Will a lithium ion battery be suitable for this multi meter?

[Bennylava]

Hi all, I have the multimeter in the link below. Not sure if it matters, maybe this applies to all multi meters. I don't use it all that often, so sometimes the 9v battery is dead by the time I use it again. I leave it out in the garage all year, so maybe the winter is accelerating the power drain. I got tired of that so I bought a couple of lithium-ion rechargeable 9v batteries. The only thing is, they're more like 8.75v batteries. They'll never reach a full 9v.

Does this matter? All the reviews said they won't work in smoke detectors, so that got me thinking that maybe they'll affect the reading given by the multimeter. As you all know, voltage being too low can cause all kinds of unwanted effects. So I thought I'd stop by and ask. Thanks!

Multimeter: https://www.amprobe.com/product/am-510/

Batteries: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079G37Y61/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[whateg01]

Only way to know for sure if it'll work is to try it. Nominal voltage for lithium ion cells is 3.7v, usually going to about 4v fully charged. I'm not sure if the chemistry but reading the description it does say 8.4v fully charged. It also says the the light turns off at 8.1v. maybe it's just bad translation but it's a little confusing to me.

If it's not terribly difficult to do, I would suggest just putting a piece of paper between the contacts on the battery and the dmm. That should keep it from draining when off. IOW, disconnect the battery when not in use.

 

[Modern Garage]

I've had a similar problem (dead when needed) on infrequently used tools and found that lithium batteries eliminate the problem. Not the Li-ion rechargeables, just the disposable lithium. I used Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA's in my GPS just for the longer runtime (8 hours vs. 24+) and discovered the lack-of-use benefit by accident. I've since put Ultimate Lithium 9-volt's in my meters with good results.
Joe

 

[darkzero]

I don't know about those lithium-ion rechargeables to replace alkalines, I'm skeptical of trying them. But for my meters, scales, & other devices that don't get used much I put Engergizer lithiums (non-rechargable) in them. On top of that they don't leak like alkalines. I'm way more concerned about battery leaking damaging the device than being dead on next use.

For those said devices that are 9Vs I don't used the Energizer lithiums anymore, I use the Amazon Basics Lithium. I can't tell the difference compared the Engerizers & they're way cheaper if you catch them at a low price fluctuation. They are slightly fatter than an alkaline though so if you have something with a very tight battery compartment it may not fit.

 

[Professional Tool User]

I don't see why it wouldn't work if the nominal voltage is around the same. I'm surprised that this is even an issue with your amprobe multimeter. I only use my fluke meter occasionally and the batteries have yet to die.

 

[Bennylava]

Lithium vs Alkaline - The main advantage is that they don't self-drain nearly as quickly?

 

[tool_scrounge]

Lithiums do not corrode and leak like alkaline batteries