Battery related experience

[bdc]

I tested the batteries in my three game cameras in the backyard. The most active camera (near the trash cans) was dead after two months. The other two were going strong. So, now I will test the three again in early January. My suspicion that the rechargeable batteries in the most active camera would be killed much sooner was borne out.

I found the girl friend's battery operated dremel. As I anticipated, because she had not removed the batteries when not in use, the unit was fried and tossed into the trash. Just a reminder NOT to keep batteries in back up lights or devices, just keep them in plastic baggies or plastic hard cases and have them near the unit(s).

[Bmyers]

I use to do the plastic baggy for storage, but I ended up having a set of batteries short out and melt the bag.

Since then, I have went to the hard plastic cases that keep the batteries separate and prevent any touching of the batteries.

[tom mac]

I've have batteries leak in a bag without shorting out ( TMK )...
Now when I store batteries, I cut little squares of elec tape and place over the + side to prevent the possibility of shorting out.
The tape comes off easily if not sort of melted in a vehicle. ( quality 3m tape btw )

[bdc]

I will correct myself. I put an 18650 flashlight that takes only one 18650 battery and put both in a plastic ziplock baggie. Otherwise, the batteries go into PRC plastic containers that separate batteries. I have had the experience of buying US manufactured blister packs of batteries and have them start to go bad and spread, so I will take them out and put them in hard plastic containers that separate batteries.

[David]

I use to do the plastic baggy for storage, but I ended up having a set of batteries short out and melt the bag.

Since then, I have went to the hard plastic cases that keep the batteries separate and prevent any touching of the batteries.

That's what I do. I have a large plastic box with dividers as well as the small hard plastic cases that hold two or four batteries. I use these smaller ones if I'm carrying them in an EDC like my sling bag.

[bdc]

Comments on battery testers follow - exposing both my ignorance and my experience.

I have a number of battery testers. Unfortunately I don't understand the science portion and I would just stick in batteries. In the last few weeks, I came to the challenge of testing the CR123 (CR123a) batteries. My discontinued Micron and Ansmann units were apparently not set up to do it or were unreliable. Ditto for my Sperry BT500. I unwrapped a new BT-168 and the answer was still "no". There was no sense looking for the radio shack unit -it died and went to charger heaven a couple of years ago.

So, I bought a Tenergy unit that worked. I also learned that there was no other testing unit on the market between about $15 and $45 delivered that would handle the testing. Only 2 CR123 was bad. Surefire units that were 10 years old were still good. I put the good batteries in PRC plastic containers.

In related news, I took two PRC motion detector lights out of the garage that appeared to be dead. I inspected for battery corrosion within the units and also tested each c cell battery through two different testers - all good. It wasn't even a matter of 'maybe if I put in absolutely brand new batteries, maybe the units will work" - still dead. So, the life expectancy is about three years for a $10 unit.

[tom mac]

Cr123 cells tho marked at 3v should if NEW read 3.2v on a meter... I use a Harbor Freight meter I paid a dollar for, works fine
( non rechargeable )

Li-Ion 123 - 3.7v cells will read 4.2 v off charge and settle down to about 4.15

[Gnepig]

I test mine with a multi meter I bought from HF on the cheap also as my Fluke meter died a couple of years ago. Not going to let the Snap-on guy rape me for a couple of hundred dollars again. The Snap-on truck is the new modern day rape van...

I find that the rechargeable batteries don't hold a charge as long/ don't last as long as regular batteries (here in Florida anyway).

[tom mac]

Rechargeable do self drain... usu a few % per month (IIRC).

But then in 123 size cells , they ONLY have half the capacity of a regular non recharge one

( you can only physically fit about 700-750mahr of chems in that size package for rechargables no matter what they said )

[tom mac]

Just read an interesting way to test if batteries are good or bad ( alkaline, don't know if it works on others )

Bounce test !
On a hard surface like granite counter top a GOOD battery will not bounce well ( on neg end ) while a used/drained one will.
I tested this with some AAs , and sure enough it works fairly well.

The used AAs I had were reading low ( prob about 15-20% left ) vs new one same brand. The used ones def bounce quite a bit compared to new ( new one sort of bounce once ). Seems it has to do with the chems conversion as the battery gets used.

Test it yourself and see