Crank flashlights: Which batteries are in there?

And watch for that black rider on a white horse, can spell trouble. However, depending on the direction he travels this can also get you out of an engagement vow.

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Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

Don't know. I remember reading about some of those ones that you're supposed to shake, with the magnet that goes through a coil. It turns out that some of them have a fake magnet and coil, and a tiny non-rechargeable battery that will keep it going until the user gets it home (and probably loses interest).

The wind-up radios have a spring and a tiny generator, that probably has a much longer shelf life than any common battery.

Not true AFAIK: Batteries are exempt from RoHS, and NiCd are certainly still used in ultra-cheap cordless drills (sold in the EU) that will fail and get chucked out within a year. If you ask me, they should only be allowed to keep using NiCd in products with a >3 year warranty (maybe 5 years), and they probably should charge a refundable deposit on NiCds and lead-acid batteries to encourage recycling them. It'd make a hell of a lot more difference than RoHS, without most of the problems.

Chris

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I bought a lamp with a lead-acid battery in it, and the supplied charger was brutally over-charging it. If you make sure that you never exceed the proper charge voltage (i.e. don't use the supplied charger without checking using a voltmeter, or just add a LM317), and never deep discharge it, those little lead acid batteries can last for well over a decade.

Chris

Off the shelf Bicycle Red "Superbright" LED flashers might be simpler - most have steady and multiple flashing modes, and the unexciting example that's on my beater utility bike just keeps working. I've seen them for $2 in surplus outlets, more at bike shops.

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Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

Yes, I've seen one on a bike today. Pretty bright.

Back in the military we had lights that you could hang onto belts. They came with selectable color filters. Very practical. Unfortunately the civilian world doesn't seem to be that practical in this matter.

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Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

I was waiting for the bus at about twilight the other day, and I saw a very weird flashing/blinking light on the road. I had no idea what it was until it got close enough to resolve it in the twilight, and it was a man dressed in black on a black bicycle with ONE flashing LED on it. Judging from my reaction when I first saw it, I'd say a strobe- type flash (like you get with those bike flashers) could be distracting, or even confusing to some drivers. I'd go for steady white in the front, steady red in the back, and maybe a yellow flasher on top of your hat. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

No, the civilian world doesn't want to pay $200.00 for a blackout flashlight. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

No, What's on second. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

Nah - I've already got the stripped MOT; all we need to do is conjur up a Faerie and a Daemon to dance around the core at 60 Hz. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

Back in the far distant past, I had one of those dual-lensed bike light that you strapped to your leg, so that they went up and down as you pedaled. Found out later that drunks got confused by the motion and usually aimed for it... :-(

Charlie

Chris Jones wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

Mine is definately a real shake light.

Not the recent el-cheapo imports. They simply have a crank dynamo charging some sort of accumulator. You gotta pay for the clockwork radios.

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I opened the Tricky Duracell emergency cranking/radio/flashlight model KP0

28 .I found three AAA 300MAh 3.6 v(are together rapped in a triangler shape like a pyramid) The info on the battery was : NI- MH 20070203 2/3 AAA 300M Ah 3.6V. The three batteries have two soldered wires red and black from the battery side and soldered on the little motherboard to make it hard for wh o has small knowledge of soldering to do the job. Actually I found a battery similar sold for a Sony cellphone model SPP-D15 looks similar but not sure if the size is the same - costs $17.99. I Googgled the battery and found a Chinese website is selling these but you can not buy a single battery you have to buy the whole lot!!!??? Weird hh? I called Duracell third party which make these flash lights for them and th ey said they do not sell these batteries! Basically you should throw it awa y. How bad Costco is not doing anything about it??? I like the radio it has clear stations. Costco should have checked how convenient the battery change is for the con sumers before selling such junky so called 3 in 1 emergency radio /flashlig ht!!!Duracell should take the responsibility and cell these rechargeable ba tteries.Every one should call them and let them know this is scam from this company which all of their batteries are badly manufactured and no one lea king batteries in the USA ruining all of your devices in a very short perio d of time. Do not buy Duracell products specially their batteries. Energize r lithium batteries are a lot better.

if 2/3 AAA they'll be shorter than normal.

cellphones mostly use lithium batteries], but cordless phones are usually nickel batteries.

you can probably hav the battery pack rebuilt by a battery specialist in your town.

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umop apisdn

Yeah, Costco is scum for not ensuring that replacement battery packs for something they sold eight years ago are available.

Of course it is easy to buy some 2/3 AAA batteries with tabs and solder them together but you never seem to actually be interested in solving problems with old equipment that you own, you just want to blame someone.

Hi Jasen,

[Note, Joerg's post is 2007-v> >

Most "crank appliances" use a small NiCd/NiMH/Li battery pack. Over time, this means they lose the very ability for which they were purchased ("emergency/reliable").

I've an "emergency" crank radio that goes a step further -- using a large "mainspring" (like in a clock) to drive the generator. You wind it up and it unwinds over the course of about 6 minutes to power the radio.

It also has a small battery pack (which has long ago died) and a solar cell to recharge it. But, the *mechanical* solution is the one that has survived!

[I'm reluctant to disassemble it to attempt a battery replacement out of fear of a giant "*sproing*" accompanied by a shower of gears...]

Try ebay