Every generation seems to have a fresh new passion. The biggest trend of late has been the desire of everyone to do their part to save the planet. This is especially true in the industrialized first world countries that produce excessive waste. Many people have taken some basic steps to more forward, like becoming involved in recycling and using rechargeable batteries rather than the destructive disposable ones that often end up leaking poison into Mother Earth. However, some people are claiming that even this is not enough and that alternatives to even rechargeable batteries need to be found in order to create greater harmony with the world at large.
Mostly they are virtuous ideas driven by voodoo technology. Here is a look at some of the proposed “alternatives” to rechargeable power:
Continue reading ‘Interesting Eco-Alternatives To Rechargeable Batteries’
Even in the world of rechargeable batteries, comparison shopping can be extremely difficult. The market is saturated with underpriced, underpowered, and downright dangerous rechargeable batteries. However, even among the high quality batteries, choosing the right one can be nothing more than trial and error. Naturally, all rechargeable batteries are not all created equal. Some will operate better for heavy draw devices that require large amounts of power delivered quickly. Some will work better for long life, able to produce lesser amounts of power over long periods of time. Some will be preferable for creating your own battery packs to save money. Some are better for the environment, and some have a greater shelf life which makes them much better choices for placement in emergency gear.
Really, when it comes to rechargeable batteries, there are two primary choices: the Sanyo Eneloop and the Vapex line of batteries. The Eneloop works better for devices with a higher energy demand on the battery, while the Vapex batteries are far more economical, costing a fraction of the price of the Eneloop, so they are preferred by anyone looking for a bargain.
Continue reading ‘Sanyo Eneloop or Generic-brand Rechargeable Batteries? Here’s How To Decide’
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Rechargeable batteries continue to help us move forward with mobile technology while helping the environment. Read about what we can expect for the future of rechargeable battery technology.
Most emergent technologies follow what is known as Moore’s Law. Moore’s Law was devised in 1965 by Intel’s co-founder Gordon E. Moore. He postulated that most technologies double in capability approximately every two years. This two year advancement arc applies most commonly to computers, as the number of transistors that can be placed without exorbitant cost on an integrated circuit moves exponentially forward. Camera pixilation, processing speed, memory storage capacity, and numerous other technologies across the spectrum all adhere to Moore’s Law. It has held true for more than 50 years, creating a highly predictable statute for technology’s abilities to be charted.
There is one technology that has failed to follow Moore’s Law: Rechargeable Batteries.
Continue reading ‘The Future of Rechargeable Batteries’
The early days of rechargeable batteries were like many first steps in the field of technology, with a combination of engineers and chemists working together to create something that was part ingenuity, part technology, and that strange magic of inspiration. The early batteries were often oversized and underpowered. Anyone that grew up in a home with the first cordless phones, as well as the first laptops, or cellular devices can fondly recall how awkward they were with bulky antennas, and either immense battery packs that looked like several batteries strapped into shrink wrap with two wires running out of them. Naturally, this is precisely what they were, but very little work was put toward aesthetics, and batteries would often suffer from “Battery Memory” the phenomenon that would be a cross for battery packs for years to come.
If you’re interested in learning more about the past and present of rechargeable batteries, and how they have greatly impacted technology and the environment, please read below:
Continue reading ‘Rechargeable Batteries, A History’
Any rechargeable electronic device, from cordless power drills to cordless phones, has a battery pack. Often the replacement of these packs is extremely costly. The interesting facet to these battery packs is that they look like single, monolithic structures. This leads most people to believe that the entire battery pack is used for energy storage. Anyone with a screwdriver and a little time is able to deconstruct a battery pack to discover what once seemed to be a single object is actually a multitude of smaller objects — namely, rechargeable batteries — set into a housing. The housing is the costly part of any battery pack.
Whenever the battery packs on one of these devices fails, many corporations will tell you that you must replace it only with their patented materials, or risk harming your device. There is a grain of truth to this claim, and to be fully safe, one should not necessarily step outside of the bounds of company recommendation, especially if there are concerns about abiding by the rules of the product’s warrantee. If you are not worried about voiding the warrantee and want to both save some money and learn an invaluable new skill, then you can make your own battery packs.
Making battery packs is not very difficult, and it is certainly cheaper (usually about half the price) than buying a whole new battery — but up until recently, it was easy to do it wrong without extensive practice. Formerly, battery packs were made by soldering wires or small plates to the ends of the batteries to create a comprehensive whole. These wires would allow the power from one battery to flow into the next battery to create greater power.
Those days are long behind us.
Continue reading ‘Build A Better Battery Pack: Use Rechargeable Batteries With Solder Tags’
As Australians adjust to rolling back their clocks for the end of daylight savings, there is another facet of life that should not be overlooked. Everyone should take a moment to change the batteries in their smoke detectors. It seems a simple enough task, but it is easily forgotten in the daily hustle of life. It is also not as simple as it may seem on the surface. Changing a battery with the wrong kind of replacement battery may place your home and family at risk from the dangers of fire.
Strange as it may sound, batteries have needs, just as people do. They perform in specific functions and fail in others. There is a reason for all the different sizes of batteries. AA operates very differently from AAA, and while D and C batteries might seem cosmetically identical, their power output and connectivity are as different as men and women.
