Ah, all '9V' batteries are not created equal - there is no real standard for the dimensions. Glad those brnads you tried fit. There are some that don't, the DT400 battery space is a bit on the small side.
Also true on the voltage, NiMH 'cells' are 1.2V each. 7 of them makes an 8.4V "9V' battery, 8 cells makes a 9.6V '9V' battery. Wit few cells they can be larger in the same package, generating a higher mah capacity. The difference can be summed up by using the mah rating - With a 10ma draw, a 170mah battery can supply power for 17 hours. The same 10ma draw on a 230mah battery will last 23 hours. Or 100ma draw, 1.7 hrs vs 2.3hrs.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Martin,
The outside form factor of the battery is identical to any other 9V battery. The difference is in the internal cells used.
My Eveready weighs a bit over 35 grams and the Powerex 9.6V weighs closer to 55 grams.
Yes the cover fits and the external dimensions of the battery are the same.
Thanks, ED
Ed,
How well do they fit in the throttle? Can the cover be used?
Martin Myers
I found out the same thing with rechargable AA's for my cameras. My Olympus and Nikon are fairly easy on them so I use Duracell 2000 mAh batteries in them. The Vivitar however has a hearty appetite so I use Duracell 2650 mAh batteries in it. Something else I learned. Don't recharge batteries of different mAh ratings together in the same charger. Not a good idea.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Hello all
I've been a Digitrax user for about four years now and one of the first realizations I came to was that I was going to need rechargeable NiMH 9V. batteries for my four throttles. So off I went to find the batteries and a charger. Around here Eveready Energizers were available and I thought... what the heck, Big name brand, must be the best.
Well, after many operating sessions I figured that I was averaging about three or four hours of throttle time and the useable range seems to be dropping off more quickly lately... as any battery will do. Time to get a few more batteries.
I did a little digging around Amazon and e-bay figuring to buy another couple of Eveready's. I didn't bother to research the milliamp-hour rating until reading some of the reviews posted on Amazon's site.
Turns out that the Energizers are only 150 mAh batteries. I bought a few from Bulldog Battery and these were a Varta brand and rated a bit higher at 170 mAh. The most recent ones I bought are a Powerex brand name and they are rated at 230 mAh!
What a difference! As anybody knows with a Digitrax throttle- it is a minor hassle to get the battery out for recharging but with these 230's I have been running almost six hours on one charge and the battery voltage when I unplug the throttle still shows 8.8 V.
Anyway, I just wanted to pass on to anyone looking to buy rechargeable 9V batteries that they should seek out a brand that has a higher mAh rating and spend a little less time changing out batteries. I thought one 9V NiMH was the same as any other... wrong!
On my Digitrax wish list would be a throttle holder that would have battery contacts like a cordless phone to recharge the battery without removal. I had a Radio Shack scanner like that, you could recharge "on the fly."