I did not realise you get rechargeable coin cell batteries such as for the CR2032

Small black plastic battery charger holding a coin cell size battery in it

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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