Alkaline Battery

[raymondo]

I have a clock which says I must only use a Zinc Carbon battery and specifically says I must not use an alkaline battery. Why would that be - I use alkaline batteries in all of my other clocks and has never occurred to me to consider what type of battery I was using.

 

[davenn]

Hi Raymondo
welcome to EP

That's an oddball one !
I cant think of any good reason why an alkaline one couldn't be used

Dave

 

[(*steve*)]

Can you still even get zinc carbon batteries?

Is it possible that early alkaline batteries had a lower shelf life than zinc carbon?

 

[gamebox]

Perhaps the clock's electronics or electro-mechanics is sensitive to voltage/current, which is notably higher in alkalines?
Does the clock contain any (white) LED? I have a few simplest torches with LEDs connected to batteries directly, using no voltage/current limiting electronics, and if alkalines are used there LEDs get damaged with too high current (zinc carbon's voltage tends to fall very quickly on any substantial load). I can safely use "weakened" alkalines there though - the ones that stop being usable in MP3 player, remote control, automatic blood pressure meter, and the like.