Rechargeable Battery For Clock

[flameport]

Mains powered clocks are about 2 watts, so will cost around £3.50 per year to run, far more than any battery clock.

 

[sparkymarka]

Can’t remember the last time I looked at a clock ….normally it’s phone , tablet or alarm panel in that order ….

 

[mattylad]

What's a clock?

 

[JohnD]

Ask your wlife.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Ask your wlife.

What's a wlife?

 

[sparkymarka]

Is that a cross between wife and wildlife ? Too many sherry’s?

 

[ptarmigan]

Funny that as some of the Grandkids toys will not work on rechargables but are fine on say Lidl double a's.

 

[JohnD]

I think the voltage is slightly lower on rechargeables. IIRC Alkaline are nominally 1.5V and NiMH are nominally 1.2V

I have put Lithiums in my Programmable Central Heating thermostat because they have a very long life. I changed them recently and I have an idea they had been in for at least three years. I started using them in cameras, which have (infrequent) spells of heavy load.

I have a (large) DAB radio that will not start on 6 rechargeables, I think the start up surge drops the voltage too far.

Aldi rechargeables are very good value for radios, I change them around once a month, and have some in Christmas lights and solar lamps, but Eneloop are a better (and more expensive) battery and I use them in cordless phones where a dropout would be very annoying

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Funny that as some of the Grandkids toys will not work on rechargables but are fine on say Lidl double a's.

The toys or etc. need to be designed to be run or the different voltages of rechargeables.

 

[John D v2.0]

We had a couple of clocks that only lasted under a year even on decent Duracell and on testing the batteries were still fine, we couldn't work out whether it was the clock or a bizarre battery issue.
In the end we tried opening the face and pulling off the second hand, and now they just keep on going even on the battery that was no longer powering them any more.
So if you don't value a second hand then pull it off and see what happens.

 

[JBR]

Mains powered clocks are about 2 watts, so will cost around £3.50 per year to run, far more than any battery clock.

Despite being a tight-fisted Yorkshireman, I really don't mind paying £3.50 a year for the pleasure of using a clock that is likely to be from the 1940s or earlier when everyone else is using modern battery-powered things. Actually, I also have two clocks and a watch, battery-powered and synchronised to radio signals to keep to time, so I'm not really completely old fashioned or backward!
To be honest, I find it rewarding to see the synchronous motor still working reliably and - you never know - in years to come this clock may become a working antique worth millions!
(OK, I'm joking about the valuation.)

 

[BlueLoo]

Wouldn't bother with a rechargeable battery for a clock. Completely the wrong tech for the application.

Use a std battery which is the most cost effective and technically correct solution as its low drain for long periods.

Lidl batteries came out very well in a recent YouTube review i watched.

 

[JohnD]

Look out for Lithium AA batteries. Have a 20 year shelf life. You may be able to pay about £1 each if you buy a multipack. I got some Energiser brand, originally for cameras. I think the voltage is 1.5 so same as the old zinc-carbons your clocks may have been designed for. Which is odd because a lot of other lithium cells are 3.6V

I also have little green Varta lithium batts as the standby inside things like timeswitches and thermostats. Not widely sold, but can be ordered. Often soldered onto the PCB.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I think the voltage is 1.5 so same as the old zinc-carbons your clocks may have been designed for. Which is odd because a lot of other lithium cells are 3.6V

The voltage difference is due to different chemistries, both lithium, but what is combined with the lithium.