My Babyliss clippers have ceased to clip. A quick teardown reveals 3 AA NiMh cells in a pyramid formation wrapper.
A replacement in Pyramid formation is quite expensive, but separate cells aren't.
Can anyone recommend a decent supplier, there's a few out there but I've never used them so no idea of quality etc.
Cheers
I've found tagged cells tend to be disproportionately expensive compared to decent untagged ones.
I've considered buying a ready made 'pack' for the model car or similar market- they seem to be both reasonably priced and, based on some checks, generally good quality (they modellers need good cells). The idea being to remove the thin plastic outer wrapping (not the cell covering) and rearrange the physical shape, if needed.
(I use them in amateur radio equipment.)
I have had good service from Component-Shop
Chris
Using a discharged alkaline cell, I managed to solder the ends - needs to be done quickly, so the iron has to be adequate. Never tried it on NiMH as the tuit sagged, but I've a shaver that needs doing. Tagged cells would be a lot easier.
+1
As you say, big hot iron, very clean cell ends and tag material and a bit of flux. Pre tin the tag and then introduce that to the cell end as you are tinning that.
You can spot-weld tag you own if you don't want to risk the soldering (I have built (soldering) packs for RC cars and other roles many times with no issues).
Here's an example in true d-i-y stylee. ;-)
I assemble them into packs first and fix them together with a bead of something like Evo-stick between the cells (holds them together strongly (impact proof for RC cars) but also retains some flexibility, other glues may work etc), then join them up.
Cheers, T i m
I solder the tags onto tagless cells. I find plumber's flux works best for this with good iron.
Yup ... and the key being an iron with sufficient thermal capacity to ensure it can maintain the (solder melting temperature) temperature on say the bottom of a D cell to make the soldering process as short as possible.
I think I'm also going to try the 12V battery + 12V lamp + big cap method though as that looks like it's both easy to make and efficient in use (and the ex-microwave transformer version when I get more time). ;-)
Cheers, T i m
I must say I'd never heard of "tagged" batteries.
I suppose the old "flat torch batteries" (Ever Ready 1289 as they were later called) were "naturally" tagged.
3 tagged cells for £6.85 from the link upthread. Partial as I am to a bit of soldering I'll pass this time. Apart from soldering to the tags that is.
Thanks all.
Yes, that site does look useful. I'd get some tagged cells for the shaver but it's more of an exercise as it might be about shagged anyway. Even 3 or
4 quid for a couple of AAAs wouldn't be worth it as I've no other use for them.
When my Braun 3775 needed battery replacement, I was able instead to get a whole shaver for £35, but it is sadly now completely discontinued.
I was able to get a compatible foil from the far east for £5.99 delivered, which works as well as the original for the areas I shave around my beard.
One of its real advantages is that it works fine on ac or dc from
12 V to 240 V. This means that, with the aid of an adapted lead, it can be recharged when I am in the caravan and without hook-up.I have not found anything else offering this facility.
Time has passed and both batteries have now been replaced, so for a minimal outlay I can hope for a few more years out of these shavers.
Chris
2 for £1 at Poundland, and they seem to work well enough - usually. On ly 350mAh IIRC for AAA but does the job.
NT
What! Tagged? Last time I noticed rechargeable cells in Poundland the AAA were 0.2Ah - not worth making. ICR the AA, but certainly less than an average AAA. Probably good for a few cycles then fizzle out.
I remember years ago soldering wires on to standard ni-cads using the wee hole as a key for the solder...you can guess what happened .....
. Only 350mAh IIRC for AAA but does the job.
No, solder to them if you need to
I've had excellent life from them. AAs are 800mAh & 600mAh. The downsides are not very good capacity & you do get the odd bad one. But they have proven long lived.
NT
The AAAs I bought recently were 350mAh. They're useful for cordless phones that spend their life on the charger - I don't care if the standby time is one week not two. Eventually the charger will cook them no matter what the capacity is.
Theo
The 'standard' capacity of an ordinary AAA NiMH cell is 800mAH or so (the LSD versions being around the 700mAH mark - only in extreme circumstances is the capacity sacrifice in the name of LSD made in vain).
I won't waste my money on pound shop AAA NiMH cells which have less than half the capacity of the full spec LSD types you can buy in Aldididdle or Wilkinsons for not much more (certainly no dearer on a cost per AH's worth of capacity).
Normally, I can't buy enough rechargeable cell energy capacity for my portable/mobile battery powered kit. However Theo, I do see your point in regard of DECT handsets originally designed to run off a pair of 180mAH AAA NiCads with cheap constant current charging stations that, as you point out, will knacker the cells in a year or three of such abuse.
That was certainly the case with my first DECT phone kit over a decade ago, a Binatone 3 station DECT setup. In this case, the handsets used a pair of 600mAH AA NiCads. I notice that my current Panasonic DECT handsets use a pair of Panasonic 550mAH AAA NiMH cells (HHR-55AAAB). This model of DECT is only a few years old (3 to 5 years at a guess) and has much better battery management so although I could replace the .55AH cells with modern .75AH LSD cells to good effect, there really hasn't been any need.
Other than for this special case of replacing the cells in an older DECT handset, I wouldn't bother buying any of these pound shop specials, not even as a 'distress purchase'. In this case, their capacity is so low, you're actually getting less than you're paying for (never mind the adage that 'you only get what you pay for').
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