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NiMH batteries & cordless phone

17 years ago

I have a dual handset 2.4 GHz Uniden phone that takes two AA 1.2 volt 1500 mAh NiMH batteries.

The main phone batteries are bad & need replaced.

I've been to every friggin' store known to carry a wide selection of batteries & all they have are 1.2 volt 2000 & 2500 mAh NiMH.

I called Uniden & was told the only battery I should use is AA 1.2 volt 1400, 1500 or 1600 mAh NiMH otherwise the batteries may "burn up" the phone.

Three stores I've been to said the opposite; that I can use the 2000 or 2500, that such won't ruin the phone & that the 2000 & 2500 only pertains to the amount of charge they'll hold. The folks also said that if my phone uses a 1500, it just won't use all the charge of the 2000 or 2500.

So I looked at the Uniden website but the only AA batteries they sell have no information, such as if they're alkaline, NiMH, Niox, etc., nor what charge.

So I e-mailed them about this dilemma & won't hold my breath for a reply.

Who's right/wrong?

I don't want to have to buy a new phone just because I can't find the right batteries!

Nor do I want to ruin the phone I have by using the wrong batteries!

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Comments (4)

ericwi
17 years ago
In your situation, I would use any NiMH battery that had the proper voltage specification, fit into the cordless phone, and connected properly with the existing contacts. I would be concerned about the effects of a defective battery leaking and damaging the phone, but I would not be concerned about any adverse effect due to battery charge capacity, specified as mAh, or mill-Amp hours. I would expect a battery with fewer mAh to run down faster, and a battery with more mAh to last longer. This is not an issue if the phone is left on the charger when not in use. However, if cordless phones are routinely left "off the hook," so to speak, the battery will eventually run down.
LibbyLiz
Original Author
17 years ago
if cordless phones are routinely left "off the hook," so to speak, the battery will eventually run down

This is exactly what happened to the main phone.

I thought the battery (didn't know it was two AA instead of a pack) was like the old batteries where the charge had to be completely depleted before recharging.
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LibbyLiz
Original Author
17 years ago
The manual actually says, now that I read it (DUH), to keep the phone on the charger when not in use. I was always leaving it off the charger.

Okay, now this is really weird... after I posted my dilemma, I decided to put the old batteries back in the phone to see if I could still use it for more than a couple seconds, maybe a minute here & there until I got new batteries. I left it on the charger before using it today, just in case.

I just ended an approximately hour-long phone call with my sister!!! And when I hung up it still showed a full charge!!!

So now I don't understand what was going wrong with it to begin with; why the phone would tell me there was no charge when not even a minute before I picked it up it was fully charged. ???

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