DM42 works with USB but not battery

[STS-741]

Also, I NEVER use "Duraleak" (Duracell) batteries! Too many flashlights and transistor radios have been contaminated by them.

I can confirm that, for this reason I had checked my SONY world receiver in the last few days and one of four batteries leaked. Fortunately, only the battery compartment had to be cleaned, which I did quickly, but next time I will no longer equip my device with this brand. The market offers enough alternatives, such as SONY, Panasonic or VARTA. For pocket calculators, especially those from SwissMicros, I definitely recommend VARTA (made in Germany) or Renata (made in Switzerland). That should help avoid any trouble!

[EM41]

I was always a fan of duracell but I have to change that opinion.
Had a few leaks recently, one in the tv remote and one in a wireless keyboard.
These were the devices that didn't have the batteries replaced with eneloops yet.
Checking some batteries it shows duracell made in Belgium and duracell made in China.
The ones from Belgium never leak, the ones from China always leak but the Belgium ones disappeared from the stores.
The smoke and co2 detectors receive Varta from now on and the rest eneloops.
I was already avoiding China stuff but didn't realise duracell is from China nowadays.

edit: Just checked, the Aarschot factory in Belgium still exist so I will examine a few packs in the stores later.

[STS-741]

Checking some batteries, it shows Duracell made in Belgium and Duracell made in China. The ones from Belgium never leak, the ones from China always leak, but the Belgium ones disappeared from the stores. The smoke and CO2 detectors receive Varta from now on and the rest eneloops. I was already avoiding China stuff but didn't realise Duracell is from China nowadays.

Due to the effects of globalization, you have to be more careful what you buy today than ever. Today I also checked both remote controls on my TV, both still have Duracell AAA batteries, luckily they were still OK. All other devices, especially those that are not currently in use, are empty. By the way, the eneloop trademark belongs to Panasonic, so it can be assumed that the quality meets the expected standards.

[firai]

Due to the effects of globalization, you have to be more careful what you buy today than ever. Today I also checked both remote controls on my TV, both still have Duracell AAA batteries, luckily they were still OK. All other devices, especially those that are not currently in use, are empty. By the way, the eneloop trademark belongs to Panasonic, so it can be assumed that the quality meets the expected standards.

This is basically completely off-topic, but there are both "Made in Japan" Eneloops and "Made in China" Eneloops as well, and it's possible that neither are made by Panasonic itself. The original Toshiba/Sanyo Eneloop factory in Japan is actually owned by Fujitsu due to FTC regulation/intervention, so "Made in Japan" Eneloops are made by the Fujitsu subsidiary FDK for Panasonic. In some markets, however, there are "Made in China" Eneloops instead, and I'm not sure if these are made in Panasonic-owned plants, Fujitsu-owned plants or outsourced from yet another entity.

[ctrclckws]

That's our global world. Companies are constantly looking for the lowest total costs, labor, materials, shipping, etc.

Maximize profits, and sometimes quality suffers.

[STS-741]

This is basically completely off-topic, but there are both "Made in Japan" Eneloops and "Made in China" Eneloops as well, and it's possible that neither are made by Panasonic itself. The original Toshiba/Sanyo Eneloop factory in Japan is actually owned by Fujitsu due to FTC regulation/intervention, so "Made in Japan" Eneloops are made by the Fujitsu subsidiary FDK for Panasonic. In some markets, however, there are "Made in China" Eneloops instead, and I'm not sure if these are made in Panasonic-owned plants, Fujitsu-owned plants or outsourced from yet another entity.

I think that the really decisive factor on a production site is the quality management and the staff made available for it. As long as the quality control is in Japanese hands, there is no need to worry seriously as a consumer. It also doesn't matter whether other Japanese companies make their production facilities available or have rented them abroad. What counts is always know-how and the leadership behind a product. A company like Panasonic will hardly risk losing its market position and reputation by carelessly outsourcing its production to China, just because the wrong location has been chosen.

Another little tip, because it just fits, the CR2032 battery from Panasonic is Made in Indonesia!

