AA Batteries as Substitute to 18650

Introduction

Electronic items are using different batteries according to their needs and requirements. There is no universal battery for all the electronic devices as their sizes are different. These devices of different sizes require different batteries to operate. Input voltage aside, the devices require specific sizes of batteries or cells. These batteries come in many forms and sizes and wide ranging in voltage, current and capacity too. TV remotes require small batteries namely AAA size as the size of remote is small too. Big radio controlled cars may require a big 9 volt battery because its size is big. The other sizes are namely AA size, C size and D size.

The daily used electronic devices also require different voltages to operate. For instance a clock may require 3 volts to operate. In this case either you use a 3 volt battery or use two 1.5 volts batteries placed in serial. The voltage adds up to 3 volts and the clock starts functioning. The required voltage can range from 1.5 volts to 9 volts or even more depending on the requirement. Some devices require low voltage to operate like a simple clock, while some devices require more voltage to operate properly such as a radio controlled racing car. The voltage requirement totally depends upon the device. You can either use batteries in serial to increase voltage or use them in parallel to increase current.

Another key factor of batteries is their capacity i.e. How much current can they hold in them. The?capacity of battery shows the maximum amount of energy which can be haul out from the?battery?under specified conditions. These capacities of batteries range from 300mAh to above 1000mAh. As different devices use more or less current so different batteries are used. A device that uses more current such as a digital camera requires a battery with more capacity or it will drain the battery very fast. On the other hand the TV remote uses very little current so even if the capacity of battery is low, the remote will keep working for a long time.

AA & 18650 batteries

The AA size battery and 18650 size battery are comparatively very similar in shape. The battery 18650 is called 18650 because it is 18mm by 65mm and the ‘0’ represents that the shape of the cells are cylindrical. The AA size cells are also cylindrical.If they were to be put together, it would be hard to distinguish between them on basis of shape. The difference between sizes is very miniscule. The difference is of only 2cm, other than that the 18650 is a tad bit thicker than AA.

Other than having almost similar sizes they are not the same. They differ from one another on the basis of voltage. The AA size battery supplies a potential difference of 1.5 volts of each cell, such as zinc-carbon batteries, alkaline batteries or even lithium batteries. On the contrary the 18650 size supplies a potential difference of 3.6 volts of each cell.

Being similar in size they can’t be used as a substitute to each other. They will not work if used in place of each other as clearly stated above the nominal voltage of AA cells is 1.5 volts while the nominal voltage of 18650 cells is 3.6 volts. A device requiring 1.5 volts should not be supplied 3.6 volts and similarly a device requiring 3.6 volts should not be supplied 1.5 volts as it is insufficient. The exact required voltage of any device should be provided, not more not less, in order to ensure proper functioning of the device.

In simple words, the AA battery has its own merits and demerits whole the 18650 has its own advantages and disadvantages. Both devices work well but which battery is to use, it all depends upon the requirement of a electronic device. However, there are many differences between AA battery and 18650 battery i.e. some AA battery are rechargeable and some are not. On the other hand, 18650 battery is a Lithium ion battery that can be recharged many times. Any universal charger can be used to charge both of these batteries. But this charging depends upon the battery capacity as capacity of AA is less as compared to 18650 so AA will be charged fast and 18650 battery will take more time to charge because of its high capacity.

(StackExchange, 2019)

(Quora, 2019)

Applications of 18650

· Flashlights:

The 18650 can be used in different flashlights as they are small in size so require a small battery. In this case 18650 can be used.

· Electronics:

Due to their compact size and more capacity 18650 can be used in variety of electronics.

· E-cigarettes:

The size of vapes of e-cigarettes is quite small so it also requires batteries of small size but more capacity so the 18650 is a perfect choice in this case.

· Electric cars:

Some electric cars also use these batteries or similar batteries like 18650. They also have increased capacity to store more current.

· Cell phones:

Older version of cell phones used these type of batteries because they are capable of being recharged.

· Laptops:

Old laptops also used these types of batteries because of increased capacity and capability of being recharged.

· Power tools:

Some small power tools also use these batteries as the have large capacity.

(Applications, 2019)

Best 18650 Battery:

The top 10 best 18650 batteries are as follows

1.Samsung INR18650-30Q 20A 3000mah Li-ion Batteries

2.Panasonic NCR18650B 18650 3400mAh 3.7v Protected Button Top Batteries

3.SONY VTC5 18650 2600mAh

4.Samsung INR18650-25R 18650 2500mAh 3.7v

5.EBL 18650 Battery 3.7V 3000mAh

6.On the Way 18650 3.7V 5000mah

7.ATK 18650 Battery 3.7V 3400mAh

8.MXJO 18650 2500mAh 35A

9.Odec 18650 Battery, 3.7V 3350mAh

10.LG HG2 18650 3.7v 3000mAh 20A High Drain Flat Top

(Orbotronic, 2019) (gunzone,2019)

References

(StackExchange, 2019)

(Quora, 2019)

(Applications, 2019)

(Orbotronic, 2019)