AA Batteries
The AA battery is a dry cell battery that is very popular in electronic gadgets, especially in portable devices since the AA cell is no longer than 50 millimetres (1.97 inhes) and have a diameter of 14.2 millimetres (0.56 inches). It is still bigger than the AAA and tiny AAAA batteries, but small enough for many electronic devices such as flashlights and walkmans. The AA battery cell weighs only 23 grams (0.81 ounces). It has the same output as the small AAA battery, but the AA battery will provide your appliances with power for a much longer period of time. The name AA battery can be pronounced either “double a battery” or “ay ay battery”.
The AA battery comes in several different types, including the common alkaline AA battery, the NiCd AA battery, the NiMH AA battery and the lithium AA battery. The alkaline AA battery have an electrical output of 1.5 volts and can vary between 1800 and 2600 milliampere-hour (mA·h).
The rechargeable AA battery is very popular today, since we use so many power-craving portable devices in our modern everyday life. Purchasing rechargeable batteries and an AA battery recharger is more expensive than simply purchasing single-use batteries, but you will save money in the long run since your rechargeable batteries can be used over and over again. If you get a portable AA battery recharger, you can bring it with you on trips and know that you always will have freshly recharged batteries of the right size ready for your appliances. Getting the correct batteries for digital cameras, music players, razors etcetera can be difficult in many parts of the world and you don’t want to spend valuable vacation hours running around in an new town trying to find a battery store.
There exist rechargeable variants of the alkaline AA battery, but most users of rechargeable batteries prefer to opt for the nickel-cadmium (NiCd) AA battery, the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) AA battery or the lithium AA battery since they have a longer lifespan. These AA batteries come in several different capacities. You can for instance obtain an 800-1000 mA·h NiCd AA battery instead of the more commonly available 650-800 mA·h NiCd AA batteries, if you are prepared to pay a higher price. The NiMH AA battery is commonly available in capacities from 1400 to 2700 mA·h.
The lithium AA battery is still quite rare, since lithium batteries typically come in other sizes than the standard AA. It is however possible to get a lithium AA battery. If your local electronic store does not sell them, you can order them online from battery-selling web pages and have delivered to your home. The lithium batteries are also referred to as Li-ion batteries, an abbreviation of “lithium ion”. The lithium AA battery is popular since it is rechargeable, have one of the top energy-to-weight ratios on the market, and a very slow loss of charge when you do not use the battery. This means that a lithium AA battery that is left in a drawer will loose very little of its power. When you pick up the lithium AA battery after a year or even more, it will still be ready to power up your appliances. This makes it ideal for devices that you do not use in your every day life, e.g. an emergency flash-light. When you suddenly find yourself in the middle of a power outage, you do not want discover that your flashlight is filled with corroded and non-functioning alkaline batteries. Running around the house looking for new batteries in the dark is not a very pleasant experience.
