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My mouse rating is 1.5V, I've been using it with alkaline AAA batteries which provide 1.5V. My question is, if I have a 1.2V rechargeable battery, is it going to work anyways without issues? I'm just concerned the 0.3 Volts difference will damage something over time.
Thank you,
Matias.
Matias
Posted 2015-05-04T23:18:43.957
Reputation: 31
2
Your 1.2V rechargeable battery should work perfectly well.
An alkaline battery starts of with a terminal voltage somewhere between 1.5 - 1.6 Vdc which decays as the battery is discharged. End of life is a terminal voltage somewhere between 0.7 - 1.0 Vdc (depends on the equipment using the battery).
Your 1.2V rechargeable cell starts off with a terminal voltage around 1.2 Vdc which remains fairly constant as the cell discharges. Only when the cell charge is exhausted does the terminal voltage drop significantly.
Dwayne Reid
Posted 2015-05-04T23:18:43.957
Reputation: 368
Thanks, what is terminal voltage? – None – 2015-05-05T12:26:08.387
"Terminal Voltage" is the voltage measured across the terminals of the battery. – Dwayne Reid – 2015-05-05T16:12:12.610
1
Had same question ... I tried 1.2 volt rechargeable battery and it is working perfectly fine. Go ahead and start using that rechargeable battery it will be a little help to environment.
sandip
Posted 2015-05-04T23:18:43.957
Reputation: 11
1
I can't be 100% sure without having the exact model and schematic but my best guess would be: there's no problem in using a 1.2V when it's rated for a 1.5V battery. The reason is that I'm pretty sure the mouse has a boost or any other switching power supply that increases the input voltage to any voltage needed by internal circuitry to work. The only downside on using a smaller voltage battery is that you might experience a shorter operation life. But, anyway, as the battery is rechargeable, that's not a problem. You might need to recharge it more often than replacing an ordinary disposable battery. Hope it helps clarifying the issue.
Just to feed your curiosity you might read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boost_converter
patrickGranite
Posted 2015-05-04T23:18:43.957
Reputation: 46
1It's very unlikely that the low voltage will damage anything. It's not much different than trying to use an exhausted alkaline cell. On the other hand, it's very possible the the mouse just won't work, or wouldn't work for very long, due to the low voltage. – DoxyLover – 2015-05-05T00:19:36.393
1Every wireless mouse I tested (more than 50 models) worked flawlessly with rechargeable cells instead of alkalines. – Axeman – 2015-05-06T12:04:57.457
The electronics have a minimum operating voltage and are not damaged by the higher voltage of fresh batteries. Your run time is the time it takes the battery voltage to drop below the minimum. The curves aren't the same for alkaline vs. various rechargeables, so starting at 1.2V instead of 1.5 V will yield shorter run time, but not necessarily proportionally less run time. You will need to see what your own results are, but you won't damage anything. – fixer1234 – 2015-05-06T23:46:10.340