TheEEStory.com

http://www.crzforum.com/forum/battery-specifica...

The new Honda CRZ hybrid uses NiMH batteries and the manual warns:

--For your Attention:
If the car is not used for more than one month, the life time of the 100 Volt NiMH Battery will be reduced and the battery may get damaged permanently.“

(Translated from German manual, p.405)

My older, XP laptop still runs fine after almost 6 years- but the battery only holds a charge for about 15 minutes- it is really sucky to have to spend 80-100 dollars just to replace the battery:-(

Energizer Bunny commercials- need I say more...

They get too warm and have a narrow effective operating temp.

Kids never remember to charge Wii remotes. Have to wait or keep buying AA batteries.

Voltage on my e-Bike sags a bit when accelerating, raising the Ampage draw on my batteries and lowering maximum theoretical acceleration. 41Volts sags to 34-36Volts.

Bretspot wrote:

Voltage on my e-Bike sags a bit when accelerating, raising the Ampage draw on my batteries and lowering maximum theoretical acceleration. 41Volts sags to 34-36Volts.

Have you tried pedaling. You know, those two things between your feet. :-)

RmW wrote:

Bretspot wrote:

Voltage on my e-Bike sags a bit when accelerating, raising the Ampage draw on my batteries and lowering maximum theoretical acceleration. 41Volts sags to 34-36Volts.

Have you tried pedaling. You know, those two things between your feet. :-)

I know the two things between my feet but I don't call them pedals, I call them my dangley bits :-)

kind regards
ei

But back on topic...the batteries in my torches and other stuff on my boat. Replacing evry season sucks.

kind regards
ei

I'm on my third battery in one car and third battery in another, and second on still another. That's 8 car batteries. I hate them.

I have tons of gadgets that have been ruined by leaky cells. I hate that.

I just replaced my portable tool battery for 90 bucks, the old pair were both dead. They are heavy and make the tools cumbersome.

It is even more annoying knowing that the solution is sitting down there in Cedar Park awaiting Lord knows what.

Current rechargeable batteries can't hold very much. My kids rechargeable AA's are ALWAYS IN THE CHARGER !!!

I believe that electronic toxic waste in landfills is not really due to electronics but more to do with car batteries

CurEEous wrote:

I believe that electronic toxic waste in landfills is not really due to electronics but more to do with car batteries

No- around 90% of all car batteries in the US are recycled- one of our better recycling efforts- but all the other batteries- billions every year to landfills!

CurEEous

You're not suppposed to do it according to the manufacturer, but I have been running my wireless mouse (which requires two 'AA' cells, for - I think - about 18 months to a year on four ordinary 'non rechargeable' alkaline cells.

Two are in the mouse, and I replace them with the other two which I charged overnight last time they left the mouse. They give me a comfortable month or so of power.

Batteries certainly ARE a major pain in the backside. Why anyone should choose to run cars on them is a mystery to me. Unfortunately, we're stuck with them. There isn't any alternative if you want a small amount of power in a mobile or handheld device.

I don't think the EESU is likely to ever appear now, but even if it did, woud you really want your kids playing with a 3,500v capacitor containing enough energy to kill them?

If such a thing like EESU will exist, I think it would not replace very small appliances (those which last months with one AA or AAA element); simply, the cost of insulation/safety system plus the conversion electronics would not be worthy, I guess.
Perhaps the smallest units would be suitable for smartphones, which today have to be recharged daily or even more frequently.

I suspect safety consideration would rule them for such application.

I think the high voltage would require a significant physical distance to be maintained between the HV and the LV sides making themm big simply by virtue of the converter even if the capacitor were negligably small.

The energy density isn't THAT much better than batteries anyway.

But the voltage can be reduced by reducing the dielectric thickness. I think less than 400V, (same voltage as the ccfl of LCD backlights) would solve most safety concerns.
On the energy density you are right, but don't forget additional advantages of a capacitor:
VERY quick charge possible (this is particularly true for a small unit), a 30Wh unit could be recharged in 1 minute or so in any home;
Extremely high endurance compared to chemical batteries
Precise residual charge gauging
Solid state thus no chemicals spills
Huge power density, peak currents possible with no hurts
No degradation of charge with temperature

Every time I'd go to use an emergency flashlight the batteries are dead. So now I have a wind up light.. up yours batteries!

Exploding laptops...

DW has said his devices are much safer. It's easy to be skeptical on this, but if it is true, it would be a large bonus.

I have rechargeable batteries in my bike lights and in my headlamp:

- They hold almost full charge on the shelf several months after charge.
- They keep their capacity very well charge after charge, year after year.
- They work just fine in cold and hot temperatures.
- They are very safe and completely problem free this far.

Don't use cheap stuff and complain. Use good stuff and be happy. I use A123.

Tec wrote:

... I don't think the EESU is likely to ever appear now, but even if it did, woud you really want your kids playing with a 3,500v capacitor containing enough energy to kill them?

I have two teenagers- ask me that again?

You have these *jump* packs to boost your car's dead battery, and a couple of years (previous-dead-battery-that-left-you-stranded ago) you bought one for this occasion, but alas, the jump pack is dead also....(battery died)!

Here is a list of things I have that the battery periodically screws up it's usage or needs long recharging cycles or complete replacement - sometimes it is cheaper to replace the device than to buy new batteries for it. Everyone of these batteries could be replaced by a batcap and the use of the device could be interrupted only for a quick 1 minute charge or in some cases probably a few seconds quick charge with a backup recharge unit

auto
3 electric drills/sawsalls/etc
lawnmower
tractor
boat
flashlights
phones
bluetooth headset
gps
golf rangefinder
camera
laptop
tv remote
iPod
game controllers
mouse
level
toothbrush
micrometer
bicycle computer

I'm sure there are ten things I've forgotten

eeinterested wrote:

I'm on my third battery in one car and third battery in another, and second on still another. That's 8 car batteries. I hate them.

I have tons of gadgets that have been ruined by leaky cells. I hate that.

I just replaced my portable tool battery for 90 bucks, the old pair were both dead. They are heavy and make the tools cumbersome.

It is even more annoying knowing that the solution is sitting down there in Cedar Park awaiting Lord knows what.

I think my Audi car detected my whining; battery was dead today; another 100 bucks to spend. So that is an even three batteries per car.

I would love an EESU the size of a fist or Velveeta chees block, that lasts the life of the ICE car and then some. It would be worth a couple hundred bucks or more.

That right there is a billion dollar company.

belectric wrote:

Here is a list of things I have that the battery periodically screws up it's usage or needs long recharging cycles or complete replacement - sometimes it is cheaper to replace the device than to buy new batteries for it. Everyone of these batteries could be replaced by a batcap and the use of the device could be interrupted only for a quick 1 minute charge or in some cases probably a few seconds quick charge with a backup recharge unit

auto
3 electric drills/sawsalls/etc
lawnmower
tractor
boat
flashlights
phones
bluetooth headset
gps
golf rangefinder
camera
laptop
tv remote
iPod
game controllers
mouse
level
toothbrush
micrometer
bicycle computer

I'm sure there are ten things I've forgotten

We did an exhaustive thread on this over a year ago. It is worth revisiting if someone can find it. I think B started it. EESUs in everything, as far as the eye can see.