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Re: [OM] Before I put 4 2100mAh in my winder......

Subject: Re: [OM] Before I put 4 2100mAh in my winder......
From: "John A. Lind" <jlind@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2003 00:09:14 -0400
At 20:10 5/31/03, Tom Albright wrote:

"Capacity: Approx. 20 rolls of 36-exposure film with a set of fresh
Manganese batteries, approx. 50 rolls with Alkaline batteries; approx. 15
rolls with Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries, at normal temperature."

This is based on the battery technology when the winder was produced, and
things have changed a little.  Check the specs on the newer batteries.

Yes, they have. Current NiMH cells run circles around NiCd cells in capacity. Most NiCd's are still rated at 600mAh. Your 2100mAh NiMH cells have 3X the capacity. You won't necessarily get 3X the use though. Both NiCd and NiMH cells have an interal drain that discharges them over time. IOW, they don't have a long shelf life after being fully charged. Thus, they're not the best for casual users. The real benefit of them, especially the high capacity NiMH cells, is for heavy users who will drain them down over a week or two.

I believe Tom has his remarks about alkaline cells mixed up with NiCd and NiMH cells. Alkaline cells have a higher internal resistance which limits current somewhat and they begin gradually dropping in voltage at about half life. This is what makes them a RPITA in flash heads and why you shouldn't use alkalines in an OM-2S or OM-4[T]. Both NiCd and NiMH have lower internal resistance, can pump out huge amounts of current without dropping voltage much, and tend to hold voltage until the bitter end. When my NiMH cells are near discharge, I get about two flashes out of them with slightly extended recovery time before the flash doesn't recover at all. OTOH, recovery time with alkalines become painfully slow for about the last 1/3 of useful life.

BTW, I'm using Lithium cells in my Winder 2. Why? I use it very occasionally and Lithium cells have a very, very long shelf life (the ones in their right now are good until 2011 unless discharged first through winder usage).

-- John


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