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Isolating Batteries in Battery Compartment
Boris_yo:
Hello,
I remember when I ordered kitchen timer once it had a piece of transparent plastic that looked like one that blister packs are made of, however that one was thinner and flexible. I could power on kitchen timer only after removing that piece of plastic. I realized it was there to isolate batteries and prevent leakage and possibly prevent batteries from going bad.
I habe emergency light which holds 4 AA batteries but since I will use it only occasionally I want to find a piece of plastic and do the same think that kitchen timer had. Should I put one piece of plastic at the bottom of battery compartment and another piece in the middle to isolate each pair? Shpuld I add 3rd piece of plastic on top to isolate batteries from cover?
Would this work and does make sense?
bitwelder:
It seems that timer places in parallel 2 series of 2 AA each.
In that case you'd probably need only to isolate the cover to break the circuit.
But before doing that you could try to measure whether the timer uses any 'idle' current: place all batteries and instead of putting the cover, set your multimeter for current measurement and touch with one probe to the back of one of the batteries and with the other one that little metallic tip that is visible in picture, and see whether there is any sensible current when the device is 'off'.
tooki:
--- Quote from: bitwelder on November 30, 2021, 03:43:19 pm ---It seems that timer places in parallel 2 series of 2 AA each.
In that case you'd probably need only to isolate the cover to break the circuit.
But before doing that you could try to measure whether the timer uses any 'idle' current: place all batteries and instead of putting the cover, set your multimeter for current measurement and touch with one probe to the back of one of the batteries and with the other one that little metallic tip that is visible in picture, and see whether there is any sensible current when the device is 'off'.
--- End quote ---
The item in question is the flashlight, not the timer. The timer is simply where he became aware of battery shipping insulators.
tooki:
--- Quote from: Boris_yo on November 30, 2021, 03:30:22 pm ---Hello,
I remember when I ordered kitchen timer once it had a piece of transparent plastic that looked like one that blister packs are made of, however that one was thinner and flexible. I could power on kitchen timer only after removing that piece of plastic. I realized it was there to isolate batteries and prevent leakage and possibly prevent batteries from going bad.
I habe emergency light which holds 4 AA batteries but since I will use it only occasionally I want to find a piece of plastic and do the same think that kitchen timer had. Should I put one piece of plastic at the bottom of battery compartment and another piece in the middle to isolate each pair? Shpuld I add 3rd piece of plastic on top to isolate batteries from cover?
Would this work and does make sense?
--- End quote ---
Flashlights typically use real switches that fully disconnect the batteries from the load. In such a situation, adding plastic insulation doesn’t do anything.
The battery shipping insulators are used in devices that are always on (or in standby) and thus would slowly drain the batteries. Digital timers fall into this category, flashlights do not.
GLouie:
I suggest simply removing the batteries from the flashlight and keeping them in a leakproof plastic bag near the seldom-used light. The risk from leaking alkaline batteries shown is very high. I prefer to keep a supply of rechargeable NiMH cells for AA devices.
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