The obvious answer I think everyone will advise is "When it quits working." However, I need a bit more advice then that. I have about 50 AA and AAA batteries not in any devices. Some used, some new. I have a Volt Omh Meter. The batteries are 1.5volt. At what tested voltage should I discard the battery. I know that some batteries that won't power one device because it is running out of juice, may run something else. I get that. BUT,
IN GENERAL, at what voltage would you disgard a 1.5volt battery? Is it when the battery reaches a % of its original power?
The battery needs to be tested under load. The load will vary depending on the capacity of the battery - a simple battery tester instead of a multitester will supply a load that will give you a reasonably good idea of the battery condition. A resistor of something like 10 ohms across the multitester leads will test the battery under roughly 150ma load, which will weed out the really weak ones pretty quickly. A 5 ohm resistor will show you the good ones with a roughly
You can't tell just by reading the voltage at the terminals. The battery needs to be loaded to get any sense of its remaining capacity.
The problem with reusing batteries is that (almost) dead batteries tend to leak, which will ruin the appliance they're in. It's simply not worth messing with dead batteries.
If an alkaline battery has been partially discharged AND exposed to 90F or greater temps, it has been my experience that the battery will start leaking so I just toss them.
FWIW, I use rechargeable NiMH batteries wherever I can. Never had a NiMH leak and destroy a device.
Hmmm, Are you hoarding used batteries? I just discard them as soon as the device it's in becomes sluggish. If I check the voltage of them with Simpson 260, it's ~1.35V. I just don't want to take chance.
We used to use large batteries on our diver radios. These were about 8 x 5 x 4 inches, and had two little plastic knobs on top with a brass nut in them. They were spendy at the department stores. When they reached the level where the dive radio would give a low volt reading, (around 9.6v IIRC) they would chuck them. Me and a friend would take them all. We then would hook them up to a headlamp with a special bulb in it, a PR(something) that was rated for about 9 v. We used them to go frogging in the Southern Louisiana swamps in the areas where now they film the Swamp People shows. Every place these people go, I've been there, all throughout the Atchafalaya swamp.
The batteries great threw out a bright long range light, they were free, and a new one, at that time, was about $15. You can match most any device with a battery of acceptable voltage, so I would say that the batteries could be used on something else, you would just have to find out what. I think that on that low a voltage, it wouldn't matter a lot, and if you hooked up a bank of them, you could make a very long lasting battery substitute.
That's what I do, move it something that uses less current. But not with flashilght quality batteries. I think they leak more ofen when they get dead. Alkalline batteries leak much less often, (but I don't use them in everything, in case I leave it on, I don't want to drain a whole expensive battery.)
By the time the voltage is 1.4, the battery is 90 or 95% discharged.
The math is not that hard and we went over it in high school chemistry that all chemical batteries are like this.
Thjere are slight differences in starting voltage, depending on carbon-zinc, alkaline, ni-cad, etc. so to be really accurate in judging how much lower the voltage is, you should consider where it started. But 1.56 seems to be common. Even 1.45 is pretty dead, but I still save these in my maybe bag.
I keep all my batteries in the fridge in the hopes t hey'll last longer. And my film and my long candles and maybe some drugs, and there's no real room for food anymore. :)
It also depends on whether you are using a plain voltmeter setting or a battery setting. The battery setting has a load built in, so weak batteries with moderately high voltages might test bad, as they will in a device that uses medium to high current. , I never used my battery setting and now it's bad for 1.5 volts, but I bought yesterday an equus 3120 iirc. We'll see how it does, when it comes in the mail. .
Don't check them with a voltage tester. Test them by putting them in something and see if the work. Keep the same (brand) batteries grouped together as a set if you can. You can get more life if you use batteries that have been drained the same.
No, when the "typical" aa or aaa battery gets down to below about 1.35 volts (1.5 nominal) open circuit there is not a lot of chemical activity left in the battery. 2 in series are unlikely to provide much more than 2 volts into a load for very long after that point.
At least that's been my experience. The old Carbon Zinc Manganese dioxide batteries would carry on for quite some time at low voltage, but the alkalines do not seem to be able to do it.
One problem is that a VOM doesn't draw enough amperage to know if the battery is any good. I had that problem with old carbon zinc cells, they would read 1.5 volts, but would not operate any device.
