I have a Hewlett Packard Photosmart hp 315 digital camera, and the trap door for the batteries is broken. The catch that would keep the door shut seems chipped off, so i have to keep the door shut with my thumb, or the batteries come spilling out. Is there a way to fix this? Howe much will repairs cost me? The camera itself works fine, just the battery door is busted..

see if you can buy the battery door part separately. if not then I would suggest some gaffer tape. and just tape it shut.

My digital camera is a Canon Powershot A530. I use Duracell’s batteries for it, but after I take about 20 pictures, it starts to act up and says to change the batteries, and will take maybe one picture, then shut off on its own. I’ve gathered that maybe the batteries I use are not compatible with my camera, but I don’t know which batteries are. If you happen to know which battery works well with this kind of camera, well please answer. Thanks.

Are you using rechargeables? I have a Powershot A540 and I use the Sanyo eneloop AAs. They come charged and stay charged out of the camera, and seem to last a long time in the camera, too. Regular batteries do not have enough power for a digital camera. Buy some rechargeables and a charger. I think you will have better luck. Just don’t spend a lot of time looking at the pictures you have already taken. That will run the batteries down fast.

I’ve tried duracell and energizer, and they both don’t work for long. Digital cameras are indeed huge battery hogs. I even purchased rechargable batteries, and a energizer recharger for the batteries, and the batteries only last for 3 to 5 minutes, and then die. I just wanted to know what the best batteries for digital cameras are.
I own a Samsung s630 6.0 mega pixels digital camera if that helps anything.

Digital cameras do, indeed, draw enormous amounts of power.

The LCD screen without doubt is the biggest user of electricity. If your camera has a viewfinder that you can peep through instead of using the battery hog LCD screen, use it and get hours of extra use from your camera.

Reduce amount of time that the LCD stays on in "review" mode after taking a picture. A few seconds is all that should be needed. I recommend turning it off completely! Don’t waste your time reviewing the picture you just did while three more picture opportunities are happening in front of you, lost forever! Turn off the picture review and take more pictures!

When it comes to batteries, "alkaline" chemistry batteries can’t keep up with digital cameras, no matter what brand. NiCd (Nickel Cadmium) rechargable batteries also aren’t great for digital cameras. You want NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) rechargable batteries. They should be rated with a MAH (Milliamp Hour) number like 2100, 2300 or 2500. Buy the biggest you can afford and charge them according to their instructions.

I recommend going to a good camera shop to buy batteries - they’ll know just what you need.

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http://www.lenslenders.com

My family uses a ton of batteries, but I’ve been switching them for rechargeable batteries instead. What do I do with the old single use alkaline batteries? i have 9v AA AAA D C plus the tiny watch baterries.

I know there are recycling plants or stores, but I was thinking if I could use them for something else. Are batteries harmful to me or the environment when not in use, but just sitting there?

Thanks. A link would be helpful.

Take rechargeable batteries to any of the participating retailers. In the U.S.: Alltel, Batteries Plus, BD Batteries, Best Buy, Black & Decker, Cingular Wireless, The Home Depot, Milwaukee Electric Tool, Orchard Supply, Porter Cable Service Center, RadioShack, Remington Product Company, Sears, Staples, Target, US Cellular, Verizon Wireless, and Wal-Mart.

And in Canada: Battery Plus, Bell Mobility, Canadian Tire, FIDO/Microcell, Future Shop, The Home Depot, Home Hardware, London Drugs, Makita Factory Service Centers, Personal Edge/Centre du Rasoir, RadioShack Canada, Revy, Sasktel, Sears, The Sony Store, Telus Mobility and Zellers.

Unfortunately, there is no cost effective method for recycling Primary (non rechargeable) batteries like AA, AAA, C, D, or 9V at this time. Some schools do it, but you should concentrate on switching to rechargable NiMH or NiCd as you already are.

WHY?
All Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when improperly disposed of.

When incinerated, heavy metals can be released into the air (mercury) or can concentrate in the ash (lead and cadmium) produced by the combustion process.

When allowed to corrode, these metals can seep into the ground water or stream systems. Dry cell batteries contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. In the past, batteries accounted for nearly half of the mercury used in the United States and over half of the mercury and cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream.

The battery on my generator just went dead so I hooked the battery charger onto it. I’m not sure if the battery is fully charged yet. Will the generator charge the battery up the rest of the way if I have enough charge to get the engine started?? I didn’t know if the generator worked similarly to a car charging the battery with the alternator. Thanks for your help!!

This depends on the engine. If the engine was equipped with a generator to charge the battery, it will charge the battery, given enough time. Most generators that have electric start will have a generator but I have seen one that did not (I think it was an 8hp, larger ones are more likely to have it).

If you trace the wiring from the battery, you will see that the heavy Pos cable will go to the solenoid (a big relay) and from there will be a couple of smaller wires that go to the key or start button. If you see additional wiring going to a metal box (often with cooling fins), this is probably the charging regulator so you could conclude that it will charge the battery.

If you have a voltmeter, connect it across the battery (without the battery charger) and measure the voltage. Start the engine and check the voltage again. If it is higher, this indicates that the engine is charging the battery. Ideally, it would be about 14 volts (at least 13.5) which will charge the battery. If it is under 13 volts and does not climb up from there, it is probably not charging (or is charging very very slowly).

The battery on my generator just went dead so I hooked the battery charger onto it. I’m not sure if the battery is fully charged yet. Will the generator charge the battery up the rest of the way if I have enough charge to get the engine started?? I didn’t know if the generator worked similarly to a car charging the battery with the alternator. Thanks for your help!!

This depends on the engine. If the engine was equipped with a generator to charge the battery, it will charge the battery, given enough time. Most generators that have electric start will have a generator but I have seen one that did not (I think it was an 8hp, larger ones are more likely to have it).

If you trace the wiring from the battery, you will see that the heavy Pos cable will go to the solenoid (a big relay) and from there will be a couple of smaller wires that go to the key or start button. If you see additional wiring going to a metal box (often with cooling fins), this is probably the charging regulator so you could conclude that it will charge the battery.

If you have a voltmeter, connect it across the battery (without the battery charger) and measure the voltage. Start the engine and check the voltage again. If it is higher, this indicates that the engine is charging the battery. Ideally, it would be about 14 volts (at least 13.5) which will charge the battery. If it is under 13 volts and does not climb up from there, it is probably not charging (or is charging very very slowly).

I have already replaced the battery and the alternator (at the cost of $400). The engine has trouble turning over, and I can’t drive further than 10 or 15 minutes before dying after my car has been sitting on a charger for over an hour. I can’t afford to keep guessing at what is wrong, and no tester has been able to identify the problem. Please, please, please let me know some other reasons why my car won’t hold a charge.

you have a short or a wire hooked up wrong.

My car battery is pretty much one turnover from dying so I was thinking about getting an Optima battery. What is the difference between the batteries?

Optima is expensive and sucks. Regular is less expense and doesn’t suck.

is draining the battery and i have no idea what it is it took sears 40min to charge and test battery can battery have bad cell and tester cant find it ? can a short in starter be draining the battery ?once battery is charged or jump it starts so i rule out starter and maybe battery
alt is charging the system

a very old battery (life used-up) in their last few days life can still be recharged and get the car running. However, since their life has almost expired, their charge holding capacity is already shortened. The get easily drained even though they are not connected to the battery terminals. The best way to isolate the battery is to borrow a known good battery and install it in place of your battery. If the problem disappears then your old battery is the problem. If not, then go find an auto electrician who could do the troubleshooting for you.