Will alkaline batteries burn toys? "Warm reminder" is actually a scam

Reporter Ren Zhenyu

Recently, reporters from the China Consumer News found on e-commerce platforms such as Taobao, Tmall, Pinduoduo and some offline toy stores that some electric toys would "warmly remind" on the sales page and customer service reply: alkaline batteries with excessive current and voltage can easily burn toys, so please use low-priced ordinary batteries. The reporter further investigated and found that alkaline batteries do not have the so-called "excessive current and voltage" phenomenon. Some experts pointed out that in fact, some electric toys have design defects or cut corners, which are easy to damage, but the "pot" is thrown on alkaline batteries.

Tips: Do not use alkaline batteries

Recently, when buying toys on an e-commerce platform, a reporter from China Consumer News found that some toys had "warm reminders" on their sales pages: "Please do not use branded alkaline batteries or rechargeable batteries for toys, so as to avoid excessive instantaneous current, burning the motherboard or causing the toy to malfunction. When purchasing batteries, just choose ordinary carbon batteries."

The reporter saw that a smart robot dog toy branded "JuLeBaby" was labeled on its sales page: "It requires 3 No. 5 batteries. Please do not use alkaline batteries to avoid excessive power burning the battery (please control the charging time within 4 hours for rechargeable models)".

The reporter consulted the seller through the platform's chat software. The customer service staff of the seller Lelexiong Maternal and Infant Specialty Store replied: "Please do not use branded high-performance batteries, so as to avoid the battery being burned due to excessive power, resulting in malfunction of the toy. In the spirit of safety and economy, it is recommended to use low-priced carbon batteries (such as carbon batteries)." The reporter further asked: "Will the toy be burned due to excessive battery power?" The seller gave a positive answer.

Another electric train toy reminds consumers in a striking way on the sales page: "It is forbidden to use branded and rechargeable batteries. The toy will be burned directly after use. Please use ordinary dry batteries less than 1 yuan." The reporter of "China Consumer News" asked the seller: "Why would this type of battery burn the toy?" The customer service staff of the seller's Fun Wholesale Mall replied: "The capacity is too large. The toy is for children to play with and the capacity is limited." The reporter asked: "Does it mean that the capacity is too large and the running time is relatively long, and the toy can't stand it?" The seller also gave a positive answer. 

After consulting the seller, the reporter found that most of the batteries that were prompted to be banned were relatively expensive alkaline batteries (some were rechargeable nickel-chromium batteries).

Alkaline batteries will not burn toys

Wang Lizhen, executive director of the China Battery Industry Association and professor of the School of Materials and Chemical Engineering of Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, told the reporter of China Consumer News that the common household dry batteries on the market are alkaline zinc-manganese batteries, that is, alkaline batteries, which are suitable for electrical appliances that require large discharge and long-term use, and are relatively expensive; the other is acid zinc-manganese batteries, that is, carbon batteries, which are mainly used for low-power appliances and are relatively cheap, generally priced below 1 yuan.

Compared to carbon batteries, alkaline batteries have lower internal resistance and larger battery capacity. In theory, the capacity and discharge time of alkaline batteries of the same model are 3-7 times that of carbon batteries. Is this the reason why alkaline batteries "burn toys"?

The reporter searched for information and found that an excellent answerer of chemical questions on the question-and-answer platform "Zhihu" "Hao Da Feng" had uploaded his experiments. He used a multimeter to test the open circuit voltage of several alkaline batteries and carbon batteries. The voltage of alkaline batteries was not higher than that of carbon batteries. Whether it was carbon batteries or alkaline batteries, their output voltage was within the normal working voltage range of toys. He also used a high-precision battery performance test system to test the discharge performance of the two batteries and found that the current of alkaline batteries was only slightly higher than that of carbon batteries. Relatively speaking, the current and voltage of carbon batteries decayed quickly and lasted for a short time. 

Wang Lizhen also held a similar view. He told the reporter of China Consumer News that according to Ohm's law, current = voltage/resistance (I=U/R), the working resistance of the same kind of toys is certain, the output voltage of alkaline batteries is within the normal working voltage range of toys, and the output current of batteries is also within the normal working current range of toys. Whether from actual testing or from scientific principles, there is no situation where the voltage and current of alkaline batteries are too large to burn toys.

Cutting corners is the main reason

Wang Lizhen told reporters that according to relevant national standards, electrical appliances using batteries are designed according to the performance of the batteries. Whether carbon batteries or alkaline batteries, their output voltage is within the normal working voltage range of the toys and will not affect the use of the toys. As long as the electric toys are designed according to relevant national standards, the so-called battery voltage is too high and burned out will not occur.

Then why do sellers remind consumers not to use alkaline batteries? Industry insiders believe that there are two main possibilities: one is commercial misleading. The seller wants to sell batteries as a set, so he claims that batteries sold through other channels may burn out the toys and encourage consumers to buy matching batteries; the other possibility is that the toys they sell have unreasonable designs or cutting corners, such as non-standard battery compartment design, use of inferior circuit boards, reduced resistance elements, use of low-standard thin coils, lack of overcurrent protection chips on circuit boards, poor contact, poor welding, poor heat dissipation design, etc. When using cheap carbon batteries, the toy will run out of power and stop running after running for more than ten minutes to half an hour, and these problems will not be exposed. Alkaline batteries have several times more power than carbon batteries, and toys can run continuously for a long time. Circuits or design defects after cutting corners cannot support long-term operation and are prone to failure. In order to "pass the buck" and blame alkaline batteries, merchants remind consumers to use carbon batteries as much as possible. 

This analysis can also be supported in the aforementioned Zhihu post. The answerer "Hao Da Feng" disassembled several electric toys and found that the chip of a "universal wheel passenger plane" toy did not have overcurrent and overvoltage protection components, and the connecting wire of a "Ultraman Justice Combination" toy consisted of 7 0.06 mm enameled copper wires, which were not suitable for long-term triggering. 

Regarding the so-called "alkaline batteries are more likely to leak, so they are not suitable for long-term operation of electrical appliances" on the Internet, Wang Lizhen said that whether it is a carbon battery or an alkaline battery, as long as it is designed according to the national standard and is not damaged, the sealing performance is very good and it will not easily leak.

Wang Lizhen said that in theory, the capacity and discharge time of alkaline batteries of the same model are 3-7 times that of carbon batteries, and the difference in low-temperature performance is even greater. Alkaline batteries do not contain mercury and are classified as dry garbage, which can be disposed of with domestic garbage. They meet environmental protection requirements and the direction of industrial development, and consumers can buy them with confidence. Electric toys that cannot use alkaline batteries may have design defects or cut corners, with a high failure rate, which greatly reduces the user experience. It is best not to buy them. When consumers buy toys, they should buy toys that meet national standards from regular channels.