POWER FEATURE
Alkaline Batteries, still the best ‘bang for your buck’? D
espite the ever-increasing growth in rechargeable or ‘secondary’
technologies such as Li-Ion, the faithful, non-rechargeable or ‘primary’ batteries still have an important role to play in our everyday lives. There are many applications that do not lend themselves to a rechargeable solution, based on how and where batteries are used. Some applications can make recharging difficult or impossible, simply by the impracticalities of knowing and keeping track of what is charged or discharged, even partially – where, as an example, the loss of an actor’s audio microphone would be a disaster in a live theatre performance. Fortunately, there are several primary solutions for these applications, although not as eco- conscious as rechargeables that are easily known to be fully charged due to their packaging.
New modes of power, particularly the
battery, are beginning to define how charge is sustained. Stephen Evangelou, technical design manager of the VI Pro, H-Squared, argues for the conservative, non-rechargeable battery
Without doubt, the battery of choice, and largest selling battery technology worldwide, is the Alkaline Manganese Dioxide cell: the ‘Alkaline’. Commercially realised in the late 1950s, this technology has undergone continuous improvement; today’s alkaline cells offer excellent energy densities, with superior capacity to manage a wide range of loads for everyday use. Familiar Alkaline batteries include AAA, AA, C, D and 9V, known to the industry as the 5-Type. All mainstream manufacturers offer IEC compliant 5-Type products, providing consistency and performance measurement data to reflect the specialised power demands of modern loads in IoT and Hive technologies.
But with this specalism comes concern on cost - reacting to increasing prices, there is a notable shift of battery purchases toward premium ‘Own Brand’ alternatives being produced in the same factories as the leading 5-Types. These new Own Brands will often deliver the same class of power as recognised consumer labels, but at a much lower cost as millions of pounds in advertising is not forced upon the consumer. Our advice; look for the power you need- motor, lighting,
audio, etc., and check if the brand is IEC compliant. On a final note, beware the unbranded products, because you get what you pay for.
H-Squared
www.h-squared.co.uk
/ ELECTRONICS
ELECTRONICS | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2020
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