They are used everywhere in the life of modern people.
Almost any electrical equipment and electrical engineering operates on power supplied from chemical current sources.
Spent batteries are simply replaced with new ones, which makes them easy to use.
At the same time, few people know that batteries that are still quite usable and can be restored with the help of:
So, within the framework of this article, we are increasing the operating time (service life) of the battery, which, it would seem, has already exhausted its working life.
But first things first.
Regeneration (restoration) of the power source is possible only if its capacity and voltage have not dropped to the limit value.
AA batteries (1.5 Volts) can withstand a minimum threshold of 0.7-0.8 Volts. If this value has not yet been reached, resuscitation can begin.
The easiest way is to increase the life of batteries that have been discharged under high load. Such batteries can be found in flashlights, toys, radios, etc.
Chemical current sources that are discharged under low loads (watches, radios, photographic equipment) are restored much worse, because evenly produce the required resource without any residue.
A battery that has been left idle for a long time and has become dry can be regenerated by the following operations:
1. We make double-sided holes to a depth of 3/4 with a thin metal object (nail or awl) along the length of the battery from both edges, along the rod.
2. Inject a little purified or distilled water (with a syringe) into the hole made.
3. Observe how water passes inside the battery and displaces air from another hole.
4. As soon as the water passes through all the batteries and begins to protrude on the opposite side, we close the holes with resin or plasticine.
5. Let’s test the “recharged” battery in operation.
The battery life can be increased by injecting not water, but table vinegar (double dose) or hydrochloric acid solution.
If the above steps are too difficult, you can simply place the used battery in hot water for 10 minutes.
In addition, battery life is increased due to mechanical stress.
For these purposes, we will need a small hammer with which we need to tap the battery housing.
Instead of a hammer, you can use any other object that will not damage the integrity of the case. 2-3 days of operation at low discharge currents are guaranteed!
In addition, you can try to revive the battery by placing it in a special charger. This must be done with extreme caution!
Simple disposable batteries are not designed to be recharged, therefore, such actions can be used at your own risk!!!
Any rechargeable battery is simply a battery and has its own service life, unfortunately, nothing lasts forever! However, ordinary acid batteries can have a fairly large “run” in their service life (sometimes doubled) - but what is this connected with? Why can some batteries last almost 10 years, while others barely last up to 3 years? It turns out there is a difference, and this specifically affects the life of our battery...
At the beginning of the article, I want to note that today we will disassemble ordinary acid batteries, however, AGM batteries are a little different.
Battery life is affected by many different factors. Especially external ones, let's list them point by point:
These are the main points that can extend the life of your battery, and a lot! However, first I want to talk about the quality of the batteries currently produced.
At the very beginning I would like to say about the quality of modern batteries; now I will not get into the weeds with brands. Just want to point out:
The difference between a bad and a good manufacturer lies in the battery production technologies themselves; I read somewhere that serious companies do not spare lead for the plates, and also use calcium and even silver to reduce the electrolysis processes - so they obviously last quite a long time! But for those who save, the batteries will work very little, because there is a small amount of lead in the plates and after 2–3 years it begins to crumble. So in (I advise you to read the article), you need to look first at the warranty and technology, you will already be able to understand everything.
Well, now I’ll try to quickly go over the main points that I indicated above.
It should be noted that many motorists think that the service life is affected by the winter period, that is, the battery « » loses charge and fails. This is partly true - the main problem is a cold battery, even after starting it does not take a charge normally until its temperature rises to above zero. Therefore, short trips can really have a detrimental effect on the battery, but as a rule, we all do (as I think correctly), and therefore the charge accumulates normally.
But the summer mode, with its extremely high temperatures, and under the hood it can be + 60, + 70 degrees Celsius. It's a compromise: in summer you don't need much energy to start the engine, but in winter you need at least 30% more! And since the capacity sank in the summer, it’s possible that you won’t be able to start the engine!
I wrote about this in the article -. Actually, if you take a serviced option, then be prepared to take care of it! Add distilled water, check the electrolyte density, etc.! If you “miss” the moment, then the battery may not last for a year! In this regard, the service life of a maintenance-free battery is much longer, but it is still worth buying it.
