AA+ Battery Life Cycle Comparison STATISTICAL METHODS FOR RELIABILITY ENGINEERING BRAD ALLARD

OBJECTIVES / SYSTEM DESCRIPTION Objective –To compare life cycle data sets for 3 types of competing brand name AA+ Alkaline batteries to determine which brand provides a greater number of watt/hours per dollar. Components

Methodologies Used 100 Average Watt/Hours Data Points were generated for each of the battery brands. All test results shown below were obtained by running a modified continuous load test. The resistive load was applied to the battery until the cutoff voltage was reached (e.g volts). The battery was then allowed to rest for 15 minutes before the load was reapplied. This process was repeated until the battery fell below the cutoff voltage within 5 minutes of reapplying the load, at which time the test was terminated. DURACELLENERGIZERSONY

Methodologies Continued… MINITAB MAPLE DURACELL: ENERGIZER: SONY:

Results Based off of Mean Time to Failure in conjunction with the price per battery; the Sony AA+ Alkaline Batteries are the best value.

Conclusions The current value Analysis does not factor in: –Recharging Capabilities Some batteries may regain a larger percentage of initial life than others –Ambient Temperature Power Leakage All batteries seep Power over time (especially when stored at room temperature) Some batteries may leak a larger quantity of power in a shorter amount of time For a single use, the Sony AA+ Alkaline Battery is a marginally better value than both Energizer and Duracell HOWEVER…