[archosman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrypt (ii) whether the Plainviews fit inside the XP-7's compartment comfortably, sans uh-whittlin' 'n' uh-sandin'-uhhhhhrrrruuuuhhhhnnnnnn. . . .

yup. I have 2 in my XP-7 as we speak. Fits just like a glove.

 

[rab10]

Hello Everybody,

Great Thread very useful information.

I checked the links that the others had posted to other websites on where to obtain the batteries and chargers.

I am going to go with the Plainviews but I also need AAA rechargeables also.
I checked Headsave and other websites and they have listed Chargers that will charge the plainviews but not other battery formats (AAA, AA, etc.)

Is there a charger that will charge the Plainviews optimally and AAA batteries together?

Or are we stuck with purchasing separate chargers for the Plainviews and
another for AAA, AA, and others.

Thanks!

 

[dthiep]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rab10 Hello Everybody, Great Thread very useful information. I checked the links that the others had posted to other websites on where to obtain the batteries and chargers. I am going to go with the Plainviews but I also need AAA rechargeables also. I checked Headsave and other websites and they have listed Chargers that will charge the plainviews but not other battery formats (AAA, AA, etc.) Is there a charger that will charge the Plainviews optimally and AAA batteries together? Or are we stuck with purchasing separate chargers for the Plainviews and another for AAA, AA, and others. Thanks!

Yeah there are other chargers that charge 9v/aaa/aa all together but I wonder if they are as good as the separate ones. If you get all-in-one let me know how it works

 

[scrypt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by archosman yup. I have 2 in my XP-7 as we speak. Fits just like a glove.

Thanks ever so for sprinkling the correct condiment into my biauricular sonibroth semi-portavat.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Lisa, Nospam, anyone else who's using the Maha rechargeables -- do they seem to be identical in size to regular alkaline 9V's? The pages for them at the Thomas Distributing website seem to imply that they're exactly the same size as standard alkalines, but don't state it clearly. Since I'm thinking about an SR-71 at some point, I'd like to be sure that they'll fit, unlike the Plainviews.

Thanks!

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisa Spent&Bent, You're right. Jahn has the one Norm sells now. I think that might be another brand. Like dthiep said. Another thing, I charged my MAHA 9V in my ansmann charger last night as usual and this time I though I messure the voltage. I was 11.04V after it had been on trickle charge for a couple of hours. So I guess that the Ansmann with its 10.15v while charging is fine. I suggest you try charging one plainview in the plainview charger and the other in the energizer. If they messure about the same voltage afterwards and last equally long than the energizer charger is fine. Just my logical thinking, maybe there are some other things that come into play....

Yep i have the one Norm sells now with the Plainviews, the charger is a different brand, called "Powersomethingorother." Seems to work just fine, my batteries haven't exploded since I tried charging over 15 hours - it just trickles around with no problem until i unplug it.

 

[Nospam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dixie Flatline Lisa, Nospam, anyone else who's using the Maha rechargeables -- do they seem to be identical in size to regular alkaline 9V's? The pages for them at the Thomas Distributing website seem to imply that they're exactly the same size as standard alkalines, but don't state it clearly. Since I'm thinking about an SR-71 at some point, I'd like to be sure that they'll fit, unlike the Plainviews. Thanks!

Just compared mine to a Duracell Ultra. According to a co-worker's Brown & Sharp caliper, the Maha is roughly .015" narrower, .010" thinner, and .100" longer (give or take .005"

).

Keep in mind this is only one data point, but I'd say the Maha is a bit longer than a standard alkaline.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nospam Just compared mine to a Duracell Ultra. According to a co-worker's Brown & Sharp caliper, the Maha is roughly .015" narrower, .010" thinner, and .100" longer (give or take .005" ). Keep in mind this is only one data point, but I'd say the Maha is a bit longer than a standard alkaline.

Thanks! That was an unexpected degree of precision, I must say.

Of course, I should also ask the obvious question -- is there anyone here who's actually using any brand of 9V rechargeables in the SR-71 without having to Dremel them down?

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dixie Flatline Thanks! That was an unexpected degree of precision, I must say. Of course, I should also ask the obvious question -- is there anyone here who's actually using any brand of 9V rechargeables in the SR-71 without having to Dremel them down?

I'd like to know as well - after all when i put Duracells in there they JUST fit in the SR71.

 

[Lisa]

I don't have Duracells but the MAHAs are about 1mm longer than alkaline batteries of two other brands I have compared them to. I wouldn't be at all surprized if the MAHAs are the same size as the plainviews. I can be wrong of course but they also have the same shape...

