new battery / smart keys NOT working

I used a brand new battery that was above 3.3v and did not work at all. Pulled a used battery from an old unused motherboard that read 3.01v and the fob worked flawlessly. Thank you so much for this info, I would have never figure it out myself.

 

I can confirm Hans18 finding ! Trouble is that some FOB seems to only work in a very narrow window 3.15V to 3.02V. Most of the lithium battery come in at 3.30V, so they need to be discharged one way or the other !

 

The principle may have something to it, but I'd question that range given. I always check lithium button batteries before using and in relation to the fobs I've had no issues with new batteries that were 3.3 V. When I replaced it due to the fob being intermittently unreliable, the voltage on the old battery was 2.8 V.

It should be taken into account that cheap DVMs are very likely not going to be accurate to the tenth of a volt. so one meter might read 3.1 V when the voltage is really 3.3 V and another might read 3.5 V for the same battery.

 

On one FOB, I just tried a set of 6 'new' CR1632 (including 1 from the dealer tested there at 3.30V) measured at 3.30VDC with a 'cheap' USD20 DVM; none of the batteries will activate the red LED. I put back the 'used' battery measured at 3.01V and it works ... Go figure. I will test the range with a variable power supply and a lab grade voltmeter.

 

That is not the correct battery, it should be a CR2032. The CR1632 will be too small of a diameter.