Tech: Making batteries last 8X longer (ish)

Subject: Tech: Making batteries last 8X longer (ish)
From: Mr Red
Date: 06 Oct 15 - 02:01 PM

AA, AAA, C & D cells alkaline types. Crowd Funding 10X oversubscribed here

As an Electronic Engineer the schpiel on the webpage looks convincing enough for me. The pace of miniaturisation makes this very plausable.

I bought a light-pull 20 years ago for "dead batteries" that flashed an LED 1 per second and would for an inordinate long time. Ideal in the dark, when you want it to show where the chord is. And you could buy for many years circuits that "garner" useful energy from dead batteries.

What amazes me is that I haven't seen a LiOn rechargeable battery in the AA (etc) form factor with internal circuitry to set & maintain 1.5 volts till almost discharged.

Subject: RE: Tech: Making batteries last 8X longer (ish)
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Oct 15 - 02:46 PM

I just bought a kit of AA & AAA LiOn batteries with added shells to put AA inside C & D for special uses. These are guaranteed to keep about 70% of a charge for many years. They are by far the longest lasting battery I've ever had for gadgets, cameras....etc. Now, with LED lights, I feel prepared.

Subject: RE: Tech: Making batteries last 8X longer (ish)
From: Mr Red
Date: 06 Oct 15 - 04:27 PM

I thought I had missed something but the only Lion AA batteries I can find are 3.6/7 volt beasties. The Lithium seems to make a 3.6 volt potential when coupled with almost anything, and when it does produce less voltage has no advantage over more conventional batteries.

What the Batteriser linked above does is insert a circuit between the battery + button and a secondary button such that it provides 1.5 volts regardless of the battery voltage. Running in the megahertz (or tens of) I would assume to reduce the size of the magnetics. Conceptually childs play, given modern components/techniques it all comes down to cost. Which is reducing.

What I am waiting for is a LiOn version with the circuitry reducing 3.6/7 volts to 1.5 in one AA size package. Or maybe a Batteriser for LiOn AA size batteries. Which should only be a stop-gap. Neither is out there and it can only be because the costs don't look promising,.

YET!

Subject: RE: Tech: Making batteries last 8X longer (ish)
From: Mr Red
Date: 06 Oct 15 - 04:31 PM

What I forgot to point out is that the 8X battery life is their claim, but they do caveat it with reference to the equipment used on which can spit out batteries at a rediculously high threshold when there is a lot of energy at decreasing voltages. And then there is internal resistance which increases (usually) as the remaining energy falls, which results in wasted energy and quickens the demise. The Bateriser can't compensate for everything.