suck battery to zero

[rt]

For years now you've been able to buy AA powered electronics that
seem to last forever and use the batteries down to zero.
What's going on in there? Are they using switching ps?

 

[Anders F]

"rt" <mardahl2000@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1102941869.746526.120200@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

For years now you've been able to buy AA powered electronics that
seem to last forever and use the batteries down to zero.
What's going on in there? Are they using switching ps?

Definitely! =)

/A

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

On 13 Dec 2004 04:44:29 -0800, the renowned "rt"
<mardahl2000@yahoo.com> wrote:

For years now you've been able to buy AA powered electronics that
seem to last forever and use the batteries down to zero.
What's going on in there? Are they using switching ps?

Yes- they step it up to more like 3V in most cases I think. I just got
an MP3 player for my kid that runs off of a single 1.2V NiMH AAA cell
for hours and hours.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
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Word of advice....if you don't want to spend the money on rechargables
get Alaklines! Don't waste your money on Heavy duty batteries. Yes they
are cheaper but last like 2 mins hahaha

 

[Ian Stirling]

Spehro Pefhany <speffSNIP@interlogdotyou.knowwhat> wrote:

On 13 Dec 2004 04:44:29 -0800, the renowned "rt"
mardahl2000@yahoo.com> wrote:

For years now you've been able to buy AA powered electronics that
seem to last forever and use the batteries down to zero.
What's going on in there? Are they using switching ps?

Yes- they step it up to more like 3V in most cases I think. I just got
an MP3 player for my kid that runs off of a single 1.2V NiMH AAA cell
for hours and hours.

To nitpick the original point, with a constant power load, you can't
generally run the battery down below half its original voltage.
Because at that point, if you try to keep maintaining the same power
out, the voltage just collapses to zero immediately.

 

[Peter Bennett]

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 12:38:10 -0500, Mark Jones <abuse@127.0.0.1>
wrote:

Spehro Pefhany wrote:

Isn't that killing the rechargeable batteries to run them down that
far? IIRC, the discharge rate of any battery is non-linear. They
typically peter out way before 0v.

To be pedantic (and it matters here), a battery is two or more cells,
normally connected in series. It is definitely a Bad Thing to run a
battery down to zero, as one cell of that battery will probably reach
zero before the other(s), and as the other cell(s) continue to
discharge, the weakest will be recharged with reverse polarity.

If you are just dealing with a single cell, this reverse charging
can't happen (but it probably isn't good to discharge a cell to zero
anyway...)

--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI
peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca
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