What's the deal with button cell batteries?

[JediTricks]

What is it with these things? The toy industry has adopted the use of this small 1.5v battery because of its size, but it's so small that it barely holds much of a charge at all so it needs a lot of replacement; it goes under a billion different names (AG13, AC-13, LR44, A76, V13GA, RW82); and almost no stores carry it or if they do, it's not at a reasonable price. Video games, watches, toys, calculators, flashlights, keychains, I probably have 100 items that need 1, 2, or even 3 of these stupid little things to work; yet most lay dormant thanks to this battery's rarity. You'd think the battery itself was collectible!!!

I'm not sick of these batteries, I'm just sick of how poor their availability is.

[Jargo]

You'd rather they put large batteries into toys and increased the size of the toys? made action figures with electronics at the same scale they were before star wars gave us 4 inch figures? made the vehicles twice as heavy and badly detailed to accomodate larger battery compartments? Made watches the size of a housebrick so they could get the batteries in? Don't see you point when the batteries in question are available all over the place in hardware stores and jewellers, they even sell them in supermarkets (grocery stores) over here.
I'd think about changing the amount of electronic items you use. simplify your life to include less gadgets. How many flashlights do you need, how many keychains do you need, these things aren't essential and aren't made to last forever. Just alternate them if you feel the need to have more than one. The less batteries you throw in the trash the less harm is done to the environment.

[JediTricks]

Originally posted by EMPEROR JARGO
Don't see you point when the batteries in question are available all over the place in hardware stores and jewellers, they even sell them in supermarkets (grocery stores) over here. So, all I have to do to find these in plentiful amounts is fly thousands of miles away - it's so simple, why didn't I think of it? :D

What was the last thing I said in my post? "I'm not sick of these batteries, I'm just sick of how poor their availability is." I want one industry-standard name for these things, I want them to be sold in packs of 4 instead of 1 so stores don't run out so quickly, and I want stores to carry them for a reasonable price.

Let's cut a slice out of my collection, I will have only 4 items that need these batteries: a keychain flashlight, an action figure, a mini video game, and a pocket calculator. The keychain flashlight takes 3 of these, and the others each take 2. That is 9 batteries total. Now, the closest store I can find these batteries in stock is 2 miles away, it's a drug store, but they usually only have 3 individual batteries each because the button cell rack they were given has to accomodate all these other tiny watch and hearing aid batteries. Each battery is just over $1.50, so that's $4.50 plus the 2 miles travel, but I still have to track down 6 more of these dang things and I can't even figure out how much gas I used because the calculator still doesn't have batteries. The other drug stores in my area never have these, so I have to go around 5 more miles to find a store that does have them. If I'm lucky, they have all 6 and they're talking about the correct battery since it's a crapshoot with all these various names for the same battery; if not lucky, I keep on truckin' or go home and wait till the non-crappy Rite Aid drugs restocks 'em which could be a day or a week. Mind you, this is all under the assumption that all the batteries I buy work, I've found that about 1 out of 10 do not have a charge or have been damaged in some way that can't be seen in the package.

Now imagine what I'd have to do to keep my entire toy collection blinking and flashing and beeping - the Power FX line alone is 8 batteries. "Oh, but you could alternate" you say? No, because each time you take the batteries out of the items, you strip the teeny tiny screw that the law requires a little more each time, so repeated battery changing means you run the risk of totally stripping out the totally irreplaceable screw that holds the battery hatch in place and is different from item to item.

[LTBasker]

Can't add much but if you need a working calculator they do make solar powered ones (yes they work off artifical light) in all sizes.

What you might try doing is looking for a way to get them by mail order by checking out websites or magazines that deal in electronic items and you might be able to find them for mail order. I dunno though, never tried it myself, I usually see them in plenty supply in multipacks at Wal-Marts.

[JediTricks]

Yeah, I spent 7th and 8th grade wasting my time with solar calculators. The ones with internal batteries for supplementary power were ok for a little while, but both with and without died far too often for my tastes, so I bought a Casio Digital Diary... which took 3 more exotic button cell batteries! :eek: To be fair the digital diary and its batteries, the batteries lasted WAY longer than the LR-44/A76 batteries I was whining about above - heck, the 3 batteries in the digital diary last longer than the 2 AAAs in my super-frugal Palm IIIxe.

[TylerD]

and I can't even figure out how much gas I used because the calculator still doesn't have batteries.

HAHAHA ROTFL! I understand your pain JediTricks. I too wish they would come with one standard name...

[JediTricks]

Yeah, that alone would make inquiring as to the stock 10 times easier.

"Hi. Do you have any A76 button cell batteries?"
"Hang on, lemme check..."
"..."
"Don't see any."
"Perhaps you have them under a different name?"
"Hang on, lemme check the battery chart..."
"..."
"..."
"I found your battery..."
"Hooray, I'll come righ-"
"... on the chart. Lemme check if it's in stock..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"*click*"
"EGHEGHEGHEGHEGHEGHE! If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try the number again. If you'd like to make a-"
"Crap. *redial*..."
"*ring ring* Hello, Pappy's Hardware, Pappy speakin'."
"Hi, I was just waiting on hold to find out if you have a battery I'm looking for and was disconnected."
"Uh, hang on."
"*The Girl from Epanema plays*"
"..."
"Battery department, Gummy speaking."
"Howdy, I was waiting on hold to find out if you had a specific battery and was disconnected."
"Oh yeah, I wondered where you went."
"So, do you have my battery?"
"What was it again?"
"... *teeth grinding* It's an A76 button cell."
"Oh right. Uhhhh... yeah, we don't have none of those."
"... *teeth cracking* Thanks anyway."
"Yup. *click*"
"*click* *BOOM!*"
"*blood blood blood*"
"*decompose*"

[QLD]

I like my nice TI-83 Calculator. Runs on 4 AA batteries. ;)

[bigbarada]

I understand the hassle of trying to find replacement batteries, especially for watches. I think it is easier to just buy a new watch every couple of years than to try to replace a battery in one of those things.

As for toys, by the time the batteries run out for me, I am already sick to death of the lame noises the toy makes, so I just remove the battery, toss it in the trash and never replace it.

[JediTricks]

I usually hate the noises, but the deluxe Nexu and Power FX R2-D2 have cool noises. I prefer lights to sounds when appropriate in a toy.

QLD, what pocket comfortably holds that calculator? :D

[Darth Cruel]

I hate the use of these batteries at all. I don't even bother replacing them when they die as my preference is for action figures with NO gimmicks at all. The only exception to that being the lights and sounds of the droids like the newest EII R2-D2 the electronic features on that one rock! I can do without my Nexu screaming like a #$%^& and my blasted apart C-3PO is just as well off without his light-up eyes.

[Emperor Howdy]

Originally posted by JediTricks
"Howdy, I was waiting on hold to find out if you had a specific battery and was disconnected."



Tricks, I'm very sorry to hear that. Let's see what we can do.....
............................................
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.......ah, here we go. Yes, I have an assault and battery back in '93, but hey, young and dumb, ya know? Hope that helps.

*CLICK*

[stillakid]

But the only way to get the New Super Deluxe Pus#ifed Falling From the Gantry Screaming Luke is to use one of those teeny tiny batteries. :D

[thespar]

JediTricks i do not know if you have this company out your way but try batteries plus. they carry all types of battries. if you do not just forget about what i said.

[JediTricks]

Batteries Plus? Not out here I'm afraid.

EH got a free joke out of my routine real-world use of "howdy" (an archaic colloquialistic contraction of "how do you do"). :D