Products > Test Equipment
How do you protect your handheld meters from battery leakage?
wraper:
Also as long as device does not shut down with single cell voltage above 1.2V (which would be a crappy device wasting almost half of the alkaline battery capacity), there are basically no downsides in using LSD NiMH cells.
bdunham7:
--- Quote from: Traceless on September 18, 2022, 01:08:42 pm ---I haven't used non-rechargable lithium batteries yet, but according to their spec they deliver 1.5V just like their alkaline counterparts. They are expensive though, but especially in more expensive test gear spending a few more bucks on a batteries seems to be reasonable
--- End quote ---
I've not had the Varta version, but the Energizer Ultimates have an OCV of ~1.8V initially and ~1.7V when totally dead. The cell impedance goes up as they discharge (or get cold). Their best use cases are devices that are only used very rarely (low LSD, no leakage, device will be OK for 10 years plus) or the occasional poorly designed product that can't cope with the appropriate range of voltages seen from normal batteries over their life. Otherwise they cost too much and don't have that much longer of a useful life than good NiMH. My supposedly battery-hungry Fluke 289 will log for over a week with Eneloops.
One option not mentioned thus far are the two-cell Li-Ion 9V battery replacements. Large capacity, low internal impedance, low self discharge, no leakage--they're my new go-to for smoke detectors and meters that take the 9V type.
Fungus:
--- Quote from: Traceless on September 18, 2022, 09:27:17 am ---Hey everyone, how do you protect you handheld meters and other devices from battery leakage?
--- End quote ---
a) Don't use alkaline batteries.
25 CPS:
I ended up putting my handheld test equipment and a bunch of other things onto an annual preventative maintenance plan after having leaks destroy two Agilent U1177A IR/BT adapters and damage a multimeter, and had batteries leak in other things like flashlights, wireless weather station receivers etc. The details are over in the Test Equipment Anonymous thread.
I seriously think the major downside of long battery life is that it can end up being too long and invite batteries to leak before they run down and force a replacement with new ones.
Traceless:
--- Quote from: wraper on September 18, 2022, 02:02:11 pm ---Carbon-zinc batteries leak just as bad as alkalines. It's just that currently alkalines are more prevalent now so you see them leaking more often.
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Sounds almost like you have some first hand experience with leaking zinc carbon batteries. alm mentioned above that while lithium batteries do leak they seem no be less (non?)-corrosive. Do you know if zinc carbon leakage is less/more/just as bad as alkaline leakage?
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