On Thursday 15 May 2008 16:25, Chuck Guzis wrote:
Date: Thu, 15
May 2008 17:40:28 +0100
From: "Ade Vickers"
Or, of course, I could bodge my universal power supply into powering the
multimeter...... (don't dare suggest buying a battery! ;))
This reminds me of a question I've been meaning to ask the list.
I've got some old gear that take single D- or C-sized carbon-zinc
cells, usually as some sort of minimal-current supply. For example,
my VTVM uses one for its resistance function. (Sometimes a high-
impedance meter with a real needle is hard to beat).
I don't keep cells in this old stuff because I use it only
occasionally.
Is there such a thing as a long-life leakproof battery that I can
use? Silver-zinc perhaps?
Even though I used to manage a retail battery store (did that for almost 3
years) I don't have a ready answer for you on that one. I'll be interested
in knowing what you find out, though, as I'd left a set (4 AA and 1 D) in
my old Simpson 260 (as old as I am, just about) and it developed some
problems.
I have a 2-AA maglite that just quit working on me because of leakage -- the
check they promised just arrived today and I've already replaced it. Dunno
if the 3-LED bit that's replacing the standard bulb has anything to do with
that or what. And it ain't the first set of Duracells that's leaked in
there, either, but they apparently do stand behind their product.
Alkaline has pretty much dominated the market for as far as I've seen in most
stores recently, though it's my understanding that carbon-zinc cells *might*
still be available.
Or there's the approach I took with my old "Hickock Model 156 Indicating
Traxceometer" -- I just rigged up a bias supply in there to replace the 3 D
cells that nobody'd changed in I don't know how long and which corroded the
crap out of the battery holder. :-)
--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin