Introduction to 3V Battery: Features, Types, Dimensions, & Sizes

There are different types of batteries used for electronic device operations and projects, but a 3-volt battery is a special type of battery that is employed for diverse features for different uses. The 3-volt batteries, such as AA and AAA batteries, come with balanced power at output and good size features. So they are best to use small-sized power devices that need high voltage as compared to alkaline batteries.

The 3V battery has different types of lithium coin cells and alkaline cylindrical cells, and each type comes with different sizes, capacity demands, and features. In this post, we will cover different feature types and related factors for 3V batteries. So let’s get started with Introduction to 3V Battery.

Introduction to 3V Battery

• The 3V battery provides an output of 3 volts. The word 3V defines three volts and the potential differences that the battery provides.
• This battery is commonly used for different electronic devices and parts of small to larger devices.
• The commonly used 3V battery is the R2032 battery, which is a coin cell battery with dimensions of 20mm in diameter and 3.2mm in thickness.
• CR means lithium manganese dioxide chemistry for the battery. The CR2032 battery is used for key fobs, small electronic devices, and calculators.
• The 3V voltage is important since different devices and projects need accurate values of volts for functioning.
• The stable three volts help devices to work efficiently.

3V lithium battery

• The 3V lithium battery comes with lithium-ion chemistry and has high energy density for providing high power and durable energy-providing features.
• The battery provides a 3-volt charge constantly, and the lithium 3V battery is lightweight and has features to store high energy in small areas.
• The 3V lithium battery comes with 3 main components: a cathode made with lithium metal oxide, a graphite anode, and a lithium-ion electrolyte.

3V Battery Types

3V Coin cell batteries:

• It is a round-shaped battery and a flat design. The common coin cell battery is a CR2032 battery with dimensions of 20 mm in diameter and a thickness of 3.2 mm. It is part of small devices such as watches, calculators, and key fobs.

3V Cylindrical batteries:

• The cylindrical 3V battery has different sizes and is used for devices where high power is needed. The CR123A battery is a common cylindrical 3V battery that is part of cameras, flashlights, and medical devices. The dimensions of the battery are 17 mm, and the length is 34 mm.

3V prismatic batteries:

• The 3V prismatic battery is a thin rectangle shape, and part of small electronic devices that have space is an important factor. This battery is used in phones, tablets, and digital cameras.

3V lithium manganese dioxide batteries

• This battery has high energy and works longer with a good working life of about ten years. The temperature range for this battery is -40°C to +85°C.
• It comes with a safe built-in protection circuit for avoiding over-discharge and over-current.
• The main uses for this battery are watches, calculators, and cameras.

3V lithium thionyl chloride batteries

• It also has high energy density and a longer working life of more than 10 years. The temperature range of the battery is -55°C to +150°C.
• It needed proper handling since it has hazardous chemicals and reactivity. It comes with uses for remote sensing devices and asset tracking.
• It is also used for providing uninterrupted power.

3V Lithium polymer (Li-Po) batteries

• It has high energy density but less than Li-SOCl₂ batteries. The working life of the battery is two to three years.
• Its working temperature range is -20°C to +60°C. It uses protection circuits to avoid overcharging and short circuits.
• It is used in smartphones and tablets, and its low-weight features make it for portable devices.

3V alkaline batteries

• It has a lower energy density than lithium batteries and has a working life of about five years. The working temperature range of the battery is -20°C to +54°C. It is used for remote controls, flashlights, and clocks.
• Alkaline cylindrical batteries work at different chemistries and have a voltage output of 3 volts. The alkaline chemistry used for these cylindrical cells comes with manganese dioxide for the primary cathode with zinc powder as anode.
• This composition helps to flow electrons in battery design and causes stable voltage generation at 3 volts.
• Larger size than lithium-ion cells due to the cylinder shape; alkaline 3V batteries have different sizes, such as AAAA batteries or N cells that are best for medical devices and remote controls.
• The AAAA size battery has balance features for compactness and capacity and is good to use for medical instruments that need a constant power supply without affecting space constraints.
• • N cell comes with a longer working life for remote controls and increases battery working life for uninterrupted device functions.