As such, you must make sure you are putting the correct kind of 9 Volt battery into your smoke detector.
9 Volt batteries are meant for passive usage, rather than active. Most batteries are meant to operate only when the device they are attached to is turned on. 9 Volts are special because rather than using a large amount of power at one time, they can last for many months in devices that might need them at any moment without using up all their power. That is why they are so effective in smoke detectors, as well as backup power for necessary items, such as alarm clocks.
It is for this reason that 9 Volt batteries are nearly twice the price of others.
Continue reading ‘When It Comes To Smoke Detectors, Don’t Use 9-volt NiMH Rechargeable Batteries’
The world of ecommerce can be a marvelous place to get great deals on outstanding products. It has also become a bazaar for the snake oil salesmen and greasy swindlers that cat call their wares out to online shoppers, hoping to garner some ill-gotten cash for defective, dangerous, and poorly conceived products that do not fulfill their promises. Every seller knows that a little exaggeration is to be expected. That is just good sales. It is when the technical specifications become outright lies that consumers need to be concerned.
Unfortunately, lies are precisely what some sellers trade in.
Last week EW reported about the dangers of some poorly designed battery chargers from Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. While these items were dangerous, even the rechargeable batteries that are used can become deadly hazards when put into a perfectly healthy charger that meets all the necessary design requirements. Some eBay sellers have rechargeable batteries that are not out and out dangerous but also do not perform according to the specifications they report to have.
“SCAM. These are 600mAh, not 3000mAh. Tested all on MAHA C9000 analyzer. RUN!” read one concerned eBay buyer that had been reeled in by a seller after having paid for batteries that did not live up to their promises. “Keep out of these batteries capacity is 450 mAh NOT 3000 mAh!!!!” said another, in the hopes of warning others away from these underpowered and overpriced rechargeable batteries.
The explanation of these concerns is that the batteries are being promoted as having a higher mAh value than they actually possess. MAh stands for Milliamp Hour and is a measurement of how much power a battery can hold. Batteries with higher mAh ratings can last longer, or produce more power over a sustained period of time.
When a seller lies about their batteries mAh value, they are making the rechargeable batteries sound better than they are.
Continue reading ‘Alert! Cheap, Dangerous NiMH Rechargeable Batteries Sold On eBay!’
Rayovac is making a pitch for the rechargeable batteries market with their Hybrid Rechargeable Batteries in Canada. Find out what makes these rechargeable batteries “hybrids,” and when they might reach Australia.
The term “hybrid” has become a buzz word in the world today — especially when it comes to energy. Nearly every top automobile manufacturer now features at least one hybrid car model, which utilises a combination petrol and rechargeable battery power plant to getting you to where you want to go. These engines are of course referred to as “hybrids,” since they are somewhere between a traditional combustible engine and a next-generation electric motor.
And to be perfectly honest, auto manufacturers’ main reason for employing hybrid technology is monetary. People around the world are looking for new, renewable means of energy and transportation that is both cost-effective and good for the environment — and they’re willing to pay a premium for this type of technology. In this way, anything that has the “hybrid” tag can rake it the profits. (No wonder eco-friendly technology is called “green” technology.)
Now, Rayovac is looking to cash in on the hybrid buzz word with their Hybrid Rechargeable Batteries. But the question is, what makes these batteries “hybrid?”
Continue reading ‘Are Hybrid Rayovac Rechargeable Batteries Really “Hybrid?”’
There are lots of different types of rechargeable batteries on the market today, making it confusing to know which one is the best. This guide will help you to discover what will work best for your own rechargeable battery needs.
Although rechargeable batteries have been around for quite some time now, it is only over the past decade that their popularity has gone mainstream. From popular brands like Sanyo Eneloop and Energizer to a wide range of generic brands, more and more people are turning to rechargeable batteries for their cost-effectiveness and eco-friendly nature.
But if you’re looking to invest in rechargeable batteries for the first time, how can you tell which ones are the best ones in quality and performance? While NiMH rechargeable batteries are most definitely the most popular type on the market today, there are actually quite a few different rechargeable battery chemistries. The following guide will give you all the information you need to find out if NiMH rechargeable batteries are indeed the best choice.
Continue reading ‘Are NiMH Rechargeable Batteries the Best To Invest In?’
Changing your battery-buying habits from disposable to rechargeable seems like a great idea to many people — until they see the price tag for rechargeable batteries. Is the extra up-front cost a worthy investment?
Everyone knows that buying batteries is a painful process — if you want to invest in a premium battery, you’re going to pay a high price. But because we have been buying batteries for our entire lives, the price of alkaline batteries are a known quantity; we accept the hefty cost because, after all, they help power the gadgets, cameras, and toys that are important to us.
But if you’ve been reading up on the benefits of rechargeable batteries, you might be ready to cease buying wasteful, environment-killing alkalines and invest in a few sets of high-quality NiMH rechargeable batteries, such as the Sanyo Eneloop brand.
If so, be prepared to pay a lot more for batteries.
Before you experience the shock of the higher cost of NiMH rechargeable batteries, here are the facts that you need to know before making the investment. I hope you’ll read on, since these facts are key to making the right decision when it comes to investing in NiMH rechargeable batteries and battery chargers.
Continue reading ‘Is The Extra Up-front Cost of NiMH Rechargeable Batteries Worth It?’
