New-York tribune., 1922-03-12
Battery Is Heart
Of Your Radio
Phone Receiver
M,s, Have Constant Care if
SET Functions Properly;
Expert Outlines an Easy
System 10 Be Followed
Rate Of Discharge Slow
II.e of Hydrometer Advised
to Check on Its Condition;
Recharging Rules Given


The best radiophone receiving equip
-.n. in the world is no better than
~ storage battery which supplies the
.~.ssarv current to light the fila
-snts of the vacuum tubes. In fact.
.A1 storage battery is really the most
,~nHant part Of the set. and the part
vseh needs the most constant care.
There are large number of reputa-
BE storage batteries now being made
,suecially for use with The radio sets,
and it is very important that the in
structions given with them be carried
ont in detail. These instructions are
we'll summarized in the following ad-
vice compiled by ". E. Gosling, an
electrical engineer and specialist on
storage batteries'
at is we'll to consider that batteries
for radio service, contrary to the bat
teries in automobiles, are operated at
extremely low discharge rates-one.
two or three amperes. The number
depends on the number of tubes used.
When one knows the capacity of the
battery in ampere hours, it is a com
/ psratively simple thing to estimate
3 roughly how many ampere hours have
/ been taken out of the battery. For in
4 stance, if the battery capacity is sixty
snpsrs hours, and it has been dis
charged at the rate of two amperes for
three hours each evening, it is mere
simple arithmetic to figure out that
The battery will be thoroughly dis
charged in ten days.
Hydrometer More Reliable
"This is one method, and a very easy
zone, Of estimating the condition of
your battery Another method, far
more reliable, is the hydrometer. In 8
storage battery on discharge the sui
phuric acid of the electrolyte is con-
Bstantly forming lead sulphate. This
Ithins the electrolyte. When a battery
Is fully charged the electrolyte is
sstrOngest and when it is discharged
p. is very weak; hence. the electrolyte
Of fully charged battery is heavier
than that of q discharged battery.
This Characteristic is shown by the
hydrometer. l assume that most car
owners are familiar with a hydrometer
sPor those who are not, it is enough
to say that it consists of a bulb, a
glass barrel containing graduated
float and tube connected to the bot
tom Of the barrel for insertion into
tie electrolyte of battery. BY squeez-
ing the bulb. thus forcing out the air,
Iand then inserting the tube into the
ssisotrolyte, the electrolyte may be
drawn into the barrel to level suffi-
lent to float the graduated float. By
reading the graduation on the float
corresponding to the level of the cleo
trolyte, the specific gravity of the cleo
trolyte is obtained This reading will
give fair idsa of the condition of the
battery.
Il wish to add one caution. Care
must be taken that the aoat is not in
contact with the sides of the barrel,
at least to such an extent as to pre-
sent 1t assuming the proper level.
1900 Is Full Charge
When the reading shows a specific
CAVITY Of 1900 the battery may be
considered as fully charged; 1850 in
aicates quarter discharged battery;
l'S20 one-half discharged battery;
1'l00 three-quarter discharged bat
tery; l'l50 total discharged battery.
1t is not advisable to let the bat
'ery get more than three-quarters dis
charged because the formation of lead
suiphate increases to such an extent
'hat 1t is difficult to reduce it by
charging 1t is injurious to the bat
sIefy TO let it remain in an unchanged
condition for long period of time.
one should bear in mind that a
!aly charged battery will discharge
''Sel1 IN from ninety to 12O days. The
'0@ rates CT discharge used in radio
service allows battery to function
properly for longer period of time
man automobile batteries. While in
Sae sense this may seem virtue. there
al element of danger in the fact
wat e radio battery, because of its
~" Fate of discharge, will work
,a0agh it may be almost completely
discharged.
H. IN making a test, you find that
'ae electrolyte level has fallen too low
De drawn into the hydrometer
s'fihge, it is only necessary to add
pure distilled water.
Many owners of radio apparatus
"S'e secured some sort of charging
--s-atuS for charging A batteries.
The 1rib,,no viii