I used thinner or smaller wrong sized battery for the key fob

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fetv

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2015
Messages
114
The manual says CR2025, I used thinner, thicker or smaller battery for the key fob, it worked. Anyone tried the "wrong" size yet?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmTdSRcGF1I[/youtube]
 
what about smaller in diameter? for example the 16mm diameter battery.

LeftieBiker said:
There is a topic on this. Sizes CR2016 through CR2032 will work, although some people have trouble with the 2032 being too thick.
 
All you need is appropriate Pos/Neg contact since those batteries are the same voltage. They are NOT the same CAPACITY, and obviously not quite the same size. The smaller one will not last as long. If you 'stuff' a larger one into a smaller space, that may or may not work. If it does, it'll last longer.
2016 > 20mm diameter, 1.6mm thick
2032 > 20mm diameter, 3.2mm thick
That's how the sizing is determined.

How well that works depends entirely on the device you put it into. Some can be forgiving, others...not so much. I have a dive watch that has a VERY weird battery size. I put a smaller diameter but same thickness coin cell in it and it's been working fine for a loooong time.
 
flydiver said:
All you need is appropriate Pos/Neg contact since those batteries are the same voltage. They are NOT the same CAPACITY, and obviously not quite the same size. The smaller one will not last as long. If you 'stuff' a larger one into a smaller space, that may or may not work. If it does, it'll last longer.
2016 > 20mm diameter, 1.6mm thick
2032 > 20mm diameter, 3.2mm thick
That's how the sizing is determined.

How well that works depends entirely on the device you put it into. Some can be forgiving, others...not so much. I have a dive watch that has a VERY weird battery size. I put a smaller diameter but same thickness coin cell in it and it's been working fine for a loooong time.

a question, I know the capacity is specified by the mAh, but can you guarantee that a 2032 has higher capacity than a 2016?
 
maH is capacity. 2032 is a bigger 'bucket' than 2016. All things being equal, 2032 absolutely has more capacity.

Having said that.....there can be a LOT of different qualities of batteries. I use a lot of 2032. I try to get devices that use those rather than have a dozen different cell sizes for devices. So, I bought a bunch of cheap ones off eBay, like $0.25/cell. They were complete and utter crap lasting 2 weeks in devices that would go 6-12 months with a decent 2032.

Age, and brand DO make a difference here.
The drug store and hardware store are usually easy but expensive places to get decent batteries. You can often get exactly the same cells for 1/4 the cost with a bit of searching. I needed 1632 for a fob. Drug store = $3.95 for 1. Amazon = $5 for 5 of the same brand. Shelf life is pretty good. Date them, keep them cool, and store them. But if you haul them out 8 years from now you may be somewhat disappointed.

One decent cell beats a half dozen junk ones.
 
It should also be noted that Ebay and even amazon.com are known for having counterfeits for sale. This is one instance in which it's best to shop locally, so you can return them if crappy, and to lower the likelihood of counterfeits. I've had good luck with Dollar general: great prices and they seem to be the actual name brands.
 
flydiver said:
maH is capacity. 2032 is a bigger 'bucket' than 2016. All things being equal, 2032 absolutely has more capacity.

Having said that.....there can be a LOT of different qualities of batteries. I use a lot of 2032. I try to get devices that use those rather than have a dozen different cell sizes for devices. So, I bought a bunch of cheap ones off eBay, like $0.25/cell. They were complete and utter crap lasting 2 weeks in devices that would go 6-12 months with a decent 2032.

Age, and brand DO make a difference here.
The drug store and hardware store are usually easy but expensive places to get decent batteries. You can often get exactly the same cells for 1/4 the cost with a bit of searching. I needed 1632 for a fob. Drug store = $3.95 for 1. Amazon = $5 for 5 of the same brand. Shelf life is pretty good. Date them, keep them cool, and store them. But if you haul them out 8 years from now you may be somewhat disappointed.

One decent cell beats a half dozen junk ones.

yes, that $5 for 5 was what I got, it has been good.
 
Don't know how to spot the counterfeits. The cheap ones I got were pack of 5 and they were not name brand, so at least they were not pretending to be counterfeits for name brand. They lasted for a year, so not too bad.

Did you have concern of counterfeit for bad quality? or just you don't want to provide moral support for counterfeits?

there is no Dollar general near me. There are only Dollar Tree stores near by, but they don't have coin batteries.

LeftieBiker said:
It should also be noted that Ebay and even amazon.com are known for having counterfeits for sale. This is one instance in which it's best to shop locally, so you can return them if crappy, and to lower the likelihood of counterfeits. I've had good luck with Dollar general: great prices and they seem to be the actual name brands.
 
fetv said:
a question, I know the capacity is specified by the mAh, but can you guarantee that a 2032 has higher capacity than a 2016?

Of course not. I can "build" a 2032 out of aluminum foil and peanut butter. It won't have ANY capacity.
 
fetv said:
there is no Dollar general near me. There are only Dollar Tree stores near by, but they don't have coin batteries.

I usually find the cells I need in a supermarket or hardware store. I'm not sure why people go out of their way to save a couple of dollars on something that should last 2 years or more, to operate a car that cost many thousands of dollars. My fob batteries are costing less than one cent per day as it is.
 
fetv said:
Don't know how to spot the counterfeits. The cheap ones I got were pack of 5 and they were not name brand, so at least they were not pretending to be counterfeits for name brand. They lasted for a year, so not too bad.

