Photoflash Battery
Encyclopedia
A Photoflash battery is a specialized zinc-carbon battery
optimized to provide a high electric current
output for a short duration of time, such as required to fire a flashbulb
. Service life for this battery in flashlight
service was short, since flashlights required a lower but continuous long duration current.
and size C
cell.
The carbon
cathode
(the material packed between the carbon rod and zinc
shell) of a zinc-carbon cell is generally made of powdered carbon black
(or acetylene black), MnO2 and electrolyte
. The MnO2 to carbon ratios vary between 10:1 and 3:1 for general purpose cells. A 1:1 mixture was used for photoflash batteries. This allowed a high current output with intermittent use - just perfect for photoflash use.These cells had reduced capacity compared to those with a higher content of MnO2.
. One zinc-carbon battery for photoflash use is available as a 510 volt unit http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/497.pdf. Another is the Eveready 225V Photo Flash Carbon Zinc Battery
Zinc-carbon battery
A zinc–carbon dry cell or battery is packaged in a zinc can that serves as both a container and negative terminal. It was developed from the wet Leclanché cell . The positive terminal is a carbon rod surrounded by a mixture of manganese dioxide and carbon powder. The electrolyte used is a paste of...
optimized to provide a high electric current
Electric current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...
output for a short duration of time, such as required to fire a flashbulb
Flash (photography)
A flash is a device used in photography producing a flash of artificial light at a color temperature of about 5500 K to help illuminate a scene. A major purpose of a flash is to illuminate a dark scene. Other uses are capturing quickly moving objects or changing the quality of light...
. Service life for this battery in flashlight
Flashlight
A flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
service was short, since flashlights required a lower but continuous long duration current.
Photoflash cells
Photoflash cells were in production during the flashbulb era, and were slowly phased out as alkaline cells came into general usage. The photoflash cell was produced as a 1.5 volt size DD battery
A D battery is a size of dry cell. A D cell is cylindrical with electrical contacts at each end; the positive end having a nub or bump...
and size C
C battery
The C battery is a standard size of battery typically used in medium-drain applications such as toys and musical instruments.As of 2007, C batteries accounted for 4% of alkaline primary battery sales in the US...
cell.
The carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
cathode
Cathode
A cathode is an electrode through which electric current flows out of a polarized electrical device. Mnemonic: CCD .Cathode polarity is not always negative...
(the material packed between the carbon rod and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
shell) of a zinc-carbon cell is generally made of powdered carbon black
Carbon black
Carbon black is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of heavy petroleum products such as FCC tar, coal tar, ethylene cracking tar, and a small amount from vegetable oil. Carbon black is a form of amorphous carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, although its...
(or acetylene black), MnO2 and electrolyte
Electrolyte
In chemistry, an electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that make the substance electrically conductive. The most typical electrolyte is an ionic solution, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible....
. The MnO2 to carbon ratios vary between 10:1 and 3:1 for general purpose cells. A 1:1 mixture was used for photoflash batteries. This allowed a high current output with intermittent use - just perfect for photoflash use.These cells had reduced capacity compared to those with a higher content of MnO2.
Photoflash battery
A combination of individual cells are combined in series to make a batteryBattery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
. One zinc-carbon battery for photoflash use is available as a 510 volt unit http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/497.pdf. Another is the Eveready 225V Photo Flash Carbon Zinc Battery