Do sub-c low-discharge exist?

mudman cj

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Despite them technically not being LSD, users have reported exceptionally low self discharge from Elite 4500 cells. They are no longer available from from the sources I checked, but Elite 4000 and 5000 cells are. Perhaps they are similar. At any rate, they are excellent cells and really can't be beat in the sub C size category (not yet anyway).
 

marksun

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This is a great question and I'm interested in the answer too.
I wonder what's happened to NiMH technology. Seems like the sub-C's at least are going backwards when it comes to self discharge especially as the capacity rises. A few years ago there was no contest, Sanyo produced the best NiCad batteries in sub C - at the time capacities were between .6 and 1.2AH. As capacities approached 1.6 to 1.8 AH or so, NiMh had higher capacities but very serious problems with longevity and stability. Panasonic had an advantage with NiMH and Sanyo was hardly in the picture for top cells. Then chinese companies like Gold Point came out of nowhere with extremely advanced NIMH cells that could take a lot of abuse, could be pushed with very high charge rates, and keep on working with really decent self discharge characteristics.
When I looked into it last and this is now pretty old, the world's top manufacturer's including GP were licensing their technology from Ovshinsky - ECD? or their NiMh research branch. After GP, IB took over as the producer of the best subC's (for rc car racing anyway). Currently the new cell is the ENER-G 4600 (no idea where it's made). Although the power density is unreal, reading between the lines, it seems to be at the cost of toughness, self discharge and a variance in load discharge rates between cells of the same kind, i.e. the manufacturing process does not consistently produce identical products. So I would guess that LSD is a good indicator of overall quality.

The source of the technology for brand name manufacturer's is very difficult to track down, if not trade secrets - there probably are only a few sources who license their process out to OEM's. Anybody know for example where Panasonic, Rayovac and duracell get their technology from?
 

InHisName

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Ok its been 8 months, any new signs of sub-C cells yet ?

EDIT: Yea, I stopped holding breath 8 months ago. Just wondering if I need to plan any time soon for sudden urge to spend lotta $$ to fix 4 drill batteries. That's 44 cells, lotta $$ even if they were only $2 each. The first offering will NEVER be THAT good.
 
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