A Crummy Commercial

I've mentioned alkaline button cells and their leakage problems before: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-remaining-unsolved-battery-problem.html I had an idea for at least a partial solution to the button cell leakage problem.  I have some thermometers that use two button cells.  So I thought I'd use a single CR2032 lithium cell to replace those two alkaline cells.  I've got a bunch of single CR2032 holders (with a built in switch) along with some CR2032 cells so I'm all set, right ? Nope, it won't work because I found that the two button cells are connected in PARALLEL not in series.  So the lithium 3V cell would have too high a voltage. It was just an idea :(  I will keep looking but for now will use this approach with an AAA lithium cell: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2024/12/finally-got-something-off-shame-shelf.html I added a magnet on the back of the battery holder: Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

 Leakage problem that is - I have this coffee mug full of pens, I started going through them to see if they still write.  Then I tried turning on an LED light pen, seemed fine.  But a second light pen beam was weak.  Uh-oh ! I opened the second pen up and found this: the dreaded alkaline whiteness ! So I pried out the cells to see how badly the contact is corroded.  It's not too bad but it'll go in the corroded item box to be cleaned and re-used "one of these days". It wasn't that handy a pen anyway, for one thing, the light shines the opposite way from the pen tip, so not much good for writing in the dark. Will anyone ever solve the battery leakage problem for button cells the way the Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA, AAA and 9V batteries did ? https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-time-change-on-march-13-2022-brings.html I can only hope. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

 I had the first cell fail.  It was installed in an analog quartz clock ("REGULATOR") on March 10, 2019.  I noticed that the clock had stopped on February 1, 2023 so almost 4 years of service. I tried measuring it with the Metex DVM:  open circuit:        1.491 Volts  with an 18 ohm load:    less than .2 Volts (continually decreasing), decreasing current from about 28 mA  with a 1.3 kohm load:    1.250 Volts, current .9 mA The loads were from the Sears VOM on the 1.5V test and 1.5V button cell test switch positions. Fortunately no leakage has occurred.  The Energizer applications manual pdf https://data.energizer.com/pdfs/lithiuml91l92_appman.pdf says that the electrolyte is a lithium salt / organic solvent, which sounds more benign than either the Sal Amoniac in carbon zinc cells or the potassium hydroxide in alkaline batteries. As the cheapest person ever I might just hold onto this cell unt...

 I usually check the batteries in stuff on the time change day.  I finally abandoned alkaline batteries (except button cells where there's often no alternative) and started using Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA and AAA cells.  I use the Tenergy Centura 9V  batteries in smoke alarms ( Centura is the low self discharge Nimh line ). The reason for changing from alkalines is found in this box: box with items to be fixed "real soon now"   all the stuff where the contacts have been damaged by leaking alkalines: calculators, clocks, flashlights to be fixed And it's not like a spent alkaline cell provides these beauties: D cell carbon rod and AA cell carbon rod with metal cap    carbon rods from carbon-zinc cells (be sure to leave the end cap on, otherwise it's harder to make a connection). Another task for time change day is to change the non-radio clocks that need it like the thermostat.  And there's always one WWVB clock that didn't get the memo from Co...