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? about telephone batteries

Started by foots, May 23, 2009, 04:59:51 PM

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foots

I was looking at a nice old duplex phone set for sale that I liked, but I am wondering about batteries for them. They call for 4 dry cell batteries. Are these available new? If so, where? I haven't been able to find any place selling them yet. Are these rechargeable?
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

bingster

#1
Eveready stopped making them a year or two ago, but there's another maker who's picked up the dry cell torch.  Be prepared for sticker shock, though:

http://www.batterycountry.com/ShopSite/product9992.html


I don't see why you couldn't use the traditional Eveready Ignitor, though it won't last as long:

http://www.batterycountry.com/ShopSite/product14082.html


I imagine you could get around using specialty batteries with an arrangement of multiple flashlight batteries, too.
= DARRIN =



Tonyrotary

It would be cheaper in the long one to buy the first battery as the capacity is more than double of the everyready ignitor, but is less than double the price.

foots

I decided to pass. The duplex phones required a total of 4 batteries.
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

Bill

#4
Wait a minute! A modern alkaline D-cell has almost the same capacity as that zinc-carbon battery in the second link - 20,500 vs 22,000 mA-hrs. And I bet the zinc-carbon in the second link has much more capacity than the original dry cells of the 20's or 30's. In other words, four alkaline D-cells will outperform four dry cells of the day. And since you won't be using the phone often, they will last forever.

Head on down to Radio Shack and buy a plastic holder for four D-cells, and go for it!

Bill

Tonyrotary


dsk

I m not sure it is vomairable, but I have a few fieldtelephones using a 1.5 v Battery not made any more, and have tried to solder on som wires on an old D cell (Who gave poor light in the flash light) and it has last for approx 3 years in the field telephone drawing approx 25 milliamps when I use P.T.T. At least it costs me nothing.

dsk

McHeath

What kind of phones are we talking about that need these?  I'm not able to conjure anything up in the old memory banks, anyone got pictures? 

benhutcherson

Just as a side note, I'd suggest not ever soldering directly to a normal battery, as bad things can happen.

If need be, you can buy batteries with solder tabs installed(which are spot welded to the terminals), or use a cheap battery holder from Radio Shack.

Soldering directly to the terminals can boil the electrolyte and pop the casing.

bingster

#9
Quote from: McHeath on May 25, 2009, 12:41:11 PM
What kind of phones are we talking about that need these?  I'm not able to conjure anything up in the old memory banks, anyone got pictures? 

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the little green Connecticut Duplex intercom phones.

http://www.telephonecollecting.org/contel.htm
= DARRIN =



McHeath

Ah these things.  I've seen some in person, odd little gizmos, they don't look like they'd even really work. 

Dan/Panther

Do like we do in radios.
Scan the label and make your own tube out of heavy cardstock and a couple carboard round inserts, and you have a faux battery that looks original, or go to ebay, buy for old dead batteries, gut em out and install energizer battery inside.
We also take the old Transoceanic batteries, and scan the label, then make a box for 9-9 volts transistor radio batteries to run ther T.O. on battery power. They actually last longer than originals. You an also install rechargeables.

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

foots

Well, I've spotted another pair of the little green Connecticut Duplex phones that appear to be in really good condition and  I think I'm going to get them.  I wouldn't mind even buying those batteries posted in the first link, but according to the ATCS link posted by Bingster those batteries should, with normal useage, last at least 6 months. That comes out to $200 a year for batteries, way too expensive for me. However, if I can rig up the D cells as posted by Bill and d_s_k, I'd be good to go.
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

bingster

You could use modern D cells with no problem.  Like Dan said, arrangements of modern batteries are used all the time for powering vintage battery radios for which batteries are no longer made, or are just too expensive.
= DARRIN =