Substituting alkaline for ni-mh in Digital Camera

[[email protected]]

My camera normally takes a 6v .6ah ni-mh battery. I've been able to
rig-up and power the camera from a 5v 1.5a wall wart, but whenever I
try powering from a pack of alkalines I get the low battery error.

The batteries all meter out to at least 1.3v, I've tried 4 d cells, 4
aa cells, and 5 aa cells, which came closest to working (the zoom lens
pops out, but then the camera shuts down with same low battery
error). I'd like to use these batteries as I dumpster dive a lot of
them. Is there any trick to this?

 

[[email protected]]

My camera normally takes a 6v .6ah ni-mh battery. I've been able to
rig-up and power the camera from a 5v 1.5a wall wart, but whenever I
try powering from a pack of alkalines I get the low battery error.

The batteries all meter out to at least 1.3v, I've tried 4 d cells, 4
aa cells, and 5 aa cells, which came closest to working (the zoom lens
pops out, but then the camera shuts down with same low battery
error). I'd like to use these batteries as I dumpster dive a lot of
them. Is there any trick to this?

Dumpster dive? I bought a box of 100 AA alkalines at Fry's last summer
for $10. They are actually on a par with Evereadys, Rayo-O-Vacs and
Duracells.

BTW, older digital cameras are power hogs and will not run on
alkalines at all. Ou\r old Kodak DC-3400 needs 1.8 amps which
alkalines simply won't do. It chews through NiMH in 45 minutes or
less. The newest Canon runs 5 times longer.

GG

 

[John Fields]

My camera normally takes a 6v .6ah ni-mh battery. I've been able to
rig-up and power the camera from a 5v 1.5a wall wart, but whenever I
try powering from a pack of alkalines I get the low battery error.

The batteries all meter out to at least 1.3v, I've tried 4 d cells, 4
aa cells, and 5 aa cells, which came closest to working (the zoom lens
pops out, but then the camera shuts down with same low battery
error). I'd like to use these batteries as I dumpster dive a lot of
them. Is there any trick to this?

---
Nope.

If the camera works on 5V you just have to make sure that the cells
you use come up to at least 1.25V _under load_.

Alkalines are generally considered "kaput" when they fall to 1.0V
under load.

The cells you're finding, dumpster diving, have surely been depleted
and, even though they may measure 1.3V or so, open circuit,
when you try to take any current out of them their impedance will be
so high that their terminal voltage will fall to well below 1.25V.

Why not go to

 

[John Fields]

My camera normally takes a 6v .6ah ni-mh battery. I've been able to
rig-up and power the camera from a 5v 1.5a wall wart, but whenever I
try powering from a pack of alkalines I get the low battery error.

The batteries all meter out to at least 1.3v, I've tried 4 d cells, 4
aa cells, and 5 aa cells, which came closest to working (the zoom lens
pops out, but then the camera shuts down with same low battery
error). I'd like to use these batteries as I dumpster dive a lot of
them. Is there any trick to this?

---
Nope.

If the camera works on 5V you just have to make sure that the cells
you use come up to at least 1.25V _under load_.

Alkalines are generally considered "kaput" when they fall to 1.0V
under load.

The cells you're finding, dumpster diving, have surely been depleted
and, even though they may measure 1.3V or so, open circuit,
when you try to take any current out of them their impedance will be
so high that their terminal voltage will fall to well below 1.25V.

Why not go to
---
oOPS...

Hit SEND by mistake...

I'm confused.

Since your battery pack is NiMH (and, therefore, rechargeable) why
don't you just assemble as many NiMH (or NiCd) packs as you might
need for a single session and forego the dumpster diving?

 

[Marc Noon]

You could also put the batteries together in series and parallel to get the
voltage requirements you want, wrap it in tape b/c if you wrap enough of
them could last a very long time. Then just plug it into the power adapter
port. The dashes - and horizontal bar | represent wires... and the =
and - > represent wires and connector.
............ infinity
|-1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 -|
|-1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 -|
|-1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 -|
|-1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 -|
|-1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 -|
|-1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 -|
|-1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 -|
| |
.....................................
=
=
= -> DC Adapter port

That will get you your 6 volts... the only question now... is how much money
do you got, and how much can you carry.

 

[[email protected]]

Is there any trick to this?

Follow-up 12/23/07 no good answer so far