[reavy]

See Fran Blanche's video "Yikes! Leaky Alkaline Batteries!!!!". It seems alkaline batteries leaking when shorted or after deep discharge is related to the chemistry. NiMH shouldn't leak, and I haven't had a problem with Eneloops leaking at all.

I have to agree with EM41:

I was always a fan of duracell but I have to change that opinion.

We used Duracell when I was a kid, but I've had nothing but problems with Duracell the past couple years.

[firai]

I think that the really decisive factor on a production site is the quality management and the staff made available for it. As long as the quality control is in Japanese hands, there is no need to worry seriously as a consumer. It also doesn't matter whether other Japanese companies make their production facilities available or have rented them abroad. What counts is always know-how and the leadership behind a product. A company like Panasonic will hardly risk losing its market position and reputation by carelessly outsourcing its production to China, just because the wrong location has been chosen.

Another little tip, because it just fits, the CR2032 battery from Panasonic is Made in Indonesia!

Sorry for continuing this off-topic discussion, but the "Made in China" Eneloops are generally considered to have inferior discharge curves and characteristics than the "Made in Japan" ones. Search your favorite search engine for this topic, and a number of discussions about the comparison (including community-provided test data) will come up. As you said, given enough quality control, "Made in China" can be just as good (or even better) as any other "Made in XXX". However, in this particular case, the end product does not appear to be the same. Whether this is a conscious decision by Panasonic to provide a lower cost/lower spec. product in certain markets is not certain.

Back to the regularly-scheduled programming...

[STS-741]

It seems alkaline batteries leaking when shorted or after deep discharge is related to the chemistry. NiMH shouldn't leak, and I haven't had a problem with Eneloops leaking at all.

Here you are confusing two things, the structure and the electrochemical reaction of a battery at the end of its service life have nothing to do with each other. NiMH batteries are still one of the most reliable products in this sector today, they stay fresh for years even when not in use. But that doesn't mean that you can simply forget it in a device (including chargers) for a whole decade and then get upset about possible damage in the end. This is clearly the fault of the user and not the type of battery.

Sorry for continuing this off-topic discussion, but the "Made in China" Eneloops are generally considered to have inferior discharge curves and characteristics than the "Made in Japan" ones. Search your favourite search engine for this topic, and a number of discussions about the comparison (including community-provided test data) will come up.

Such discussions should not be taken too seriously, generalizations are often made without real facts, especially not with "community-provided test data". People who are unable or unwilling to adequately document their test methods should rather hold back with their flimsy arguments, regardless of whether they are simple users or experts. Such colourful diagrams have never convinced me!

As you said, given enough quality control, "Made in China" can be just as good (or even better) as any other "Made in XXX". However, in this particular case, the end product does not appear to be the same. Whether this is a conscious decision by Panasonic to provide a lower cost/lower spec. product in certain markets is not certain.

Look, if Panasonic sees that the quality cannot be continuously maintained at certain locations, then the manufacturer will certainly draw the necessary conclusions. You can trust that Panasonic's management is professional enough to respond to such a thing with appropriate measures. Like many other companies, Panasonic has to struggle with the illegal activities of pirates and their counterfeits, so I wouldn't be surprised if a few users come to the wrong conclusions afterwards and generally dismiss eneloop as a bad product, no matter where it came from. In the end, it is always up to the customer whether or not to accept a registered branded product "Made in China".

[HPMike]

I was always a fan of duracell but I have to change that opinion.
Had a few leaks recently, one in the tv remote and one in a wireless keyboard.
These were the devices that didn't have the batteries replaced with eneloops yet.
Checking some batteries it shows duracell made in Belgium and duracell made in China.
The ones from Belgium never leak, the ones from China always leak but the Belgium ones disappeared from the stores.
The smoke and co2 detectors receive Varta from now on and the rest eneloops.
I was already avoiding China stuff but didn't realise duracell is from China nowadays.

edit: Just checked, the Aarschot factory in Belgium still exist so I will examine a few packs in the stores later.

All of the Duracell alkaline batteries that I have used are assembled in USA. So, I assume that the raw materials are imported. I have very rarely seen leakage from one of these batteries. Then again, I don't leave batteries in unused devices for years, and replace them as soon as they become discharged. I also discard any unused batteries that are beyond their expiration date.