy on the ECF forums that made a mod that uses 5 or 6 standard AA batteries. It's huge.... Doing some research, it looks like many have tried and nobody has made it work well. The batteries drain extremely quickly. If you really want to go that route, it's possible but, the mod will be huge and inefficient. Best to stick with Li Ion. just my $.02

Actually if you use 4 NiMH batteries they are quite efficient! The first mods I made where from using this setup and they lasted me two days on a single charge and only a 15min charge time. Use the Duracell or Energizer 2300mah or above and your results should be quite nice. You will have a much bigger mod in the end product but they do work well!

[Rothman]

That's the cool thing about nimh, quick charge time. I think the OP was refering to standard disposables though.

[macruadhi]

I made a mod that used a 4-AA battery holder. I used standard alkalines in it at first and they lasted quite a while. It had a 3 foot cord allowing me to carry the battery pack in my pocket while using the PV. Unfortunately due to faulty second and third hand parts I used, It has been re-relegated to the parts box for a while.

[Evil Genius]

There are mods out there that use multiple AA batteries. I think that all of the reasons above are why 3.7V Li Ions are more popular. Lots of power in a small package with lots of reuseability. It would take 2 to 3 standard batteries to out put the voltage of 1 standard 3.7v cell. FYI, a 14500 battery is the same size as a AA battery. Here is the breakdown on battery sizes. The first 2 digits are the width in millimeters. Using the 14500 as an example it is 14mm in diameter. The next 2 digits are the length. Again with the 14500 as an example it is 50mm long. The last digit means that the battery is cylindrical or round in shape. Then you can figure out the sizes of the other batteries using this formula. The 18650 is 18mm in diameter, 65mm tall, and is a cylinder.

I learn something new everyday, you sure are a smart gentlemen. Good info!

[inquisitorj]

Thanks, but don't give me too much credit. I am just passing on what I have already learned. Most of it here at Nu-Vapor.

[greendragon]

Awesome thread, I was wondering if I would have to buy a whole bunch of different batteries to figure out which ones would fit the mods I want to make!