Battery Mixing

[sweetlight]

Hi, is there any problem with using one regular battery and one rechargable battery together in the same device?

 

[shadowjk]

If any Lithium is involved, then it's like begging for an explosion. If you mix alkaline and nimh, then you can look forward to the possibility of the alkaline leaking and/or the nimh's performance dropping, reducing its life. The same goes for mixing fresh and used batteries.

 

[Oddjob]

Don't do it. You should also be using cells of matching voltages and matching states of discharge as well if using a multicell light. Also, be aware of a lights maximum voltage when using multiple cells because the voltages add up and you could end up frying the LED.

 

[Mr Happy]

Hi, is there any problem with using one regular battery and one rechargable battery together in the same device?

Have you not seen the rule printed on the instructions for nearly every battery powered device?

"Never mix old batteries and fresh batteries in the same device. Never mix batteries of different types."

 

[lctorana]

Yes, the problems is this:

The two cells will discharge at different rates, and may also have different charge capacities to begin with.

One cell will empty out - completely - while the other still has charge.

This will force a reverse current through the flat cell via the load, tending to flatten it even further, and eventually revesing its polarity, which no battery is designed to take.

If the flat cell is zinc-carbon or alkaline, it is guaranteed to leak in that cirtcumstance.

If it is the rechargeable that goes first, then you will ruin it, or at best reduce its service life.

But if it is a lithium cell, then you run the well-documented risk of

 

[Nubo]

Hi, is there any problem with using one regular battery and one rechargable battery together in the same device?

Kind of the same problem you'd have hitching a horse, a dog, and a pig to a wagon.