Why are There No B Batteries?

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In this video:
There actually are B batteries, but they aren’t something you’ll usually see stocked at most stores any longer. Since the invention of the battery, there have been a pretty amazingly diverse number of battery types used with different sizes/shapes/voltages/storage capacities/etc., and also named a variety of things. This gave rise to the need for an industry wide standard, particularly as the lack of an international or even national standard during WWI was problematic for the military.
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[@TodayIFoundOut]

Now that you know why there are no B batteries check out this video and find out the fascinating answer to the question- Why Does Storing a Car Battery on a Concrete Floor Drain It?: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXW1ZWZ7arqrrZY

[@shawnpitman876]

You still didn't explain what a B battery was outside of a the radio tubes, which is the only info I came here to find out... Where are the Bbatteries?

[@thecloneguyz]

Depends on WHAT KIND of battery Ni-Cad or Lead-Acid - Concrete will drain it

[@greggv8]

The AAAA size is used in some 9 volt batteries and some tablet styluses, laser pointers and other devices where a slimmer profile is required.

[@timq6224]

But there REALLY are B-cell batteries and you can still buy them today. You do your channel a complete disservice by making a statement that is so easily proven false! The B batteries are part of the R12 4.5v lantern packs sold in Europe, break them apart and you have 3 -- B-cell batteries.

[@justinlibby-perry1601]

@@timq6224 0:21 "There are actually A and B batteries, but they aren't something you'll see stocked in most stores." You do yourself a complete disservice by making a statement that was covered in the first 30 seconds of the video, Tim. Or did you only read the title, and then comment, completely out of context?

[@stanj85]

This video would have been much better if there were pictures of the batteries. But thanks for answering this interesting question.

[@SuperDuperSP]

stanj85 nice profile pic.

[@fft2020]

it appears that every f*king picture is copyrighted this days, maybe Simon didn't find any "free" picture of a bloody B battery

[@UloPe]

It took me literally 30s to find this on shutterstock: www.shutterstock.com/de/image-vector/graphic-vector-format-one-hundred-nineteen-252770758?src=pr2OMumFz27N2RUCKBoyxw-1-11 Can’t tell that it’s not possible to find a single usable image for a video like this.

[@kamX-rz4uy]

I would have liked a picture too but check out: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_sizes

[@faizalf119]

stanj85 Just wait until you find out about px, cr, lr batteries models. They have sub models too

[@Skraeling1000]

Batman gets a phone call - Robin: Batman, I'm in the Batcave and I can't start the Batmobile, what should I do? Batman: Check the battery. Robin: ... what's a tery?

[@wariolandgoldpiramid]

ok, that actually got me :)

[@BrianFrishcosy]

This just made my day! 😂😂😂

[@Dumb-Comment]

That was brilliant

[@nickwilde2569]

Wouldn't it be a batphone call

[@Lawfair]

wouldn't he actually ask "what's an airy?" I don't think I've ever heard both "T's" enunciated separately.

[@cpufreak101]

Yet you don't show any photos of an A or B battery :/

[@JimShew2]

Although they're artifacts from our grandparent's time, one example of an "A battery" of the type used in battery-operated portable tube radios (the predecessor of the transistor radios from the early 1960s) was the diameter of a "D" cell by six inches long and provided 8AH of 1.5 volts. (twice the 4AH capacity of a similar chemistry zinc-carbon "D" cell) The term was not unique to that cell-type, because 2.0-volt lead-acid cells used in non-portable battery radios from the 1930's were also called "A Batteries", simply because they heated the tube filaments. The high-voltage "B" batteries that were used in those ancient radios were a rectangular box shape of varying dimensions and available in several voltages ranging from 22.5 volts (size of a 9V rectangular battery but with different terminals) all the way up to 300 volts. Because the size and shape of those batteries were not fixed, without showing an entire museum-full of batteries, (The 1972 Radio Shack catalog listed 85 types of just "B Batteries") a photo would be of little use.

[@cpufreak101]

JimShew2 well thanks for that

[@joshgibson9732]

3:18 Well, what the fuck would you call this?

[@cpufreak101]

AstralProjector * correction, that does seem to be a B battery, but point still stands for the A battery

[@dacypher22]

Apparently A batteries are *very* hard to find if they even still exist. There is an article on wikipedia that lists different battery sizes. In its entry for A batteries, it draws the general shape of them on graph paper in the part of the image where the battery normally would be. They do show a B battery, but it isn't much to look at. It is just a slightly bigger, metal cylindrical battery with no label on it sitting next to a AA for size comparison. But it does show a lot more uncommon types, such as 1/2AA and AAAA ("quadruple A").

[@postalshark]

We used B size batteries in our night vision goggles when I was flying in the Army. They were about 2/3 the length of a AA and a bit larger in diameter.

[@wedgie502]

Those are a123 lithium. Same thing that surefire uses in muzzle lights.

[@postalshark]

@@wedgie502 I stand corrected. I recall them being an odd size. I used them back in the mid to late 80's. AN-PVS-5's.

[@wedgie502]

@@postalshark true that, I used pvs 7b's. They could use three different batteries, aa, button cells, or a123.

[@postalshark]

@@wedgie502 I remember 60 minutes doing a show on how dangerous they were. Yes it only provided 40 degree field of view but I'll take that over 180 degrees of darkness. We sure got a neck workout maintaining situational awareness but had no problem safely flying NOE. Those pesky wires were hard to see though.

[@wedgie502]

@@postalshark what bird did you fly? I was an ah-64a apache crew chief at ft Knox in the late 90's.

[@SmellsLikeEMinor]

Thank you, Simon. I've been a big fan of your content for a long while now and your videos have been a savior to me recently. My father passed away on his birthday, April 23rd, and your videos have given me the distraction I desperately needed. Thank you...all of you who run this channel and the biography one. All of you have given me the moments of peace I seldomly find since that day. You may not end up reading this, but I know one of you will and I think it's important you know how important your videos truly can be to your audience. -E Haha, I want a hoodie with Simon's face on it. Make one and I'll buy it.