Ray Samuels said that 8.4V Nimh would work fine in the SR-71. I have a pair of Hape (Dutch brand) 8.4Vs and they are shorter than alkalines. I guess there are 8.4Vs for sale in the US too that don't have the size of a plainview.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisa I don't have Duracells but the MAHAs are about 1mm longer than alkaline batteries of two other brands I have compared them to. I wouldn't be at all surprized if the MAHAs are the same size as the plainviews. I can be wrong of course but they also have the same shape... Ray Samuels said that 8.4V Nimh would work fine in the SR-71. I have a pair of Hape (Dutch brand) 8.4Vs and they are shorter than alkalines. I guess there are 8.4Vs for sale in the US too that don't have the size of a plainview.

Interesting -- Thomas Distributing also has a "nominal 8.6V" Maha battery, which might be a better bet. I'd forgotten about Ray saying that battery voltage was less of an issue in the SR-71. I'm guessing that the lower-voltage batteries have fewer cells stacked internally, so they don't need to be as long to accommodate them. There are a few others on there that are nominally 8.4V, including some high-capacity ones.

After a bit of digging, I've noticed one common characteristic of the 9.4-9.6V rechargeables -- they all seem to have rounded corners at the bottom, rather than a flat bottom with sharp corners. The alkalines and lower-voltage rechargeables all seem to be flat-bottomed. So I'm wondering if that rounded form factor is what adds the extra length to the Plainviews and Mahas. If so, that makes it easier to judge from pictures which rechargeables will fit the SR-71.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Puzzle]

Hi guys,

Interesting thread for sure. I'm in Australia, and can only get one brand of 8.4v rechargeable (170Mah). I just received my SR-71, and it wouldn't fit any 9v battery put in it, without a gap at the back plate. (BTW, Duracell make a ProCell 9v which is a little more expensive, but really lasts a long time (I used a pair to burn in the SR-71, and they easily made the 70 hour mark (I didn't calculate down to the last minute though). They are made in the US, so they should be easy to find.)

Anyhow, I didn't fancy grinding the back off all my rechargeables, so I had a look inside the amp, and found that the contacts for the batteries are four separate folded over steel 'springs' (to keep good contact with the terminals). They extend out quite a few millimetres, so I carefully folded a strip of cardboard over each contact and, with a pair of needle-nose pliars, very very very gently squeezed each contact spring down by a couple of millimetres. It was very easy to do, and I now have a perfect fit for my rechargeables, and the Duracell ProCells leave something less than a ml of space at the back plate. (There is absolutely no mark from the pliars left on the contacts, and they still have the flex to keep good contact with the batteries.) Did I mention, I did this very very gently.

I have a question - I have a Rayovac brand fast charger (which I see is on the market still in the US). It charges Ni-Mh and Ni-Cd batteries, including the 9v, in about an hour. I've asked around, and no one can definitively tell me if charging the batteries fast like this has a negative effect on the batteries. Anyone have any thoughts on this? (I notice everyone is talking about trickle type charging).

The rechargeables so far don't seem to be last anywhere near the ProCells.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Lisa]

Does your charger charge the 9Vs in an hour too? On the rayovac website it says 2-3 hours. The only way to find out if your batteries can handle it is to ask the manufactuer of the batteries. My guess is they might be able to handle it but aren't made for fast charging, just trickle charge.

 

[Puzzle]

Lisa,

I'm not sure, but it probably takes between one and two hours for a 9v to charge. I've spoken to people who work in the shops - I don't know who to ask in a more senior position. The owner of the shop I bought some of these rechargeables from today said that the NiMh could be fast charged just fine (but not NiCds). Who knows for sure?

The rechargeables seem to last for somewhere between ten and twenty hours - nowhere near the performance of the Duracell ProCells.

Puzzle

 

[Lisa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puzzle Lisa, I'm not sure, but it probably takes between one and two hours for a 9v to charge. I've spoken to people who work in the shops - I don't know who to ask in a more senior position. The owner of the shop I bought some of these rechargeables from today said that the NiMh could be fast charged just fine (but not NiCds). Who knows for sure? The rechargeables seem to last for somewhere between ten and twenty hours - nowhere near the performance of the Duracell ProCells. Puzzle

Unfortunaltely 9V batteries are far more sensitive than AAs, or so I have been told. They need to be fast charge capable to be able to be fast charged. I don't know if yours are or not. And I don't know either how your batteries will react to being fast charged if they shouldn't be. (I know of someone who fast charged the plainviews and that went right. But it might all depend on charger or quality of the battery itself...)

What is the brand name, the name of the manufactuer of the batteries? Does it say on the battery itself?
If I were you I'd google the brand name and see if I could find an e-mail address of the manufactuer and ask them if their 170 mah 9V batteries can be fast charged or not. And ask what's the worsed thing that can happen if you fast charge them when you're not supposed to. That way you can deside for yourself if it's a risk you want to take.

It is normal that you get much less time from a rechargable 9V than a Alkaline. The Duracell ProCells alkalines have probably more than 500 mah. The rechargeables you've got have only 170 mah.
Fortunately AA NiMH these days have high capacities. And are not much lower than Alkalines anymore.