Writing on button cell batteries with a sharpie

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December 15, 2023, 08:45 AM

gpbst3

Writing on button cell batteries with a sharpie

Is there any concern with using a sharpie to write the install date on button cell batteries such as cr2032 or cr2016?

If not would it be better to write on the positive or negative side?

December 15, 2023, 09:01 AM

4MUL8R

No.

The contact is usually on the edge and the center

December 15, 2023, 11:17 AM

signewt

I've done such for years on any of my small batteries with no detectable side effects.

I've also added a small colored dot at certain locations on the side of the battery each time of recharge, just to get a vague idea of how many charges/loosely 'when' recharging was completed.

So far it gives a 'close enough' feed back on
what to expect on a given product.

edit: these are the CR123/18650/AA/AAA family, not button style.

December 15, 2023, 12:50 PM

joel9507

I can't see how the ink would affect anything functional, assuming you're not using the glittery ones with metal glitter.

Haven't used Sharpies on batteries themselves, but I do use them to write the purchase date on battery packages.

December 16, 2023, 06:16 AM

arfmel

It won’t hurt anything. I’ve used a Sharpie to put dates on button cells for years.

December 16, 2023, 06:38 AM

cas

quote:
Writing on button cell batteries with a sharpie

You people got some odd hobbies.

December 16, 2023, 08:34 AM

Rey HRH

quote:
Originally posted by cas:
quote:
Writing on button cell batteries with a sharpie

You people got some odd hobbies.

I used to “have” a watch guy working out of a kiosk in a small grocery shopping mall. I jokingly went back to him saying the watch he replaced the battery 6 months ago stopped working. He opened it up, looked at the battery and said, “I replaced this 3 years ago!” I just smiled back.

I’ve regularly gone to him for link adjustments and such and his prices were very low.

"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.

December 16, 2023, 08:46 AM

12131

quote:
Writing on button cell batteries with a sharpie

This is odd to me, and it has nothing to do with the question of the thread. Writing on the battery, and once you install it, it'll obviously be completely out of sight. How will you remember the date, when there's nothing to remind you of it? I usually write the date on a piece of paper and tape it right outside.

December 16, 2023, 02:23 PM

arfmel

Yes, but when the battery dies and you open your Timex, you can see how long the battery lasted, without needing to keep track of a little slip of paper.

December 18, 2023, 11:16 AM

gpbst3

quote:
Originally posted by 12131:
quote:
Writing on button cell batteries with a sharpie

This is odd to me, and it has nothing to do with the question of the thread. Writing on the battery, and once you install it, it'll obviously be completely out of sight. How will you remember the date, when there's nothing to remind you of it? I usually write the date on a piece of paper and tape it right outside.

I have a Aimpoint that is off 90% of the time. I do not need to replace the battery every year or even two, just because batteries are cheap. When I check over the rifle I can easily check the battery.