Yep!

I put red Rayovac Fusion batteries into my Schlage smart lock and within months they leaked. They were brand new when installed.

They have a good guarantee and promise to replace any equipment that is damaged by leakage:

https://www.rayovac.com/warranties-and-guarantees/

But yeah... I will probably never trust them again.

Yikes. That's a lot of bad batteries. Are you checking born on or expiration dates? Alkalines have a ten year shelf life at best. Manufacture date is usually two number month and two or four number year. 0123 would be this month. Would be interesting to know how old those are.

I went shopping for Energizer AA lithium's yesterday and was surprised how expensive they've become. Battery store wanted $80 for 20. Online is cheaper, but still over $2 a battery. I'm considering trying non-Energizer lithium's.

Yeah... I've seen this with these too.

Lately it seems the cheaper, more off-brand junk which come with remotes, etc... never seem to leak, and last forever. But what you would think are trusted brands, are the junk.

So far, I've never had an issue with the copper top brand.

Sadly I have…not more than 3x but it did happen.

I use Energizer Lithium only. In everything. They dont leak.

Me too ... or NVRAM...

Yeah! NVRAM is in my White Star games.
I don’t think I have any games at the moment that need AA batteries.
SAM has watch batteries that might be an issue soon

Energizer lithium is the best battery I've come across. They may be a little more money but they last a really long time and they don't leak. My Nest door lock runs on these batteries and is used everyday. I can't remember the last time I've had to change them. Same with my game cam. Of course in pinball NVRAM is the way to go.

I don't use batteries in pins, but for other things that need batteries, I just use rayovac ultra pro batteries simply because they have higher energy capacity than anything else.

The ultra pro AA's have 2750 mAh vs the high energy AA's that have 750 mAh.

https://batterystory.com/rayovac-ultra-pro-vs-high-energy/

The last time I looked into battery comparison tests, those ultra pros far exceeded the top batteries from Energizer and Duracell.

I've had rayovac, energizer, and duracell AA's all leak on me well before the expiration date, so I'm not sure there's much difference between them in that regard.

I haven't made the leap to use lithium AA/AAA since they are a bit more expensive.

Energizer lithium?

Alkaline.

Alkaline suck.
Lithium is the way to go!

Rayovac data sheets say they are both about 2600 mAh (with intermittent 100 mA load).

https://www.rayovac.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Alkaline-RAYOVAC%C2%AE-ULTRA-PRO%E2%84%A2-AA.pdf
https://www.rayovac.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Alkaline-High-Energy-AA-2020.pdf

Also both have same stock #, 815 / 815 OEM. They seem to be identical batteries with different label only.

It sucks having to go back to batteries again. I miss the days of 15.00 or less nvrams readily available.

lithiums are more money yes, but they last way longer and they don't leak. What's the downside? A couple/few bucks for performance and piece of mind...sounds like a no brainer.

Totally agree. If you must use on board batteries these are the ONLY way to go. The risk is not worth it with the traditional batteries.

Huh, that's interesting. Good to know.

I had this same exact problem with my Rayovac AA's. I put them in my clocks and they all started leaking only after a couple months. I checked the packaging where I still had a bunch that were new and unused, and they were starting to leak too! I threw them all out. There must have been a bad batch.

I've been using Energizer Lithiums for years in my games. I trust them enough to not leak, last longer, and they're cheaper than NVRAM and don't come with risks associated with desoldering the old RAM chip.

That said, I've been trying to transition my "everyday" battery needs over to Panasonic Eneloop Cells. They're rechargeable up to 2,100 times, made in Japan, and have a stellar reputation. You can get pro cells that have 2500 mAh for high drain applications. Good stuff.

I use Lithiums, and I change 'em out twice a year. Hold-over from having alkalines. But... *shrug* The cost is negligible for me, and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Does anyone know who makes the Kirkland batteries for Costco? Have had terrible luck with those. Was pretty hard to turn down the bulk packs for cheap when I first started going there a few years ago but I've noticed nearly every single one in every application I've used them in, leaks. Finally quit buying them and went to Duracell - cuz bulk pack at Costco, oops - but now having second thoughts there.

I NVRAM'd most of my games out of habit, but since that well has gone dry I have a few stragglers & new acquisitions that are too easy to overlook. Even remote holders aren't 100% failsafe if the leakage tracks up the wire... although that would be an extreme scenario, I think.

I always convert to a coin cell battery with a holder. Just did this system 1 not long ago. There is a blocking diode on the back and the original trace to the resistor was removed during corrosion cleanup.

