The OLDER Photographers' thread...

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #11553064
Maybe they're hibernating...

Whatever the cold does for camera batteries, I know from first hand experience that cellphone batteries do not like to be frozen.

Car batteries don't either.

Actually, no battery likes to be literally frozen. The crystals that form in the electrolyte are destructive.

Fortunately, the freezing temperature of typical dry-cell batteries is far below the capabilities of household freezers. These batteries store well in such freezers.

Wet-cell batteries are a different matter. They have higher freezing temperatures and can be damaged by some household freezers. This is because the wet electrolyte, like the acid in car batteries, contain significant amounts of water. This water can separate out, crystallize, and damage the battery at temperatures reachable by the better household freezers.

Feel free to stick those carbon-zinc and alkaline D-cells in the freezer, but I'd hold off on the car batteries. Actually, to be safe, I'd hold off on any rechargeable batteries.

Frozen batteries are never much fun. Dealt with more than one of them at work, people don't use a vehicle for months on end and then wonder why the battery is dead in the middle of winter. Battery blankets were invented for a reason. Don't need it here so much, but further north where it gets real cold and stays that way it becomes necessary to keep the battery warm, along with keeping the engine warm with a block heater.

The fact that water expands when it freezes is a major factor. Most cracked batteries that I've seen (other than those involved in car accidents) have been frozen. I knew my cellphone battery was toast when I noticed that it had swelled in the middle.

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #11553241
Frozen batteries are never much fun. Dealt with more than one of them at work, people don't use a vehicle for months on end and then wonder why the battery is dead in the middle of winter. Battery blankets were invented for a reason. Don't need it here so much, but further north where it gets real cold and stays that way it becomes necessary to keep the battery warm, along with keeping the engine warm with a block heater.

The fact that water expands when it freezes is a major factor. Most cracked batteries that I've seen (other than those involved in car accidents) have been frozen. I knew my cellphone battery was toast when I noticed that it had swelled in the middle.

Car batteries are funny things. I've seen lots of frozen ones, all ready for recycling.

Even not frozen I don't trust them. I actually had one blow up on me when I turned the key. Boy, did it make a mess under the hood! After getting a new battery, I was smart enough to immediately get my engine thoroughly steam-cleaned, which saved a lot of hassle down the road. To this day the concrete in the parking lot still shows the acid burns.

Here in Arizona heat is the killer. One morning, you'll go out, turn the key, and hear just a single click. We call this the Arizona battery syndrome! Even the best of them last about two years, no more. Not much point in buying the five-year Die-Hard . It lasts no longer.

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #11553241
Frozen batteries are never much fun. Dealt with more than one of them at work, people don't use a vehicle for months on end and then wonder why the battery is dead in the middle of winter. Battery blankets were invented for a reason. Don't need it here so much, but further north where it gets real cold and stays that way it becomes necessary to keep the battery warm, along with keeping the engine warm with a block heater.

The fact that water expands when it freezes is a major factor. Most cracked batteries that I've seen (other than those involved in car accidents) have been frozen. I knew my cellphone battery was toast when I noticed that it had swelled in the middle.

Uh, Jill, NOT car batteries. Besides, they would take up too much space, then you couldn't put the bag of light bulbs in the freezer!

richardfox wrote in post #11553318
Uh, Jill, NOT car batteries. Besides, they would take up too much space, then you couldn't put the bag of light bulbs in the freezer!

You don't have a big chest freezer? Should have plenty of room for the batteries and leave the fridge freezer for the light bulbs.

Of course at this time of year I just use my big walk-in freezer. Except for the last few days, it's been on defrost

Speaking of old, there is a light bulb at Livermore, CA Fire Station #6 that's been burning for almost 110 years. No freezing needed.

http://www.centennialb​ulb.org/photos.htm

-js

richardfox wrote in post #11552476
Why do we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway?

Does this make any sense whatsoever?

