subject: A look at Old and New Battery Packaging [print this page] A look at Old and New Battery Packaging A look at Old and New Battery Packaging
Early batteries of the 1700s and 1800s were mostly encased in glass jars, and as the batteries grew in size, sealed wooden containers were used. With the need for portability, sealed cylindrical cells appeared that eventually led to some standardization in size format. To satisfy our curiosity, let's explore the history of these battery norms.
In the early days, standardization involved primary cells mostly in carbon-zinc; alkaline came only in the early 1960s. With the advent of the sealed nickel-cadmium batteries in the 1950s and 1960s, new sizes appeared, many of which were derived from the standard "A" and "C" sizes established at the end of the 1800s. Manufacturers of lithium-ion departed from the conventional sizes and invented their own formats of cylindrical, prismatic and pouch shapes. Looking at the many formats of cell phone batteries alone, one realizes that standardizing has begun to drift. Table 1 summarizes historic and current battery sizes.
Size
Dimensions
History
F cell
33 x 90 mm
Introduced in 1896 for lanterns; later used for radios; only available in nickel-cadmium today
E cell
N/A
Introduced ca. 1905 to power box lanterns and hobby applications. Discontinued ca. 1980
D cell
34 x 61mm
Introduced in 1898 for flashlights and radios; still current
C cell
25.5 x 50mm
Introduced ca. 1900 to attain smaller form factor
B cell
N/A
Introduced in 1900 (USA) and 1903 (Australia) to power portable lighting but was discontinued in 2001
A cell
17 x 50mm
Only available for nickel-cadmium; also come in half sizes
AA cell
14.5 x 50mm
Known as penlight batteries; introduced as two side-by-side cells for pocket lights ca. 1907; used as spy tool during WWI; single AA cells were first sold in 1915 and became popular in 1947
AAA cell
10.5 x 44.5mm
Developed in 1954 to reduce size for Kodak and Polaroid cameras; became popular in the mid 1970s in alkaline
AAAA cell
8.3 x 42.5mm
Offshoot of 9V battery and available since 1990s; used for laser pointers, LED penlights, computer styli, headphone amplifiers
4.5V battery
65 x 61
x 21mm
Three cells form a flat pack; short terminal strip is positive, long strip is negative; common in Europe
9V battery
48.5 x 26.5
x 17.5mm
Introduced in 1956 for transistor radios; contains six prismatic or AAAA cells
18650
18 x 65mm
Developed in the mid 1990s for lithium-ion-ion; commonly used in laptop battery packs
26650
26 x 65
Larger Li-ion battery for industrial applications
26700
26 x 70
Same as 26650 with slightly larger diameter
Table 1: Common old and new battery norms. Some sizes come in fractural lengths mostly in nickel-based chemistries.
When first invented, a battery was perceived as being "big" and this reflects in the sizing convention. While "F" was chosen as a medium-size battery in the late 1800s, our forefathers did not anticipate the need for miniature batteries. Running out of letters towards smaller sizes brought on the awkward designations of AA, AAA and AAAA. It's also interesting that many sizes never took off and "A" was replaced with the thinner "AA."
A successful standard for a cylindrical cell is the 18650. Developed in the mid 1990s for lithium-ion, these cells are used for laptops, electric bicycles and even electric vehicles, such as the Tesla Roadster car.
Since the introduction of the 9V battery in 1956, no new consumer format has emerged. Meanwhile, portable devices have lowered the operating voltages and 9V is overkill. The 9V battery is expensive to manufacture and has a low specific energy. A 3.6V battery alternative should be offered in primary and secondary versions with different chemistries. Similar in size to the 9V, this pack would be protected with unique battery terminals that would only allow charging secondary batteries. A code would apply the appropriate algorithm.
Starter batteries for cars also follow battery norms, which consist of the North American BCI, the European DIN and the Japanese JIS standards. These batteries are similar in footprint to allow easy interchange. In an effort to standardize, all American car manufacturers are in the process of converting to the American DIN size batteries. Most manufacturers of deep-cycle and stationary batteries produce their own sizes and the replacement must be sourced from the original maker. Standardizing of the electric vehicle may be too early. Forcing the issue could follow the failed attempt to standardize laptop batteries in the 1990s.
Information comes from:http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/battery_packaging_a_look_at_old_and_new_systems
