Discman rechargeable batteries advice?

Recently my dad brought me one of those universal power adapters that can output different voltages and have interchangeable plugs bundled. It also happens to fit my Sony CD Walkman D-EJ775, so I thought maybe I should just go and buy a pair of duracell rechargeables and use them instead of relying on AA's

The question is: Is it fine to buy and use modern rechargeables or I should only stick with official sony batteries? Surprisingly there's not much information about this online, no any sort of guide on how to use rechargeables in a Discman. I honestly wouldn't even ask this question if not the manual explicitly stating to not use anything but official sony rechargeables. I understand that it could've been just a strategy to make buyers buy from sony instead of other brands but also, I am not an engineer, nor I designed this player, and I would prefer to not add another walkman to my graveyard hence why I am here.

To me it seems that as long as the output voltage is somewhere around 2.4-3.0V, it should be fine but again, I know almost nothing about electronics aside from that I need to match + and - . I even read that charging third-party rechargeables inside the player could lead to leakage, which makes me more eager to ask someone about this

 

Don't know what the exact reason was to state in the manual to only use SONY branded recharghables.
One possibility I see is that it was in the period when both NiCd and NiMH chemistries existed on the market. And since the charging current of the 2 chemistries differs they wanted you to use the one the device was designed for.

Nowadays only NiMH exists plus the USB-C lithium ones with integrated step-down converter.
My recommendation is to use any recharghables, but don't charge them in the device itself but rather use a separate dedicated smart charger (that stops when a certain voltage is reached).
The risk is not necessarily damaging the device but the batteries. And indeed if they're overcharged they could potentially leak.

Have been using NiMH in all my devices, but never charge them in the device itself as most of these older devices only have very basic charging circuits meaning you need to leave them plugged for a very specific amount of time which is very inconvenient.

 

Thanks for the reply.

To be honest, if it is that risky, then why not mention it in the manual? It's certainly something that you should be aware of.

Well if it is truly like this then it's kind off a bummer, some of those tape Walkmans I was laying my eyes on had really neat charger solutions.

I guess I'll delay buying rechargeables for now since I don't have a separate charger.

 

Eneloops! Charged not in the device but a separate charger.

 

Ikea rechargeable batteries are the same as Eneloops. If you want to check make sure the box says Made in Japan in the small print.
Regarding chargers I recently bought. https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/stenkol-battery-charger-90506444/
Excellent value. Unlike many cheap chargers which will only charge batteries in pairs, this one will do one or three and will stop charging each individual battery once it is full.

 

Won't say it's THAT risky to not use it at all in that scenario, but it's certainly prefferable to use a dedicated charger.
Something like the XTAR VX2 Pro (2 cells) or the VX4 V2 (4 cells) are just way better than any built-in charging system. They're not expensive either.
Such chargers will work with many types of cells (from AAA to D cells) and also multiple chemistries. They can also charge gumstick batteries if you happen to use those.

And while it may be interesting to have the original experience to use that original adatper, there are very few practical reasons for doing so.

 

I've always just smashed whatever rechargeable batteries were down at the shop into my home phones, and they are on the charger all the time. Never had any issues.

 

Hello Guys,
Yes, We use Amazon branded rechargables in the classroom we keep over 100 batteries charged and over the years very few of them had gone bad less then 10 out like 144 batteries .
Sincerely Richard