One quick and easy answer is to take a PR-2 or PR-4 bulb. Wrap the end of a wire around the bulb, about six inch of 14 ga house hold wire works well. Curve the wire in a C shape. Touch the bulb center spot to one end of the battery, the wire to other end of the battery. See if the bulb lights. If the bulb doesn't light, pitch the battery in the trash.
I've done this enough times, I can tell new, used, or dead.
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
formatting link
.
The obvious answer I think everyone will advise is "When it quits working." However, I need a bit more advice then that. I have about 50 AA and AAA batteries not in any devices. Some used, some new. I have a Volt Omh Meter. The batteries are 1.5volt. At what tested voltage should I discard the battery. I know that some batteries that won't power one device because it is running out of juice, may run something else. I get that. BUT,
IN GENERAL, at what voltage would you disgard a 1.5volt battery? Is it when the battery reaches a % of its original power?
They're often not direct replacements, though, because of the lower terminal voltage and discharge profile. They're also poor for emergency applications where the appliance may sit unused for a year.
I like the swing meter, gives me a good idea if the battery is any good.
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
formatting link
.
The obvious answer I think everyone will advise is "When it quits working." However, I need a bit more advice then that. I have about 50 AA and AAA batteries not in any devices. Some used, some new. I have a Volt Omh Meter. The batteries are 1.5volt. At what tested voltage should I discard the battery. I know that some batteries that won't power one device because it is running out of juice, may run something else. I get that. BUT,
IN GENERAL, at what voltage would you disgard a 1.5volt battery? Is it when the battery reaches a % of its original power?
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in news:SGD2r.63787$ snipped-for-privacy@news.usenetserver.com:
Generally I measure the shortcircuit current(quickly). That make sorting the batteries very easy. Compare to a known new one of the same brand. Voltage does tell you less about their condition. You need a 10 Amp range on your meter.
I have about two dozen AA nimh batteries I use for pro photo work. I charge them with a Radio Shack charger, but seldom get them up in the 1.4 to 1.5 range. Just in the high 1.3+, occasionally above 1.4, but not by much. They do work fine there, and last for about a couple of hundred pictures, and that's with leaving the back screen on. I jog back and forth with the eye viewer when I need to more accurately compose something, but have it on
2.5" LCD screen most of the time.
I was surprised when I got a good electronic digital tester what the actual numbers were for a recharged nimh battery. The Sony DSCH1 camera seems to run just fine with batteries in the high 1.3 v. range.
Now, I guess I have to pay attention to just what they are. I just know I never see them at 1.5, or even 1.6 that I occasionally see factory sealed batteries at.
Hit the Dollar Tree store and get a few flashlights. Put your old batteries in them. When the light doesn't light any more dig into the battery pile and find another good battery.... you aren't supposed to mix a dead battery with a good one, or different types... it goes on and on. I've got rechargeable batteries, I've got alkaline, I've got heavy duty carbon zinc, I've got batteries made by companies at places I never heard of and can't pronounce. What I've finally done is just buy a bulk package of them at the dollar store. The remote sensor for the temp part of the atomic time clock... that thing, sometimes a couple of batteries will last a year, sometimes a month. And finally, Dollar Tree had solar lights, for a dollar ? I bought one to take apart, I'm suspicious, it has one of those pull strips so I'm thinking it's actually just a battery operated thing and what looks like a solar panel is actually just a light sensor. I bought it to take apart just to see. I was joking with the cashiers about using it to go off grid and one knew what the joke was about the other didn't have the slightest idea what the joke was about. Summery, Flashlights... for messing with computers I like the AA size, incandescent bulb ones. The light spectrum works best for me. For serious light a hand held 12V spot light with a small rechargeable lead acid battery. A million candle power so they claim, those will light up your life. Summery 1.2 Batteries batteries batteries, laptop batteries, little 12v batteries for the remotes, 9 volt for the smoke alarms, the car batteries, the riding lawnmower battery, the camera, the electric drill, the cell phone, the APC, high dollar lithium for long storage life. Batteries
I was once told, "If you're going to save your battery for a while, DON'T test it!" Further went on to say that testing the battery under load condition, although tells you the condition of the battery today, starts a chemical process that ages the battery, it will be gone in six months to a year on the shelf. Conclusion was that to have a battery when you need one, don't perturb it.
Any battery specialists out there to confirm/deny their comment?
One of the best things I bought (cheap at a yard sale) was a Radio Shack battery tester. It uses a 50mA test for AAA batteries. And 150mA for AA, C, D.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.