Battery

[tin lips]

Hello everyone

I have an interesting topic for you''

Have you ever been peed off with the way some batteries do not fit in your prized robot? copper top style are way to heavy and large) so i go to all the department,hardware,corner stores etc,etc to find the ultimate cheapie lightweight battery but still a little large this not the case with all my robots just one i have {a mint fighter robot with the yellow dixie cup on his head and no red eye inserts}very risky to try and push the battery door closed with both these type of batteries

I have just found a set of batteries that do fit while checking through the counter in a grocery store the other day' my robot loved them they even look like old style[thicker lip top and bottom] the name of these batteries are [chateau] energizer canada 1-800-383-7323 i am in second heaven.you know everything is retro today' would it not be cool to also reproduce batteries in this manner with origional labels and size?? the battery companies would make a fortune from all of us collecters.

[dratomic]

Do they make these batteries in all the different strengths (AAA, AA, C, D)? That'd be great. I can usually wedge them into the robots without too much trouble, but I've got a number of toy guns that just have no room at all. I could use some slightly slimmer C batteries.

Also, how do they compare in terms of actual strength, run time, etc? Notice any difference?

[Hap Hazard]

There is also an Energizer NiMh rechargable that works great (D) cell. It's smaller then normal Alkalines and much much lighter. It works great in robots that hold batteries in their back like Thunder. Also fits smoking spaceman without stressing out the doors.

Being NiMh they have super capacity. I'm sure they come in C and AA's but I have never bought them so I can't comment on the size.

Carbon style batteries are also generally smaller and lighter as well, just don't leave them in....we all know what happens to robots with dead carbon batteries. They end up in Brazilan landfills. :huh:

[mike van]

Heres a good site with lots of info about batteries - Battery website lots of reading if you have the time - ;)

[Morbius]

This has got to be the worst vintage toy for trying to wedge batteries into, the 'Space Surveillant' by TN. It's been nearly impossible to load batteries into even since I bought it at a corner store in 1976, regardless of brand, and they must be pryed out with a long object when removing them. The toy almost gets torn apart when battery removal or installation is attempted. Also, if you push too hard you dislocate the battery boxes themselves and they almost fall into the toy.

The new Schilling "Thunder Robot" is also a very tight fit. I've found over the years that 'Radio Shack' green coloured batteries work great; they're light, have a good amount of power for a while anyway, and are a little smaller in size, and very inexpensive. Only thing is getting through all the paperwork and questions when buying anything from R.S., name, address etc...... :angry:

I also remember firing up a few oldies years ago with Duracells and blowing the bulbs out! These toys were not meant to be powered by 'nuclear power' levels as we have now. Cardboard 10c batteries (yes, they were sold individually, unwrapped) were the norm and we got all of about 5 minutes out of 'em!

[Russell]

This has got to be the worst vintage toy for trying to wedge batteri The toy almost gets torn apart when battery removal or installation is attempted. Also,

You know what I do when i want to run a toy that has a tight battery space?

wrap a short piece of ribbon around the toy first before pushing them.

When you want to remove the battery later just gently pull on the 2 sides of the ribbon and the battery slides back out (think of pall barers lowering a coffin into the ground...only in reverse!)

It saves levering the battery at one end and potentially scratching the toy.

Most of my Bullmark toys have tight battery space and i used to cringe when it was time to run them. Then, I discovered the Ribbon method!

Rt

[Russell]

Do'h!

that should read:

wrap a short piece of ribbon around the BATTERY first before pushing them.

[Morbius]

:D Thanks, Russell for the information!! When I read about your 'ribbon' method I suddenly remembered that I do have (or had) a few toys with ribbons attached within the battery box for that very purpose. I'd completely forgotten about that... Oh, and when I pry the batteries out of this spaceship, I've always used a chop-stick so as not to scratch or damage the toy. Also, we must remember, as my brother pointed out years ago, that most modern batteries don't have the small 'ring' on the neg side, they're usually just flat and smooth, and sometimes more difficult to place just right in the toy.

Thanks for the reminder, much appreciated. It's simple, and effective!!

[Russell]

Ha , it's funny You use a chop stick.

As a stand-by (should said ribbon break) I have a handy wooden disposable knife!

It's good to know that cuttlery is good for more than just eating with :)

Rt

[Morbius]

We'll leave the metal cutlery for our non-robot friends to hack away with (when we're not looking)!! Not on my toys, though! B)

[robobob]

I've been trying these out lately....They are a

zinc-chloride (non-alkaline) Ray-o-Vac battery.

I think they have kind of a retro-look to them.

On the minus side : Run time stinks...Not even half of a

typical Alkaline. They begin to drop off pretty darn quick.

On the plus side : They are definitely smaller and lighter,

so they fit and balance better..(my thunders actually stay

upright more than a couple of steps)....And they're CHEAP.

[dratomic]

Yeah, I've found that Radio Shack batteries are pretty good for toy robots. Weaker, which is safer for the vintage toys, and a little heavier, giving things like Mechanized Robot better balance. And yep, they don't cost much...

[Robotnut]

I always use Chateau batteries in all my vintage toys.

Chateau is a Canadian importer of cheap Chinese

batteries. There's a discount store called Giant Tiger

that sells them in HUGE packages cheap. 48 AA for

$5.00, 4 C's and D's for 99 cents. Their carbon batteries

are smaller and have as much power as a "wet noodle"

but they are perfect for vintage toys. A few years ago, I

witnessed a dealer put two fresh Energizer D-cells in a

R-35 Robot and instantly fry the eye bulbs !!! :(

[Morbius]

...been there...done that! POOF they was gone! :blink:

[mike van]

O.K., this statement from a guy who's done electricity for 33 years - 1.5 volts is 1.5 volts, it doesn't matter if the battery is a carbon or alkaline, or as big as your house - It's still 1.5 volts. So, I got my DC voltmeter out and measured some - Guess what? New Duracells etc. have anywhere from 1.9 to 2.2 volts - See a problem? The AA alkalines I just took out of my camera [too run down to fire] had 1.5 volts. I don't have any carbons to test, but I would bet they are 1.5 Volts new. Problem is not Alkaline or Carbon, it's what the mfg. juices them up to - to make them last a little longer too - The higher the voltage, the lower the amperage draw, longer they will last - John or H.I. jump in [or on me] if you feel i'm wrong..... :ph34r: