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Notes from the April 18, 2009 Meeting

Vice President Cleo Cherryholmes filled in for President Jim Sargent. He reminded us of upcoming events, including his June 20 program illustrating the alignment process for superheterodyne-type radios. He also welcomed new member-to-be Steve Nance. Our Program Director Mike Grimes introduced our program topic - BATTERIES. He talked about the fact that batteries were a very expensive item for the early radios, all of them being battery powered. The "B" batteries lasted quite a while, but the "A" batteries lasted only about 3 months and cost about 3 months' salary for the average person. Of course the early sets were designed around the use of 1-1/2 volt "number 6" dry cells. This high cost inspired radio design engineers to accommodate their designs to the voltages available from lead-acid rechargeable batteries, 2 volts for single-cell and 6 volts for batteries such as those already used in automobiles. Eventually, vibrator-type supplies were created to convert low battery voltages up to the "B" voltage levels and eliminated the need for "B" batteries. There were also some 32 volt radios designed primarily to run from windmill-generated lighting system power. Mike mentioned that the world's largest battery is in Fairbanks, Alaska. It supplies backup power for the 42,000 people of Fairbanks - long enough to get the big diesels started up and on-line. The enormous NiCad battery provides a 27 megawatt power source for up to 15 minutes. The battery power is converted to 138,000 volts AC by a huge inverter system.

Mike showed a fascinating video tape from the Modern Marvels series on the History Channel, showing the manufacturing process for modern batteries. It pointed out that we use over 3 billion batteries every year for everything from remote controls to pacemakers The video showed the processes used to manufacture the batteries typical of the old dry cells that used manganese dioxide and zinc and also the modern alkaline batteries that use potassium hydroxide and a zinc slurry. We are all familiar with the A, AA, AAA, AAAA, C and D sized batteries, but what happened to the "B" size? It was used somewhat in Europe, but was never adopted in the US. The new Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries pack more energy into the smallest weight and are found in most cel-phones and laptops nowadays. Mike mentioned the new TESLA all-electric automobile, made practical by these new batteries. It uses 6831 cells to develop 400 volts, and to provide a 200 mile range. The batteries re-charge in about 3-1/2 hours at a cost of 2 to 3 dollars. There is still a lot of research going on to develop even better batteries.

The term "battery" was said to be coined by Benjamin Franklin from troops lining up in batteries.
Members brought and displayed a large assortment of batteries and related items, such as eliminators and chargers. Cleo Cherryholmes showed a power supply that produces the "A", "B" and "C" voltages needed by a typical early radio. It produces 22-1/2, 45, 90 and 135 volts. He mentioned that there is a supply available that runs from two "D" cells and creates 45 and 90 volts. There was an article in the AWA Journal about it. Being an oscillator-type supply, it produces some interference.

Mike showed an unusual multiple-tap battery that produces what appear to be bias voltages.
John Butz-Fiscina showed a 1949 Philco 4-tube radio. It was designed so that the "A" and "B" batteries would both last about the same length of time - 200 hours. It operates with 4 parallel "D" batteries and a 90 volt "B" battery. Operating from ten 9-volt transistor batteries in series, John measured the "B" battery load current to be 8.5 milliamps and the "A" current to be 250 milliamps. John showed various other batteries, including a 2 volt Willard lead-acid that was used in the fancy RCA aluminum portable, a "B" size battery, a 45 volt battery made up of 30 "AA" size cells installed in an old case, with a foam filler taking up the extra space. He mentioned that Elliot's hardware (in Dallas) carries the square 2 by 2 inch 9 volt battery. Also on display was a glass jar battery.
George Potter showed a Mallory bias cell along with an original cell holder for it. He showed a number of colorful, odd-brand batteries, including one made by the FRENCH BATTERY AND CARBON CO. (but not from France). Also on display was a 1925 Leyden-jar style battery - by NENCO (National Electric Novelty Company), and an Edison glass jar battery. Along with the Edison battery, George showed an Edison-brand bottle of battery oil (which was put on the surface of the electrolyte solution to keep the water from evaporating). He says he has WWI era batteries in his large collection.

The author showed an early 6 volt battery charger from around 1925 (based on its having a screw-type power plug to fit in a light bulb socket). Its transformer has a core made up of a bundle of wires, like the old Model T ignition coils. It uses a horse-shoe magnet to synchronize the swing of a vibrating lever (swinging at 60 Hz) to alternately make contact on opposite sides of the transformer center-tapped secondary winding. This provides mechanical rectification in similar fashion to 6-pin auto radio vibrators. The unit has a built-on ammeter, and it produces 6 amps of output.

Author's notes: A friend recalls his father taking the radio battery to town to be charged. Many of the old radio "B" batteries in cardboard cases can be gutted and filled with 9-volt transistor batteries. For example, a typical 67-1/2 volt case can hold seven 9-volt batteries connected in series, resulting in 63 volts - this will run most radios just fine. Big battery packs for portables can also be filled with "D" cells and 9-volt batteries to power Transoceanic or other radios. There are also some big battery packs available that contain inverters and re-chargeable batteries, but they sometimes produce interference with the radio signals. Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable and are not to be confused with the "Lithium" cells, which are not rechargeable. Batteries Plus has almost any battery that you might need, including many old types. They seem to be priced in accordance with their rarity.