element14 Community
element14 Community
    Register Log In
  • Site
  • Search
  • Log In Register
  • Community Hub
    Community Hub
    • What's New on element14
    • Feedback and Support
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Personal Blogs
    • Members Area
    • Achievement Levels
  • Learn
    Learn
    • Ask an Expert
    • eBooks
    • element14 presents
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Spotlight
    • STEM Academy
    • Webinars, Training and Events
    • Learning Groups
  • Technologies
    Technologies
    • 3D Printing
    • FPGA
    • Industrial Automation
    • Internet of Things
    • Power & Energy
    • Sensors
    • Technology Groups
  • Challenges & Projects
    Challenges & Projects
    • Design Challenges
    • element14 presents Projects
    • Project14
    • Arduino Projects
    • Raspberry Pi Projects
    • Project Groups
  • Products
    Products
    • Arduino
    • Avnet Boards Community
    • Dev Tools
    • Manufacturers
    • Multicomp Pro
    • Product Groups
    • Raspberry Pi
    • RoadTests & Reviews
  • Store
    Store
    • Visit Your Store
    • Choose another store...
      • Europe
      •  Austria (German)
      •  Belgium (Dutch, French)
      •  Bulgaria (Bulgarian)
      •  Czech Republic (Czech)
      •  Denmark (Danish)
      •  Estonia (Estonian)
      •  Finland (Finnish)
      •  France (French)
      •  Germany (German)
      •  Hungary (Hungarian)
      •  Ireland
      •  Israel
      •  Italy (Italian)
      •  Latvia (Latvian)
      •  
      •  Lithuania (Lithuanian)
      •  Netherlands (Dutch)
      •  Norway (Norwegian)
      •  Poland (Polish)
      •  Portugal (Portuguese)
      •  Romania (Romanian)
      •  Russia (Russian)
      •  Slovakia (Slovak)
      •  Slovenia (Slovenian)
      •  Spain (Spanish)
      •  Sweden (Swedish)
      •  Switzerland(German, French)
      •  Turkey (Turkish)
      •  United Kingdom
      • Asia Pacific
      •  Australia
      •  China
      •  Hong Kong
      •  India
      •  Korea (Korean)
      •  Malaysia
      •  New Zealand
      •  Philippines
      •  Singapore
      •  Taiwan
      •  Thailand (Thai)
      • Americas
      •  Brazil (Portuguese)
      •  Canada
      •  Mexico (Spanish)
      •  United States
      Can't find the country/region you're looking for? Visit our export site or find a local distributor.
  • Translate
  • Profile
  • Settings
Personal Blogs
  • Community Hub
  • More
Personal Blogs
Douglas Wong's Blog Miracle Batteries
  • Blog
  • Documents
  • Mentions
  • Sub-Groups
  • Tags
  • More
  • Cancel
  • New
  • Share
  • More
  • Cancel
Group Actions
  • Group RSS
  • More
  • Cancel
Engagement
  • Author Author: dougw
  • Date Created: 12 Dec 2020 3:58 AM Date Created
  • Views 2584 views
  • Likes 11 likes
  • Comments 12 comments
  • doug wong
  • micronta
  • enercell
  • radio shack
Related
Recommended

Miracle Batteries

dougw
dougw
12 Dec 2020

My first digital multimeter was a Micronta....here it is, fresh from my museum archives:

imageimage

I remember being very impressed with its long battery life when I was using it decades ago, probably because it didn't use LEDs. But now I just turned it on and it powered right up, so I checked the batteries and they look pristine. The absolutely astounding thing is I believe these are the original Radio Shack Enercell Extra Life batteries bought when the meter was new! More than 3 decades ago! I did hang out at Radio Shack in the 70's and 80's but I definitely haven't bought batteries at Radio Shack for decades. I just measured the voltages at 1.54 V and 1.539 V.

Count me astonished, gobsmacked, flabergasted and totally blown away at how they can still be in this pristine condition. On the batteries it says they have a "miracle seal" - that is obviously not just hype. I have never seen any AA batteries sit on a shelf for a decade without dying and spewing their guts all over the battery compartment. I am going to have to see if these batteries are still in production - they are truly spectacular.

  • Sign in to reply

Top Comments

  • Andrew J
    Andrew J over 4 years ago +7
    That is impressive. I was sat by the computer a week or so ago and could hear this curious ticking sound. Using the power of cross-triangulation - i.e. moving my head around to pick up the direction of…
  • koudelad
    koudelad over 4 years ago +6
    That is really an impressive find, dougw . My colleague recommended me these Energizer Industrial cells , which have a shelf life of 10 years. I bought a few of them to supply power to my IR thermometer…
  • ntewinkel
    ntewinkel over 4 years ago +5
    It's impressive how long they lasted and how little power the tester uses, but most impressive might be the fact that the batteries didn't leak! I'd pay a lot extra for batteries that don't leak, especially…
  • dougw
    dougw over 4 years ago in reply to ntewinkel

    Thanks ntewinkel. Now I know what to replace these batteries with when they finally deplete.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +2 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • More
    • Cancel
  • Andrew J
    Andrew J over 4 years ago in reply to ntewinkel

    Good links Nico.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +4 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • More
    • Cancel
  • ntewinkel
    ntewinkel over 4 years ago in reply to ntewinkel

    I just noticed Energizer guarantees no leaks: https://www.energizer.com/about-batteries/no-leaks-guarantee

    "EnergizerRegistered is different. Our batteries are designed to prevent damaging leaks or we will replace your device."

     

    Also, on Amazon the very affordable PowXs batteries claim to be leak-proof: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0885Q8PJW

    "Leak-proof protection: These primary batteries have not only high performance, but also no leakage."

     

    I'm glad you posted about those batteries, Douglas!  I think I'll get some Energizer batteries for my more important devices.

     

    -Nico

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +4 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • More
    • Cancel
  • ntewinkel
    ntewinkel over 4 years ago

    It's impressive how long they lasted and how little power the tester uses, but most impressive might be the fact that the batteries didn't leak!

     

    I'd pay a lot extra for batteries that don't leak, especially if they are like yours and will last a few decades!

    I've found that the expensive brand names can actually be the worst for leaking image

     

    ps, I've also noticed that the "best before" dates on batteries only apply "in storage", and they will leak just like the others long before that date.

     

    -Nico

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +5 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • More
    • Cancel
  • dougw
    dougw over 4 years ago in reply to ralphjy

    Lithium batteries need to come with a built-in pressure sensor.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +3 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • More
    • Cancel
>
element14 Community

element14 is the first online community specifically for engineers. Connect with your peers and get expert answers to your questions.

  • Members
  • Learn
  • Technologies
  • Challenges & Projects
  • Products
  • Store
  • About Us
  • Feedback & Support
  • FAQs
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal and Copyright Notices
  • Sitemap
  • Cookies

An Avnet Company © 2025 Premier Farnell Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Premier Farnell Ltd, registered in England and Wales (no 00876412), registered office: Farnell House, Forge Lane, Leeds LS12 2NE.

ICP 备案号 10220084.

Follow element14

  • X
  • Facebook
  • linkedin
  • YouTube