[Elecraft] KX1 on AAAs or Lithium Polymer?

[Jim Sheldon]

Addition -- I had the battery vendor wrong - batteryspace.com  not
batteryspot  -- usual disclaimer, not connected to them in any way, just
reasonably satisified with their product.  They have a bunch of different
battery/charger combo's.

W0EB

Another's experience.
I haven't tried the LiPoly batteries yet, but I did find a fairly decent
bargain on NiMH batteries & charger at one place.  They are made in China,
but the quality seems okay.  Got 20 (count 'em) 20 2300 MaH AA batteries and
a charger that holds 10 at a time for about 50 bucks.  The charger is unique
in that it works off a 12 volt wall wart @ 800 ma, and the charger contains
microprocessor controllers for each slot so it will charge the cells in
multiples of one.  That's right you can charge 1 or 2 or 3 or any number up
to 10 at a time, and the negative contact is spring loaded with a lot of
travel so it will charge either AA or AAA type batteries, and the charge
controller is smart enough (according to the very sketchy book) to handle
either type and either NiCD or NiMH batteries.  Each slot has an LED
indicator that is red when charging and goes green when the cell is fully
charged.

I bought a flat 10 AA cell pack from Mouser for a couple of bucks and added
a coax power plug on a short lead to it.  Gives me 12 volts @ 2.3AH in a
reasonably light package, not to mention it was pretty cheap as these things
go.

I think the name of the place I got the batteries/charger was
batteryspot.com or some such.  I don't remember, for sure.  The verdict is
still out on battery/charge life, but I'll report any further
positive/negative info when it happens here.

Jim - W0EB
KX1 #1268
> -----Original Message-----
> From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Fred Jensen
> Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2005 9:06 PM
> To: Elecraft Reflector
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KX1 on AAAs or Lithium Polymer?
> 
> 
> One Ham's Experience:  Good News:  The LiPoly I got (local RC hobby
> shop) was just great!  I did not deplete it on our cruise thru the 
> Panama Canal, maybe 6 hours operating time (mostly listening and no 
> CQ's), but I did rag chew a bit with a number of SA stns.  
> Ran a Spartan 
> Sprint after return without recharging just to see if I 
> could.  Voltage 
> stayed nearly constant until full discharge, at which point 
> it dropped 
> quickly.  As quickly, I recharged it on a MAHA 77.
> 
> Bad News:  It worked again very well in the next Spartan.  Then I got
> busy, and didn't check it for perhaps 5 months.  At N6A 
> (Alpine County, 
> CQP), I tried it our before the contest, and it was toast.  They are 
> extremely light (a factor in Spartan, but I wonder in a back 
> pack), they 
> seem good, but they are expensive, and I've heard they die in 
> a year or 
> so, regardless of how you use them.
> 
> WAYNE:  To your basic questions -- I wouldn't spend much (or
> any) time 
> adapting the KX1 to LiPo.  Mine came with tinned leads on 
> which I put a 
> coax plug.  The expense is a real downer.  The difference in power 
> between 6 and 8 AA NiMH's seems minimal.  Yes, Alkaline dry cells do 
> have a non-flat discharge curve, but you can get an bunch of them at 
> Costco or Sam's and they're what I generally use.  I think 
> the weight of 
> the additional batteries is overshadowed by the weight of the solar 
> panel and regulator for those who really do back-pack (I did 
> but I don't 
> anymore -- too old).
> 
> I know you have to keep up with technology and the ever-increasing
> demand for "one more feature," but I would caution against messing 
> around with a success, which my KX1 is right now.  Besides, we're 
> "amateurs," and you have to leave us something to mess around with!
> 
> 73,
> 
> Fred K6DGW
> Auburn CA CM98lw
> 
> 
> wayne burdick wrote:
> > We've located a 4-AAA cell battery holder that would fit inside the
> > KX1
> > (one at each end of the bottom cover, as with the present 
> AA holders). 8
> > cells would provide 10 or 12 volts, giving you
> significantly more power
> > output than 6 of the same cells (as much as 4 watts). The
> tradeoff would
> > be in battery life. AAA-size NiMH, alkaline and lithium
> cells provide
> > around 1000 to 1250 mA-hours, or around half as much as similar
> > high-capacity AA cells.
> > 
> > Another option would be to use a small lithium polymer battery. 11
> > volts
> > at up to 1450 mA-hours or so might be possible, although 
> these batteries
> > are very expensive. AAAs might be preferable in a pinch
> because you can
> > buy them anywhere. In the field, you can borrow triple-As from
> > flashlights or other portable electronic devices. The difference in 
> > weight between 8 triple As and a LiPo battery is probably 
> only couple of
> > ounces, so weight is not likely to be the primary criteria.
> > 
> > You'd probably get five to eight hours of casual operation
> with NiMH,
> > LiPo, or lithium cells, which are preferable to alkalines
> because of
> > their flat discharge curve. Of course you could recharge
> NiMH or LiPo
> > cells in the field with a small solar panel. (Has anyone
> tried using 8
> > AAA cells with the KX1?)
> > 
> > We could (in theory) create a new bottom cover option for
> the KX1 that
> > would include two 4-cell AAA holders or a LiPo battery,
> plus a charge
> > controller that would run from the KX1's DC input jack. The battery
> > holders and charge controller components could be soldered 
> to a thin PCB
> > module that runs the full length of the bottom cover. In
> the case of
> > AAAs, we'd include a switch to select rechargeable or
> non-rechargeable
> > batteries. You might be able to recharge while operating,
> although this
> > would have to be tested, since some charge controller generate
> > significant noise.
> > 
> > Any input on such a product would be appreciated. If there were 
> > significant interest, we'd try to have it ready early next year.
> > 
> > 73,
> > Wayne
> > N6KR
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