I bought a bunch of eneloop pro, but using them in connected thermostats is always displaying “low battery” even after just fully charged. This is when I discovered that they are actually 1.2V

It really came as a surprise, is there a catch? Are they only good for low power stuff like remote controls?

Edit: it seems they do exist in lithium. Question remains why are the NiMH only 1.2v and why are they the most widespread?

  • SkaveRat
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    141 day ago

    classic rechargeable batteries are always 1.2V. That’s due to the chemistry.

    The “low power” warning is the reason why a lot of devices will tell you not to use rechargeable batteries, as they will trigger the low battery warning earlier, and the cutoff voltage might be reached earlier.

    I think there are modern rechargable lithium batteries with usb ports that will emulate 1.5V batteries and their voltage curve. But they have their own quirks as well

    • qyron
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      91 day ago

      Those USB charging batteries scare the lights from me. I saw one explode once. Not a nice thing.