Hand-held Nav-Com batteries

[DonMuncy]

I send a reminder to myself every 6 months to check the voltage of the batteries in my hand-held nav-com. The last couple of times, the batteries tested good, but then the radio would not turn on. After cleaning all the contacts (remember, there are about 25 different contact areas, what with 8 batteries etc.) it worked fine. Is there any product that can be applied to each of the contact points that is conductive and will deter what I perceive to be minor corrosion, causing the problem.

[PT20J]

Don, that's a great question. I have the same problem with flashlights and remote controls around the house!.

I bought some Stabilant 22 awhile back when trying to fix some intermittent avionics issues because I read raves about it for improving conductivity of connectors. It did nothing for my problems. (Flexing the contacts on the edge connectors on old B-K equipment worked).

Has anyone tried it on the contacts for battery powered stuff?

Skip

[carusoam]

Maybe… battery grease? https://www.autozone.com/wash-cleaners-and-exterior-care-products/battery-protectant/p/ags-battery-terminal-grease/249149_0_0
 

Often used on large battery terminals to keep clean and oxygen free… same purpose, different scale…

Not sure about use on small sets of batteries… 

Best regards,

-a-

[Ragsf15e]

Good question.  I also notice that after ~6 months, my handheld shows good battery % remaining and it receives fine, but dies the instant i try to transmit.  I think these things are nice to have but not perfectly reliable.

[DonMuncy]

8 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

Good question.  I also notice that after ~6 months, my handheld shows good battery % remaining and it receives fine, but dies the instant i try to transmit.  I think these things are nice to have but not perfectly reliable.

I agree. In the last 15 years or so, I have actually used mine once; and that was checking with the tower while waiting around for a clearance to leave in the midst of a bunch of planes. But if one really needed it, it would be well worth all the trouble.

[EricJ]

Alkaline batteries commonly cause the typical terminal corrosion found with batteries in small electronics.   Some battery makers are better at preventing it than others, but I don't know that there's ever been an alkaline battery brand that managed to prevent it completely.    Using a different battery technology, NiCd, Lixx, whatever, goes a long way toward avoiding it, but then you have the issues that come with those technologies.   I've always had my fingers crossed that some alternate battery chemistry would replace alkaline batteries in the low-cost single-use category, but it hasn't happened yet that I'm aware of.

 

[DonMuncy]

I just cleaned all the contact points and naturally it works fine. I smeared them lightly with petroleum jelly. It still works. If someone will remind me, I will report back in 6 months.

[PeteMc]

I'd be concerned about how much resistance the petroleum jelly adds to the in line batteries.  Sure people talk about using it for corrosion on car batteries.  But there's a lot more amperage involved.

And granted we're getting into the cooler months.  But I'd also be concerned about where that PJ might be migrating to next summer when you're in having a bugger in 80-100 degree Wx.  Apparently it does conduct electricity, so what happens when you start to get a film across the circuit board and then turn on your radio.

Clean and dry is what is usually the recommendation I've always read in various manuals and gone by.

[N201MKTurbo]

2 hours ago, DonMuncy said:

I just cleaned all the contact points and naturally it works fine. I smeared them lightly with petroleum jelly. It still works. If someone will remind me, I will report back in 6 months.

I think Petroleum Jelly is a good choice. It is fairly inert. I don’t think it will affect the plastic. 

[EricJ]

2 hours ago, DonMuncy said:

I just cleaned all the contact points and naturally it works fine. I smeared them lightly with petroleum jelly. It still works. If someone will remind me, I will report back in 6 months.

Don't forget to report back in six months!

Or did you mean wait and remind you then? 

[N201MKTurbo]

Let’s all set an outlook appointment for six months from now, so we can overwhelm Don with reminders.

[PeteMc]

8 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Let’s all set an outlook appointment for six months from now, so we can overwhelm Don with reminders.

Don't forget to send him the notification when it pops up on your screen about the pending message you're going to send him in 15 min...

 

[A64Pilot]

18 hours ago, DonMuncy said:

I just cleaned all the contact points and naturally it works fine. I smeared them lightly with petroleum jelly. It still works. If someone will remind me, I will report back in 6 months.

Petroleum jelly will work fine, I use Dow Corning DC-4 (the same stuff you use on an oil filter) AKA light bulb grease, used on trailer light bulbs, especially boat trailers that immerse their lights.

We lived on board a cruising sailboat for years and I put DC-4 on just about every electrical connection and never had a problem

[DonMuncy]

Thanks for all the input.

[jaylw314]

I'd suggest silicone dielectric grease because it's not flammable as vaseline, but I'm guessing high-voltage arcing is not a major factor for AA batteries

 

[moosebreath]

A good solution to this problem is use of Caig Deoxit.  It is really expensive and really amazing.  A two pack of the 2ml squeeze tube is $14 on Amazon.

