posted by [identity profile] whc.livejournal.com at 09:50pm on 2005-03-06
An alkaline battery probably puts out more current than a '50s photo flash battery. A NiCad would put out much more.

Many flashes had a capacitor to handle the peak current demand, so the battery is less critical.
geekosaur: orange tabby with head canted 90 degrees, giving impression of "maybe it'll make more sense if I look at it this way?" (Default)
posted by [personal profile] geekosaur at 09:59pm on 2005-03-06
I suspected as much, but didn't want to commit to it. :)

I would actually suspect most modern batteries would work fairly well; the issue back then wasn't so much the peak current but how quickly the battery recovered afterward and how long it could continue to deliver current with that usage model (most batteries being designed to produce a steady current over a longer time, whereas flash wants a high initial current and doesn't care much about how long the current can be sustained). Battery technology being much better these days, it's entirely possible that even ordinary zinc cells would do — although their lifespan would undoubtedly be fairly short.
 
posted by [identity profile] dglenn.livejournal.com at 08:43pm on 2005-03-07
"whereas flash wants a high initial current and doesn't care much about how long the current can be sustained"

*nod* As soon as the magnesium ignites it becomes an open circuit anyhow, eh?
 
posted by [identity profile] dglenn.livejournal.com at 08:41pm on 2005-03-07
No capacitor in this one, just springy metal bent to form a battery holder and a flashbulb holder and connect tht two. But I'll keep that in mind for a modification if I ever decide it's a problem.

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