Some people are wondering if you can use rechareable NiMH batteries in Vector’s cube instead of simple non-rechareable ones. Turns out: you can, but with a twist. User nammo said some hours ago on discord:
Anki did some testing on NiMH batteries in cubes. We did not find a risk of damage to the cubes. We did find a risk to the batteries (by over-discharge) if left in the cube for months without a charge. We also noticed the cube lifetime was not very long, and the battery indicator didn’t work as well. For the reasons above, we advised customer care that NiMH batteries weren’t supported. But if you’re using these batteries and you’re happy, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I think we were just trying to protect people from being frustrated that their game time was too short or NiMH batteries were failing (due to over-discharge).
I want to add that the deep discharge problem is not limited to Vector cubes, it’s a general problem with some kinds of rechargeable batteries that will break if you let them discharge to a very low level. But that will only damage the battery anyway, not the cube.
So please use NiMH batteries in the cube, they are far better for the environment because they are rechargeable than standard alkaline or zinc-carbon-based batteries.
Aside from that remember: You need a battery with 1.5 volts for the cube, not one with 12 volts, the 12 volt battery will damage your cube.
The designations of the correct batteries are LR1, Typ N, 910A or Lady cell.
Is over-discharging NiMH even a problem though? I’ve been deliberately draining these type of batteries for many years to get (what i hoped was) a longer run time. I mainly use these in DSLR hot-shoe flashguns and it seems to work well. I got into this habit back in the day with Ni-Cad batteries as those would hold a ‘memory effect’ if constantly topped-up.
The only types i was certain this was bad for was Li-ion or Li-Po.