Here I would like to highlight two main aspects:
If all systems work normally, you can count on the nominal battery life, that is, say, at least 5 - 7 years! But if something doesn’t work right, it critically reduces its service life.
Third-party equipment, such as radios or alarms, if they are not connected correctly, can drain your battery, it doesn’t seem like a large leakage current, but for a couple of days, or even a week, and that’s it – a deep discharge! Therefore, if you notice that after parking for the night, the starter does not spin so quickly, it stops. Then we fix it without fail, otherwise in a few months you will be buying a new battery.
It’s also worth noting that batteries last less in cities! But why? YES, everything is simple - there are a lot of short trips in the city, you started the car, the battery gave up energy to start, and you drove only a few kilometers and after 10 minutes you were parked for a long time! Thus, the result was a slight “undercharge”! Then they started again and stopped again. Such undercharging drains the battery, and the voltage can drop to critical levels. For example, in winter you will not be able to start the car - you will discharge your battery to zero, and this will lead to deep discharge and sulfation.
Therefore, in order to extend its service life, it is worth driving your car for more than 30–40 minutes at least once every couple of weeks! Although if you are stuck in traffic jams for a long time with the engine running, then this is quite enough - after all, the generator is spinning.
Many may consider this an unimportant point and would be wrong! Because, in my opinion, the mount is one of the most important points - the battery can fly out of its place during sharp turns and other maneuvers. And if it is not secured, then the terminal may short out on the body (say, the positive terminal to ground). Either the terminal may break altogether, or the attachment point in the plastic case may break, which also does not bring anything good! This battery won't last long.
Remember, the battery must be well secured (sit in its socket), preferably with special brackets or other clamps.
By the way, a useful video on the topic.
Uninterruptible or backup power systems use only deep cycle batteries. They differ from conventional ones in their ability to be charged and discharged for a long time. Therefore, calculating the operating time of the inverter from the battery is of great importance, since modern models can be operated for 12 years or more. To carry out such calculations, initial data will be required.
First of all, you need to clarify the number of electrical appliances and the power consumed by them. The higher the capacity of the battery or battery system, the longer the connected equipment will operate in the absence of a centralized power supply. In order to calculate the battery life of the inverter, you need to know the number and capacity of the batteries, as well as the power consumed by the load per hour.
First, you should determine the total capacity of the batteries used. For example, the system has 12 12-volt batteries, each with a capacity of 200 amp-hours. The result is 12 x 12 x 200 = 28800 Wh. The new batteries have a maximum efficiency of 95%, that is, taking into account the loss factor, the result is 28800 x 0.95 = 27360 Wh. The average hourly load is 1320 watts. It turns out that the operating time of the inverter from the battery is 27360/1320 = 20.7 hours, or in rounded form - 20 hours.
Let's turn a little to the theory necessary to obtain accurate numbers when calculating the operating time of sensors from a set of batteries.
So, first, let's look at when and what electricity is spent on, using the example of the most popular Z-Wave ZM3102 module.
The capacity of a typical AAA battery is approximately 800 mAh. Thus, if the device is continuously in standby mode, the batteries will last for 800 mAh / 23 mA = 34 hours, i.e. less than two days! This is how long the Express Control EZ-Motion motion sensor will live on batteries if it is switched to constant operation mode (usually this is done when a constant power supply is connected). By the way, the LED connected to the same batteries will burn for the same amount of time. It is quite obvious that in order to operate for an extended period of time, the device must be put into sleep mode. If the device is in sleep all the time, then the batteries will last for 800 mAh / 2.5 μA = 36.5 years. Obviously, the battery self-discharges faster.
Now let's calculate the best and worst case scenarios for sending a packet (20 bytes with headers) from our battery-powered node to the recipient (controller, relay or other device).
It can be seen that the difference in energy consumption of the best and worst options is more than 70 times!
It is also clear that attempting to deliver a packet to an unreachable node costs the same as waiting for a response from the controller for one second, LED turns on for one second or 3 hours sleep device!
First conclusion: package recipients be available.
Second conclusion: upon receiving a message from the sensor I woke up the controller must send a message to the sensor as soon as possible Sleep on
.
Third conclusion: the sensor should include as little peripherals as possible and do this as rarely as possible.
