LR44 Button Battery vs. SR44 Battery
The LR44 button battery and the SR44 button battery are the two most common batteries in the coin or button type battery category. Both are intended to be used in small electronic devices. But they both have a specific set of characteristics that make them better suited to particular applications. In this article, we’ll discuss some common uses for button batteries, and which type of battery is best suited to each application. We’ll start by covering the basics of each battery.
Battery Composition
The LR44 battery is an alkaline battery. The “L” denotes the components used to to create the chemical reaction necessary to create voltage. In the case of the LR44 it is a zinc negative electrode, with a manganese dioxide depolarizer and positive electrode. The “R” designates that the battery is round. And the “44″ designates that the battery has a 11.4mm diameter and a 5.2mm height. The LR44 battery is also known as LR1154, AG13, A76, 1166A, S76, and SG13. The voltage of the LR44 battery is 1.5V, and it has a capacity of 150mAh.
The SR44 button battery is a silver-oxide battery. It looks exactly the same as the LR44. The “S” denotes that silver-oxide is used to create the chemical reaction necessary to create voltage. As with the LR44, the “R” designates that this battery is round. And the “44″ again signifies that the battery has a diameter of 11.4mm and a height of 5.2mm. The SR44 is also commonly known as a KS76, 357 Silver, D357. The voltage for an SR44 battery is 1.55V, and it has a capacity of 175-200mAh.
Pro’s and Con’s of each battery
First and foremost, LR44 batteries are cheaper that the SR44. As of the writing of this article, name brand LR44′s are about one fifth the cost of the SR44. However, because of the compounds used in the LR44, it’s voltage tends to drop over the life of the battery. Many electronic devices will still function perfectly with this voltage drop, but it might be more noticeable in some devices than others. A good example would be a light meter in a camera. A light meter will continue to work properly as the voltage drops over time. However, if the battery also controls the shutter of the camera, this can be problematic as it will require more voltage in order for it to function properly. Once the voltage drops beyond a certain point, you will have to replace the battery. If the intended use was for something like a laser pointer, an LR44 is ideal because the laser will continue to work with the drop in voltage over the life of the battery. Thus the cost savings outweigh the downside of the voltage drop. Self discharge is another consideration to take into account. The alkaline LR44 has a suggested shelf life of around ten years. Therefore if you were to buy them in bulk from a reputable manufacturer, you should expect to be able to use all of your batteries before they expire.
As previously mentioned, the price of the SR44 battery can be several times that of the LR44. However, SR44 batteries will maintain a consistent voltage throughout the life of the battery. This makes them ideally suited for more sensitive electronic equipment such as hearing aids, camera equipment, and watches. Many watchmakers use silver-oxide batteries because of the long life, slightly higher capacity, and constant voltage. In fact, it’s been estimated that up to 70% of Swiss watchmakers use silver-oxide batteries to power their watches. But if the device is something that is used less frequently, or isn’t expected to have a long life (children’s toys, games, etc), then it s probably worth the cost savings to get the cheaper LR44. Silver-oxide batteries tend to self discharge more, therefore you can expect a shorter shelf life than with the LR44.
In the end you will need to take all of this into consideration before deciding which batteries to purchase. Both the LR44 button battery and SR44 battery are readily available online.
Additional Information:
Best Button Battery for Watches
History of Button Batteries
Common Uses for LR44 Button Batteries
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