Did you have concern of counterfeit for bad quality? or just you don't want to provide moral support for counterfeits?

there is no Dollar general near me. There are only Dollar Tree stores near by, but they don't have coin batteries.

LeftieBiker said:
It should also be noted that Ebay and even amazon.com are known for having counterfeits for sale. This is one instance in which it's best to shop locally, so you can return them if crappy, and to lower the likelihood of counterfeits. I've had good luck with Dollar general: great prices and they seem to be the actual name brands.

Counterfeit batteries are virtually always poor performers. Some counterfeits can be spotted by poorly copied (or even misspelled) logos, but quite a few look identical to the real thing. That's why I prefer to shop locally for them.
 
Nubo said:
fetv said:
there is no Dollar general near me. There are only Dollar Tree stores near by, but they don't have coin batteries.

I usually find the cells I need in a supermarket or hardware store. I'm not sure why people go out of their way to save a couple of dollars on something that should last 2 years or more, to operate a car that cost many thousands of dollars. My fob batteries are costing less than one cent per day as it is.

I'm talking about paying either $6 for two Energizer batteries at CVS or the supermarket, vs paying $1 or $2 each for the same, non-counterfeit Energizer batteries at the dollar store. If CVS were a local Mom and Pop store I'd give them the extra profit. Since they are a not especially nice corporation, I choose to save the money for the same product. Your reality may vary.

Oh, and Dollar General is next to the supermarket. CVS is a drive across town. If you want to drive out of your way to pay more, in the hope that paying more for the same product is somehow better and smarter, feel free to do so.
 
fetv said:
The manual says CR2025, I used thinner, thicker or smaller battery for the key fob, it worked. Anyone tried the "wrong" size yet?


Instead of arguing what stores I want to spend a dollar on a battery, I will give my answer to the original poster....

Put the one that it calls for. On a $350 key fob, don't play science experiments with battery sizes... I looked at the 2032s and it was TOO thick... Do you want to risk squeezing the electronics and mechanicals in the FOB just for an ego rush that you put a BETTER battery in..

We do not live in a third world country where we have to adapt everything because of poverty..
 
On the thinner battery, you could also possibly have a problem with the contacts not making a solid connection causing the odd failure in the future.
 
LeftieBiker said:
Nubo said:
fetv said:
there is no Dollar general near me. There are only Dollar Tree stores near by, but they don't have coin batteries.

I usually find the cells I need in a supermarket or hardware store. I'm not sure why people go out of their way to save a couple of dollars on something that should last 2 years or more, to operate a car that cost many thousands of dollars. My fob batteries are costing less than one cent per day as it is.

I'm talking about paying either $6 for two Energizer batteries at CVS or the supermarket, vs paying $1 or $2 each for the same, non-counterfeit Energizer batteries at the dollar store. If CVS were a local Mom and Pop store I'd give them the extra profit. Since they are a not especially nice corporation, I choose to save the money for the same product. Your reality may vary.

Oh, and Dollar General is next to the supermarket. CVS is a drive across town. If you want to drive out of your way to pay more, in the hope that paying more for the same product is somehow better and smarter, feel free to do so.

They're in the supermarket where I normally get my groceries. I'm also in the hardware frequently because I do most home maintenance myself instead of hiring people. So this is most convenient for me. If you're finding good cells at a discount in a place that is convenient then it should be obvious my comment was not directed at you.
 
davewill said:
On the thinner battery, you could also possibly have a problem with the contacts not making a solid connection causing the odd failure in the future.

Why would a thinner battery have "not solid connection"?
As the video showed, there are two situations:
1. you should generally add padding
2. if the contact "stands out", then you are fine.
 
Nubo said:
I usually find the cells I need in a supermarket or hardware store. I'm not sure why people go out of their way to save a couple of dollars on something that should last 2 years or more, to operate a car that cost many thousands of dollars. My fob batteries are costing less than one cent per day as it is.

Well, learning this probably takes about as much time as going to the store to get a new battery, and is a skill that can be applied more than once, and may be useful for items other than key fobs as well. If you already have these other (wrong-sized) batteries on hand, you can also avoid adding to e-wast (it takes more time to deal with battery waste).
 
fetv said:
davewill said:
On the thinner battery, you could also possibly have a problem with the contacts not making a solid connection causing the odd failure in the future.

Why would a thinner battery have "not solid connection"?
As the video showed, there are two situations:
1. you should generally add padding
2. if the contact "stands out", then you are fine.

There is a sprung contact on the face of one side. Those contacts will have less contact pressure because of the thinner battery. It will probably be just fine, and if there WERE a problem, you'd just change the battery to the right one.
 
powersurge said:
Instead of arguing what stores I want to spend a dollar on a battery, I will give my answer to the original poster....

Put the one that it calls for. On a $350 key fob, don't play science experiments with battery sizes... I looked at the 2032s and it was TOO thick... Do you want to risk squeezing the electronics and mechanicals in the FOB just for an ego rush that you put a BETTER battery in..

We do not live in a third world country where we have to adapt everything because of poverty..

1. the thickness difference is 3.2-2.5=0.7 mm
2. The mechanical buttons are not squeezed because the PCB shields it.
3. The only part that is under stress is the PCB board. That PCB board is 0.9 mm thick and pretty strong. It would be interesting to see if there is any statistics about damage caused by the 0.7mm thicker battery.

I agree with you that in general, poor people would like to save money, but since they like to show their status, they may not admit that they like it.
 
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