I have used it in a variety of applications with uniformly remarkable success including RV trailer Bargman plugs, every known amateur radio connector, and the control electronics for 4 and 15 meter diameter telescopes.

It also does not retain dirt like Vaseline.

[DonMuncy]

Just for anyone who happens to care. I checked the batteries in my hand-held nav-com today, and my petroleum jelly application on the terminals seems to be working fine. No corrosion and good electrical contact.

[carusoam]

Great follow-up Don!

-a-

[Marauder]

Interesting topic. Probably like a few of you, I have a flashlight fetish. I’ve noticed over the past several years the rate of corroded alkaline batteries incidents in my flashlights is on a significant rise. Sometimes it would only take a couple of months before I saw corrosion. In fact, I just returned a pack of AA batteries to Costco that corroded INSIDE the sealed package. The batteries were only 3 months old!

Have others seen an increase in battery corrosion problems? The main culprits have been Duracell and their Kirkland variant.

It’s gotten so bad that I’ve done a few things. I’ve been forced to removed the batteries and store them with the devices. I also switched to lithium batteries for some devices and started buying lithium rechargeable flashlights.

Don - thanks for the research results. Will give it a try.


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[LANCECASPER]

10 hours ago, Marauder said:

Interesting topic. Probably like a few of you, I have a flashlight fetish. I’ve noticed over the past several years the rate of corroded alkaline batteries incidents in my flashlights is on a significant rise. Sometimes it would only take a couple of months before I saw corrosion. In fact, I just returned a pack of AA batteries to Costco that corroded INSIDE the sealed package. The batteries were only 3 months old!

Have others seen an increase in battery corrosion problems? The main culprits have been Duracell and their Kirkland variant.

It’s gotten so bad that I’ve done a few things. I’ve been forced to removed the batteries and store them with the devices. I also switched to lithium batteries for some devices and started buying lithium rechargeable flashlights.

Don - thanks for the research results. Will give it a try.


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I'm a huge Costco fan but their Kirkland batteries are the worst.

If I remember correctly, all batteries years ago used to always carry a warranty printed on the battery that if they ever leaked or caused corrosion, the battery maker would repair or replace your device. That went away many years ago and the quality of all disposable batteries seems to continue to decline.

[flyboy0681]

40 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

I'm a huge Costco fan but their Kirkland batteries are the worst.

If I remember correctly, all batteries years ago used to always carry a warranty printed on the battery that if they ever leaked or caused corrosion, the battery maker would repair or replace your device. That went away many years ago and the quality of all disposable batteries seems to continue to decline.

Things aren't made the way they used to be. While batteries are also one of my biggest beefs, screws are the other. Maybe it's just me, but when I buy packets of (Chinese) screws in Home Depot they are so soft that the head almost immediately starts stripping.

[jaylw314]

12 hours ago, Marauder said:

Interesting topic. Probably like a few of you, I have a flashlight fetish. I’ve noticed over the past several years the rate of corroded alkaline batteries incidents in my flashlights is on a significant rise. Sometimes it would only take a couple of months before I saw corrosion. In fact, I just returned a pack of AA batteries to Costco that corroded INSIDE the sealed package. The batteries were only 3 months old!

Ha!  How did you guess?  My wife complains about the number of flashlights I collect 

I'm pretty sure a lot of flashlights these days with the single multi-function button that switches between various flashing modes use current even when they're off.  I had a couple sets of flashlights that I would pick up 6 months later and all the batteries would be dead, and some leaking, even though they had never been used.  I ended up throwing those flashlights away.

[Fly Boomer]

And those screws don't have well-formed receptacles for my selection of Phillips screwdrivers. 

[Marauder]

Ha!  How did you guess?  My wife complains about the number of flashlights I collect 
I'm pretty sure a lot of flashlights these days with the single multi-function button that switches between various flashing modes use current even when they're off.  I had a couple sets of flashlights that I would pick up 6 months later and all the batteries would be dead, and some leaking, even though they had never been used.  I ended up throwing those flashlights away.

I attempted an inventory at one point. I gave up after finding 32 of them. And that was the issue. Some of those flashlights were in locations that I would only find by accident.

I agree with you about the multi function lights. Ironically I bought a set of Duracell flashlights at Costco. Those flashlights always seem to run down faster than other flashlights. Often wondered if that wasn’t by design.


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[A64Pilot]

On 10/16/2021 at 8:26 PM, moosebreath said:

A good solution to this problem is use of Caig Deoxit.  It is really expensive and really amazing.  A two pack of the 2ml squeeze tube is $14 on Amazon.

I have used it in a variety of applications with uniformly remarkable success including RV trailer Bargman plugs, every known amateur radio connector, and the control electronics for 4 and 15 meter diameter telescopes.

It also does not retain dirt like Vaseline.

Deoxit is THE ticket for intermittent landing gear limit switches etc.

Edited February 27, 2022 by A64Pilot