All kinds of electronic gadgets need batteries. The 1.5V AAA and AA battery sizes are most common and available nearly everywhere. You’d think they are all the same, at least providing the claimed 1.5V DC voltage and differing only in total power available (capacity). Our experience tells otherwise.
The Problem
Our little electronic camera (a couple of years old and barely used) stopped working. Naturally I thought that the batteries had been exhausted and replaced them with new ones. To be sure that the new batteries were OK, I tested them with a small Volt-meter. Both batteries showed good voltage, right in the center of the green field of the test-meter. However, the new batteries produced no change whatsoever with the camera. The optics was stuck for good in the out position and nothing else showed any sign of life. Oh well, another gadget for the dust bin - I thought.
The Solution
As it so happened we went to camera shop looking for a new camera and explained the problem with the old one. The shop owner took out the batteries and checked them with a different testing device which also gives an indication of the battery performance under load, such as the power requirement to move the lens system in and out of the camera housing. Sure enough, there was a difference between my new batteries and the ones he had. His batteries made the camera work just fine.
The Analysis
Looking into this problem a bit more I came to realize that 1.5V is not necessarily equal to 1.5V. The different types of 1.5V batteries actually produce voltages without any power load of between 1.5V and 1.6V, depending on the type of battery. Of course, with a power load the voltage drop also varies as well as battery performance over time.
So, if your electronic gadget doesn’t work as well as before or stops working altogether, take note: Before you ditch the gizmo, test it with new lithium-ion, nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) or alkaline type batteries. Those kinds are normally more expensive than the cheaper zinc and other types, but more likely than not they will make your device work like new again.
The Message
All these batteries claim to provide 1.5V but, I guess, not all Volts are created equal.
