Re:Rechargeable vs. Alkaline Batteries
by entee on Monday July 22, 2019 @03:47PM
(#20501616)
From personal experience I couldn't get my wall clock (cheap Ikea one) to run on an eneloop, even after I think I charged it, without the second hand going all weird and failing. Works just fine on a disposable, what am I doing wrong? This article may be incorrect but the conclusion matches my experience.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Rechargeable NiMH cells have a voltage of 1.2v, and stay pretty much at that voltage until they're flat. Alkaline (and other disposable) cells start at 1.5v (actually a little higher), and gradually diminish in voltage over they're life. If the appliance requires more that 1.2v, then a NiMH cell will simply work.
In any case, clocks tend to draw a very small amount of power over a longer time, which doesn't tend to suit NiMH cells due to a higher rate of self discharge (eneloops and other similar 'ready to use' rechargeables are much better though)