20230113_172315 (resized).jpg

Last time I checked (a year or two ago), Duracell had a crappy warranty for items that were damaged due to leakage, Energizer was at least somewhat better.

I'm tempted to get some AA rechargeable lithium's to play around with, usually 4 for ~$20. Not for the any pin memory tho, more for remotes or smart home stuff. Not sure about the self-discharge rate.

I prefer NVRAM, but if that's too expensive of an option for large collections, why not memory caps instead of any kind of battery?

For NVRAM, the cheapest way is to make your own module. This requires:

• FRAM = Infineon Technologies (formerly Cypress Semiconductor formerly Ramtron) FM16W08 (either tube or tape/reel). This will be SOIC-28 as the DIP-28 is no longer manufactured.
• Adapter board for SOIC-28 6264 pinout to either DIP-28 6264 pinout or DIP-24 6116 pinout or DIP-22 5101 pinout.
• Male header pins.
• Ability to solder the SOIC-28 (surface mount). You can use an iron or "bake" the board with paste.

To acquire the items:

• The FM16W08 is (currently as of posting) in stock at the major big box merchants (Arrow, Digikey, Mouser and Newark). I am sure there are other merchants that will likely have it in stock as well.
• For the adapter board search for "SOIC-28 to DIP-28 adapter". A few options appear to pop up.
• Male machine pin headers are readily available.

For a little bit of your own labor, you can put one together for about $10 (not counting potential shipping charges from various merchants).

Following what Victor outlined here, I've been able to recently convert 20 of my games to nvram for around $12 each (after multiple shipments since I didn't decide to do them all at once). I think I had three machines that I couldn't find a diy nvram solution for so I purchased premade ones for the going rate from pinitech. Glad I made the switch, and I should have done it sooner.

Is that really the whole thing? FRAM chip, interface board, and male pin header?

For Gottlieb System 80... I guess I should just take a closer look at the one I already have and using.

Energizer lithium's
I pick them up at Sam's club.

Sorry. I should have clarified. I made an (incorrect) assumption that people deal with Williams machines. That is a bias based on my experience. Apologies.

• For 6264 and 62256 compatibility, that's all you need. The adapter board is a straight shot pin to pin. The pinouts are identical.
• For 6116 compatibility, you will need something that performs signal compatibility (routing). The ~WE signal in the FRAM is pin 27. The ~WE signal for 6116 is pin 21. The FRAM is 28 pins. The 6116 is 24 pins.
• For 5101 compatibility, you will need even more signal routing and possible munging. I only made a board that is compatible with Williams System 3-7 boards as far as testing goes. I have a report (from @gutz) that this board does not work with Gottlieb and it probably won't work with Bally. I don't have any experience with those systems so I can't say anything definitive for them.

The SOIC-28 to DIP-28 adapter is available online from various merchants if you search. A SOIC-28 to DIP-24 adapter that routes the ~WE signal (as well as fixes A11/A12) might be possible to obtain but I haven't searched for them. I just made my own.

My Gottlieb is 5101, and now I do recall more parts mounted on the NVRAM board along with the chip.

I'll have to see if it's worthwhile sourcing the parts and building one for my next Gottlieb.

I'm done with alkaline batteries, all the current brands suck. Rayovac, Duracell, Costco, Energizer you name it. I've had too many things ruined from battery leakage. Any pinball machines I have that take AA's I use Energizer Lithium batteries because I don't have to worry about them leaking. My classic Bally and Sterns I convert to coin cell batteries. As for all my remotes, game controllers and flashlights I use rechargeable batteries, because they don't leak. I was using Sanyo Eneloop's which are made in Japan with very good luck, but recently I bought some rechargeable batteries from Ikea and I have been really impressed with them and they too are made in Japan. They are also very reasonably priced and are available in AA and AAA.

A friend of mine says for pinball machines he uses the Heavy Duty AA batteries and claims they don't leak like alkaline batteries.

I recently had a (Energizer or Duracell, I forget which) coin cell battery leak after only 3 years in a fairly expensive auto darkening welding helmet. I didn't know they leaked; had never seen one until then. I wasn't happy.

I've never seen a lithium leak, but it seems that the generic manufacturers are lasting longer than the big names, all around.

I've had plenty. To make the matter worse, they usually start leaking long before going dead.

Wal-mart car batteries are also terrible and will leak onto your terminals and maybe down the side and into the battery compartment.

Funny you say that...just looked on my shelf and saw this Duracell. It still shows over 1.5v.
leaky (resized).jpg

Just for giggles seal it up in a jar and see what it looks like in March 2028 .