Abstract: Methods for fabricating battery plates for lead/acid batteries are provided. The battery plates that are fabricated may be positive plates, negative plates, or bipolar plates. The principal active constituent of the battery plates is elemental lead in the case of negative plates, lead oxide in the case of positive plates, or elemental lead on one face and lead oxide on the other face of bipolar plates. In any event, the battery plate comprises a thin layer of lead (which may later be oxidized, at least at its surface), where the thin layer of lead is surface treated so as to form a plurality of closely spaced depressions therein. By the surface treatment, the exposed active surface area of the plate is increased to at least 150% of its projected area. The surface treatment may be by embossing the lead, or micro-machining the lead using a laser. When the plate is a bipolar plate, a core element is provided between a pair of opposed thin layers of lead, one of which will subsequently be oxidized.

Abstract: Methods for fabricating cored structures are provided. The cored structures may particularly find usefulness as cored battery plates for use in lead/acid batteries. A pre-formed core element is provided, and on its surfaces there is placed a thin layer of an active surface material. That active surface material is one which may enter into a chemical or electrochemical process when in use and in the presence of an electrolyte or other agent which will promote such chemical or electrochemical process. In the case of lead/acid batteries, the active surface is lead or lead oxide. The core element is generally one which does not bond with the active surface material, but will if the active surface material is ion bombarded or neutral atom embedded into the surface of the core, and where the amount of bombardment or embedment is determined by controlling the accelerator voltage.

Abstract: A process for charging a cell is disclosed. In this process, a discharged cell is connected to a charger. Discharge pulses are periodically withdrawn from the cell. Charging pulses are provided by the charger, and they are delivered to the cell only when the cell voltage at the end of the discharge interval is less than a specified reference voltage.

Abstract: A battery charger for charging primary alkaline zinc/manganese dioxide cells. The battery charger with circuitry for producing a direct current voltage at a temperature of 25 degrees centigrade of from about 1.6 to about 1.7 volts and individually and independently limiting the voltage delivered by the battery charger to each of the cells. The charger also contains circuitry for individually and independently limiting the current applied to each of said cells by said battery charger and individually and continuously varying the current applied to each of said cells. Once any of the cells in the charge has reached its desired voltage, the charger reduces the current supplied to said cell substantially to zero current.

Abstract: Methods are provided for fabricating a sintered and solid element from an otherwise unsinterable material, utilizing the property of that material that it will form an eutectic composition or alloy with a suitable alloying agent at a temperature which is below the plastic deformation temperature of the material. Discrete particles of the material to be sintered--such as grains or wire pieces--are coated with a thin coating of the alloying agent and are packed into the position where they are to be sintered. Then, the coated grains or wire pieces are heated so that at least the coating and the regions of the grains just below the coating are slowly raised in temperature. Diffusion regions of the alloying agent into the grains of the sinterable material will then occur. Further heating continues so that at least the diffusion regions increase in temperature to just slightly above the eutectic melting point.

Abstract: An improved oscillator circuit for avoiding core saturation without the need for auxiliary magnetic devices employs an emitter resistance for regulating base voltage, and a semiconductor base shunt for initiating transistor cut-off when the base voltage increases above the threshold voltage of the semiconductor shunt, the emitter resistance being preselected to activate the base shunt before the transformer core reaches saturation.

Abstract: An emergency light entirely self-contained that fits into a standard AC fixture in place of a fluorescent or other vapor lamp employs a similar lamp and a rechargeable battery with a system which operates the lamp normally on AC but if AC power fails operates the lamp using battery power. During normal operation on AC the battery is charged by a rectifier charger unit operating in series with the lamp current, which limits battery charge current. When AC power fails the lamp is electrically isolated from the AC line and operated by an inverter unit drawing power from the battery.

Abstract: An emergency light entirely self-contained that fits into a standard AC fixture in place of a fluorescent or other vapor lamp employs a similar lamp and a rechargeable battery with a system which operates the lamp normally on AC but if AC power fails operates the lamp using battery power. During normal operation on AC the battery is charged by a rectifier charger unit operating in series with the lamp current, which limits battery charge current. When AC power fails the lamp is electrically isolated from the AC line and operated by an inverter unit drawing power from the battery.

Abstract: An electronic siren wherein push-pull output transistor stages are used to drive an inductive load for producing an audible signal. Thermally induced base leakage currents are diverted from the transistor stages through the use of a control network which alternately removes a constantly asserted forward biasing signal therefrom. A current diverting network operating in conjuction with a series connected common emitter resistor serves to limit excess current flow at the output transistor stages and a shutdown network responding to a non-saturated on condition at either transistor stage serves to shut the circuit down in the event of short circuits and the like.