Consider the life cycle of a typical battery-powered Z-Wave door sensor:
Let's calculate the lifespan of the sensor under conditions of periodic waking up once an hour (T=3600 s) and sending 20 opening/closing events per day (the door was opened 10 times - a realistic assumption for the front door of an apartment). The cost per day will be 0.374 mA*s * (20 event sends + 24 wake-up sends) + 216 mA*s (sleep) = 234 mA*s. That turns out to be 34 years! In practice, this value is much less, because Here we did not take into account the cost of chip peripherals and battery life.
Now let's play with different parameters.
Turning on the LED for a second each time an opening event is sent (20 times per day) changes the lifespan to 11 years.
Let's imagine that the sensor will wake up not once an hour, but once every 5 minutes. Already 24 years, and with the LED on (20 times a day) 10 years. It can be seen how frequent periodic spills have significantly reduced the battery life of the device. Although compared to the contribution from the LED this is not significant.
What if the controller is turned off? Now the wake-up message is not delivered and the sensor is forced to wait W = 2 seconds before going back to sleep and flash the LED for 1 second to notify the user of the problem. The same batteries will only last for 2.5 years if you wake up once an hour and only 3 months if you wake up once every 5 minutes!
Obviously, in these calculations, all times of more than two years are not realized due to the chemical features of the batteries. AA and AAA batteries are not capable of operating for more than two years when the device is constantly powered with even a negligible current, despite the fact that the capacity should be sufficient. But anything less than two years old will become a capacity limitation.
Let's take a little look at Frequently Listening Devices (FLiRS). These devices wake up every second for about 5 ms to listen for a special packet being sent to them Wake Up Beam. If three hours of sleep requires 27 mA*s, then the FLiRS device will consume 1255 mA*s, which is 50 times more than the cost of sleep, but also 200 times less than when constantly in packet standby mode. Such devices usually last about 7-8 months on a set of AAA batteries. However, manufacturers are trying to use larger batteries to achieve operating time of more than a year.
Here's a quick question: what brands of batteries can you name off the top of your head? Many will probably remember DURACELL, ENERGIZER, GP - those brands that often appear in television advertising. Awhat batteries will you buy? Almost certainly - these are the brands that are well-known and well known thanks to advertising. That is, the most expensive. I think it’s no secret that manufacturers usually include advertising costs in the price of their products... Nowadays there are a huge number of brands on the battery market that claim increased performance and reliability on the packaging. But is the difference between all kinds of samples really that big? Is it wise to pay more for something that is advertised the most? It was this question that led us to the idea of a group test of batteries of the most popular sizes.
Text: Alexey SOROKIN.
A comparative battery test was carried out in the testing laboratory of electrical products "REGIONTEST" of the Ivanovo State University of Chemical Technology.
In order to understand the variety of brands on the market and make a correct comparison of batteries in terms of efficiency and performance, you need to choose the right assortment for testing.
Firstly, these must be batteries of the same size. We chose for testing the two most popular formats - AA (LR6, “finger”) and AAA (LR03, “little finger”).
Secondly, these must be batteries of the same chemical composition. Most batteries on the market can be globally divided into two main categories: alkaline batteries (ALKALINE) and salt batteries (ZINC).
Salt batteries are produced using outdated technology. True, despite the “retirement age”, they are still sold and cost no more than 10 rubles apiece. However, salt sources have significantly worse parameters than alkaline ones. They are practically useless in the cold, have less capacity and are less able to withstand the pulsed and dynamic loads of modern gadgets. They are usually equipped with remote controls, simple toys, wall clocks and other undemanding devices with low energy consumption.
Alkaline batteries have become the basis of modern battery consumption (more than 70 percent in units). This type of portable energy source is the most effective in any device. Therefore, in today's test we will compare only alkaline batteries from different manufacturers.
And thirdly, these must be batteries of similar series or the same purpose. This condition is explained by the fact that in the range of most popular brands the alkaline group is also divided into so-called ultra-alkaline batteries (their formula is modified for pulsed energy consumption) and standard series batteries for universal use. Some manufacturers include a separate group of economical series of alkaline batteries, most suitable for devices with low energy consumption - as a more modern alternative to salt cells.
So, we finally clarify the conditions for testing alkaline batteries: for greater objectivity, we chose standard universal series from various manufacturers.
