Low drain NiMh - a first leak, AA cell

Dec 09, 2017 10 Replies

Just thaught I'd mention here what might be a freak one off! Been using AA PP3 AAA low self drain NiMh cells for years without any leakage like is usual with alkalines. I baught about 40x of AA size roughly 8-10 years ago, 2000 mA headline capacity. Used and abused them ever since, but if abused (reverse charged etc in error), I always mark the cell. Head-light torch has three AA - went dim - one cell of the three had dropped down to 0.8V the other 2 were at 1.25 so examination showed 2 or



3 small pinprick areas of corrosion on the neg. end of the cell, not in the main contact area, near the rim. dropped into glass of hot water produced a shower of bubbles, so definitely a proper leak. Not much sign of electrolyte damage so I guess that the cell had been gently drying itself out for some time.

On Sat, 09 Dec 2017 07:57:30 +0000, Charlie+ wrote as underneath :

(Sorry Pressed the send button by mistake!) My guess is that there was an inclusion fault in the original sheet metal case of this cell... just thaught Id post in case others might have had similar faults and its not a one off? C+

Have we had any problems with leaking batteries ??

how long have you got ???? :-)

On Sun, 10 Dec 2017 07:34:33 +0800, Rheilly Phoull wrote as underneath :

I refer above specificly to low self drain NiMh (ie Eneloop type, though that is a brand name)! Judging by the response level here a failure of one of these is very unusual indeed... C+

I note that yours is not an Eneloop and you're avoiding posting the brand name so am assuming it's a cheaper brand LSD NiMH cell.

You get what you pay for.

Shaun. "Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy little classification in the DSM*." David Melville (in r.a.s.f1) (*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

My Sony Cyclenergy 2000 LSD cells retain more capacity after 8+ years than my LIDL Tronic "2400" LSD cells had the day they left the shop ...

On Fri, 22 Dec 2017 18:50:07 +0000, Andy Burns wrote as underneath :

Yes I think any AA cell claims of over 2000mAh for LSD need a sceptical eye! My cells were 2000 and I specificly didnt mention the brand so as to avoid any brand arguments, it was leakage failures in the general type I was after!! C+

Just run four of the LIDL "2400mAh" cells through a discharge/charge/discharge sequence on my charger at 200mA, they achieved between 1146 and 1224mAh, you can tell their capacity is misstated merely by their weight.

On Sun, 24 Dec 2017 09:08:34 +0000, Andy Burns wrote as underneath :

Drat! Just baught some of those Lidl multicoloured LSD packs for grandchildren Xmas presents, I didnt read the 2400 capacity claim (my goof), these sound a really bad buy if your right. Did you cycle them a few times prior to measurement? C+

Only cycled 2-3 times.

Previous LIDL red cells and black cells have been fine, the bad ones here are mainly silver not multi-coloured, you'll certainly tell they're "underweight" as soon as you pick them up if they're the same innards.

Yep. I stick with Eneloop. They might only quote 75% of the power of some brands but it's real capacity and is useful for hundreds of cycles.

I love my Maha MH-C9000 WizardOne charger. It cost me quite a bit back in the day but it's still going strong and it keeps my cells in great condition.

Shaun. "Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy little classification in the DSM*." David Melville (in r.a.s.f1) (*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

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