Extend life for AA batteries

[jyl]

This looks like a clever idea

Batteriser is a $2.50 gadget that extends alkaline battery life 800%

[wdfifteen]

That's a whole lot of words for not much information. How does it work?

[afterburn 549]

I so doubt this.............If anything I smell smoke

[WPOZZZ]

Kind of like spending $25 on a sharpener for your $1.99 disposable razor.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

That's a whole lot of words for not much information. How does it work?

Probably crystal power or maybe the power of pyramids! You just have to believe it works or it may not work to full potential. Just think, you will save the planet and be green at the same time if you just send them money.

[aschen]

I sorta skimmed the article and it the premise of the device makes sense at first, until I gave it some consideration. Alkaline batteries seem to have a big voltage sag as it depleats, however that means any decently designed battery operated device should have built in powersupply, that basically does the same thing as this device. It might add 35cents to the price of the device.

If you add another switching power supply in series, you are actually losing capacity because of conversion inefficency



If you look at this graph, no degreed engineer would design a device that has a low voltage cut off near 1.5 volts

[1990C4S]

First gererator I've seen under $3.00....

[Cajundaddy]

Just ignore alkaline batteries and choose Eneloop rechargables. 2x the price and 2000x the utility. The math just works.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BK-3MCCA8BA-Pre-Charged-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B00JHKSN5I/ref=sr_1_1/180-9388840-0877800?ie=UTF8&qid=1433435954&sr=8-1&keywords=eneloop+aa

[island911]

what aschen said. Alkaline batteries carry quite a bit of power(far better than most - on paper) yet many devices draw too fast or need a certain threshold voltage that Alkaline batteries can deliver for only a relatively short time. Leaving unused potential.

Thanks for the post, JYL. ...even if they are over promising, it's still cool stuff to read/consider.

[afterburn 549]

How does it work, (in layman terms)

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

How does it work, (in layman terms)

You send money to the batteriser people, and they buy nice things for themselves and their families

[aschen]

IF you look at my graph the area under the curve is the total energy available from the battery

If you have a device such as a remote control that will quit operating below 1.2v, you are throwing away a good portion of the available energy

The idea is to put in a step up power supply that boosts the output voltage so the device can still function. DO to conservation of energy the device will draw more current from the battery when the voltage is low, but at least you are still using more of the capacity


in super laymans terms, it lets you use all the ketup like liqui glide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djwahGRi5iE

[Z-man]

Last time I used an alkaline battery in my gadgets I was wearing stonewashed jeans and an Ocean Pacific t-shirt.

Lithium Ion. I have a gadget that I depend on - and it is constantly on. With alkaline, I would have to replace the battery every 3 weeks. With Lithium, I go 3 months before I need to replace that battery.

-Z-man.

[afterburn 549]

LOL
OK thanx

[aschen]

Originally Posted by widebody911

You send money to the batteriser people, and they buy nice things for themselves and their families

I think this practically speaking this is the more acurate theory of operation


Mine is more fundamental, but practically speaking I predict this thing could only work for the cheapest of chinese toys or super basic devices with no built in power conditioning (flashlights perhaps?)

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

How does it work, (in layman terms)

Likely with Smoke, Mirrors and paid testimonials.

[aschen]

Originally Posted by Z-man

Last time I used an alkaline battery in my gadgets I was wearing stonewashed jeans and an Ocean Pacific t-shirt.

Lithium Ion. I have a gadget that I depend on - and it is constantly on. With alkaline, I would have to replace the battery every 3 weeks. With Lithium, I go 3 months before I need to replace that battery.

-Z-man.

Many gadgets you need are rechargable these days

Alkaline are for tv remotes, kids toys, etc.

[aschen]

Its worth saying one more time explictly, while I don't think this thing works, its theory of operation has some basis in reality

Aschen build very expensive battery powered industrial tools which have very similar internal circuitry to optimize battery depletion

[wdfifteen]

OK, I had someone explain how something like this could work. It is only useful in limited types of devices.
Lots of devices shut off when the voltage from the battery gets to 1.1 or 1.2. There is still energy in the battery, but the device can't use it. This gadget (or something similar) can act as a step-up transformer, taking low voltage, high current power and boosting it to higher voltage, lower current power. This will only be of benefit on devices that draw a small current but require a certain minimum voltage. Devices that are not voltage sensitive, like a flashlight, would not benefit.
The basic explanation I got made an analogy with the coil in an old car engine. The spark plugs need 12000 volts to fire, but the battery only puts out 12. The battery has lots of energy stored, but the spark plugs can't use it. The coil steps up the voltage so the plug can fire. The spark plug only needs a trickle of energy out of the battery, but it needs it at a high voltage. So if you've got a device that requires a minimum of 1.2 volts and your battery is depleted down to putting out 1 volt, a step up transformer will raise the voltage to the minimum to run the device - for a while.

[aschen]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

OK, I had someone explain how something like this could work. It is only useful in limited types of devices.
Lots of devices shut off when the voltage from the battery gets to 1.1 or 1.2. There is still energy in the battery, but the device can't use it. This gadget (or something similar) can act as a step-up transformer, taking low voltage, high current power and boosting it to higher voltage, lower current power. This will only be of benefit on devices that draw a small current but require a certain minimum voltage. Devices that are not voltage sensitive, like a flashlight, would not benefit.
The basic explanation I got made an analogy with the coil in an old car engine. The spark plugs need 12000 volts to fire, but the battery only puts out 12. The battery has lots of energy stored, but the spark plugs can't use it. The coil steps up the voltage so the plug can fire. The spark plug only needs a trickle of energy out of the battery, but it needs it at a high voltage. So if you've got a device that requires a minimum of 1.2 volts and your battery is depleted down to putting out 1 volt, a step up transformer will raise the voltage to the minimum to run the device - for a while.

actually something like an old school flashlight would bennifit, The light would hole more constant intensity instead of slowly dieing at the end. FOr this case the run time would be less however.

It is a switching powersupply which is sortof a modern equivalant of a regulated step up transformer

one thing I just remembered is even my modern flashlight has a built in switching power supply. It can run off 3 or 4 c cells at the exact same intensity. It just lasts longer if you put in the extension battery.


This concept definitely works, the problem is it is likely built into almost everything you own already