UPDATE 9/6/23: A few statements I need to correct
1. The No. 1 through No. 5 batteries are NOT early versions of the A, B, C, D and F batteries. They're kind of direct predecessors, maybe analogous to them, but the A, B, C, and D sizes were used for battery packs at the time and the standardized names became transferred to the cell-sizes. The sizes were determined by the height in inches of the batteries, although there was some wiggle room. The Burgess No. 1 for example is about the same size as a modern sub-C battery, maybe a little smaller, the Burgess No. 2 is a little bigger than a D battery, the No. 3 is very hard to find but was often a small ignitor, the Columbia No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 were each their respective heights in inches. Columbia also made No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 sizes, but they're almost forgotten about as I can find almost no information on the internet about them. Some No. 3 batteries became glow plug ignitors (but not all glow plug ignitors are No. 3 cells, some are multiple D batteries).
2. There actually IS a B-cell battery but it's rarely called such, mostly it has the name in Europe. It is funnily enough the same size as a No. 8 battery. I only found one that calls itself a B-cell battery (by Rayovac). They often come out of two-cell or three-cell battery packs.
3. I don't get into much about AA batteries, but they were originally called Z batteries. The No. 7 was the ancestor of the AAA, called such because of the fact a 7 is a Z without the third line. N batteries also got their name from Burgess, as the N was a flipped Z.
4. The number codes on the actual battery predecessors to today's sizes weren't the simple and easy to remember sizes I attributed to them. They had designations like No. 950 for D batteries, No. 935 for C batteries, No. 915 for AA batteries, and so on.
5. One battery type I was unaware of is the Aladdin battery. Much different than the No. 8, it's like a trio of C cells stacked on top of each other. I have no idea how it got the name. Maybe three cells equals three wishes from the genie? Or that the battery lights a lantern meant to evoke Aladdin's magic lamp?
6. Battery names existed before dry cell batteries. Originally No. 1 to No. 5 were given to wet-cell batteries, with No. 1 being the old standard battery. The No. 6 was the first dry cell, produced by Eveready in the late 19th century, still used into the 1960's as a telephone line battery.
7. Cylon makes weird sizes like the X battery (like a chubby D battery) and its own version of the No. 6 that it calls the BC.
Please watch this video, which is a follow up that corrects some mistakes I made in this:
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== Original Description ==
There's a comedy routine that asks why they don't make B batteries, offering some humorous reasons why. The reality is far more mundane, there wasn't anymore demand for them. Transistor radios and old-time hearing aids used B batteries. They're really weird and unique. Some people deduce that maybe the 9-Volt is the B battery. Actually, it isn't. 9-Volt batteries are E batteries. An actual B battery DOES look a bit like a 9-Volt, though. In the video, I show you what a B battery looks like and explain the history of battery sizes, showing a few really odd ones along the way. I know some of you are thinking "hey, wait a minute, now that I think about it, why no single-A batteries?" They exist, too! Unlike the B battery, they still make the A battery. They're kind of obscure, but Titus still makes a standard A battery, they call it "fat A". Imagine a portly AA battery and there's an A battery. Don't confuse these batteries with old time vacuum tube radio batteries, a radio "A" battery was often an F battery or a battery pack of multiple A batteries. Radio "B" batteries were often 45, 67.5, and 90 volts and the size of a box of soap powder. Individual B batteries are much smaller. Radio "C" batteries existed, too, and were usually 4 1/2 volts.
This is a collaboration with another small YouTuber, Harper The Cat
Harper's Channel: [ Ссылка ]
I'd also like to give a personal THANK YOU to Battery Warehouse of Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA, who provided some of the batteries.
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The information gathered in this video was researched over a period of a few months using primary and secondary sources, however, some information I had to rely on anecdotal testimony to fill in the gaps. If I got anything wrong, feel free to let me know. If you can tell me ANYTHING about the #7 battery, I will appreciate it. (UPDATE 6/17/23: I FOUND A #7 BATTERY! It wasn't at all what I was expecting but it was still a cool find. Another mystery solved!)
Footnote #1: At 3:30, it's supposed to say six AAAA batteries are in 9-Volt batteries, not four.
#vintagebatteries #Bbattery #Bbatteries #antiquebatteries #history
