Cheap Zinc Carbon Battery Leakage
Leakage is the main issue. The zinc case corrodes as part of normal operation, and if it corrodes through in one spot, corrosive leakage occurs. This is a good reason not to use these batteries in high value electronic goods.
Remove batteries if they will not be used for a fair length of time. Running them 100% flat increases the chance of leakage.
Metal damaged by corrosion, such as battery contacts, can be scraped to remove most of the corrosion. This usualy makes the appliance work again, but corroded circuit board tracks are usually corroded completely through by leakage, killing the appliance. Repair of corroded circuit board requires scraping, washing and soldering wires on to replace the lost tracks.
Zinc carbon batteries frequently have a clear plastic film wrap applied to help contain some leaks, don't remove it.
If a lumpy surface is seen under the plastic film, the zinc case has almost corroded through and is about to leak, and the battery should be disposed of.
One way to avoid damage from leakage and thus enable use of low cost batteries is to use an external battery holder, plugging it into the appliance. This works well enough with 9v types, which use a snap on genderless connector.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Its only worth while me spending time on blogs If I know they are being read and it is not easy to know. So If you have taken time to read a blog entry then please leave a comment or question. Thanks Malcolm