Horsemaddad
10 years ago
Hello, I've been trying to revive an old Oldham lamp that came from one of the Durham Coast Collieries but one cell refuses to take any charge and rapidly drops to around 1.1 volts under load.
I was wondering if anyone out there has a spare type 'T' Oldham battery (the clear ones) in good condition that they would be willing to part with for a suitable fee please?
Alternatively, I'd consider any of the earlier type of battery - the main consideration being that it can hold a charge!
Any help much appreciated. Colin.
Colin
ebgb
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10 years ago
you thought about repacking with Li-Ions or LiPo's colin??

http://bf494.co.uk 

royfellows
10 years ago
"ebgb" wrote:

you thought about repacking with Li-Ions or LiPo's colin??



I am guessing that he wants a sort of retro setup for special reason, everyone is aware of new technology.

I can produce an 'authentic' Oldham battery with a dedicated charger (essential) that looks the same until you pick it up and find no weight in it.
Alternatively, the real thing (new) can still be purchased from Caving Supplies who I believe still have stock. Oldham have not produced these for some time. There could be delivery issues however due to wet lead acid transit restrictions.
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simonrl
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10 years ago
There's a black one on eBay as part of a complete lamp at the moment. Whether or not it will hold a charge...
my orders are to sit here and watch the world go by
ebgb
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10 years ago
I shall have a rummage Col... just been informed there may be a box of ex-grove rake ones in my neighbours shed

if so, I'll see if can bring one down to the dig tomorrow night
http://bf494.co.uk 

Horsemaddad
10 years ago
Mark, you never fail to amaze me!

Simon and Roy, thanks for your replies; I'll post more on what I'm up to tomorrow.

Colin.
Colin
Graigfawr
10 years ago
"Horsemaddad" wrote:

I was wondering if anyone out there has a spare type 'T' Oldham battery (the clear ones) in good condition that they would be willing to part with for a suitable fee please?



There's a T type in reasonable condition by my feet as I type. I use every couple of months but with a couple of Roy's lamps and a couple of home-made Oldham/Peztl conversions, it's largely surplus to requirements as we have four lamps between the three of us. Would you like me to charge it up and see how long it lasts?

Postage will not be cheap - it is 50% lead after all!
Horsemaddad
10 years ago
Hello, this is a test message - my reply isn't appearing!
Colin
Horsemaddad
10 years ago
Ah. That's better! Don't know what I'm doing wrong - two lengthy replies haven't appeared. I'll be brief this time just in case.

Simon; thanks for the tip, I'm now watching it and will have a go.

Roy; thanks for the offer of a rebuild, but I'll stick with lead acid for the time being. You are right by the way - I'm a retro geek, but I do upgrade bulbs to LED types, so not a total luddite.

Graigfawr; yes please! If it holds charge I would like it. We can agree a price and I'm quite happy about the postage.

Thanks guys, Colin.
Colin
royfellows
10 years ago
"Horsemaddad" wrote:

Ah. That's better! Don't know what I'm doing wrong - two lengthy replies haven't appeared. I'll be brief this time just in case.



If a posting does not appear when you click "Submit" just scroll back in your browser and Windows clipboard will fill in what you typed, it will be held on memory until you close the application
My avatar is a poor likeness.
gNick
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10 years ago
"royfellows" wrote:

"Horsemaddad" wrote:

Ah. That's better! Don't know what I'm doing wrong - two lengthy replies haven't appeared. I'll be brief this time just in case.



If a posting does not appear when you click "Submit" just scroll back in your browser and Windows clipboard will fill in what you typed, it will be held on memory until you close the application


Not always...:(
Don't look so embarrassed, it's a family trait...
Graigfawr
10 years ago
"Horsemaddad" wrote:


Graigfawr; yes please! If it holds charge I would like it. We can agree a price and I'm quite happy about the postage.



I'll cycle it a couple of times over the next few days and let you know how it does.

Would you be wanting the chromed metal 'lid', lead and headpiece as well as the battery? (I'm thinking of the weight and hence of postage costs!)

I have various spare parts including a range of bulbs (incandescent and halogen) and reflectors (different focuses including aluminuim for screw-in bulbs, and prefocussed for push-in bulbs) - I'll gather then together and list them if you think any might be useful for you?
exspelio
10 years ago
In the past I found that 'dead' cells can sometimes be rejuvenated by 'boiling' them with a 12v charge for a short time, make sure they are topped up with distilled water before hand!, and the vents are not blocked!! (IIRC. around 80% success rate)
Always remember, nature is in charge, get it wrong and it is you who suffers!.
Graigfawr
10 years ago
A less risky strategy to try before the 12volt 'boiling' is to give them a very long, very low current charge - say a tenth of the usual charge but for at least ten times as long. There's no risk with it and if it doesn't rejuvenate them, then the 12volt 'boiling' can be tried subsequently.
Horsemaddad
10 years ago
Thanks Roy, I'll have a go at this. Computers definitely not my strong point! Colin.
Colin
Horsemaddad
10 years ago
Hello Graigfawr, if you are dispensing with Oldjams altogether and don't need the spares, I guess they may come in useful. I may as well have the headset and battery cap as well please - maight be able to make up at least two good ones in the end.
Thanks, Colin.
Colin
Horsemaddad
10 years ago
Hi exspelio, I've tried the 12 volt trick using a big 12 volt SLA with a multimeter in series to monitor the current. When I started I could get both cells to pass about 5 amps, but now the poorer one has gone dead short so I guess it is knackered! It was full of debris anyway so it's not surprising. Still, I'll bear all the charging advice in mind.
Thanks, Colin.
Colin
Roy Morton
10 years ago
Sounds like the cell has died in this case, but another trick was to flatten the battery completely and then give it a charge on reverse polarity for about 3 or 4 hours, (keep an eye on the current and the temperature of the battery) then flatten it off again and charge as normal. This can have the effect of purging any sulphides on the plates.
This should be tried before resorting to the 12V boil wash, which I've also had success with in the past.
Best of luck
"You Chinese think of everything!"
"But I''m not Chinese!"
"Then you must have forgotten something!"
Morlock
10 years ago
I was going to to offer this on Fleebay but just in case anyone is interested.
NOS, never had the acid added and still has the preservative grease on terminals.

Same price as bought at £35+postage.

🔗Personal-Album-1695-Image-99223[linkphoto]Personal-Album-1695-Image-99223[/linkphoto][/link]
exspelio
10 years ago
"Morlock" wrote:

I was going to to offer this on Fleebay but just in case anyone is interested.
NOS, never had the acid added and still has the preservative grease on terminals.

Same price as bought at £35+postage.

Quote:



I thought these came with the acid in gel state so only required distilled water? or am I remembering wrongly?

Always remember, nature is in charge, get it wrong and it is you who suffers!.
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