fantastic source of 9V batteries, why didn't i tell you guys sooner?

[runmikeyrun]

I am a paramedic and my travels throughout the day take me to many hospitals.  Hospitals with a cardiac step down unit (where you go for observation after heart problems) use small clip on heart monitors that transmit ekgs to a master computer where they are recorded and watched by someone.  Well, the monitors use 9V duracell pro-cell batteries.  Being a hospital, each patient gets a monitor and when they are discharged the monitor comes off and the battery goes into a recycle bucket since it can't be trusted on the next patient.  Since many of these monitors are only worn for a day or two, the batteries are often in good shape.  I take a handful every now and then and go home and test them all with my meter, most test at 8.5v or above.  I haven't bought a battery in i don't know how long!  So if you know anyone who works at a hospital you can probably get in on the gig too... or if you stop in and ask nicely they may just give you the whole bucket- they either throw them away or recycle them. 

[rockgardenlove]

Hey hey hey...wanna share those batteries!?

[markm]

The ProCells are the good ones too......wow! 

[jonathan perez]

i gotta couple friends who work at hospitals...you got it! 

[newbie builder]

Film crews also use batteries for just a few takes in some equipment and then get rid of them- I've gotten huge packages of batteries that test fresh from somebody working in film before.

[blanik]

I am a paramedic and...

what's with musicians and paramedics? adrenalin junkies? 

i'm also a paramedic (in montreal) and i noted an abnormal number of musicians among paramedics in the whole montreal metro area...  many good ones who played for many years before becoming medics...
(of course where i work, musicians are still outnumbered by "wannabe cops" lollll)

hell we even have 4 guys in my downtomn crew who formed a cover band (playing all rock from The Doors to Papa Roach and from time to time i bring my guitar to one of their gigs and do a song with them)...
they called their band "The Yellow Cabs" (you guessed it, our ambulances are bright yellow )

did you notice many musicians where you work or is it just a canadian thing?

PS: i never ended up in this dept. you're mentionning but judging from the state of our health system here, i would guess they reuse those batteries many times before they end up in some old guy's pacemaker... 


R.

[Arn C.]

And for "Free great "AA's" , ask for the used up instant cameras at your local drug store where they process film.  I found this out when I asked for some for the purpose of the high voltage section in the camera and realized these batteries are just like brand spankin' new!

Peace!
Arn C.

[Paul Marossy]

No wonder medical costs are skyrocketing! 

[Mark Hammer]

I learned this trick in 2000, when I had my bypass surgery, and posted it here several times.  Never hurts to mention it again.  Those batteries will likely be in the 8.3v-8.8v zone, though perfectly amenable to safe rejuvenating via sensible use of a charger.

I might also remind people that any facility that has people strutting around with a belt-mounted wireless mic transmitter (try your local college or university continuing ed tech services) is also likely to be going through industrial 9v Duracells like facial tissue for the same reasons.

[AL]

I used to work on a HAZMAT team in Southern California. We had contracts with a few movie studios. One of the sound engineers would religiously replace ALL the batteries in his active equipment almost daily. He said it wasn't worth losing his job for a $0.50 battery. There was a 55 gallon drum FULL of barely used batteries. Other than that - the weather and the "scenery" -  I don't really miss So Cal too much.

AL

[brett]

Hi
my local charity shops include a computer store.  The computers are mostly rubbish (5 years old).
BUT they have a bin of wall-warts for 50c each !  I used a 24V 1 amp one to power my son's practice amp.
I'm using one (12V 500mA) to power a Ruby that I'm building, I used 2 of them back-to-back in the Real McTube, and another is my bench power supply.
One day I realised I was spending more on petrol going back and forth than on the wall warts, so I just grabbed 10 and gave the guy $10.  He was totally confused by someone paying twice the asking price.

[rockgardenlove]

Very nice...wallwarts are very handy for some projects.  They're always cheaper than buying a new transformer just for that cause.  Last time I want to Goodwill I got a 3C Mag-Light flashlight for 2 bucks.  Good deal.  That was on a bad day too, there's all kinds of neat stuff.