Our group test includes alkaline batteries from the following brands:
GP Super Alkaline battery
ENERGIZER Alkaline power
DURACELL (alkaline)
TROPHY Alkaline
Of course, when purchasing, we paid attention to the expiration date of the batteries. Test samples were selected in such a way that the shelf life was until 2021. Thus, there were no batteries that died out during storage in our test.
A few words about the packaging: GP, ENERGIZER and KODAK are packaged in a plastic blister. The rest of the batteries are dressed exclusively in cardboard. Note that all-cardboard packaging is more expensive than plastic, it is more environmentally friendly in production and is also easier to open. Therefore, cardboard packaging is a plus for the manufacturer.
All batteries that took part in the test were purchased from two large retail chains with a similar retail format, which guarantees price comparability of the batteries.
The price is indicated in rubles for one battery.
Interestingly, for all brands except DURACELL, AAA batteries cost less or at least the same as AA batteries. But DURACELL's AA batteries are much cheaper (they were purchased in the same store.
All brands are obviously divided into three groups:
dear - DURACELL,
TROFI batteries took the first price brand position.
Let's see if all batteries are worth their price and how does a higher price affect their efficiency?
Test engineer Sergey Barinov begins testing
During the first test, laboratory engineers checked how quickly the batteries drained during continuous discharging. Such a test simulates the operation of, for example, a powerful flashlight or a radio-controlled car, that is, any devices that intensively and continuously discharge batteries.
In the test bench circuit, the key element is a resistor with a resistance of 1 ohm, which provided the test samples with a constant load. To monitor the decreasing voltage in the battery, a voltmeter was connected to it through a resistor, which recorded the residual energy. The test ended when the battery voltage dropped to 0.9 volts.
Test participants will have to go through two tests.
The second test subjected the batteries to a pulse discharge, which simulates the operation of devices such as a digital camera with flash or any other gadget that is characterized by a powerful but short-term discharge.
The test setup for the second test turned out to be more complex: it included the battery itself, a voltmeter showing the residual voltage, a discharge current regulator that maintains a constant current due to a floating resistance, an ammeter that controls the current at 1000 mA, and a device with cyclic on-off switching of the entire circuit . The load was applied to the battery for 10 seconds, after which the load was turned off for 50 seconds, giving the batteries time to recover somewhat.
As in the first test, the test is considered complete when the battery voltage drops to 0.9 volts.
The need to conduct two tests is due to the fact that different batteries can behave completely differently under different discharge options. Batteries are like runners - among them there are marathon runners, and there are also sprinters who are not rivals to each other.
Let's see how the batteries performed in the first test. The Kodak fingers worked the longest with a result of 0.9 hours. Second place is shared by GP and TROFI - with a result of 0.8 hours. The popular brand Duracell was in second to last place with a result of 0.72 hours. This is 23 percent less than the test leader's time. The worst results were shown by Energizer brand batteries, lasting only 0.64 hours. Interesting fact: the difference between the ratings of different brands in this test is almost always 0.1.
Absolute operating time of AA batteries under continuous load
In the pulsed version of the discharge, the places were distributed completely differently. Taking revenge for the defeat in the first test, DURACELL takes the lead, having worked for 4.72 hours. A slightly shorter time - 4.43 hours, was shown by KODAK batteries. GP performed 0.5 hours worse, taking third place. This is where the separation group ends; the remaining batteries showed noticeably worse results. TROPHY worked for 3.66 hours, and ENERGIZER for 3.58.
Absolute operating time of AA batteries under pulsed load
These are the dry and unyielding results of the measurement tests. From the point of view of absolute operating time, KODAK batteries look the most advantageous - they lasted the longest with continuous discharge and showed more than decent results with pulsed discharge.
On the other hand, if you clearly know that you will use batteries in high-tech devices with periodic peak loads, then the best option would be DURACELL batteries, which lasted 0.3 hours longer in the test than the nearest competitor.
Absolute operating time cannot be the only criterion when choosing any product. There are situations when the confidence in the maximum result is worth overpaying for it. But our tests have shown that the efficiency of batteries does not depend on their cost. And if we try to digitize efficiency, let’s remember such a concept as price/quality ratio. In the case of batteries, this will be a unit cost, that is, the cost of a unit of time - one hour of work. Obviously, the lower the unit cost, the better your purchase.
