The other night, I noticed that one of our wall clocks had stopped. I checked the battery with a multimeter and it was very low. I'd run out of new AA cells but I didn't want to leave the clock showing the wrong time because my family relies heavily on that particular clock for their morning schedules, and I get up too late to let them know in time.
I rummaged in a drawer and found an AA cell that didn't look too run down. I checked it with a multimeter and yes, it still showed very nearly 1.5 Volt. So I tried to put it in the clock but it wouldn't go in. I tried again and again, but it just wouldn't fit in. So I took it out again and compared its length with that of the old one. It was longer than the old one by a significant margin!! There was no obvious deformation or bulging at the ends.
I managed to wedge it in just enough to get the clock running and replaced it with a new one the next day. I took it out again today and took a picture of the odd-sized cell placed next to a normal one. They are even of the same brand and model. Has anyone else ever come across something like this?
Imagine buying a box of this batch and being stuck with a whole bunch of new but unuseable AA cells!
Odd-sized AA cell
Linear Mode
