Recommended cell for Rebuilding Dead Anton Bauer ProPac, Steadicam, BP90, Belt or other dry cell battery packs that use D size cells.

Our Position On Nickel Cadmium Battery Cells

The Best "Available" Cell: August 2007:Sanyo KR5000DEL

The Best Available Rebuilding Value for your dead Anton Bauer ProPac Digital, Logic, or Screw Together Brick, including those of defunct companies who frequently close their doors and later open under the same or a different name, Is now with the Sanyo KR5000DEL Cell: 14.4V 5.4AH (@C\1 Rate) 81WH, 500 Discharge Cycles!
Battery Cell: The Sanyo KR5000DEL Specs, Sanyo KR5000DEL, Press Negative, Fast Charge D cell. This cell is factored at 5.5AH at C/1 rate. Engineering specification sheets spec Ni-Cd battery cells at 1.25V * 12 cells = 15V * 5.5AH = 82.5WH), with +/- 700-1000 full charge-discharge cycles. This cell is fast charge, durable, and handles heat comparative to the N4000DRL.
Press Negative or Pasted Negative "High Capacity" manufacturing technology.
August 2007: Now the Best "Available" battery cell. We do not use battery cells manufactured in Chinese factories under Chinese management.
Panasonic and Sanyo Press Negative Nickel Cadmium Cells: 500 Charge Discharge Cycles.
Panasonic and Sanyo Foam Press Negative Nickel Metal Hydride cells: 500 Charge Discharge Cycles.
Panasonic and Sanyo Lithium Ion Cells: 500 Charge Discharge Cycles.
1. A big reason we now manufacture Lithium Ion Broadcast Batteries. BUT, NO CHINESE BATTERY CELLS!

09-01-2005: Panasonic P500DR, Foam Pasted, Rapid Charge Technology

Apparently Panasonic, due to what they consider low volume orders and good new laws in the European Union, has discontinued the P500DR battery cell and has phased out all nickel cadmium battery cells.

06-01-2007: Saft VRE D-5500 Model #417-990-101: Sintered Positive Electrode, Rapid Charge Technology.

39 out of 88 weeks our blanket orders to Saft were pushed back with unavailable delivery. A battery assembler cannot stay in business with such intermittent delivery.
Battery Cell Manufacturers Impact

Choice 2: N4000DRL, Better durability but substantially less Watt Hours.

To focus buying power we are also using the Sanyo KR5000DEL cell in place of the N4000DRL. We will use the N4000DRL at your request.
The Standard 60.0/65WH Anton Bauer ProPac Digital, Logic, or Screw Together Brick Cell Is the Sanyo N4000DRL: 14.4V 4.0AH (@C\1 Rate) 60/65WH!
Battery Cell: The Sanyo N4000DRL, 4.0AH Fast Charge D cell, exceeding the industry standard. This cell is factored at 4.0AH at C/1 rate. Engineering specification sheets spec Ni-Cd battery cells at 1.2V * 12 cells = 15V * 4.0AH = 65WH), with +/- 700-1000 full charge-discharge cycles. This cell is durable and also handles heat well.
Sintered Positive Electrode manufacturing technology.

Choice 3: UniROSS: From May until August, Could not even deliver 12 cells for testing.

Choice 4: Harding Energy: Failed our Test terribly.

Pack shown in the manufacturers blue shrink is built as 14.4V insert using a Panasonic P500DR cell.

Click on picture to enlarge. Hoover over picture for text notes.

Notes:

From the left, picture one: For this presentation only, the blue shrink shows the original manufacturers PVC shrink.
1. The individual weld tabs are now covered in heat shrink.
2. The actual packs are enclosed in fiber tubes.
From the left, picture two: The fiber tubes show the actual pack in the building process.
1. The individual weld tabs are now covered in heat shrink.
From the left, picture three: The P500DR battery packs are in the manufacturers PVC shrink tubing, then enclosed in fiber tubes with heat shrink on the individual tabs, and then the top and bottom are covered in fish paper insulator material.

Start Caveat Emptor

Both of the following Press Negative cells are now discontinued. If still in business some other assemblers used to promote a Varta or Saft Press Negative cell as a 5.5AH cell rating but what the clients did not know to ask was: What is the "C" charge rate? The 5.5 AH cells were really less than 5.0AH rated cells at C/1. You can state a higher amp hour rating by changing the "C" rate. For example to C\2. This does not make the cell a true 5.5AH cell at C\1.
1. We are aware of one assembler calling themselves a battery company who used to pass Saft 4.5AH overnight charge D cells of as Gates 5.7AH fast charge D cells. I could go on but you've gotten the point.

Consider:

We have seen so many broadcast battery rebuilding companies close, open again, silently close again, come back under a different name, and then close again. They always come back with a crafty spin, gimmicks, cheap prices, and plugging brand names while using cheap cells. End Caveat Emptor

We know because when you have problems later we get your calls.

Through all of our own challenges at Rathbone Energy we have kept our doors open faithfully for your business since 1989. Our FAQ sheets supply you with total detail on every item we assemble and specifications for every cell available as well as what to look for in a good vendor and a bad vendor.

D Cell Specs Much better detail on your options.