Mechanical switching vs transistor switching

[Ken M]

Will a Junghans mechanical switching ATO use up a battery faster than the Kundo transistor switched? Kundos typically seem to need a "C" cell, but one I got yesterday requires a "AA". Iy's the same cock, but apparently they figured a "AA" is sufficient. I hooked up my Junghans with a "AA". I'm wondering if the contact switching will use more juice than the transistor. When it comes to electronics, I'm about as ignorant as one can get. My common sense says yes, it will draw more.

 

[Schatznut]

There are a couple of factors that don't depend much on the switching methodology. How long the battery will last is determined by how long the coil is conducting current during each beat and how much current it draws during that time. The transistor is just a switch, like the contacts. I run one of my Kundos on a single "AA"" and it lasts about a year before I notice the amplitude is starting to decrease.

 

[Ken M]

I'm going to see how long the Junghans lasts, but I used a different battery, so I won't get any real data out of apples/oranges comparison. Next time!

 

[ElectricTime]

If you use alkaline, both batteries are the same voltage 1.5 VDC and the current capacity is 1.8 or 8.0 AH respectively - I found smaller AH lithium-ion batteries do NOT have enough peak surge current to run some stronger loads.

 

[Ken M]

I'm using Harbor Freight batteries. The Junghans has the yellow where the Kundo has the bronze. There is a difference in thise batteries, the bronze last much longer and cost much more.