Models of 3V lithium batteries

CR2032:

• It is a commonly used battery and part of key fobs, watches, and motherboards.

CR2025:

• CR2025 is like the CR2032 battery but is small in size and used for small devices.

CR123A:

• It is a cylindrical-shaped battery that is used for high-drain devices such as flashlights and medical devices.

CR2:

• Cylinder-shaped battery and used for compact cameras and security devices

BR2032:

• • The BR2032 battery is a button cell and has a longer working life and is part of devices where longer-term power is needed, such as memory backup systems.

 How long does a 3V lithium battery last?

The 3V lithium battery’s working life is based on uses and types, as the CR2032 battery has a working life of about 5 years and the CR123A high-drain battery has a working life of about 1 to 2 years.

For battery working life, temperature conditions, and other factors, work

Is a 3V lithium battery rechargeable?

Most 3V lithium batteries are non-rechargeable, such as CR2032. They are one-time-use batteries and are disposed of when used. However,, some types of 3V lithium batteries, such as RCR123A, are rechargeable and used many times.

Rechargeable 3V lithium battery used for devices where high power is needed and part of cameras and high-power flashlights.

 3 V battery Structure

Electrode materials

• The 3V battery comes with 2 electrodes, a cathode and an anode. For lithium batteries anode is made with lithium metal or lithium alloy and the cathode is made with lithium compounds like lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO₂), and lithium manganese oxide (LiMnO₂).

Electrolyte

• The battery comes from electrodes that exist between the anode and cathode and it is liquid or solid-state material. The electrolyte helps to move lithium ions but not electrons and current flows through an external circuit.

Discharge 

• At the time of discharge is a process used battery for delivering power to devices in this process, lithium ions move from the anode to the cathode through an electrolyte.
• At the anode, lithium atoms release electrons that move through external cirucit to the cathode to provide power to devices.

Charge process

• Battery charging is a reverse process to discharging. battery connected with the charger that moves electrons back to the anode.
• Electrons are moving into the anode and lithium ions are released from the cathode and moved to the anode then combined with electrons to make lithium metal or alloy.

Safety features

• Different lithium battery comes with protective circuits to avoid overcharge, over-discharge, and short circuits which cause overheating.

Energy density and voltage

• Lithium battery comes with high energy density store high energy in small structures and are used for compact devices.
• The nominal voltage for a lithium battery is 3.6 to 3.7 volts when completely charged and reduces the voltage to 3 volts for certain uses.

Advantages of 3V batteries

• The 3V especially lithium manganese dioxide, has high energy density and helps to provide good relative power instead of small size.
• It makes these batteries compact electronic devices for watches, medical devices, and other devices where long-lasting power is needed.
• The working life of the battery is ten years since has a low self-discharge rate and ensures that it works longer after good storage. With that, they have worked for different temperature ranges of about -40°C to +85°C.

Disadvantages of 3V batteries

• They are more costly batteries than other batteries and they work well for low-drain devices, but are quickly discharged for high-drain devices and are not suitable for devices that need constant and heavy power uses.

3v button battery Dimensions and Features

Primary cell type	Size	Capacity	Voltage
CR927	9*2.7mm	30MAH	3.0V
CR1025	10*2.5mm	30MAH	3.0V
CR1130	11*3.0mm	60MAH	3.0V
CR1220	12*2.0mm	40MAH	3.0V
CR1225	12*2.5mm	50MAH	3.0V
CR1616	16*1.6mm	5MAH	3.0V
CR1620	16*2.0mm	70MAH	3.0V
CR2016	20*1.6mm	80MAH	3.0V
CR2025	20*2.5mm	150MAH	3.0V
CR2032	20*3.2mm	180/210/240MAH	3.0V
CR3032	30*3.2mm	500MAH	3.0V
CR2430	24*3.0mm	280MAH	3.0V
CR2450	24*5.0mm	550MAH	3.0V
CR2477	24*7.7mm	950MAH	3.0V
BR2032	20*3.2mm	210MAH	3.0V
BR2450	24*5.0mm	600MAH	3.0V

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