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

Those blocky 6V and 12V lantern batteries are actual batteries. AA, AAA, C, and D are individual cells. A "battery" is a collection of cells packaged and wired together.

[@stevemeeker3976]

Radio engineer here: when radios first were a thing, there was very few houses that were wired for electricity. The radio would be sitting on a bench with the appropriate batteries hooked up. The B battery most of the time was a car battery, brought indoors for that use. This also led to "farm radios" which used the car batteries so the farmer and the cows could listen to them. This was after an electrical line was hooked up to the house. All if these radios are still available and work, with updated batts. I have fixed many as a hobby. Everything is available on the net, just ask. An interesting find is old radio adverts from newspapers. Some of them will show you how it works.

[@gageguy]

Isn't a 9v battery just six AAAA batteries, I mean cels?

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

By the way, since the 'C' and 'AA' batteries are the same length and voltage, you can often use an 'AA' in a pinch for scenarios which would normally require a 'C'. I had an old alarm clock once that needed a 'C' battery and it went dead. I noticed the similar length and voltage and plugged it in...and it worked fine! Of course the _capacity_ of the 'AA' battery is significantly less, so keep that in mind. But it works in a pinch.

[@jonesgang]

It is the mAh that makes the difference not the voltage. All AA, AAA, C, D batteries are 1.5vdc, but they all have different mAh values. Rechargeable batteries are the exception, they can range in voltage from 1.2 - 1.6 but tend to have less mAh than non rechargeable batteries.

[@Xenomrph]

....but what do A and B batteries look like, and what devices/industries use them? This video just kinda told me “they exist” and not a whole lot else....

[@JimShew2]

Those ancient batteries for tube radios did not have a fixed appearance. Because most of them are now out of production, they have long been very hard to source for those like myself who collect those old radios. "A batteries" could look like a long "D" cell or like a small car battery, and "B batteries" were almost always shaped like rectangular boxes.

[@Xenomrph]

JimShew2 I appreciate your reply, and I can appreciate your point, but even your reply gave me more info on A and B battery usage than the video did. Even showing a bunch of photos and saying “they weren’t standardized, but they were used in these antique examples” would have been interesting and useful. Anyway, thanks for the polite response!

[@wino0000006]

No - for radios were vacuum tube B batteries - but normal B batteries (other designation is R23 or LR23) are a bigger version of AA batteries.

[@DarkenKnight324]

And this is why I feel he didn't fully answer the questions about a or b batteries, he's done longer, more in depth videos on other things, and a majority of this video was spent not taking about the batteries we don't know, but the batteries that we do. I as well as others would of liked pictures or more details about them. But he at least let us know they exist, so I plan on using Google to inform me on what I thought this video would cover. I mean with all the time he spent talking about A, AA, AAA, and D batteries why not include 9v, even though the title clearly insinuates a discussion about B batteries

[@allenbarrow4904]

Simon, your team should address on why or not use Capacitors as batteries and controlling discharge the power thru either resistors or diodes.

[@otiebrown9999]

Thanks. Been in Electronics for a long time. A "B" battery always meant plate voltage to me in 1955.

[@ArkadyVasiliev]

No pictures of the batteries?

[@Zilten_]

We have had cameras since 1816

[@carolynmmitchell2240]

Zilten no we haven't.. we only get camera in 1970

[@Zilten_]

Alright, then explain why there are photos from World War 2, which definitely happened before the 70's if im remembering correctly.

[@Imdor]

Facepalm, how can such a simple joke go so far over your head?

[@Zilten_]

People can be so stupid these days its hard to tell whether they're joking or if theyre sincere.

[@billpenner7458]

To expand upon OldSloGuy comment. There were indeed A Cells and B, C batteries. (Batteries are more than 1 cell connected in series) ie. a battery of cells. I was a radio technician in the early 1950s. The A battery is used for high current, low voltage (the filament or heater of the vacuum tube. From 1.5 Volts to 4.5 Volts. The B battery was a high voltage Vacuum Tube supply (B+ supply) usually from 22.5 Volts to 90 Volts or so. C cells (Different from today's C cells which are 1.5 Volts) were used for Bias for tubes and were used to supply a negative voltage to the Grids of the tube so as to set the operating point of the tube for linearity. The military introduced a number of new designations for various cells and batteries which had no apparent relation to size or use (BA1, BA2 etc.). By the way Vacuum Tubes are also called Valves in Europe (also Thermionic Valves).

[@hanswurst8682]

A question I never knew I wanted answered.

[@VSO_Gun_Channel]

Learning has occurred

[@maxximumb]

Bugger. I must be old, I remember B batteries.

[@moshedimawalaadormeo]

I remember them too

[@danifalkjensen]

lol have one laying in my room and I am 16 years old

[@-ragingpotato-937]

Could you upload a picture to imgur or reddit? cant find any Edit: Found one, they are huge versions of the square batteries.

[@trespire]

Can still remember B batteries sold in shops in the late 70's early 80's. Some toys ran on 2 B size.

[@yarsivad000.5]

Mythical Toes , hey my son Daniel is 11 yrs old and has autism. I will have to compare....cool comment. I guess your trying to be funny.....or what?

[@Vanished_Mostly]

"Can I help you?" "Yes, I would like some b-batteries" "Sure, what kind?" "B-batteries."

[@Islacrusez]

Don’t order C batteries in pairs, either.

[@Gwyn1stborn]

Dimitri Martin good

[@danjenkins8981]

😂

[@znep2751]

Yes, I would like d batteries.

[@calendarpage]

I used to work for ANSI. You'd be surprised what we have standards for, including standard paint colors such as red and yellow for warning signs.

[@ram89572]

calendarpage Actually that doesn't surprise me at all. Without a standard color for warning signage one could run into a situation where a "red" warning label may be too dark of a shade to instantly grab the attention of everyone out there. Alternatively if the color is too bright it may be hard to read quickly due to glare from whatever the surrounding light source is.

