SR44 Batteries for Height Guage

L

lionelt

Stainless

Joined

Nov 25, 2010

Location

Oxfordshire

• Mar 10, 2016

• #1

Changed the batteries in my hight gauge today with a LR44 button battery.

Digits were getting very faint and hard to see, put in the new battery and the digits are a little sharper, but very grey looking and hard to see.

I am wondering if the batteries should be a hight voltage than 1.5 volts?

Googled to see if there is a higher voltage battery the same size but not found any.

No idea the brand of height guage, bought it from a factory closure many years ago,no maker label on it.

Any ideas why the digital readout is so faint?

 

K

kenh

Guest

• Mar 10, 2016

• #2

LR44 are alkaline, SR's are silver oxide.
Hence the LR's have a much shorter life.. Do they measure 1.5V under load?
Or, the display has reached the end of its life?

 

J

jwhartley

Plastic

Joined

Oct 20, 2004

Location

Minnesota, USA

• Mar 10, 2016

• #3

LR44 (alkaline) and SR44 (silver oxide) batteries are similar, but not exactly the same. The SR44 has a nominal voltage of 1.55v vs. the LR44 1.50v. There are other differences.

See: LR44 battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Was the gauge designed for the SR44? If so, then an LR44 might not provide a high enough voltage.

-Jess

 

D

DMF_TomB

Diamond

Joined

Dec 13, 2008

Location

Rochester, NY, USA

• Mar 10, 2016

• #4

when i buy batteries i write date on package. batteries can go bad just sitting on a shelf for years

 

L

lionelt

Stainless

Joined

Nov 25, 2010

Location

Oxfordshire

• Mar 14, 2016

• #5

Just bought some SR44, changed The LR to SR44 but display not any brighter.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

S

Steven-Canada

Hot Rolled

Joined

Jun 16, 2015

Location

Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada

• Mar 14, 2016

• #6

DMF_TomB said:

when i buy batteries i write date on package. batteries can go bad just sitting on a shelf for years

Click to expand...

Put them in the freezer for storage.

 

S

Steven-Canada

Hot Rolled

Joined

Jun 16, 2015

Location

Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada

• Mar 14, 2016

• #7

lionelt said:

Just bought some SR44, changed The LR to SR44 but display not any brighter.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Click to expand...

Are you getting them in the same store ?

Perhaps they are old.

Try a different store that goes through them faster.
try reading the date codes on the packages.


Try a different brand.

I found that the SR44 # was pretty rare
but a 303 or 357 # was much more common, easier to find, fresher batteries.

 

L

lionelt

Stainless

Joined

Nov 25, 2010

Location

Oxfordshire

• Mar 14, 2016

• #8

First one's the LR44, were Duracell from the local tool store.

Original battery was a 357 with what looked like gold plating on the inner contact surface. It was that that made me think it was a special of higher voltage.

The SR44 came from a camera shop, Panasonic I think it was.

I'll try another brand when I see them on my travels.

 

EPAIII

Diamond

Joined

Nov 23, 2003

Location

Beaumont, TX, USA

• Mar 14, 2016

• #9

I would suggest the refrigerator instead of the freezer AND please put them in a SEALED bag (ZipLock) to keep moisture out.

Steven-Canada said:

Put them in the freezer for storage.

Click to expand...

 

EPAIII

Diamond

Joined

Nov 23, 2003

Location

Beaumont, TX, USA

• Mar 14, 2016

• #10

When you test batteries, a normal VOM is not the best way. It does not have any load to draw some current from the battery and so even bad ones can read OK.

You can get a simple battery tester from a local battery store or hardware. A BATTERY TESTER will apply an appropriate load (resistor) to draw the proper amount of current during the test. This will show the actual condition of the battery with a lot more accuracy. These testers are commonly available for $10 or less and can test a variety of different battery types.

If you must test it with a VOM, do it in the circuit with power turned on. That way you will see the Voltge under actual working conditions.