Having assessed the unit cost of all test batteries, we can come to an interesting conclusion: in both versions of the test - continuous and pulsed - the distribution of places by brand was the same. However, there are some subtleties associated with absolute operating time that cannot be ignored.
Cost of 1 hour of operation of AA batteries under continuous and pulsed load
The most uneconomical in the continuous test were DURACELL: their unit cost is 1.5 times higher than that of their closest competitors GP and ENERGIZER, and the absolute operating time is in penultimate place.
ENERGIZER batteries were also not the most profitable. Having shown the lowest operating time under continuous load, they also have a mediocre price/quality ratio.
But KODAK batteries look pretty good in this test. Having worked the longest in continuous discharge mode, they have an attractive price/quality ratio - 22.6 rubles / hour. If your priority is absolute runtime at a reasonable price, then KODAK batteries are a good choice.
The leader in terms of price/quality ratio under continuous load are TROFI AA batteries. True, in terms of absolute operating time they are not the best, but they turned out to be 30 percent more profitable than GP batteries, 70 percent more profitable than ENERGIZER and more than 150 percent more profitable than DURACELL. It’s easy to calculate that for the price of one DURACELL battery you can buy 2.5 TROFI batteries and for the same money your flashlight will illuminate 3 times longer...
With the pulsed discharge option, TROPHY batteries unexpectedly came out on top. The cost of an hour of their work is almost two times less than that of the sales leader DURACELL, the closest pursuer TROFI is more than 21 percent ahead in terms of efficiency.
In the second test, KODAK batteries show themselves to be a solid average with a plus. They showed a fairly long operating time and good efficiency.
When comparing GP and ENERGIZER, the unit cost of which is almost the same, it is better to give preference to GP batteries, since their absolute operating time is much higher than ENERGIZER.
But the situation with DURACELL batteries is not clear-cut. Despite the highest cost per hour of operation, it was DURACELL batteries that lasted the longest under pulsed load. For good money you won’t be able to last that long! If you want the best, pay more. Here this statement works one hundred percent.
DURACELL is one of the best options for digital cameras and other devices with pulse loads, as long as you don't care about the price. But for working with a constant discharge - in flashlights or radio machines, DURACELL is not the best choice.
KODAK is the best choice for devices with even power consumption. Children's toys with batteries, flashlights, etc. will be very happy with these batteries. They can also be recommended for devices with pulsed energy consumption, especially since batteries of this brand have a decent level of efficiency.
GP is a solid average. They performed well in both tests and have an acceptable price/running time ratio, which allows us to recommend these batteries for all types of devices. Of course, they will not be the longest lasting or the most profitable, but they will simply be a workhorse for your devices.
ENERGIZER - unfortunately, the batteries of this brand did not perform at their best. Worst results in both tests and high cost per hour - that's all we can say about them.
TROPHY - the brand showed the best price/working time ratio among all test participants and a reliable operating time. The cost-effectiveness of this brand of batteries leads to an interesting thought: isn’t it better to buy two cheaper ones instead of one expensive one, but at the same time gain almost three times the energy reserves?
If anyone thinks that the results of tests for AAA batteries will copy the results of tests of AA batteries, then this is not so: the balance of forces turned out to be completely different and more unexpected than for AA batteries.
For AAA batteries, the operating time during continuous discharge is usually more relevant than for their larger brothers. Judge for yourself, the best AAA battery lasted 3.5 times less than the AA-sized finger-type champion.
The leaders in this test were TROFI brand batteries, which lasted 0.26 hours, leaving behind more famous brands. Looking at the chart, you can see that a group of leaders has formed, which, in addition to TROPHY, also includes DURACELL with a result of 0.23 hours and GP with a result of 0.20 hours. Next come two brands whose results are significantly worse than those of the leaders: ENERGIZER and, surprise, KODAK. The latter, let me remind you, were the best in the continuous discharge of AA batteries.
Absolute operating time of AAA batteries under continuous load
But the results of the pulse discharge test are generally similar to the results of tests of AA batteries, but with one big “BUT”: KODAK batteries again found themselves in last place, and with a significant lag behind their closest pursuer - ENERGIZER.
