How to Make a Super Long Life 9V Battery (Answer Inside)

[Paul Marossy]

Disclaimer: This should probably be considered experimental for now.

Last night I was rummaging in my parts bins and ran across some CR123 3V lithium batteries that I have. I had a thought that I could put three of them in series and get a really long life 9V battery. So, I proceeded to make a battery pack kind of like what you might see in a cordless phone. A CR123 has around a 1300mAH life, so this battery pack *in theory* ought to last roughly three times what one 9V battery would, and at a cost of what a pair of 9V Duracell batteries will cost (~$6.00 U.S.).

In about fifteen minutes, I had it all assembled. I used the terminals from an expired 9V battery so I could connect it to a battery snap like a normal 9V battery. It does take up more room than a 9V battery does, but if there's room in your enclosure, it might be worthwhile to try. I made it for one of my wah pedals, and it fits nicely in there. Just an idea that I thought I'd share with y'all.

I'll post pictures of it when I get home tonight. If I make another one, I'll do a little tutorial on it, too.

[petemoore]

   ...those dead batteries last yearafter about a month of performance?
  ...the ones I warmed up...
  Are STILL powering my remote control...I've warmed them up [rubbing the "AA" cylinders between my palms] a few times and I guess, so far, about 6x'd their performance.
  1 month...dead...warmup...good for about 3 months, second warm up good for another 3-4 months...3rd warmup...let's see...that was about 4-5 months ago...being too lazy to change them has increased the dead battery's performance cycle by many many times.

[Paul Marossy]

Huh? I'm afraid that I don't follow.

BTW, those batteries I have all measured 3V. 

[petemoore]

  I installed some "Home Best" Alkaline batteryies in a TV type remote control, and switched channels etc. for about 1 month, function stopped.
  Instead of rounding up new batteries for the controller, I just did my 'ol take 'em out and warm 'em up..also the bang against each other as I roll them between my palms, heating them by friction.
  Stick e'm back in and they work. For like 3 mo., then dead again.
  Re-reviving them again with the palm rolls, the survive about 4 mo. this time.
  That was last fall...so batteries that were functionally trash, with a few seconds [about 30-40] of vigorous 'palm heating' after each death, revives them.
  I have little doubt these batteries would not survive the rest of the year after their first death after 1 mo.
  So if length of service in the application is any indicator of battery life has any bearing whatsoever in stompbox applications [not even saying it does...and you can't palm roll 9V's], I estimate approximately a 12 to 1 performance equation between palm rolling and replacement after first death.
  I'm getting much longer performances than the initial one. They died the first time after about a month. second life was about 3...and so on....so they're More Reliable after they go dead...
  Maybe it's a fluke of the home-best alkalines and has no basis in reality beyond my two aa units, or aa units of the HB brand...
  Anybody else try this yet ?
  In my case there was at least 10x more juice left after '1rst Life', it just couldn't come out unless 'agitated' to do so.

[Paul Marossy]

Hmm... that's intersting petemoore. I've never heard of anyone doing that before!

[petemoore]

  Well...I'm lazy, and estimated the walk to the battery box in the cupboard, and odds of finding 'AA's there...
  Then opted to do the heat 'em up trick on the batteries [it was cold, I was under a blanket, so the heat difference...I knew would be enough to get a channel changer for a day or so at least].
  It's a new remote the cable company dropped off with the new digital cable box, so I don't think anything except battery failure could cause the malfunction.
    eh?
  Check this out with your little failing flashlight...restore some brightness with the old, warmed up batteries.
  Or car battery, *possibly start the engine now, experience enough current to turn the starter after only a few swift kicks to dislodge the bubbles and have them rise off the plates! Use a 2x4,or bootheel, you may need to loosen the mounting strap...*worked for me, more than once...

[Steve Newton]

Anyone tried this for battery charging/recycling?

http://www.afrotechmods.com/reallycheap/batteries/batts.htm

[Nasse]

I remeber that with some lithium batteries it is important to design the circuit so that no fire or overheating is possible, if the battery pack goes short circuit. Just my two pennies.

[Paul Marossy]

Anyone tried this for battery charging/recycling?

http://www.afrotechmods.com/reallycheap/batteries/batts.htm

I've seen that battery recharging page before, but I haven't tried it yet.

I remeber that with some lithium batteries it is important to design the circuit so that no fire or overheating is possible, if the battery pack goes short circuit.

Yep. I've got it totally wrapped up, no possibilty of that happening.

[Herr Masel]

That battery charging thing looks interesting, I'll try it. That guy has a vibrator on his website from a cd rom, which was exactly what I was looking for about a year ago, when I still had a girlfriend..

[petemoore]

Anyone tried this for battery charging/recycling?

http://www.afrotechmods.com/reallycheap/batteries/batts.htm
  Well I do put alkalines [when they get down to under 8V or so]into the RS multi cell type battery charger [9v option]...but these days I set the timer FIRST for about 15 minutes.
  Because I forgot to set the timer and put one on the charger for about an hour, the charger got a little battery blood on it. I have heard that batteries not intended for recharging can EXploDe...

[Paul Marossy]

I have heard that batteries not intended for recharging can EXploDe...

Yeah. But that's the point of that circuit linked - it prevents the battery from getting too much current, so you can safely recharge alkaline batteries without them exploding. In fact, he claims that it can be charged for two days before it starts to ooze.

[QSQCaito]

A must build:P batteries, 9v specially may get very expensive here..

thanks a lto

dac

[5150]

Very interesting - those 123s can sell for under a dollar and if they really do last that long... on this note, anyone ever wonder how a TS would run on 12v power instead of 9v?  I know dying batteries drop below 9v resulting in a more warped and grungy sound, so if I want to go in the opposite direction would that be one way to go about doing it?

Jeff

[Herr Masel]

Certain circuits (like the ruby, check the page on ROG) offer running them off 12v. It is supposed to give more headroom.

[Paul Marossy]

OK, here's a few pictures. The batteries are wrapped up in several layers of electrical tape in a manner similar to a cordless phone battery pack.

[brett]

Hi
Weird things that I learned a long time ago about discharged batteries include:
1.  heating them brings them to life
2. cooling them brings them to life
3. beating them brings them to life

Don't know why, except that the mechanical one causes chemical mixing in the gels and reduction in internal resistance.
cheers

[Ge_Whiz]

Pete, I'm not entirely convinced that warming your TV remote batteries is what brings them back to life. The infra-red LEDs in a TV remote are pulsed briefly at high currents, and this commonly causes electrochemical corrosion between the battery and the metal of the terminals contacting the battery. Often, when a remote seems to have 'died', all you have to do is open up the battery compartment and roll the batteries around their long axes to break the thin corrosion film and restore the contact. Of course, removing and replacing them will achieve the same effect.

[RaceDriver205]

Possibly no longer on topic - but as I understand it, using two AA batterys and steping them up to 9V gives a much longer life then a 9V battery.

[Paul Marossy]

Possibly no longer on topic - but as I understand it, using two AA batterys and steping them up to 9V gives a much longer life then a 9V battery.

That's an idea, too. You could use a battery holder that holds a pair of AA batteries and stick a little charge pump circuit on it (if it can take that low of an input voltage).