[@DFX2KX]

ANSI has a standard for electronic text (used in old terminal and TELNET communications, and .txt files). It includes colors, too. outlets, light switches and wiring colors... toilets... There's an ANSI version of a lot of IEEE standards... most of the DOT signs in the States are ANSI.... I think even Runway markings in Airports have ANSI codes for them.

[@kennethsizer6217]

I'd enjoy a vid on the various standards bodies and who has the final (or de facto) say on what: ANSI, IEEE, NIST, OSHA, ISO, UL, etc.

[@bobthebrickbuilder1876]

Your example is the least suprising thing ever. Do you have one that's actually surprising?

[@amurizon]

Uniform colors for signage doesn't surprise me at all. Last thing we need on the road is more ambiguity. ("OMG it's an orange STOP sign WTF do I do?!" *crashes*)

[@martinusher1]

The A,B & C vacuum tube supplies were an American convention -- British valve radios used a low tension battery, a high tention battery and a grid bias battery. Valve used in battery powered radios originally had filaments which were powered by an accumulator so they used 2.2 volts but as valves evolved to use less filament current they started using 1.5 volts so they could be run from a single dry cell. High Tension batteries, the block batteries that yielded 90 volts or so, were made from a whole bunch of AA sized batteries connected in series and enscapulated in pitch. (Lower voltage batteries like the 22.5 volt ones used in things like early hearing aids were made from a stack of flat cells). The 'C' or 'grid bias' battery was only used on very early radios; since it was a battery that delivered up to about 9 volts at negligible current.

[@KarstenJohansson]

Double D batteries are *huge*!

[@SoloBeans]

Karsten Johansson huuuGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEE

[@safetyman4967]

So are mine

[@SoloBeans]

ungodly power208 so about 2.5 inches long, dont over exaggerate

[@SoloBeans]

Ella Kanefsky im not sure that double D batteries even exist, plus 2.5 inches long is very small for a D

[@SoloBeans]

Ella Kanefsky compare a 2.5 inches to a dick. thats small

[@isettech]

If you ask old radio guys, the ABC batteries were for function in a battery powered portable radio. The A battery was usually a D cell, but sometimes a C cell. This powered the filaments in the vacuum tubes. B batteries as stated in the video was for the plate voltage in the tubes. Some radios used a C battery which was used for the negative grid bias, but most radios provided grid bias with the cathode resistor. The B battery was seldom 120 volts. Most common were the 90, 67.5, and 45 volt versions. About the time many radios went to 22 volts, the transistor radio came out and used the common 9 volt battery. I still have my grandfather's portable tube radio. It's a real antique.

[@howard81]

I have a Soviet-era Geiger counter that takes B-cell batteries, you can find 3 of them inside a standard 4.5 Volt lantern battery!

[@jackielinde7568]

I had an old camera that used either an A or B type battery cell. Don't remember which, as it was a camera from the 80's, and I last use it sometime in the 90's. Reason I know this was that the battery died and I had to go to a camera shop to get a new one. Yay me... I think. I did not know the 4.5 lantern batteries used them.I did see a tear down video of a 9 volt battery, where the innards were six cells soldered together.

[@mikecowen6507]

Howard Rose Remember there are different "standards"! I'm glad you included the voltage, because in the States, a "standard lantern battery" is 6 volts (spring contacts), and *much* larger than the European 4.5 volt "standard lantern battery" (strip contacts). While I have seen the European form in the States, they are not common. All that said, these are nothing compared to the *huge* PAIR of 69 volt "lantern batteries" (Eveready 646) used in the 1960s/70s fluorescent Safari Lite. They were each roughly a foot long, and about 2 x 4 inches (approximation, from memory). Out of production for 30+ years.

[@dhpbear2]

3:00 'B' batteries: To make things MORE confusing, the 'B' informally stood for 'bias'. Old, old, old tube equipment would used batteries to provide the negative foltage needes to bias the tubes!

[@PhilipHousel]

Fun fact. Inside a 9v battery is 1.5v AAAA cells. I once had a pen light that used those very obscure batteries. Buying a 9V got me 2 sets of batteries for my light.

[@freakindawgen]

Told my Dad that and he got one with a solid core ☹

[@PhilipHousel]

@@freakindawgen that's odd... I've personally opened 9v batteries to get AAAAs. www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Get-AAAA-BATTERIES-OUT-OF-9V/

[@RevDrDigby]

I built battery-operated vacuum tube radios when I was a kid. As you mentioned, the B battery (45V in my case) supplied the cathode-anode potential difference, but the A battery (1.5V) came from battery-operated crank phones, and for me, provided the power for the cathode heating element and sometimes the grid bias. I hadn't thought about that for a few years.

[@fenlet6062]

Great clear pronunciation. As an English teacher, your pronunciation of the letter "R" at the end of words is far better than most other Brits that are on KZbin. Very impressed. Now we just need to get Americans pronouncing the letter "T" properly in words like "butter" ;)

[@blindleader42]

No, no, no. "budder" is the way to go. It's much more efficient. Get to the end of the talking part and the start of the eating part quicker.

[@Subgunman]

A batteries were common in the old tube radio sets of the 20's. they were about 2-3" in diameter and about 8" in height. Their voltage was 1.5 volts. Their use was relegated to powering the filament of the tubes. They were also used to heat the glow plugs of the old Cox .040 model airplane engines. "B" batteries were used in the old tube radios as the supply voltage for the grids of the tubes. These batteries were running at 45 volts and were a box style battery. There were even some radios that used two of these batteries in series for 90 volts for newer tube sets. Union Carbide (Eveready) and Ray-O-Vac were two of the largest manufactures of these batteries up until the early '60's.

[@x9x9x9x9x9]

I have worked at a battery store for 3 years and I have seen 1 B battery. What would be interesting is to cover how many different types of batteries exist. Most the world doesn't know how many different types of batteries there are. Most people seem to think there are maybe 10 different types.

[@neutronpcxt372]

18650 cells are the best!

[@sparkplug1018]

Even working in that environment there are likely batteries you don't even know about. Whether its sizes that are odd or rare, or chemistries you aren't aware of, or simply aren't used anymore.

