I know these are currently out of fashion but I’m still thankful they exist.

Let’s remind ourselves of devices that use(d) these standardized batteries:

  • Toys
  • Digital cameras
  • Torches
  • Gadgets like fans
  • Wireless keyboards
  • TV remotes

Thanks to having a standardized system of batteries,

  • You can use the same battery across several devices. This is a no brainer but it’s very practical.
  • Batteries can charge quicker thanks to being put in a dedicated charger and not being limited by USB cables. (But yes I concede that USB has been updated for faster charging over the years)
  • Devices don’t have down time when their battery is charging. To charge, the battery is removed from the device and can immediately be replaced with a fresh one.
  • You’ll never have to trash a device due to an expired battery. Just buy a replacement. And building on this…
  • Any improvements in future battery technology can be retro-fitted into your existing devices. And there is a high incentive for future improvement, because…
  • An accessible (due to easy replacement) and large (due to many devices) battery market is very attractive to competition.

If you look at the pros I listed, they all happen to be things that would be very useful for electric cars. So I think it would aid the adoption of electric cars if their batteries were standardized too.

  • abhibeckert@beehaw.org
    7·
    2 years ago

    Those batteries in your photo are NiMH batteries… which discharge on their own at a fairly rapid rate even if you’re not using them at all. They’re also pretty big and heavy for the amount of power they provide (which, due to the self-discharge issue, is effectively a lot lower than the official number on the battery).

    I strongly recommend investing in devices that use 18650 batteries. They’re about the same size/weight as a AA, and they last much longer (both in terms of from full to flat and also the number of years (decades?) of use you’ll get from the battery.

    A lot of “proprietary” batteries are in fact a bunch of 18650 cells wired together.

    It’s worth investing in good ones - the quality varies significantly from brand to the next. With a good 18650 cell, you won’t be replacing it when the battery expires, you’ll be transferring it to a new gadget when the gadget is broken or so old that you decided to buy a new/better model.

    • cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      6·
      2 years ago

      Low self discharge NiMH batteries have been available for a long time now. They hold a charge for several years.

      • Burp@kbin.social
        1·
        2 years ago

        Same. People used low quality Ni-Mh batteries and got what they paid for. Eneloops have worked great for me. Believe it or not, Duracell has been great too. It’s the energizers that have all been awful for me.

    • Nawor3565@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      2·
      2 years ago

      While all this is true, unfortunately not many devices support swappable 18650s, either they have swappable AA/AAA or have built-in 18650s that would require disassembly to replace. However, if you CAN find a device with swappable 18650s (the only ones I’ve found so far are flashlights) they’re absolutely great!

        • anlumo@feddit.de
          2·
          2 years ago

          Besides being the wrong size by definition, AA batteries are expected to have 0.8V to 1.5V, while Lithium Ion cells (such as 18650) have a voltage range of 2V to 4.2V. That’s completely incompatible, you couldn’t even replace two AA batteries with a single Li-Ion cell.

    • GoldenSpamfish@lemmy.zipEnglish
      1·
      2 years ago

      They make USB rechargeable lithium ion batteries in every common form factor. I use lithium rechargeable AAA batteries in my mouse and they work great. You don’t even need a charger, they are USB-C. Highly recommend.

  • guyrocket@kbin.social
    2·
    2 years ago

    Thank you for this post.

    I actively avoid buying things with a built in battery. Long ago I spend a pretty good amount on a rechargeable Braun electric razor. A few years later I had to throw it away because the battery stopped taking a charge and I had no way to replace it. I had a drill with the same fate. There was plenty of life left in these devices but not in their custom batteries.

    • B0rax@feddit.de
      1·
      2 years ago

      The batteries in Braun razors are replaceable. They even sell those. It’s not terribly difficult, but you need basic solder skills.

  • snowfalldreamland@lemmy.ml
    2·
    2 years ago

    Tipp for people wanting to get into recharge AA and AAAs: get IKEA Ladda batteries and their charger. They are cheap and japanese made. Some people argue that they are just relabeled Panasonic eneloops!

