Maxim ibutton thermochron battery dying sooner than projected

[cklatt]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone using thermochron ibuttons could give me some advice about battery life problems. In our project, we used Maxim’s thermochron ibuttons for three field seasons of approximately 6 months each. We were sampling wood turtles nests, so they were buried with a sampling rate of once per hour. The temperatures they were exposed to ranged from -23 C to 37 C. To prevent water damage we used Plastidip with the spray and dip method.

 

According to the specs, we should have had at minimum of 2 more years of battery life, however, they have already died. Has anyone else experienced problems like ours? Or have any suggestions as to prevent this failure in the future?

[Phi for All]

I wonder if the dip is causing overheating. That would cause above average consumption of the charge.

[CharonY]

The temp differences could be a reason. Most manufacturers provide minimum lifetimes under shelf conditions and in reality it a bit worse. But did I understand correctly that it only survived 18 months? I do not know that logger, but according to the specs it should be around for 6-8 years?

I would call the manufacturer to troubleshoot the issue, they know their product best and may actually have some ideas how to improve lifetime.