[@tomnyboy0916]

I work at Batteries Plus and we do use an A cell in special tech rebuilds

[@supernoodles908]

x9x9x9x9x9 I've been trying to find an N battery

[@jasonslade6259]

Well you can make your own battery in a chemistry lab with a variety of solvents and metals and adjust their sizes to whatever you please so there's really an infinite number of possible batteries, which is the whole problem that the ANSI standard hoped to fix.

[@TyChee]

There are also AAAA batteries. If you crack open a standard 9 Volt battery you will find 6 AAAA batteries inside.

[@denizbluemusic]

No you won't. There are J batteries with 4 AAAA batteries but those are about it

[@TyChee]

bstrz04 chemistry - explosives, radiation & more ! My mistake. They are technically called LR61 Cells that are similar to AAAA. Look at the uses tab on this Wiki link. There is a description of what’s inside a nine volt under a picture. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAAA_battery

[@glennchartrand5411]

@@denizbluemusic no , he's right . The original 9V used 6 AAAA cores. They were 0.5 mm shorter because they didnt have the anode caps. The new 9V uses 6 square batteries stacked on top of each other.

[@insanegammer109]

Didn't even show a picture or diagram of a "B" Battery... fail.

[@alexanderblitz6819]

insanegammer109 because it looks almost identical to a "c" battery but slightly smaller.

[@trevorjosephoneill345]

That's why we have Google;)

[@pegasusted2504]

Then you are blind, I saw a "B" battery in this and other types too. "B" battery @3:26

[@jayrogers8255]

Ted Cameron not the same kind; that’s a B battery for an antique radio, not a size B battery, which he explains.

[@buck5200]

Did u just say "fail" what year are you living in

[@saf271828]

Also, "B Batteries" were typically connected to circuit nodes labeled as "B+" in schematics with vacuum tubes. I never did understand where the "B" came from, except to serve as a mnemonic for "b"attery. This video helps fill in some of the gaps.

[@dougbrowning82]

It was the order the batteries were hooked up to the radio. You started with the A battery, for the heaters, then B, for the plates, and finally the C, if needed for grid bias.

[@tehlaser]

Bonus fact: the plate voltage rail in tube radios is usually called B+ (plus for positive), even in line powered radios with no battery.

[@therealjammit]

Still found in a lot of modern schematics.

[@michaelshultz2540]

Also a b battery was called that because it provides b+ plate voltage for the tubes, and is a pile of cells adding up to about 90 volts!

[@michaelmoorrees3585]

The first radios were powered by batteries only. Getting them powered off the household AC, didn't start until the late 20's with power supplies referred to as "battery eliminators". You would need at least 2 "batteries". The A-battery for the filaments (tubes were/are glorified light bulbs). The B-battery for the plate (anode) circuits. And sometimes, a third, C-battery for grid bias. Better tube design allowing for cathode bias eliminated the need for the C-battery, in most cases. Though you sometimes see something that looks like a coin cell, in these old radios, which was a localized "C-battery", called a "bias cell". It was hooked up such that no current actually flowed (which is how a grid is properly biased), so these bias cells lasted years, before rotting out. The B+ term persisted, well after AC power supplies became commonplace. Still used today.

[@AltoonaYourPiano]

Before the letter sizes for batteries, they were numbered (what became A, B, and AA batteries were in multi-packs and called "flashlight batteries). There were the #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6, which were called such because of their height in inches. A #1 was between 1 and 2 inches (similar to a modern "C" battery, a bit smaller perhaps), the #2 was between 2 and 3 inches (very similar to a modern "D" battery), the #3 was between 3 and 4 inches (similar to a modern "F" battery, some were rectangular like a loaf of bread and used in clocks, others became glo plug ignitors), the #4 was between 4 and 5 inches tall (some were oval shaped for some reason), the #5 was between 5 and 6 inches tall (about as tall as two D batteries stacked on top of each other), and the #6 was between 6 and 7 inches tall. The #3 and up had screwtop terminals on the top, one in the middle and one on the side. The hardest sizes to find for antique collectors are #3 and #5. #4 are also rare and hard to find. #6 are the most common, the Columbia #6 is easiest to find (often not labelled as such) as they kept making them into the 70s, and the #1 and #2 made by Burgess are also fairly easy to find (they made those until about 1954 or 1955). There was also a weird size called the Aladdin battery. It was two #1 cells stacked on top of each other into a single 3-volt battery. Some have mistaken these for B batteries (the actual B cell is slightly taller than a D battery and slightly narrower than a C).

[@mikecowen6507]

Technically, most of the "batteries" mentioned are cells. A group of cells in a single package is a battery. You can see this on the face of the B battery @ 3:18.

[@jackielinde7568]

Mike, this is true if you're talking from an electronics viewpoint. Sadly, many practitioners of the English language have taken well defined terms from technical communities and muddied up their meanings as they were adopted by the vernacular. Just as anyone in a a scientific related field, especially research, about "theory" and "hypothesis". Since Simon assumes that most of his viewership is made up of laypeople, it is perfectly fine for him to use battery in place of cell. HOWEVER, I wish Simon would have made a mention to this in the beginning of the video.

[@mikecowen6507]

Jack Linde Agreed! I'd settle for him discussing it anywhere, rather than randomly mentioning cells (without explanation) in the dialog preceding the "B" Battery image. As presented, I'm sure the distinction was lost on greater than 99% of his viewers. Another teaching moment shot to hell...

[@alexparker5127]

4:18 when the video is 4:17 long very funny. I wish the video did show an actual B and A battery though.

[@mikecowen6507]

Alex Parker Oops! Fixed.

[@PerMejdal]

I taught my wife the difference between a wire and a cable. Now she corrects me every time I use the wrong term. I am not making the same mistake again with batteries and cells.

[@Cromwell564]

Thanks again for answering my question.

