The various battery types listed on the site have the following features and typical features:
Alkaline
Alkaline batteries are a non-rechargeable type of battery and have been with us for around 60 years now. Dependent upon the reaction between zinc and manganese dioxide, and are ideal for higher drain appliances. Compared with original zinc-carbon batteries, while both produce approximately 1.5 volts per cell, alkaline batteries have a higher energy density and longer shelf-life. Alkaline batteries are long-life batteries, giving up to six times the life of ordinary zinc carbon batteries. They are perfect for high drain appliances, such as digital cameras being used on an intermittent or continuous basis. Zinc Chloride Zinc chloride batteries are designed to give significantly longer life than conventional zinc carbon batteries at around half the cost of the long-life alkaline batteries. They are ideal for appliances demanding heavy or continuous use that require low to medium power.
Lithium
Lithium batteries are the most powerful batteries that can be bought, but they're expensive. They are also toxic so you can't just throw them away (you're supposed to take them to your community's hazardous waste facility). They're great for devices that use the 9V size, since they'll last a long time (10 years in smoke detectors), but for other sizes NiMH rechargeable batteries are a better option.
Primarily used in Coin cells (CR2032 etc), they have very long shelf lives up to 10 years, and a "constant" power output.
Some digital camera batteries also use Lithium, such as 2CR5 batteries, CR-V3 batteries and Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries .
Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH)
Nickel Metal Hydride batteries are a rechargeable battery type and were developed to meet the requirement for increasingly higher levels of energy demanded by today’s electronic products. Nickel Metal Hydride batteries can offer up to three times the capacity of the same size standard Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries. Due to their increased capacity and energy density features, users can expect a longer time between charges and longer running time. They also have rapid charging times – 1 hour (depending on the charger used)
NiMh batteries have many uses in today’s technological world, which include powering equipment like the following: Cellular phones, Cordless phones, Notebook computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), Portable Facsimile Machines, Audio and video devices - Digital video cameras, LCD TVs, Portable DVD Players, VCD, MD and CD players, Remote Controls, Security Systems, Remote Control Toys, Shavers, Massagers, Electric Tooth Brushes, Power Tools, and much more
Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd)
Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery is a type of rechargeable battery commonly used in portable computers, camcorders, portable drills, and other small battery-powered devices, having an effective and even power discharge.
Although Nickel-Metal Hydride and Lithium Ion batteries have become much more popular Ni-Cd batteries are still widely sold. Nickel Cadmium batteries have a long service life - Depending on usage conditions and can deliver 300 - 1000 charge / discharge cycles. Ni-Cds have a quick charging capability - rapid charge in about one hour (depending on charger used).
Oxyride batteries
This is the very latest in Battery technology, developed and marketed by Panasonic, these batteries will last on average up to 2 times as long as alkaline batteries, and are ideal for today’s high drain appliances like Digital Cameras. This technology has only been with us for a couple of years, so there are only still a few places you can buy them
In independent lab testing, new AA-size Oxyride cells lasted twice as long as alkaline cells. That results in double the amount of pictures and more rapid flash recovery time in digital cameras. In other high-drain digital and electronic devices, such as MP3 and CD players, the batteries averaged 1.5 times more power than Panasonic's alkaline cells for more playing time. To demonstrate the extreme power of Panasonic's new battery, the company is showcasing how two AA-size Oxyride batteries are capable of powering a 40-pound car with 100-pound driver for approximately three-quarters of a mile at the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Panasonic Oxyride Extreme Power battery - Next generation technology
The Oxyride Extreme Power battery was developed with a technology based on a combination of newly developed materials and an advanced manufacturing process. The newly adopted cathode materials (Oxy Nickel Hydroxide and newly developed manganese dioxide and graphite) allow an increase in the quantity of the pouring amount inside the battery and a controlled mixing ratio, leading to higher voltage and current. Additionally, a new vacuum pouring technology enables the quantity of electrolyte in the battery to be increased, resulting in higher durability. With the combination of these technological developments, Panasonic's new Oxyride Extreme Power battery allows users to enjoy the benefits of improved power performance and durability.
What is mAh?
Each set of rechargeable batteries sold will have a figure of mAh e.g. 1000 mAh, and this stands for Milliamp Hour, a technical term for how much power a particular battery will hold. Digital camera batteries with higher mAh values theoretically last longer without requiring a recharge, allowing you to take more photographs before you have to replace your batteries. Generally, for high usage and high drain equipment like digital cameras, it is better to buy as high a power as possible. It is also recommended when placing batteries in equipment like digital cameras that their mAh values match. Otherwise, it is possible that one lesser mAh battery will drain before the others, causing extra strain on the remaining batteries or causing your digital camera to not work until all batteries are replaced.
Often confusion arises when discussing the electrical properties of batteries with the main factors being Power, Voltage and Capacity (mAh). The easiest way to visualize electricity and batteries is to consider a pipe which water runs through. The circumference of the pipe would be equivalent to the Voltage and the speed at which the water flows would be the mAh rating. So if you imagine sucking water through a straw from a glass filled with water, the thinner the straw gets the less power (water) can be sucked through the straw at any one time.
Rechargeable batteries have been around since the 1960s and have improved considerably since the early days. Rechargeables potentially save lots of money. The newer ones power digital cameras for longer than alkaline batteries. Recently a new battery technology has been developed by Uniross (called Hybrios) and Sanyo (called eneloop), which are ready to use instantly but can also be recharged and used again and again.
Their capacity is slightly lower than the latest super-duper high capacity batteries, but hey, after 1 month on the shelf, the new Hybrios retain their charge whereas the high capacity ones are well on their way to being half empty. In simple terms, would you prefer a leaky mug, or a non leaking cup? Because I personally tend to leave batteries around for a while Hybrio batteries do not suffer from the High rate of self discharge normal NiMh batteries do. If you fully charge your Hybrio battery and then store it away, after 6 months the battery will have 80% capacity and 70% after 12 months meaning you will always have power available to you. No need to recharge everytime before use.
These two unique features make the Hybrio battery the perfect choice, especially when used in devices that are not in constant use as the battery will not lose stored power when sitting around doing nothing. They can also be recharged upto 500 times to give a long life purchase and making them an environmentally friendly power source that will save you quite a lot of money over time. |
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
