I have an Olympus 5.0 megapixel digital camera and every battery I’m using, the camera just eats them. It takes AA batteries. The batteries I’m using now are basic Duracell’s. I’m looking for suggestions on the best brand of batteries that can give my camera more life. Thanks in advance!

Use NiMH rechargeables. The camera kit came with alkaline AA’s because they are cheap to show you that the camera works. Same reason it comes with a token 32 MB card.

I just got a "like new" battery from ebay and wanted to tested if that is true. Is there a battery tester program for this?

Compare your old and new batteries physically by looking at the sticker on them. If they both look the same, then you bought a genuine battery, which is a good thing. "Replacement" batteries should be avoided at all times.

If it’s a genuine battery, just go online and look up what the charge time should be for your laptop. If it lasts roughly that long with your screen brightness turned all the way down, then you did indeed buy a like-new battery.

I have 100ft of 16 gauge wire. How many AA batteries would it take to launch small C or D estes engines?

2 AA will start a standard igniter for a C or D engine. But the resistance imparted by the wire you are using is the real question. 4 AA would be better.

I heard putting alkaline batteries in a fridge extends the battery life, so does it really work? By how much percentage does it extend the battery life? Is it worth it?
But even if they’re putting out less power, it’s still enough to operate whatever needs the battery discharge, right? Therefore making it able to conserve more energy, and therefore last longer?

if you take regular batteries to the arctic, they will get so cold that their output will fall off significantly.
If you have batteries that are getting tired, then warming them up, in your trouser pockets can get an extra burst of life out of them.
Simples, no?

I had my alternator and battery plus cables replaced, what’s causing my battery to keep draining?

Try disconnecting the battery wire from the alternator. Put tape around the wire end to temporarily keep it from shorting to ground. Try removing one fuse at a time to see what fuse circuit might be the culprit.

http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2006122/c-10101/Nty-1/p-2006122/Ntx-mode+matchallpartial/N-10101/tf-Browse/s-10101/Ntk-AllTextSearchGroup?Ntt=battery+disconnect

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/search_10153_12605?keyword=digital+multimeter&gobutton.x=0&gobutton.y=0&gobutton=find

Every time we begin and end Daylight Savings Time, as the battery manufacturers would like you to think is necessary, even though those batteries last 2 years and more? Even though the detectors have ways to test battery viability? Do you recycle those batteries and their toxic components? How many tons of heavy metals go needlessly into the waste stream when we "fall back"?

You don’t have to replace them twice a year, just test them (by pushing the test button on your detector). There are ten year batteries available, then you just test it every six months and you should only have to replace the batteries every ten years or so. A lot less heavy metal waste.

very long? The light goes dim after awhile. What can we do to find out why the lights go out so fast. Is there a tester to check the battery or should we get gel battery as the gel battery I was told last a lot longer? I was also told to get another solar panel. What wattage size should we use? Is there any other way to use the tv or microwave besides the inside generator? Most State beach do not allow you to turn on the generator until 10:00am and turned off by 8:00pm?

Thanks again for your answers.

I would say your coach batteries are not connected to the charging system on the engine. A new battery has over 12 volts when charged and with the engine running it should show over 13 volts and your coach batteries should be charging with the engine running. If you have a volt meter check it or have some one check it for you. You also need to have the battery for starting the engine isolated from the coach batteries because if the engine is off with all 3 hooked to the charging system they all 3 will go dead. An RV shop knows how to hook them up so they will charge all 3 and also keep your engine battery alive.

I got a Kodak zi6 camcorder, and it came with rechargeable batteries and a mini wall charger. The charger model is K630. Will this kind of charger shut off automatically when the batteries are fully charged? If not, how long should I charge the Kodak rechargeable batteries so I don’t overcharge them?

The Instructions for this charger can be found here:

http://www.kodak.com/global/plugins/acrobat/en/service/manuals/accessories/K630_en-US.pdf

It looks to me that once the batteries are charged fully it will turn off, however, to be safe and to maximize the life of your battery I would advise to remove them once they’re full either way…

Maybe a Batteries Plus store could find out for sure what happens once the charge is completed… there might be a store near you:
http://www.batteriesplus.com/t-storeloc.aspx?m=ya

I’m planning on building a new model rocket launch controller, and I need help deciding what kind of batteries to use. The controller will have 150ft of 16 gauge wire going to the rocket and about three different buttons/ switches on the controller itself. What kind of batteries and voltage would I need to guarantee a proper launch every time? I’d rather not use a car battery and I’ve heard that 12v of AA batteries would not get the job done. Thanks for any help.

May I suggest that stranded (not solid) 18 AWG is better. Also you need a safety lock-out key and only one firing switch/button, not 3. Keep it simple. Keep it safe.

150 ft. of wire? You must be launching a big rocket. Better check to see that you are within Tripoli and NAR guidelines. 6 volts equals 4 AA batteries Why not use rechargeables? Better yet… why not invest in a small 12 volt rechargeable lantern battery? That will last 50 -100 launches without recharging. It will ensure enough power gets to your launch pad.

such as the Associated model 6029 (the operating instructions don’t seem to explain this). The green area gets wider and the yellow area narrower as you go down closer to the rotating point of the readout needle.

The yellow stepped area is an indicator of Cold Cranking Amps that your battery has in reserve when doing the ten second load test. Check the CCA rating of your battery before the test and then see how close the reading matches your battery rating when you have the battery under a load. This will give you a rough indication of the condition of your battery.