P3D Ni-Cads

[Dylan The Hippy Wabbit <spacey@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

John Slivon <frogs@xxxxxxxxxx> asked:-


>Why are you not supposed to use ni-cads in point and shoot cameras? Or
>does it really matter? Thanks in advance.


You often can use them, but it carries a certain risk.  Ni-Cads deliver a
slightly lower voltage than Alkaline cells, 1.2V as against 1.5V.  If used
in a circuit which requires every last tenth of a volt it obviously won't
work, but won't do any harm.  I doubt that lack of voltage is a common
problem.

However, they also have a lower internal resistance than standard cells.
This usually results in a higher current despite the lower voltage.  Since
the energy delivered is equal to the voltage times the *square* of the
current this is potentially a more serious problem.  Again most circuits
will cope, if the designer left a decent safety margin.  If they tell you
not to use the things it could be that they know it will cause damage, or
that they haven't checked and are being cautious.  It might be worth
asking around to see if any one else has tried and got away with it.

In case there is any doubt about all this, Ni-Cads fried the remote on my
previous video.  And the built-in controls were nasty little things hidden
behind a flap.  :-(

Dave Spacey


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