Hitachi has invented an alkaline battery it can charge more than 25 cents for, because it never leaks. From Tech-on:
The new product (also called “Voltage”) will be released April 1, 2009. The company developed a new zinc alloy to reduce the amount of residual, undischarged zinc, which causes leakage.
According to the results of Hitachi Maxell’s survey, over-discharge accounts for 55% of all leakage causes. When a battery is over-discharged, hydrogen gas is rapidly produced inside it, raising the internal pressure. Therefore, to prevent explosion, batteries have a safety valve to discharge hydrogen gas. However, when this valve works, alkaline solution flows out together with the gas.
Perfect for leaving in remote controls you never use, forever.
Hitachi Maxell to Release ‘Leak-free’ Alkaline Battery [Maxell Tech on via Crunchgear]
How do you clean after a alkaline leakage ? I have 2 expensive flashes that hardly work now because the contacts suck. Scrubbibg didn’t help much.
Having just had an alky leak, I’d pay a bit more for one guaranteed not to. Not that it’s hard to clean up or it does much if any other damage (unlike the old carbon batteries, which were acidic and corroded the terminals when they let go), but unexpectedly having to scrape down a set of contacts to get a widget back into operation is a nuisance.
If there’s a more serious problem… On the other hand, all the larger battery manufacturers guarantee that devices damaged by leaks from their batteries will be repaired/replaced. On the other other hand, that means you’re without the device until they do so, and I presume they make the consumer pay postage. So on older or cheaper or more critical devices, that may not be much help.
I’ll buy them.
A few weeks ago, I was laying on my couch, a plate of pizza balanced on my chest, happily watching “My Name is Earl” when the battery in my Harmony remote(!) explodes like a bomb. The battery cover hit the ceiling, and the pop was earshattering. I managed to ruin the pizza, carpet and sofa with alkaline leakage. The remote still works though.
The culprit battery was a standard Duracell AAA battery.
April fools?
Between the time I wrote #1 and now I had another alkaline leak in a headlamp. Sign of the time for a change ?