Products > Test Equipment
How do you protect your handheld meters from battery leakage?
Traceless:
--- Quote from: RoGeorge on September 18, 2022, 05:00:26 pm ---I'm using low self-discharge Ni-MH rechargeable, brand TRONIC energy eco (bought from LIDL).
They really are low at self-discharging, I recharge them (for the DMM) once a year or so.
Their color scheme looks like this: https://budgetlightforum.com/node/55247
They come in format AA, AAA, C and 6HR61 9V(7.2V), all the same brand, name and color scheme.
--- End quote ---
Thanks for sharing your experience with the Tronic batteries. I just found a NiMH long term test (link below). Apparently the IKEA Ladda perform nicely as well.
robert.rozee:
here is another interesting one:
https://www.bunnings.co.nz/solar-magic-3-2v-600mah-14500-lithium-batteries-2-pack_p4351891
pack of two 3.2V, 600mAh, 14500 size Lithium LiFePO4 rechargeable batteries. being sold for use in solar garden lights. looks like LiFePO4 may have a self-discharge of something like 2%/month. just fit in every 2nd space, with dummy cells (wire link) in between.
cheers,
rob :-)
Gyro:
--- Quote from: robert.rozee on September 18, 2022, 04:34:35 pm ---
--- 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.
--- End quote ---
i'm not entirely convinced of this.
from reading the wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline_battery), an alkaline cell has a "pressure expansion seal" at the base (under the negative cap). that such an expansion seal is needed points to pressure build-up inside not being uncommon.
a zinc-carbon cell, again from a wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc%E2%80%93carbon_battery) is mechanically far simpler, lacking an expansion seal. it appears that any pressure is alleviated via the carbon rod (that exits the cell-proper under the positive cap) being porous. however, the zinc casing of the cell is consumed over time, and that may release contents.
so both have issues, but different issues. certainly, in the last 10 years i have noticed alkaline cells having a disproportionate proclivity to damage/wreck equipment; i don't recall ever having something damaged by a leaking zinc-carbon cell.
--- End quote ---
Back in the day, leaking 'leakproof' Zinc Carbon torch batteries (AA, C, and D) were a real problem, and that was with shorter shelf and operating life than we typically see today with the higher capacity Alkalines.
David Hess:
My handheld instruments are all old so use 9 volt batteries which have two layers of protection. The only 9 volt batteries that I have had leak and damage something are carbon-zinc batteries, and there is no reason to use them instead of alkaline 9 volt batteries.
For my other things which use AAA and AA cells, I use low leakage NiMH cells. I have gone through one complete set over more than 5 years for everything and none of them leaked.
Another alternative are 1.5 volt Li–FeS2 (lithium iron disulfide) AA and AAA cells which are now available and suppose to never leak. I doubt their 1.8 volt open circuit voltage will matter to anything.
BillyO:
--- Quote from: alm on September 18, 2022, 12:40:55 pm ---But I believe lithium AA batteries have an initial voltage of 1.7 V. I'm not sure if all equipment can deal with this.
--- End quote ---
They are usually less than .1V more than alkaline which when fresh can be as high as 1.65V. I wouldn't worry about it.
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