New Project Farm Battery Testing

[Jase]

Project Farm delivers another stellar AA battery test for alkaline, lithium, and rechargeables.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efDTP5SEdlo

[floppy]

thats exhausting to listen the weirdo voice speaking.. just go to the last minute of the vid: will keep your nervs in a good shape.

[rprosperi]

Thanks for posting. This guy's videos are very helpful, comparing all kinds of things, but his battery testes/reviews are especially useful. His results usually confirm the expected 'winners' but sometimes, like this one, there are unexpected winners. I'll check out the new Lithium cells, I've been waiting for tests like these to confirm they are worth using,

[gege]

Be careful with lithium batteries, I used Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAA and when I measure the voltage without load they are 1.8 V and not 1.5 V.

[AnnoyedOne]

(12-16-2024 01:21 PM)gege Wrote:  ...when I measure the voltage without load they are 1.8 V and not 1.5 V.

Which is why they're not recommended for use in some devices.

Personally I've found Lithiums no better than name brand Alkalines in most applications. Good for weight sensitive and cold applications though.

These days I buy a name brand bulk-pack of Alkalines. Often a 10yr+ shelf-life which I've never got close to. I recently purchased such a pack so...

I might save a small amount by buying another brand but it isn't worth it to me.

A1

PS: Perhaps Lithium AA's have gotten a lot better over recent years. That said I just checked and they're still cost many times more per cell (3x plus) than Alkalines. Yes way better in some applications but for my money the bang'for'buck factor just isn't there yet.

I've stopped using the Duracell brand but have never had Alkalines "leak".

That said this is all "anecdotal". Individual usage patterns and costs vary.

[Jeff_Birt]

(12-16-2024 01:21 PM)gege Wrote:  Be careful with lithium batteries, I used Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAA and when I measure the voltage without load they are 1.8 V and not 1.5 V.

A new alkaline AA cell will measure 1.6V~1.65V. The 1.5V rating is nominal. For many older portable devices 1.8V will cause a problem though.

[John Garza (3665)]

Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries are never supposed to leak.
And even Energizer Alkalines are highly rated in this category.
Makes them a good choice for older machines you want to protect if you occasionally like to take one out of storage and have it 'on the deck' ready for use.
Nevertheless, I got into the habit of wiping the battery terminals of the calculator with deoxit when it had completed its tour of duty and was being put back in storage.

I could never find N cell Energizer Ultimate Lithiums for the 41C machines though.

-J

[bxparks]

(12-16-2024 07:05 AM)floppy Wrote:  thats exhausting to listen the weirdo voice speaking..

"How bad can it be?" I thought. It was bad. I couldn't finish the video. It was like listening to a used-car salesman on amphetamines.

(12-16-2024 01:32 PM)AnnoyedOne Wrote:  I've stopped using the Duracell brand but have never had Alkalines "leak".

How is it possible that you have never had an alkaline leak? I think about 20-30% of my Duracell batteries have leaked. I too stopped buying Duracell brand about 10-15 years ago. But every now and then, I end up owning some, for example, because they were included in some device that I bought.

I usually try to use them up, to avoid waste. Just a few days ago, I opened up my indoor/outdoor wireless base station, which was using 4xAA Duracells. One of them was leaking, damn it. It was supposed to expire in 2025. There was no "low battery" warning on the base station.

I had to clean off the battery contacts with vinegar. After that, I threw away every last Duracell battery in my inventory.

[gentzel]

Todd can indeed have a somewhat grating voice, but I love that his videos move. They're not packed with minute after minute of padding designed to maximize revenue by squeezing in more commercials. There's zero fat.

[AnnoyedOne]

(12-17-2024 04:20 PM)bxparks Wrote:  How is it possible that you have never had an alkaline leak?

Just "lucky" I guess. I used to use Duracells.

The last leaking batteries I recall were shop brand 'C' size carbon-zinc cells.

A1

PS: Some years ago I purchased an old electronic device off eBay cheap. As it turned out the 4x AA's had all leaked sealing the battery compartment tight. All attempts to remove them failed. Then the device failed completely. So I bought another which had photo's of a "clean" battery compartment.

[Jase]

(12-17-2024 04:20 PM)bxparks Wrote:  Just a few days ago, I opened up my indoor/outdoor wireless base station, which was using 4xAA Duracells. One of them was leaking, damn it. It was supposed to expire in 2025. There was no "low battery" warning on the base station.

I had to clean off the battery contacts with vinegar. After that, I threw away every last Duracell battery in my inventory.

