How is it that they can’t go up to 1.5 V and does this change anything within the electronics? For example, a Game Boy (why that particular example? Beats me!) running at 4.8 V instead of 6?
In: Chemistry
There’s a difference between nominal and peak voltage. Alkaline batteries are 1.5V at full charge, but go down to roughly 1V by the time they are discharged. Rechargable NiMH batteries maintain a more consistent output voltage until they’ve used up their capacity. Most devices are designed to run at 1.2V
Different voltage is simply the result of different chemical elements.
alkaline batteries derive energy from the reaction between zinc metal and manganese dioxide. This reaction produces a potential difference of 1.5v
Nicd and nimh batteries use nickel oxide and cadmium (for the first) and a mix of metals for the second. 1.2v for both.
There are many battery types:
– zinc carbon (1.4-1.8v)
– lead acid (2v)
– liion (3.7v)
And many others.
6v batteries are created by putting 4 1.5v cells in series.
Electronic devices have some tolerance. You can run (usually) a device created for 6v at 5 or 4.5v. it will last less.
The voltage depend on the chemisty used in the battery. Each atoms has a diffrent [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronegativity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronegativity) that is the binding energy if a electrons. It result in diffrent [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_electrode_potential](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_electrode_potential) for a reaction. The battery voltage is a the diffrtence in the potential of the the reaction. The voltage for Nickel–metal hydride and the older nickel-cadmium are nominally 1.2V. In a alkaline battery the reaction is diffrent and you get 1.5V nominally.
It is not really a question of rechargeable vs non-recagable. Ther are Li-ion batteries in the common AA and AAA form factor, they are recagable with a nominal voltage of 3.7V. They are typical called 14500 for AA form factor and 10440 for AAA to reduce convulsion. The name are from the size, a 14500 battery is 14mm in diameter and 50 mm long,
For the most part, electronics operate on a range of voltages. As long as the voltage is high enough to push electrons through, and low enough that you’re not burning anything, it’s all fine.
For example, I have a few of [these displays](https://www.az-delivery.uk/products/0-96zolldisplay) on my desk right now. If you look at [the datasheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1509/1638/files/0_96_Zoll_Display_Datenblatt_AZ-Delivery_Vertriebs_GmbH_241c4223-c03f-4530-a8c0-f9ef2575872f.pdf?v=1622442722), you can read this line:
>These displays have an on-board 3.3V voltage regulator.
And, if you look at the data tables, you’ll see that the display accepts anything between 3.0V and 5.0V, and they’ll sort themselves out.
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