MTH BATTERIES GREEN OR WHITE?

I believe the white are the old ones MTH used that you would find in an older PS-1 engine. Green are newer. 

Chris Lonero posted:

I believe the white are the old ones MTH used that you would find in an older PS-1 engine. Green are newer. 

Exactly

Throw the white ones away!  They're far too old to be any good, and you can only have a bad experience with a bad battery in an MTH PS/1 locomotive!

The white batteries are Nickel-Cadmium [ (NiCd, NiCad)].  These were the original batteries used in PS and PS2 5v systems and maybe in fact the very earliest 3v systems.  It seems to me I have seen different colored 3v packs.

The green batteries are Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH).  Before MTH got on board with these, most of us would in fact replace to low voltage 8.4v NiCd's with the NiMH 8.4v batteries.  Eventually MTH did come on board.

Ron

The white batteries are the older MTH batteries and like others mentioned should be replaced!

The green batteries are the newer MTH batteries but could be old as well, check the date code.

Lee Fritz

If the battery is white,  do what is posted and throw it away.

I had a white battery in a PS-1 standard gauge engine I bought. I tossed it before ever putting voltage to the track and put a new green battery in.

Way to go Chris.  I have many repairs come to me with a new green battery.  The customer boasts about the new battery.  What they do not tell is that they fired it up with an 18 year old dead battery first.  

For what it's worth, you probably shouldn't actually toss the white batteries in the trash.  Places like best-buy have drop boxes for battery recycling, and this is where they should end up.  Cadmium is toxic and should not be tossed in with the trash.  

JGL

John, I think everyone here knows the proper way to dispose of a battery.   By saying "throw it away" is just a short message relating to what you outlined.   I like to think people do not discard them in rubbish.  I am big on safety.  

Marty, I'd also like to think people don't toss batteries in the rubbish, but I know that people do.  You probably shouldn't toss any sort of battery in the regular trash, but my point was the NiCD batteries in particular should be disposed of properly, as they are especially bad for the environment and such.  

I didn't figure you were advocating actually putting them in the trash can.

JGL

Beware, people are still trying to sell the white ones in ebay as new.

JohnGaltLine posted:

Marty, I'd also like to think people don't toss batteries in the rubbish, but I know that people do.  You probably shouldn't toss any sort of battery in the regular trash, but my point was the NiCD batteries in particular should be disposed of properly, as they are especially bad for the environment and such.  

I didn't figure you were advocating actually putting them in the trash can.

JGL

Some people don't know, I drop mine at Lowes.

It's interesting when someone says; " The battery looks OK" Speaking for myself I don't have those super powers to determine whether a battery is good or bad just by looking at it so a good rule of thumb is "When in doubt throw it out" 

Chris, I am old fashioned, I need a meter to test voltage.  You know my test box with the light bulb load.

Ray of sunshine posted:

I am in the process of replacing the batteries for my MTH engines with BCR's. ..... What is the difference? Is the WHITE one a BCR?

Thanks, Ray

The 9V size BCRs are red.