Strange huh/

Like...we cut a tree down then we cut it up. What do you have left...a tree? Nah...just a whole lot of bits! Now THATs strange!!!

number six wrote in post #11553499
Speaking of old, there is a light bulb at Livermore, CA Fire Station #6 that's been burning for almost 110 years. No freezing needed.

http://www.centennialb​ulb.org/photos.htm

-js

I've seen this before, and it's pretty cool.

I bought my house in 1977. Both bathrooms have an overhead heat lamp assembly containing two 100 watt heat lamp spotlights. These are white, not the infrared ones. I've remodeled both bathrooms, but have kept the heat lamp assemblies intact. All 4 bulbs are the originals from when we bought the house 33 years ago, and are used every day! These bulbs (like the old one in Livermore) have very thick filaments.

I guess I better go buy some spares before all incandescent bulbs are made illegal! Kind of doubt that CFL's or LED's would provide enough heat!

Ricardo222 wrote in post #11553583
Strange huh/

Like...we cut a tree down then we cut it up. What do you have left...a tree? Nah...just a whole lot of bits! Now THATs strange!!!

English is funny that way. For example, if you build a new barn, you raise a barn; if you tear down an old barn, you raze a barn. The farmer pares a pair of pears. I can't bear that bare bear!

Gotta love those homophones!

Speaking of changing topics...

I tend to enjoy watching Twilight Zone marathons when they come on, such as the New Year's one playing on the SciFi channel as I type this...

Well, I got a chuckle on an episode that was on half an hour ago! It was set in the "future". In the introduction/prolog Rod Serling says it's in the future, without a particular date, but suggests it could be, arbitrarily say the year 2000.

It's funny, especially for us older farts, to recall that from back in our youth, the "future" is now! The program aired in 1964, so it was speculating about a time 36 years ahead as the "future". Granted that doesn't seem like that long of a time in "old farts thinking", but still, think of "1984" and "2001 Space Odyssey" -- we are living in "the future"!

Too bad things aren't all as fancy as Sci Fi depicted them...but oh well.

tonylong wrote in post #11554668
Speaking of changing topics...

I tend to enjoy watching Twilight Zone marathons when they come on, such as the New Year's one playing on the SciFi channel as I type this...

Well, I got a chuckle on an episode that was on half an hour ago! It was set in the "future". In the introduction/prolog Rod Serling says it's in the future, without a particular date, but suggests it could be, arbitrarily say the year 2000.

It's funny, especially for us older farts, to recall that from back in our youth, the "future" is now! The program aired in 1964, so it was speculating about a time 36 years ahead as the "future". Granted that doesn't seem like that long of a time in "old farts thinking", but still, think of "1984" and "2001 Space Odyssey" -- we are living in "the future"!

Too bad things aren't all as fancy as Sci Fi depicted them...but oh well.

Most industries did not change, for example automobile, most 2011 cars still use same technology as Ford model T. Commercial airplanes still fly subsonic taking long hours to cross the country. But communications and computers have moved fast enough to deliver some of the sic fi features including video phones, voice activated navigation etc.

tonyniev wrote in post #11554927
Most industries did not change, for example automobile, most 2011 cars still use same technology as Ford model T. Commercial airplanes still fly subsonic taking long hours to cross the country. But communications and computers have moved fast enough to deliver some of the sic fi features including video phones, voice activated navigation etc.

The Model A, maybe, but not the Model T. The Model T used a previous technology: no Kettering ignition.

And country-wide or international flights use jets, a different technology from piston engines. They could fly supersonic, only environmental issues prevent it.

But, where the Hell are our flying cars?!! We were promised!!!

20droger wrote in post #11554971
But, where the Hell are our flying cars?!! We were promised!!!

You can have one later this year. LINKY

And it's only going to cost $148,000!

thomascanty wrote in post #11555014
You can have one later this year. LINKY

And it's only going to cost $148,000!

That's just an airplane with foldable wings. I want a real flying car.

thomascanty wrote in post #11555014
You can have one later this year. LINKY

And it's only going to cost $148,000!

Ohhhhhhhhh how cool would it be to have one of those.