Rechargeable Batteries

[alt]

Hi,

I have a wireless guitar transmitter that runs off one AAA battery. It is quoted as having a current consumption of 75mA and appears to give up the ghost at about 1.2V.

Now my question is what kind of batteries would last longest for this device - alkaline (then binned), alkaline (using an alkaline charger), Ni-Cd or Ni-MH?

Obvioustly I would prefer to use rechargeable batteries to save on my pocket, but at the same time I don't want my transmitter failing on a regular basis due to lack of power. I don't mind paying a fair bit for the batteries and charger, as long as the battery is going to power the device for a long time, and as long as the battery isn't gonna lose its rechargeability(?!) after a few goes.

So what kind of battery would everyone recommend? And also what do I need to look for in a battery to make sure it'll last a long time?

Thanks in advance for any help on this subject!

James

 

[Oznog]

You'll have to just try a rechargeable and see how it works. They do hold at least 1.2V pretty solidly until the charge is all gone so it depends on how critical your device is.

Be aware that NiMH self-discharges so it can be mostly dead in a month or so. The ambient temp and cell construction matter a lot, it could take 3 or 4 months. So low consumption standby uses typically see very poor capacity from an otherwise large battery.

Forget NiCd- they're obsolete for several reasons.

Rechargeable alkalines have poor capacity relative to non-rech alkalines or NiMH. You really can't justify their cost.

Alkalines will give the best capacity by far, significantly more than the best NiMH. But of course they're non-rech.

 

[McGuinn]

Saline batts are cheap as chips, and may function as you require.
You can get high capacity rechargable 'camera' batteries up to about 1500mA.