[@PhilipLeitch]

You get that these are all cell sizes and not batteries, right? Hence names like "DuraCELL". I mean, everyone calls them batteries, including me, but that would have been a cool fact. You need two or more cells to make a battery (i.e. one AAA = one cell, two AAA cells = one battery, and three AAA = one battery)

[@jameswilber518]

Except for the 9v "F" batter (which we just called a Transistor battery) It's actually made up of.....AAAA cells.

[@shaunbarnett2972]

yeah in society language develops and changes over time. We tend not to use certain words literally, just according to what makes sense to people generally. Technically you're correct, a battery by definition is a 'collection' of items. A 'battery' of arms in warfare. However the term 'battery' has evolved and now means an electrical device that powers things. No one cares about multiple cells forming a battery, they just know that batteries go in the remote control. So yeah no point getting literal and technical.

[@ColinRichardson]

In that case, we should stop calling them vacuum cleaners. And call them "low air pressure cleaners". Because, sorry, there is no way those cleaners ever get close to creating a vacuum.

[@maintoc]

@@shaunbarnett2972 Point taken, just as, in common usage, people talk about using a "microwave" instead of a "microwave oven." Still, it's nice to know the facts of the original terminology. I posted about the same thing; re: batteries and cells.

[@1shARyn3]

All that I remember: A batteries powered the cathode (sometimes the filament, but often left that to D batteries) B batteries powered the plate (anode) C batteries biased the grid (usually the Control grid) D batteries were left to flashlights and the accelerator grids on tetrodes and pentodes But, who knows. I'm old and crotchety and wonder about my memory sometimes ;-)

[@liangliangxu7061]

I just hate how this channel takes sometimes the most random things you’ll never think about and make them both informative AND entertaining. Keep it up Simon!

[@spaceman221]

EasyOrangeGaming Did you seriously think you could get away with stealing TWO comments, both from the top of the list? That's just sad man....

[@carolynmmitchell2240]

EasyOrangeGaming did you copy this too?

[@TheGlitched64Reads2]

re-read the 3rd work guys, this is clearly an original comment

[@spaceman221]

TheGlitched64Reads Sarcasm?

[@TheGlitched64Reads2]

Yes

[@htos1av]

I DID see old B batteries when I learned electronics around 1968, and they DID provide the B+ voltage for the main plates in a vacuum tube.

[@UpcycleElectronics]

Correcting myself from a comment I deleted... *9 Volt Batteries* "Pile" batteries contain 6 AAAA style cylindrical cells that are just 0.05" shorter than a true AAAA. 9 volts marked 6LF22 contain 6 square cells. -Jake

[@UpcycleElectronics]

Picture of both types of 9 volt battery cells guts and a AAAA to compare. drive.google.com/file/d/1D7GOZoFLsM-Sc_wijl3NEO043-ENqfIS/view?usp=drivesdk

[@ronindebeatrice]

Upcycle Electronics Doing God's work.

[@DFX2KX]

.... I also stand corrected then... is that... an actual label? What the heck even uses a AAAA!? I've heard that some old and small things did, like clocks, but I've yet to see one.

[@UpcycleElectronics]

DFX2KX Inside an ancient Bluetooth phone ear piece I found in a local thrift store's trash bin :)

[@DFX2KX]

That must have been where the friend that mentioned it had seen one. anything else would be just too oddball. If Lipos wheren't so cheap, I could see the use of them in this mess of a headset mod I have going on. AAA battery pack on one end, three IR leds on the other XD

[@xrayrep]

Back in the 1950's and early 1960's when I began my fascination with electronics, batteries were named not only for their physical size but also for their usage in the vacuum tube circuitry. All tube type circuits required at least an "A" voltage supply for the tube filament, and a "B" voltage supply for the tube plate. In some rare cases, a "C" voltage supply was used for grid bias. Therefore, when referring to the battery which supplied power to the tube filament, it was called the "A" battery, even if it actually was a size "D" battery. When the transition from tubes to transistors happened, we no longer referred to a battery by its usage, and stayed with naming it by its physical attributes.

[@michaelparker2449]

After all the AA AAA AAAA screaming B got scared away.

[@bobthebrickbuilder1876]

That joke was better than this whole video.

[@jimbird258]

Good. A powerpoint tip: don’t read your slides. Use your slide for pictures, and details, like the voltage numbers. Also, you compared numeric stats by speaking them. Listing them both in a slide would better for comparison, and you could say: “as you see, the B battery packs good power for its size”. Keep up the good work!

[@CEH3]

I once had a '12 transistor radio' that used B size batteries! (btw/ ANSI is usually pronounced ANN-see!) Your team does terrific work!

[@rodneybardin9281]

Clark Hartsock he's British. That's how they pronounce it. Listen how they say aluminum.

[@robyndaniell434]

Clark Hartsock Same! Had a transistor radio purchased in Asia (Hong Kong), came with "batteries included", when the batteries finally died, found out the radio took B size batteries. Didn't know B size batteries existed, so it was quite the scavenger hunt. This was 20-25 years ago. Damn, I miss that radio!

[@CEH3]

Ha! I know, but being a bit of an Anglophile I was trying to leave that bit out ;-)

[@CEH3]

I totally get it - I have a bit of a soft spot for old gear - my radio was closer to 45 years ago! It is awesome that we have that shared experience!

[@markgigiel2722]

They used to brag about how many transistors a radio had as a sales pitch. They would use half of a transistor in place of a diode in the circuit, just to say they had another transistor.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

120V BATTERIES? FUCK THAT! Oh no, my radio stopped working. _puts on rubber safety gimp suit that came with the radio_

[@OldSloGuy]

A and B batteries were before your time. In the days of vacuum tube radios, portable radios used big batteries. I had one when Eisenhower was President. The A batteries were filament batteries (low voltage) and the B batteries were plate batteries (high voltage). There were several sizes, but B batteries were usually 67.5 volts (45 cells) used in series for 135 volts. The batteries for a couple of hours of music at the beach could set you back a weeks worth of lunch money. Transistor radios changed everything, and B batteries died with vacuum tube radios.

[@jayrogers8255]

OldSloGuy he addresses this as not being the same thing as the B-size.

