On Feb 15, 10:53*pm, GeoLane at PTD dot NET GeoLane at PTD dot NET
wrote:
...
That's not the problem though. *It's putting out 16V, which I suspect
will fry the little U1 battery. *

Too late, that's a symptom of one or more bad cells. Sometimes they
can be partly restored by forcing current through them at a higher
voltage like 18 - 20V if you have a lab power supply or home-made
adjustable charger.

The battery that came with my Sears garden tractor was dead (like much
of the machine) but took a few milliamps at ~18V, then the current
slowly increased until after a day it charged normally. I got 4 more
years from it until the 12V winch ruined it, then I put in a WalMart
battery that died irreversibly in one year. Now it has one from
BatteriesPlus that has survived two winters at least.

jsw