I've had Kirklands batteries leak (Costco brand) and Duracell. I've switched to high-end Energizer. Hopefully these will be better.

[Jase]

(12-17-2024 04:27 PM)gentzel Wrote:  Todd can indeed have a somewhat grating voice, but I love that his videos move. They're not packed with minute after minute of padding designed to maximize revenue by squeezing in more commercials. There's zero fat.

It's funny - I never thought his voice could be annoying, but now that it is mentioned, I could see how some could find it grating.
Thankfully, I don't. And yes, his reviews are top-notch.

[Ren]

(12-16-2024 01:32 PM)AnnoyedOne Wrote:  Personally I've found Lithiums no better than name brand Alkalines in most applications. Good for weight sensitive and cold applications though.

Energizer AA Lithiums work well in my Pentax K-50 (SLR digital camera).
It might not power up with regular AA alkaline batteries.

[bxparks]

(12-17-2024 04:37 PM)AnnoyedOne Wrote:  Some years ago I purchased an old electronic device off eBay cheap. As it turned out the 4x AA's had all leaked sealing the battery compartment tight. All attempts to remove them failed.

I once bought a Maglite flashlight from a thrift store. The 2x D cells had leaked and become welded to the aluminum tube. How hard could it be to remove them? It took me about a month, chipping away 1-2 hours a day, 2-3 times a week. I had to puncture each cell with a hammer and screwdriver, and pull out the batteries in pieces. With a lot of help from WD-40 lubricant. The flashlight worked perfectly.

(12-18-2024 01:46 AM)Jase Wrote:  I've had Kirklands batteries leak (Costco brand) and Duracell. I've switched to high-end Energizer. Hopefully these will be better.

My solution was to replace the alkalines with NiMH. About 250 of them. I have not seen a NiMH battery leak so far.

[Jase]

I'm not an engineer and to say that my electrical knowledge is "weak" would be an understatement.
That said, I found this helpful chart of battery types and their benefits.
If anyone knows of a more helpful cheat-sheet, please consider posting.
Thanks.

Battery Types & Properties

[bxparks]

(12-18-2024 03:33 PM)Jase Wrote:  Battery Types & Properties

The page seems outdated or incomplete to me. I know the NiMH batteries best, and there are at least 2 kinds of NiMH:

* LSD (low-self discharge),
* high capacity (marketed as "Pro" or "High Capacity").

The LSD NiMH hold their charge extremely well. The most famous one, Eneloop brand, claims to lose 10% in one year, and only 30% after *10 years*. The Amazon Basics brand claims to lose 20% over 2 years, which roughly in the same ball park.

The high capacity NiMH discharges relatively faster, but has a higher charge capacity. For example, the Eneloop Pro batteries are high capacity, rated to lose 15%/year. The Amazon Basics High Capacity batteries claim to lose 50% after one year, but that's still lower than the 30%/month given in the above link.

Here is my go-to website for Eneloop batteries: https://eneloop101.com

I generally buy either Eneloop (standard) or Amazon Basics (standard) batteries. The prices on the Amazon Basics are sometimes so cheap, they are about the same as a brand-name alkalines.

[HPing]

We are moving to Eneloops for everything.

So many AAA and AA batteries have leaked and cleaning up is a mess or impossible. Replacement remotes are expensive or impossible to find. Not risking any classic electronics.

Our Casio electronic dictionary from 2013 has a setting that allows configuration for different types of batteries, including eneloops. Casio claimed similar life for eneloops and alkaline batteries; maybe they were throttling the device and assuming eneloop pros to tweak the marketing data. Nonetheless, the Casio's USB connection does not charge the eneloops, so we remove to recharge. That was a missed opportunity but the device has a lot of neat functionality and great battery life so can't complain.

[Jase]

(12-18-2024 04:43 PM)bxparks Wrote:  The most famous one, Eneloop brand, claims to lose 10% in one year, and only 30% after *10 years*. The Amazon Basics brand claims to lose 20% over 2 years, which roughly in the same ball park.

Yeah, I admit, that chart's discharge rate seemed absurdly high. Thanks for calling it out.

[Jase]

(12-18-2024 05:17 PM)HPing Wrote:  We are moving to Eneloops for everything.

Are these rechargeables safe for sensitive electronics - e.g. beloved HP calculators!??

[HPing]

(12-18-2024 09:54 PM)Jase Wrote:  Are these rechargeables safe for sensitive electronics - e.g. beloved HP calculators!??

No idea.

We haven't had any leaks or issues to date but that doesn't mean too much.