battery specs?
 

Can anybody point me to a place that has specs for common batteries (C, D, AA, etc.)? I'd thought it would be easy to find on the web, but I've not been able to get past all the pages trying to sell me batteries and find any specs.

Why am I looking? Well, last year we bought one of those VCRs In A Bag for the car when we went down to NC. This time, they had portable DVD players for $99 at Target, and I couldn't resist getting one, so we could take DVDs for the kids (which we have more of anyway). We ran the screen (4" TFT LCD) and player off the cigarette lighter. But now I wonder, if I ever wanted to take it along on a plane in lieu of a laptop to watch movies (which I don't personally own, and which if I borrow one from work makes me more likely to actually do work :o ) could I plug some batteries into the DC In jacks? It's obviously possible (they're both 12V DC), but the question is, how long could I run such a setup on a pack of batteries?

What you really want to look for is a power adaptor that lets you plug it into the special outlets they have on planes. Most planes have them, and you can get adaptors so that you can plug in devices (such as laptops, etc).

I don't think you'd get very far with typical batteries (AA, etc), simply because they don't provide enough power for a long enough time. Maybe maybe MAYBE an hour.

I don't know where you've been flying, but back in steerage, I've never seen an airplane power outlet. Maybe up in Business or First class.

You could go for the brute force solution: a 12V lead-acid battery intended for those old cellphones. That ought to run the thing for a while.

Make sure they'll let you take it in the cabin.

The PowerPad 160 is an external battery for portable computers. It has a capacity of approximately 160 watt hours and, based on internal testing, has a run-time of about 12 to 16 hours for many portable computers. The PowerPad 160 matches the footprint of most portable computers and weighs approximately 2.5 pounds. The product consists of a SuperPolymer battery and proprietary control electronics that provide information to the user on remaining battery power and improve the efficiency of the battery.

If your business takes you on the road, you take work to the cottage on weekends, take long flights or have offsite meetings with clients, the battery for you is the PowerPad 160. It is a perfect synergy of small size, low weight and long-lasting portable power.

Capacity
15 V,11 Ah,160 Wh

Run-time
Up to 16 hours from full charge*

Ultra-Thin and Compact
3/8"thin (9.5mm)
by 8 3/4 x 11 3/4"
(220 x 295mm)

Lightweight
Approx.2.4 lbs.or 1.1Kg

Rugged Design
Titanium case

Fuel Gauge
5 LED Fuel Gauge

Fast Charge
80%charge in less than 4 hours**

http://www.tigerdirect.com/sectors/v...s/E85-1000.pdf

Interesting... I'll check em out. It's more of a thought experiment to see how cheaply I can put together a viable portable CD player. The DVD player is not optimized for use with batteries, however I did learn that the LCD screen will use 8 AA batteries. (the battery door was blocked but I discovered it once I removed it from the carrying bag with the VCR). I'll have to see how long they last.