The leaders in the test were DURACELL batteries, which were the only ones that lasted more than an hour. GP came in second place with 0.93 hours. The top three are closed by the leaders of the continuous discharge test - TROPHY, which showed 0.88 hours. Notice the fairly obvious gap between the top three and the rest of the brands.
Absolute operating time of AAA batteries under pulsed load
Having calculated the cost per hour of AAA batteries, we also got interesting results.
DURACELL batteries turned out to be the most unprofitable. Not only did they show the highest cost per hour of work, but in the AAA format they could not become the best in terms of absolute operating time. So, in this particular situation, there is no point in overpaying for abundant advertising and a well-promoted brand.
KODAK batteries have the worst battery life, and although they have a more reasonable cost per hour than DURACELL, the brand is not very economical in comparison. And even lower than that of the also highly advertised ENERGIZER batteries.
The GP brand once again proved itself to be a solid middle peasant with a score of 5-/4+. Yes, they turn out to be more profitable than ENERGIZER, KODAK, and even more so DURACEL. However, they are 2 times more expensive than TROFI batteries.
The most attractive in terms of price-runtime ratio in the case of continuous load are TROFI batteries, which not only have the lowest cost per hour of operation, but also last the longest. Therefore, TROFI batteries can be recommended for any device - uniform and pulsed energy consumption, regardless of what your priority is - savings or operating time.
Cost of 1 hour of operation of AAA batteries under continuous and pulsed load
The balance of forces in the test with pulsed discharge remains similar. Taking into account absolute indicators, the following conclusions can be drawn. TROPHY, although this time did not show the best absolute operating time, remained the most economical, and with a gap of 60 percent from its closest pursuer. It just seems like you can’t save much on batteries. When the difference in their cost is so noticeable, over the course of a year an amount that is not at all superfluous in a crisis will accumulate...
GP batteries in AAA size look noticeably more interesting than in AA format. In terms of cost per hour of work, they are number two in the final table and in terms of absolute work time they are slightly inferior to the leader. So GP AAA batteries can also be recommended as an acceptable option for devices with occasional but peak loads.
Among the AAA batteries, ENERGIZER and KODAK turned out to be the least attractive in the impulse test, both in terms of operating time and per unit cost.
Summarizing the results of the test, we can give the following recommendations:
TROPHY - we recommend taking a closer look at the batteries of this brand. They not only showed decent operating time, especially in the test with a uniform load, where they became the best, they were also more profitable than their competitors by at least 60 percent, and in some cases by as much as 3 times.
DURACELL showed the best operating time in pulsed discharge mode and good operating time (2nd place) in uniform load mode. However, batteries of this brand are the most expensive; they have the highest cost per hour of operation, which can differ significantly from competitors.
GP - If you don't need 20 percent more battery life for an extra 80 percent on the price, then this is definitely the brand for you. Moreover, it doesn’t matter at all what device you are going to use it in.
ENERGIZER - unfortunately, did not surprise us at all, although they performed better than in the tests of AA batteries. These batteries can be recommended for purchase if you have no alternative.
KODAK - among the “little finger” batteries, this brand frankly showed the worst results, both in terms of absolute operating time and cost per hour of operation.
KODAK AA batteries are the best choice for devices with even power consumption. Children's toys with batteries, flashlights, etc. will be very happy with these batteries. They can also be recommended for devices with pulsed energy consumption.
DURACELL AAA batteries showed the best operating time in pulsed discharge mode and one of the best in uniform load mode. In addition, DURACELL AA batteries are great for working in digital cameras and other devices with pulse loads, provided that you don’t care about their price at all.
TROFI batteries of both sizes - AA and AAA, showed the best price/running time ratio among all test participants and a reliable operating time.
The results of the comparative test clearly proved that the statement “more expensive means better” does not always work. And the costs of a brand advertising campaign are not particularly important: batteries of a domestic brand, for example, outperformed such a well-known brand as ENERGIZER in all tests, and in some tests - the no less famous DURACELL.
The quality of batteries does not depend on their retail prices on store shelves. In terms of efficiency and cost per hour of operation, TROFI batteries were the best in both cases. Otherwise, look at the test results, compare them with your needs and decide which brand to choose next time.
Each case has its own optimal option. With this conclusion we will move on in life.
