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Technology Stocks : Energy Conversion Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ray who wrote (4141)	10/27/1999 9:38:00 AM
From: Ray	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8393

I may have posted the following sources earlier. Interesting articles on various battery types and manufacturers -- mainly for electronics equipment. globalsources.com globalsources.com The first web page is a battery article with several other articles available in a sidebar. The second web page is copied below as it gives some pertinent data. Product survey: Rechargeable batteries Posted: July 26, 1999 Hong Kong: NiCd/NiMH issue still divides suppliers Nearly all Hong Kong makers offer NiCd and NiMH rechargeable batteries in cylindrical and button cells. Victor Ng, manager of Qualitech International Co. Ltd, says the NiCd model is selling better as it is cheaper than the NiMH, although it is not environment-friendly and has a mild memory effect. Qualitech's NiCd cell sells for 25 to 30 cents, while the NiMH is 38 to 45 cents, FOB Hong Kong. The battery pack comes in a PVC jacket.. Hi-watt Battery Industry Co. Ltd has seen its NiCd sales growing significantly, said assistant sales manager K.O. Li. The company has improved its NiCd model by removing the memory effect and the need to discharge the battery, Li claimed. Different to many other makers, Hi-watt is targeting applications in cordless phones, emergency lights, handy vacuum cleaners and toys - not mobile phones. However, GPI International Ltd recently announced it would stop making NiCd button cells for environmental reasons. Instead the firm has licensed NiMH technology from a US company, Ovonic, and is the only Hong Kong firm to have this right, according to GPI's assistant general manager Peter Ip. As GPI has enhanced the capacity of its NiMH button cells, it is able to discontinue NiCD button cells. The firm cannot as yet stop making cylindrical NiCd cells as the counterpart NiMH model is not yet ready, although the firm's R&D team is hard at work to make this happen. Certain NiCd models, shipped to certain areas in the US market, must be printed with the logo of RBRC (Rechargeable Battery Recycle Corporation), Ip said. GPI International is a member of RBRC, so it can use the logo on its NiCd batteries. The rechargeable batteries are returned to RBRC for recycling after use. Cordless phone applications The difficulties of making batteries smaller and thinner to keep up with ever more miniature cellular phones has, for several SAR makers, proved too much. Qualitech, for one, has chosen instead to cater to home cordless phones, which need not be super-small. The company's Ng noted a 10 percent growth in applications for cordless phones and a slight fall in cellular phone uses. The firm also enjoys a steady market in other portable devices, such as power tools, as well as in electronic toys. The smallest rechargeable battery Qualitech offers is the N size, which is 12mm in diameter and 44.5mm high. It can serve some modern versions of cellular phone, but may not be applicable on the newest models, Ng said. Catherine Lo, marketing executive of Vouch Tech Industries Ltd, reported a steady sales growth of the firm's rechargeable batteries, but also noted a decline in the application on cell phones in recent years. At present the rechargeable battery pack for cell phones takes up only one-third of Vouch Tech's total output; before, it accounted for about two-thirds. Lo noted that the 1/3A prismatic size is now commonly used on cellular phones, such as Motorola's Startac. However, the company may develop a 'mini' rechargeable battery to keep up with the change to slimmer cellular phones, she added. Back to Article \| Asian Sources Electronics