Greetings. I have come to exhaustion looking for an electronic part; so I come to
you good people at Google for your kind assistance.
I own a small business that makes smoke alarms for the hearing impaired
(the alarms make a low frequency as per requested by an old Dear Abby
article which decries the fact that many seniors can't hear the high
pitch of most smoke alarms).
Our fire alarm uses six AA batteries and I need a battery holder for
the six AA batts.
(You can find pictures of our product at http://loudenlow.com which
may be helpful.)
Let me show you a radio shack picture of the type of item I'm needing to get you
started:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062244&cp=&kw=aa+battery+holder&parentPage=search
Now imagine that the Radio Shack item holds SIX instead of just four
AA batteries...
that's what I'm looking for. (It's a rare item because almost all
consumer products use
either two, or four, but not six, batteries.)
Further description of what I'm looking for is below:
====================================================
Description: UM-3 or ?AA? Size Battery Holders,
For Six ?AA? Cell with
6 inches Wire Lead
====================================================
Additional specs:
Wiring: There are 3 common ways to "wire up" the battery holder and therefore
three "models" that they tend to come in.
1. Wire leads. This is what I prefer. 6 inches or greater. Basically, there are
simply two wires coming from the holde (as in the Radio shack example).
2. Solder lug. This is basically a short piece of metal which can be soldered to.
I prefer (1.) but if worst comes to worst I can deal with the solder lugs.
3. Snap connector or "quick snap". I cannot use this type.
====================================================
Pricing:
This item should be priced around $2.00 USD.
====================================================
Country:
I live in the US. I prefer a US company but am happy to buy from Canada and
willing to buy from U.K. if shipping is not prohibitive.
====================================================
Quantity:
I'm willing/wanting to buy 100 or so at a time but I NEED A COMPANY
THAT WILL LET ME
BEG, BORROW, OR STEAL JUST ONE OR TWO SO THAT I CAN TEST IT BEFORE BUYING
IN LARGE QUANITITY. I'm having difficulty with this.
====================================================
"Shape":
I need the holder to be "flat", ie, the batteries all in a row. (Some
holders stack the batteries.)
====================================================
Spec Sheets:
Most companies (like DigiKey) provide a spec sheet in PDF format. This is very
helpful in determining if the part is right for you. SRI (the company I link to
below) does not seem to provide spec sheets for the item I'm seeking.
---------------------------------------------------------------
I have provided links that will show you photos and specs. A company called
SRI has photos of what I'm wanting.
====================================================
Link 1: Company: SRI
This company, however, (listed below) requires a large up-front purchase and
is somewhat non-responsive. I have not heard back from them regarding
pricing, availability, etc. I placed a small order weeks ago but have
not received.
I have no doubt they are a reputable and good
company and I do not wish to cast any aspersions. I've simply had a hard
time communicating with them... I keep late hours.
Part number: BH361WL at:
http://www.sourceresearch.com/store1/quickstore.cfm?ProductID=105881&do=detail
====================================================
Link 2, "the anti-link".
Link 2: SRI, an example of what I do NOT want (as suggested in your FAQ):
http://www.sourceresearch.com/store1/quickstore.cfm?ProductID=105889&do=detail
This style of holder is "two dimensional". ie, holds batteries in two
"stacked rows"
of three. I require a "flat" array of six batteries.
====================================================
Link 3: SRI: this item is IDEAL. But again, I cannot seem to get a response
or price:
http://www.sourceresearch.com/store1/quickstore.cfm?ProductID=105891&do=detail
====================================================
Link 4: SRI: This item MIGHT work for me but I would need to buy one
or two (not 100
at a time) to test. I need the battery holders to generally be flat on the bottom.
I cannot tell from the photo provided what the shape is like. Also, I
will be drilling
my own holes to mount the holders. Holders that come with pre-drilled holes may
not work for me if the holes interfere with mine. So, again, having a spec sheet
or a sample unit would be very helpful to me.
http://www.sourceresearch.com/store1/quickstore.cfm?ProductID=106012&do=detail
====================================================
The item shown in Link 3 is what I really want. But if it is not available
I could try to make due with Link 4 or Link 1.
Thank you kindly for your efforts in this research. Note: The 6 AA cell battery
holder does NOT have to be purchased from SRI or even FrontLine...those are just
examples.
I appreciate your assistance and look forward to hearing what you discover.
Thank you,
Matt Darrow
The Darrow Company
http://loudenlow.com
Smoke alarms for the Hearing Impaired |