[@michaelshultz2540]

Right on! I owned a Zenith TransOcianic as a kid that had two batteries one for the filaments and one for the b+ plate voltage @ 90volts .

[@DFX2KX]

He's talking about the ANSI cell size. It's easier to find a Collector and Filament battery at a specialty shop then it is to find ANSI A and B batteries if you can imagine. Heck, you can find AAAA's easier.

[@anyhoot47]

Pretty awesome. I've worked in the telecommunications industry for 37 years and have seen all kinds of batteries. You could spend a lot of time on this subject. You've just scratched the surface and it would be interesting to see a more in depth video.

[@radry100]

Dissapointed that you didn't show a picture or size comparison for A and B :(

[@brokenwave6125]

radry100 Google it you lazy fuck

[@DerekWeber]

Broken Wave why watch this video at all? Just research it yourself smart guy.

[@JimShew2]

There were literally dozens of batteries with the name "A Battery" or "B Battery". (the 1972 Radio Shack catalog listed 85 types of "B Battery" for portable tube radios) Each battery type was a different physical size. As a collector of those old portable tube radios, I find sourcing those obsolete batteries, most of which have been out of production for over 40 years, increasingly difficult.

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

The channel that explain things that you never thought you wanted to know. It's like "Oh hey a video just came out." "Huh, never thought about that." "Now I'm curious."

[@ALAPINO]

I remember B batteries... I'm not that old. AAAA, now that's something you don't see everyday.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

You should cover Li-Ion cells! There are so many these days, and... I really enjoy the names they give them, which refer to their sizes perfectly. A 14500 Li-Ion is 14mm in diameter, and 500mm in length. An 18650 works in the same way, and... therefore, you're ALWAYS clear on the spatial concerns in any given project or product. I only wish AA, AAA (also 6 of those in a typical small "9v" cell), C and D cells were labeled as such. I think a "C" cell is basically the same size as a 26500 Li-Ion... but I could be wrong. :)

[@primustorus5116]

Because they make a buzzing sound.

[@Ted_Stryker]

Primus Torus Ha!!

[@misternoodle1236]

As it turns out, the Bs have been disappearing for quite some time. It is a shame the internet isn't more abuzz with this news.

[@CalneAndBlackland]

My father was a boy in WWII and still has the torch that he used then. It took just 1 B battery and until recently lay unused until I found out that if you open up one of the 4.5V flat batteries, inside, in serial, you'll find 3 1.5v cells which are B-sized. They can be separated and fit the torch nicely (with a bit of foil padding as the spring has sagged a bit). So the torch is once more able to cast its dim beam as it did over 70 years ago.

[@flatplant]

You didn't mention AAAA batteries

[@myownlivingnightmare]

How many people know they exist? I've only heard of them one other time.

[@Telcomvic]

They are rarely used. The only thing I've seen them in is my Boosteroo. I can't find them locally--thankfully I can get them on Amazon.

[@MrEdrftgyuji]

Vickie Clark You can get them in 9V batteries. If you open one up, theres 6 AAAA batteries inside

[@Telcomvic]

MrEdrftgyuji thanks for the tip!

[@okaro6595]

Not all 9V batteries have AAAA cells.

[@allenjenkins7947]

I actually had a valve (vacuum tube) portable radio in the late 1950s, just before the first trannies (That's radios, not transvestites!) hit the market. As Simon said, the 'B' battery provided plate voltage to the tubes. They were not a size standard, the 'B' referred to their function. Mine was 90V. They were formed from a stack of 'wafer' batteries. Because they drew only a small current, they used to last quite a while. The 'A' battery was the tube filament battery, and was low voltage (1.5V-4.5V typical). Because of the high current draw, they didn't last too long.

[@etocadet]

Here’s a question Why is it energiser bunny in the US, but Duracell Bunny in the UK?

[@Locomaid]

etocadet Because one company copied the other‘s advertising. They are not the same

[@pirate-tv]

It seems Duracell forgot to extend their trademark in the US in 1988, when Energizer pounced on the opportunity.

[@Strike_Raid]

The A, B, and C batteries for vacuum tube devices refer to the three typical circuits in those devices. 'A' is the filament circuit which usually used a large lead acid battery like a car battery because they drew a lot or current at low voltage. The 'B' battery powered the electronic portion of the circuit and needed up to about 90 volts with a moderate current draw. These batteries were expensive, were not rechargeable and didn't last long. The 'C' battery was the grid bias battery which was low voltage and drew almost no current, a modern C cell could ironically be used as a C battery and last a long time doing so.

[@davebell4917]

We used such a device on the farm, a Marconi grain moisture meter, which combine a valve amplifier with a Wheatstone bridge. The "A" battery was a huge 1.5v cell with screw terminals, looks like the no. 6 type, which is still available. The "B" battery was 45v, originally a typical radio battery type, and later a stack of 9v units, size PP9, I think. The original "C" battery was the grid bias, and was eventually redundant, replaced by other circuit designs. It was part of the annual pre-harvest routine to replace the batteries.

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

All that, and no pictures of A and B batteries? :)

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

I just learned, from both the above videos, that a 9V battery is made up of a pack of 6 AAAA-size cells.

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

Of course, if you want pictures and more details than you can shake a stick at, the ever-reliable Wikipedia can provide: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_sizes So why are there no E-cells?

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

Ah, it turns out (from the Wikipedia article) that the good old 9V cell is also designated “E”.

[@frankstrawnation]

Thank you for the effort.

[@swinde]

The "A" battery was for filament voltage. The "B" battery was for plate voltage. The "C" battery was for bias. These terms lingered in electronics as the A supply, the B+ voltage and the C supply. With transistors B+ is sometimes used but most often the term is +VCC.

[@dreisday]

Great video, and super informative. But in British English at least (I'm not sure about simplified English) ANSI is pronounced 'An-See'.

[@saf271828]

Daryl Reis-Day It is in American English as well.

[@davewitzany2078]

And in the US, ASCII is pronounced 'Ass-kee'.

