1.5V battery cell sizes

Mar 14, 2005 7 Replies

Silly question: Most of us are familiar with the 1.5 volt dry cell "battery" used in toys, radios etc. Originally zinc-carbon but now alkaline, nicad etc. From largest to smallest of the available ones are sized D, C, AA, AAA and (rarely) N. Question is, was there ever a "B" sized cell or an "A" sized dry cell? They would be smaller than a "C" but larger than a "AA", if they existed, assuming the usual size pattern held. What were their dimensions? How about "E" or larger?



(note that I am not asking about filament, plate or grid supply batteries in tube circuits which were often labeled "A" "B" "C" respectively. Those are functions, not physical sizes)


There's also AAAA. If you can't get them, you can disassemble a 9V battery - it is made up out of

6 AAAA size cells.

Ed

Anybody remember the large 'Flag' cells? I haven't seen one for well over twenty years, but I think they were about 150mm high x 60mm diameter, with two brass screw terminals on top. Used mainly for bells, I think.

There used to be all sorts of odd batteries, one with several cells (3?) side by side, and two brass contact strips on top, another with two large cells, one brass strip on top, the other on the front, used for front lamps on bicycles I seem to remember. Then there were several different 90V HT batteries for things like portable wireless sets in the days before the transistor radio. Early electronic flashguns used something like a 340V battery, which were still available fairly recently, at very high cost.

"B" batteries were any high voltage battery meant to operate the plate voltage of tube type equipment, hence the B+ on many older schematics. These were often but not always 67 1/2 volts

"A" batteries were for the filaments. Often they were 6 volts.

You snipped the part where I said I was not looking for functions in a tube circuit, but the dimensions or sizes of (presumably discontinued)

1.5V zinc dry cells, which probably were available in increasing sizes ..AAA-AA-A-B-C-D.. to explain the large size gap between AA and C as well as missing sizes A and B, if dry cell sizes worked like shoe widths or bra sizes.

Someone mentioned AAAA cells being used internally in 9V transistor batteries. I have dissected those big 6V lantern cells and they contain

4 cells that have a diameter about that of a D cell but rather longer. Size E or maybe DD?

I recall a much larger single cell battery in the UK in the 1960's, perhaps 2" diameter and 6" tall. It was commonly used as a gas lighter with a push button operated exposed igniter filament on a 6" wand. The battery connector was a bit like a giant Edison screw on the battery top same diameter as the battery. These all vanished when the UK switched over from town gas to natural gas around 1970, as the ignitor filament wasn't hot enough to ignite natural gas.

Battery model 126

Battery model 1289 There was an alkaline version too, MN1203

I remember these, but can't remember the model number.

I had one of these, which drove a 1970's "Neon Novelty" toy I built, with 8 flashing neon bulbs.

The answer is no, there was not a B size 1.5 volt. B battery was always a B+ supply voltage for tubes.

There was also the No. 6 Telephone, 1.5 volt battery.

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