dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
853
floydb1982
join:2004-08-25
Kent, WA

floydb1982

Member

[Wireless] How long will one AA Heavy Duty last in M705???

I'm sick of using NiMH. They don't last me that long before they have to go back in the charger for 16 Hrs. I'm done with NiMH forever. My 2 NiMH AA batteries die in my Marathon Mouse M705 with in a week. I had only 1 new unused heavy duty battery left laying around in the kitchen drawer. Stuck it in the mouse and to my shock it powered it up. How long will that single AA heavy duty battery run the mouse for???

Thane_Bitter
Inquire within
Premium Member
join:2005-01-20

Thane_Bitter

Premium Member

Check the battery chemistry, the words heavy duty suggest its a zinc carbon cell, rather than an alkaline battery. An alkaline battery should work much longer than a zinc carbon battery.

aw3dhg
join:2001-09-05
Bloomingburg, NY

aw3dhg to floydb1982

Member

to floydb1982
there are lion batteries in AA alaso afaik
floydb1982
join:2004-08-25
Kent, WA

floydb1982 to Thane_Bitter

Member

to Thane_Bitter
Zinc Carbon.

Thane_Bitter
Inquire within
Premium Member
join:2005-01-20

Thane_Bitter

Premium Member

It will wear out in the shortest amount of time, its a cheap, low cost cell, it probably will give 1/3 to 1/4 the life of a alkaline battery. If you could get non-rechargeable lithium (not lithium ion as you can't get them in this size) they should last the longest but will cost you the most.
tlhIngan
join:2002-07-08
Richmond, BC

tlhIngan to floydb1982

Member

to floydb1982
If your marathon mouse is like my mx performance, the battery will give a "low battery" warning in like 3 days. But what I found is if you ignore it, it'll work great for another 2 weeks! This being a NiMH battery it came with.

I have several spares with a charger (eneloops hold charge forever so I just charge 'em up and leave 'em) so when it does go, I swap batteries, put in the used one back on the charger and have another 3 weeks of use out of it.

I suggest you try it with the rechargables - the low battery warning is way too conservative especially when you can add a lot of life just by ignoring the warning.
public
join:2002-01-19
Santa Clara, CA

public to floydb1982

Member

to floydb1982
said by floydb1982:

I'm sick of using NiMH. They don't last me that long before they have to go back in the charger for 16 Hrs. I'm done with NiMH forever.

Get a better charger. rapid chargers quickly destroy batteries.
dmagerl
Premium Member
join:2007-08-06
Woodstock, IL

dmagerl to floydb1982

Premium Member

to floydb1982
There are two problems with NiMH:

First, they are only rated at 1.3 volts instead of the alkaline cell's 1.5 volts. I have a wireless keyboard that uses 4 cells and if I use NiMH, I'm starting out almost 1v lower than with alkaline. The low battery threshold on the product using the battery may not tolerate NiMH for this reason. I cant use NiMH in the atomic clocks I have nor in that wireless keyboard, the battery life is just too short.

Second, NiMH self discharge, sometimes at an incredible rate. I threw out all my old style NiMH batteries and switched over to the newer "hybrid" NiMH cells such as the Eneloop. It made a big difference in battery life time in mice & remote controls.

So don't reject all NiMH, you have to pick the right application for them and use the newer "hybrid" cells.

printscreen
join:2003-11-01
Juana Diaz, PR

printscreen to floydb1982

Member

to floydb1982
Alkalines are better for your application. NiMH are good for high power applications such as digital cameras. Alkalines will last just a little longer than NiMH batteries in that kind of application and saving on alkalines makes it worth it. For low power applications such as wireless mice and keyboards NiMH batteries will self discharge and create the issue you are having. I am using NiMH batteries for some of my remote controls but I have to recharge them like every 1 or 2 months. On the other hand, one of my remote controls has alkaline batteries that were manufactured in 2003 based on a date code printed on them. And they are still going and going...
lawsoncl
join:2008-10-28
Spirit Lake, ID

lawsoncl

Member

I refuse to use anything other than decent quality low-self-discharge NiMH batteries, even though they have a lower capacity. The regular ones are always dead within a month whether you use them or not. I've had them in the remotes for at least a year without having to charge them.

I usually throw out the crappy batteries that come in new devices, as they usually end up leaking.

I did end up going back to alkaline in the wife's keyboard due to the lower voltage causing problems. I don't use NiMH in places where they might get drained too low and damaged.

DKS
Damn Kidney Stones

join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON

DKS to floydb1982

to floydb1982
I use professional grade alkalines in my wireless mice. Works well.