[sdiy] Lithium batteries & corrosion (Was: Retaining button state after power off?)

[Scott Nordlund]

I don't know of anything really corrosive that can leak out of a lithium battery. If you puncture one (which probably isn't a good idea for anything larger than a dead CR2032), the solvent (dimethoxyethane) evaporates almost immediately, leaving no liquid to speak of. The rest of it seems to be manganese dioxide, lithium perchlorate and propylene carbonate, according to Wikipedia. I don't think I've ever seen one leak.

NiCd, NiMH and alkaline batteries contain potassium hydroxide electrolyte, which is highly corrosive. These all seem to inevitably leak, given enough time. I've also heard people recommend using the plastic-wrapped battery packs, as used in cordless phone handsets, but I've seen these leak as well. 

> Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2014 13:46:47 +0100
> From: aym-htnys at teaser.fr
> To: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> Subject: [sdiy] Lithium batteries & corrosion (Was: Retaining button state after power off?)
> 
> On 2014-02-01 23:20 +0100, Roman Sowa wrote:
> 
>> And as a side note about Polysixes, as I did a few myself - always
>> replace the NiCad with a socket for CR2032. That one does not leak,
>> and works for decades. I have seen 30-year old synths with lithium
>> battery still in fair condition. So battery is not a bad thing in
>> general, NiCad is.
> 
> I've seen blue-green corrosion around the CR2032 in a DX7.
> Whether it's leaking or something else, I don't know. But it
> doesn't make me want to put batteries inside equipment if I can
> avoid it. Even lithium ones.
> 
> -- 
> André Majorel http://www.teaser.fr/~amajorel/
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