AAAA batteries

[mklotz]

I have a favorite LED pen light that takes 3 AAAA batteries. These batteries are a bit hard to find; most stores don't carry them and, if they do, they're generally overpriced.

So, here's the hint. Take apart a standard 9 volt battery. The bottom can be removed easily with a thin screwdriver and a pair of needle nose pliers. Inside you'll find six AAAA batteries. All you have to do is sever the connection straps with dikes to separate them.

BTW, these batteries are only 0.3" in diameter so they're handy for tiny projects where you don't have a lot of room in the battery compartment.

[rant]

Battery designations are another one of those idiot nomenclature screwups. Let's use a closed-end nomenclature and label our smallest battery 'A', a letter that gives no indication of size or voltage. It's inconceivable that technology will progress and someone will make a smaller battery. But, if they do, we'll just have AA, and then AAA, and...

[/rant]

 

[DICKEYBIRD]

Thanks Marv! I have (probably) the same light with dead batteries and had no idea where to find any. I'll be using your hint very soon. ;D

 

[shred]

FWIW, not all 9v batteries are made of AAAA clusters, but many are.

At least the coin-cell battery people went with a reasonable, though somewhat unknown nomenclature:

Width in mm+height in 0.01mm, so a 2032 is 20mm across and 3.2mm tall. Nothing about voltage though; you're supposed to know that I guess.

 

[tel]

Well ya got me! Now I'm going to have to rush out and find a dead 9v to have a look.

 

[mklotz]

Since we're talking about battery sizes, here's another hint from l'éminence grise.

Most of wouldn't be caught dead with a pair of plastic dial calipers in our tool box but, if you run across some, snap them up.

They're ideal for measuring batteries without shorting them and magnets without magnetizing your good calipers.

 

[wizardofwood]

The plastic calipers are definitely a good idea Marv. I had to measure some rare earth magnets once 2" square and 1/2" thick, nerve wracking experience even with the plastic calipers.

The large 6V lantern batteries are also made up of an array of smaller cells, depending on the brand it can either be 32 AA batteries or 8 of the D size.

Byrne

 

[krv3000]

HI if you live in the uk you can get the batteries form RS or maplin

 

[itowbig]

i found that in my small round garage door battery there was four to six of the buttin cell type batterys in there
i for got what i used them in but i found them by accident kinda (iwas really bored one day and took apart a battery to see how it was made) haha

 

[ksouers]

Thanks for the tip, Marv. I'll have to check that out.


I've also read somewhere that the squarish 6 volt lantern batteries are a good source of AA sized cells. I don't remember the exact count but I think it was north of 30 cells.

It's been many years since I've dissected a battery, they were all specially made components at the time. The larger cells were a good source of carbon rods.

I guess now it's much cheaper to just make a few "building blocks" and assemble them into whatever format is necessary.