[@TannerTech]

Whenever I think of a "B" battery, I think of the 45 and 67.5 volt radio batteries from a long time ago lol. These high voltage batteries provided the b+ voltage to portable radios. These were probably far more common than the batteries you are referring to. Haha

[@Lumencraft-]

There are also other divisions such as 2/3 A (Two thirds A) 2/3 C Which are shorter versions with the same diameter.

[@tnekkc]

I am a retired electrical engineer and have designed many battery chargers for airplanes and medical equipment. When I was a child in the 1950s I would buy A batteries at the hardware store for experiments. Old Geiger counters [check for radioactive Uranium] had 45 Volt B batteries in them that probably leaked. I became battery free at age ~8 when I got a Marx electric train and used the AC power supply from the train for experiments. I did development work the Boeing 767 and 777 battery chargers for ELDEC. In my career I did Lead Acid Ni Cad battery chargers. These modern Li ion batteries are much better. If they get the Iron out of Lithium batteries in a practical way, it will revolutionize cars.

[@mickeyrube6623]

I always thought B batteries were never made becuase it would be to hard to tell if someone wanted them, or was just stuttering. Customer to clerk: "I n-need a p-pair of buh-buh B b-batteries ." Clerk: "What? Stop stuttering.." (Clears throat) Costomer: "I need B batteries." Clerk: "What size?" Customer: "B batteries!" Clerk: "l know you need batteries, what size!"

[@simoneglinton3274]

Demetri Martin credit?

[@HSMiyamoto]

I can't believe the AAA is older than me. I dont think I saw one until the 90s, and I was an electronics hobbyist as a kid.

[@LiftPizzas]

But which size battery is Metallica singing about?

[@myklelara]

Lift Pizzas The one that Mel Gibson got charged for.

[@davidgreenwood9514]

i think they're talking about a beat down.. like "assault and battery"

[@jasonvoorhees895]

IDK, but they're a powerhouse of energy with neverending potency...and you can't kill em! BATTERY!

[@swinde]

Originally the "A" battery was for tube filaments, the "B" battery was for the B+ or plate voltage and the "C" battery was for the bias supply for the grids of tube radios.

[@_Piers_]

...and then there are N batteries, making a mockery of this whole size order thing.

[@johnopalko5223]

I once had a VCR whose remote control used a J battery. Weird looking thing.

[@SomeNot]

X batteries? Y batteries?

[@justinm2037]

yea i had an rca tv that took that square one with the corner cut off we got a universal remote but it would not change the channels stupid rca

[@RayleighCriterion]

I have seen N sized batteries, and also AAAA sized batteries.

[@justinm2037]

i think judging by the difference between a c battery and a d battery a z battery might be the size of a dumpster

[@ctpctp]

It wasn't explicitly mentioned but the reason batteries got named AA, AAA, and AAAA was that for a long time A was the smallest but that painted them into a naming corner and they had nowhere else to go for the names once they could go smaller.

[@amojak]

hmm no mention of their former names in the UK. HP HP2 PP9 996 etc..

[@Tob1Kadach1]

I've never heard of those names? Wasn't born 'till 92 though

[@michaelkelleypoetry]

Demetri Martin already answered this in his stand-up... People would just think you’re stuttering. “Yes, I would like some B-batteries.” “Okay, what kind?” “B-batteries.” Lol. 😂

[@fsmoura]

*ANN-SEE*

[@mythic_snake]

He has to mispronounce something in every video.

[@yardstickwhack]

Thank you! In grade school we (including comp sci teacher) always pronounced it ansee.

[@r0osboz1]

He did mispronounce it, he just always spelled it out: "A" "N" "S" "I", but it is a lot easier to say "annsee"

[@dfw_motorrad1329]

Demetri Martin covered this already. It would cause confusion especially for someone with a stutter. "I would like some B-batteries, please." "Okay, what size?" "B-batteries."

[@JUANKERR2000]

I've never yet seen AA, C or D batteries, only cells.

[@Craig_Spurlock]

I do like these "Missing Number/ Letter" stories. Two of my biggest childhood mysteries, which have long since been answered were, what happened to Type III audio cassettes and why was there no "channel 1" on my Television.

[@DanGoodShotHD]

Really? Went through the whole video and never showed a single picture of an A or B battery? Fail

[@JimShew2]

Small wonder - most types of the "A Batteries" and of "B Batteries" used in pre-transistor-era portable radios have been out of commercial production for 40 years or more.

[@DanGoodShotHD]

JimShew2 NO excuse. Tis the day of the internet. They should be able to find a photo, somewhere, somehow. Hell, even a pencil drawing from the patent office would have sufficed. Excuses are for pussies!! Bwahahaha!

[@JimShew2]

The internet as we know it did not exist 40 years ago in 1978 when the battery manufacturers stopped production of these batteries in commercial quantities. Communication between computers of that era was rarely faster than 120 characters per second, which required over 20 minutes to transfer even a grainy 1 megapixel image. The visible case of a "B battery" for tube radios was literally just a cardboard box about twice the thickness of a breakfast cereal box. Inside, (in the case of a 67.5 volt version that i wound up rebuilding using the wafer cells from a 9 volt battery) it contained two stacks of 45 3/4 inch square by 1/8 inch thick 1.5 volt wafer cells stacked in series and the two stacks wired in parallel to provide the high voltage. While I don't doubt there could be other ancient photos in existence that include other examples of those batteries, the producers of this video did show a rather large 45 volt one at 3:18

[@cannedmusic]

Thank you. When I was young my mom was given a toy for me to have from a friend of hers. It was made either in the late 50's or mid 60's. When I tried to find batteries for it, I was teased by my brother and dad who were adamant that B batteries didn't exist, as I claimed they were called for in said toy.

[@aaronhelmsman]

No pictures, size comparisons, or physical batteries in this video. Disappointing

[@blindleader42]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_sizes Enjoy.

[@russellmoore8187]

Thanks for the awesome pictures of the B battery! It really helped illustrate.

[@EmB856]

00:16 Finnish batteries!

