Monday, 16 February 2015

batteries - How is battery life measured in devices?


I have a thermostat (Siemens REV200) which runs on 2 AA batteries. I've put in 2 brand new (A brand) batteries but the device keeps showing me low battery power signals. How do electronics usually measure battery life?


I was thinking of connecting a power supply to it which exceeds 3 volts or 2 amp. Would this be a solution?



Answer



Typically low battery (for primary- aka non-rechargeable) batteries or cells is indicated when the voltage (preferably under load) drops below a set threshold.


Replacing primary alkaline cells with a different type such as NiMH rechargeable cells can result in a 'low battery' indication because the cell chemistry is quite different, resulting in a lower voltage- 1.2V vs. 1.5V in that particular case- even for freshly charged batteries.


We have no way of knowing whether attaching an external power supply could cause any damage- if the thermostat has problems replacing it or repairing it would probably be a better course of action.


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