My NCE wireless controller was acting a little weird and I checked the batteries as that is usually what causes the problem. Three batteries measured 1.41v and the fourth measured 1.89v. A new battery usually is just over 1.5v. So how high can the voltage in a 1.5v battery actually go? All the batteries had been installed new many months ago.
All my new Alkaline batteries measure about 1.55 volts. Anything higher I would say you have a defective meter.The lower voltage says the battery is used up.
Check some new batteries.
Rich
Rick is correct, new fresh out of the package they should measure 1.55 to 1.56 volts. Do not try to recharge a regular Alkaline battery! They do make Rechargeable Alkaline batteries now.
The rechargeable Alkaline batteries do have a higher voltage, static is around 1.77 to 1.86 volts. I’ve had pretty good luck with them going on for a little over a year.
The camera manufacturers say not to use them in their cameras because of the higher voltage. After changing out the regular AA batteries in my Canon after about 40 pictures (with flash) I started using a single rechargeable with a regular AA battery and that extended the camera pictures to about 50.
I got gutsy after a couple of months and tried a pair of rechargeables, it didn’t do any damage to the camera and after 6 months the camera is still working.
The overall life of the Rechargeable Alkaline batteries is much less than Nicad or NiMH. Mine still seem to last as long as they did when they were new, some older than a year.
Mel
They were Duracell Alkaline AAA22 regular batteries (not rechargeables) all out of the same package at the same time and the one battery read 1.8*v on three differant meters.
Even as electronically challenged as I am, I know that you do not try to recharge regular batteries.[(-D]
Over the years I have always measured 1.55 volts with new Alkaline batteries.
Now I use Harbor Freight multimeters, Many years ago I use to use a tube type HP VTVM, top of the line which I gave to a friend starting out.
Rich
At least one version of the HF meter has a battery test position, different from just the DC Volts setting in that it puts a load across the battery. Not much of one, so the usefulness is debatable, but it’s better than the nearly imperceptible load the volts setting puts on the battery.
The reason for VTVMs, and then later when everythign was solid state but before digital meters, when you had the high end meters using FETs while the lower end ones did not, was to maximize the input impedence, putting as little load as possible on the circuit under test to prevent false voltage drops.
ANyway, I don;t see how an ordinary alkaline battery could have a voltage so high - wonder if a rechargeable type got packaged in by mistake.
The reason thigns like camaras cautioned against using those types was because they were designed for ordinary alkaline or nicad/nimh. Say it used 4 cells, that’s nominally 6V with plain alkaline batteries, 4.8V with the typical 1.2V per cell of nimh. Throw in 1.8V rechargeable alkaline and now you have 7.2V. Remember, it has to work not just at a 4.8V mimimum, but actually LOWER than that, so that it doesn;t stop workign the instant the battaeries drop from 100% charge. So maybe it’s designed to work down to 4 volts, starting at 4.8 is ok, starting at 6 is ok, but starting over 7? Now we’re pushing it.
–Randy
That was my thinking as well, possibly some sort of assembly line contamination.
I have seven free Harbor Freight multi meters. All give slightly different readings. LOL
Try new batteries. The one with the high reading may be defective.