I’ve long been using various types of rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, including the 1.5 volt versions, but I’ve just never seen any mention at all about these button/coin cell 3.6V Li-Ion batteries being rechargeable.
It’s said that there are rechargeable versions of the LIR2032, LIR2025, LIR2032H, LIR1632 and the LIR2016. I use various of these in AirTag trackers and some other devices.
Looking at a local electronic supplier, I see they do indeed stock rechargeable CR2032 batteries. They cost a bit over double the price of the single use battery, but if you can get a few charges out of them, it may be worth it.
A downside though that I see is the rechargeable battery has a stated capacity of 30mAH, whilst the single use version is 230mAH. A different site shows a capacity of 40mAH (plus or minus 5mAH) and the life cycle of over 500 recharges. Some batteries state as high as 70mAH.
So, certainly the capacity is a good 4x less. It means what used to last 12 months on a charge, would need recharging at least every 3 months with a rechargeable battery. Cost wise though, it is still going to be 100x cheaper (500 recharges divided by 4 as the same life as a single use battery), and that also means 100 batteries not being disposed of.
I’d certainly like to give these a try.
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