      • stealth_cookies@lemmy.ca
        2·
        2 years ago

        The two cells tested in that video are different. The Ladda 2450 mAh is equivalent to the black wrapped Eneloop Pro, but the video only tests the standard white Eneloops which have less capacity but a better cycle life rating. This is honestly one of the most disappointing videos I’ve seen from Project Farm, he didn’t test most of what makes a cell better/worse.

        Whether or not they are identical cells, from what I’ve read there is only one factory in Japan that makes NiMH cells, so the Eneloops and the Ladda come from the same factory and are therefore likely to be very similar.

    • Slitted@beehaw.org
      1·
      2 years ago

      LADDA are my go-to as well. I recommended going with the wall charges and not the USB-A charger, since the latter juices them up very slowly (compared to the wall outlet or the storage+charge box).

    • quicksand@lemm.ee
      1·
      2 years ago

      Thanks for the info! It’s incredible how much the quality of batteries and chargers vary. It’s good to know a cheap easy place to get them

  • jaschen@lemm.ee
    1·
    2 years ago

    The downside is the volt is not 1.5volts. Its closer to 1.2volts. This is fine if you’re using 2 batteries for things like the TV remote. But when you’re using things that require more than 4 batteries, then you might get into some weirdness. I have a remote for my DSLR that sends infrared to the softbox. Every 10 shots, it would miss the shot. It turned out to be the batteries. It needed all 6Volts vs 4.8Volts.

    • nikt@lemmy.caEnglish
      2·
      2 years ago

      Alkaline batteries lose voltage as they drain, so 1.5V is at full charge but it drops down to about 1.2V very quickly and then stays at 1.0V - 1.2V for most of the alkaline battery’s operating life.

      NiMH batteries tend to consistently stay at their nominal voltage (1.2V) through their entire charge.

      So in other words, if you have devices that really expect exactly 1.5V per battery, they would only work with alkalines at the very top of their charge. Nowadays most non-garbage circuits should be designed to work just fine with anything above 1V per battery.

    • wim@lemmy.sdf.org
      1·
      2 years ago

      These days there’s also Lithium ion AA batteries, with different voltages. You can get them downvolted to anything from 1.5 to 1.8V.

      The ones over 1.5V are commonly used in applications with electronic motors, since it allows you to effectively overdrive the toy or whatever it is you’re powering.

  • ConsciousCode@beehaw.org
    1·
    2 years ago

    I use rechargeable interchangeable batteries wherever I can, but I recently ran into some issues with an ultra-cheap BDC “massage” pillow. The OCP in the batteries was getting triggered and the motor would stop and start spinning for 10 seconds at a time. Tried to add small value resistors and capacitors to it but nothing worked and I had to get a pack of alkaline. Only now do I remember I have a bunch of spare 18650s and USB battery charging boards that I could’ve retrofitted!

  • thingsiplay@kbin.social
    1·
    2 years ago

    @SubArcticTundra Also add XBox game controllers to the list. I have multiple pair of rechargeable batteries. It’s way better than having integrated batteries like in the PS controllers. I can just swap the set out for a full set, right away. Doing this since Xbox 360.

  • Dandroid@dandroid.app
    1·
    2 years ago

    The best part is that these batteries don’t leak and destroy your devices like alkaline batteries.

  • happyhippo@feddit.it
    1·
    2 years ago

    Invest in a solid charger (30-40€ will do). You’ll keep it for years, it’ll charge an odd number of batteries as well (unlike some cheap ones that only charge in pairs) and it charges just the right amount, then stops. Some even have battery test/discharge function, and charge more than just AA/AAA.

    Then invest in a bunch of rechargeables, possibly Eneloops or something good from Amazon.

    Now profit for years to come. The planet will thank you as well.

    Honestly single use consumer batteries should be banned.

  • kent_eh@lemmy.caEnglish
    1·
    2 years ago

    The 18650 should have become the ubiquitous replacement in most applications, but nooo, the manufacturers had to go all proprietary and enforce even more planned obsolescence