[@MrTenad]

Suomi mainittu - torilla tavataan!

[@vr6swp]

I found a box of (I think) A batteries while cleaning out my dad's house. About the size of a juice can, with screw terminals on top. No labeling on them, a couple were glass, and the rest were metal casings. My grandparents had both the huge 1930's radio and a handcrank telephone that ran on batteries prior to the REA running power lines to their property, guessing these huge batteries were left over from their house.

[@BellevilleDrivers]

An-see

[@matthewbabij37]

VIDEO TITLE WAS MISLEADING. YOUR FIRST STATEMENT IS "SO WHY ARE THERE NO A,B BATTERIES, WELL THERE ARE BUT......" PLEASE DONT START MANIPULATING VIDEO TITLES TO GET MORE VIEWS. I LOVE THIS CHANNEL ! DONT SELL OUT!!

[@douglasladowski6342]

This channel never fails to enlighten me, thanks guys

[@BoanergesTWELF12]

*sees a video commercial about a dude shaving his head, sees Simon immediately after*

[@frickinfrick8488]

You ever see one of those questions that you never asked but once you saw it you had to know? That’s what happens when this channel pops up in my feed.

[@ehrichweiss]

I remember seeing A and B batteries when I was a kid. There was a pharmacy that had a battery aisle and when my mom would go there I'd hit that aisle to see all the batteries that I couldn't afford.

[@RadioMattM]

The plate does not take electrons from the filament except as I will note shortly. The plate takes electrons from the cathode. The filament heats the cathode so it more readily "sheds" electrons so they will go towards the plate (or anode). Often the filament and the cathode are to separate parts; but sometimes a filament will be combined with the cathode into one part, but it is still the cathode that is emitting the electrons.

[@lyfandeth]

A real 6v lantern battery always had four F cells in it, but the cheap ones today, often sold with a lantern for less than the price of a good battery, have four very much shorter cells (i.e. 1/2 F) inside. Nasty surprise if you were expecting a real lantern!

[@dkrice]

Informative video. One thing to note though is that virtually no one here in the US refers to ANSI by its individual letters. We pronounce it “ANNsee”. It took me a moment to realize what you were referring to.

[@okaro6595]

There are three B batteries inside the 4,5 volt battery in 1:16. Those were common in Europe in the 70s and are still available. B-battery is R12 (LR12 if alkaline) in Europe and that flat 4.5 V is 3R12 (3LR12) . Though as one can see in the image the European designations R20, R14, R6 and R03 have been almost completely abandoned,

[@kg4boj]

There were batteries called "A" batteries and "B" batteries. These were common from the 1920's onward where your radio would both plug in AND use batteries! That's because rectifying AC was not easy at the time without silicon diodes to rectify them and you needed relatively pure DC to run the sensitive tubes for signal amplification. You would Look in the back vent holes of your radio or take the top cover off and your A batteries gave 1.5 V to run the filaments in the tubes, so if the tubes were glowing and you didn't hear anything you would be swapping the B battery which gives higher voltage DC to push electrons off the hot filament through the control grid, if they weren't glowing you swapped out the A battery and if the filaments didn't glow and you still didn't hear music you popped out your tubes, took them to a hardware store which had a machine with a bunch of switches on it and a coiled up scroll inside behind a window. You would turn the scroll to find the number of your tube, then it would have a number of switches that you would set according to what it said on the scroll and see if the several meters on the device showed good readings compared to what the scroll says should be an in spec reading. Because of how often tubes would burn out in those days and how complicated it was to test them on this "easy" to use device there would always be a long line of people behind them. This was back in the day when if you wanted to have a radio you really needed to understand how they work so that you could do this, and they all came with very detailed schematics and an encyclopedia like book on the theory of it's operation. Nowadays people are just too dumb and would never make it back then. That's proof of evolution for you, today people have bigger boobs and smaller brains.

[@deadfreightwest5956]

Vacuum tube (or valve) gear typically had two batteries: A high voltage battery for the plate (anode) voltage, and a low voltage battery to set the bias (which Simon mentioned elliptically) to create the electron flow from cathode to plate. Also, many "portable" tube gear had low-voltage filaments (heaters) in the tubes themselves.

[@karlbergen6826]

In vacumn tube circuits the 'A' battery lit the tube filaments and was a high capacity, typically one or two D cells. The 'B' battery was s stack of rather small cells the provided voltage to operated the vacuum tube plate. This had to be a higher voltage than the 'A' battery but it needed very little current. I was however more expensive. The 'C' battery was a low voltage battery used to bias the grid of the tube below ground. Usually it was replaced by a cathode resister which got the cathode somewhat more positive than ground marking the grid negative.

[@TheTomBevis]

I found a "B" battery when I was young (1973?). It looked like a 9 volt battery, but when I picked it up, i got a good shock. After picking it up again with more care, I saw it was rated at 180 VDC.

[@wino0000006]

3:19 - this is the vacuum tube B battery - the normal B battery also designated as R12 (or LR12) is like bigger AA battery.

[@dougsmith7616]

B batterys were used in portable tube radios, during and after ww2. And yes, there are B batteries available as new oldstock from antique radio shops.

[@ronaldviens7862]

In the day( the 1930s through the 60s) a B battery was a wet cell, like a car battery. It was used in communications systems that were installed in radio cars, usually in the trunk, because it wasn't unusual to have a 150 pound battery depending on the voltage produced. In the 40s, dry cell batteries underwent major evolution and in the 50s the transistor made its appearance, resulting in cheaper batteries and lower power requirements for final amplifier drivers.

[@uzaiyaro]

And now for another bonus fact. There are also AAAA batteries. These are used in series (6 of them) in 9 volt batteries, but can also be found individually in things like an active Bluetooth stylus.

[@dukenastee3521]

This has got to be the coolest channel I've ever seen. Dope simon👍💯👌

[@Citywillwin]

HP2, HP7, HP11, HP16, PP3 .... all batteries from my childhood (and until at least the mid 1990s) now renamed after American ANSI standards D, AA, C, AAA, 9v