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Ode to the AA Battery

jeffgeerling.com

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Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#91

Post by Dylan16807 »

js2 wrote: post #38
aftbit wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, there's basically no reason you'd ever want an alkaline battery except cost. For your use case of long-term storage or a rarely used flashlight (e.g. in a car emergency kit), you'd want a Li/FeS2 as the parent poster recommended, also called just a "Lithium" primary (i.e. non-rechargable) cell. They have a longer shelf life, don't leak, hold more energy, can provide a higher discharge current, work over a wider t…

Main disadvantage is cost. Looking on Amazon, it's $1.61/ea AA lithium vs $0.62/ea akalaline. That's Energizer vs Energizer. Amazon Basics AA alkaline are $0.32/ea. (Unlike alkaline, knock-off lithium aren't much cheaper than Energizer.)

Well how many batteries do you need as long term storage for emergency use? $10 worth?

Everything else use rechargables for a dollar-ish plus charger cost.

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#92

Post by tbrownaw »

I have some LiPo-based 1.5V AA and AAA batteries that have USB-C ports built in for charging. The AAA ones claim 1200 mWh (800 mAh) and the AA ones claim 3400 mWh or ~2250 mAh. (I say "claim" because I bought them off some random Amazon shop a few years ago and haven't bothered to actually check.)

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#93

Post by nickcw »

Eneloops are fantastic. I've been using them for 10 years.

They have very low self discharge so you can keep them on the shelf for a year and they will still have 70% charge which is very different to most rechargeable batteries.

They don't leak unlike alkaline batteries and you can run them to 0% charge without damaging them unlike Lion batteries.

The terminal voltage is only 1.2v so there is the occasional thing they don't work well in.

That said my collection of eneloops get much less use than they used to as everything comes with built in lithium batteries and a usb charger nowadays. That is very convenient until the moment the lithium battery dies...

Changing the lithium battery in things sucks. Firstly it's really difficult to get a good one and not a crappy knock off. Secondly modern stuff isn't meant to be repaired. Every time I pick up my kindle I shed a small tear when I see the screen damage I caused changing the battery.

So, I buy stuff with AA or AAA batteries if possible and if I want it to last for more than 3 years.

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#94

Post by hn_acc1 »

D13Fd wrote: post #74
everdrive wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Meanwhile, alkaline batteries can go to hell. You might as well plan on one leaking in the battery compartment. On the other hand, alkaline batteries never burn your house down. I also feel like they serve different purposes. Needed for long-term storage and only used in an emergency? (eg, a flashlight for power outages) You're probably better off going with old-fashioned alkaline batteries. Duracell claims they're…

> You're probably better off going with old-fashioned alkaline batteries. Never. They will leak and die. Alkaline cells always end up leaking and dying in my experience, given enough time. In fact, I do the reverse: If it's something I think will sit for a long time, I make sure to put a rechargeable battery in it. That way, worst case, it's dead—but it won't be destroyed by a leak.

It's gotten worse over the course of my life, IMHO. Costco's Kirkland batteries 15 years ago rarely leaked - now they do it in months sometimes. We had leakage a bit back when I was a kid (80s) but I honestly don't remember it happening as often.

It's one of the things that pushed me all-in on Eneloop. We were throwing away 10-20 AAs/month at one point (wife likes electric candles). Recently, it's been 2 or 4 as we discover old remotes or something we hadn't replaced yet. And we have 8-20 AAs and 2-4 AAAs charged and ready to go at any point. Swap, and put the empty ones in the charger is now the standard process at our house.

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#95

Post by bityard »

bluGill wrote: post #49

I miss the old Rayovac batteries. They had a 10 year no leak guaranty, and it was real. I did get some to leak - I found a box of gear that I know hadn't been opened in 13 years, and even then it was a small leak that wouldn't be hard to clean up. But Energizer bought the company and changed the formula.

Were the old Rayovac batteries alkaline or zinc-carbon? Zinc-carbon batteries use a "dry cell" chemistry that will never leak, have a low self-discharge rate, and are very cheap to make and buy. You typically find them marketed as "heavy duty." The trade-off with those are that they have a lower energy capacity compared to alkaline.

I use NiMH in almost everything but for things like TV remotes and clocks that sip power AND you can't be arsed to change them all the time, they work great. I buy a pack of 4 at the dollar store.

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#96

Post by hn_acc1 »

jon-wood wrote: post #28
coldpie wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Series X controllers still work this way. Takes standard-ass AA batteries, including rechargeables; or you can buy a bespoke charge pack[1] which actually supports charging while in the controller. [1] https://www.xbox.com/en-US/accessories/batteries-chargers/pl...

I really wish more devices went this way. In devices these days the thing that will fail first, long before other components, is usually the battery. It seems disingenuous of manufacturers to claim that rechargeable batteries are good for the environment and then ship devices without user replaceable battery packs.

Hey, they're just as good for the environment as all that plastic that we can, "honestly, for sure, 100%, totally" recycle almost all of it. /s

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#97

Post by ghaff »

bluGill wrote: post #71
zabzonk wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think I have only one device that uses AA - my central heating's radio thermostat. This thing has caused me untold hassle, which is only partially down to the batteries, but still... Totally OT, but does anyone have a good link on how the thermostat gets paired with the boiler? I'm thinking of getting replaced and would like to talk to the gas fitter from a vaguely informed point of view.

> good link on how the thermostat gets paired with the boiler? You should have a book with the boiler that says how your system is setup. They nearly always include schematics and are very helpful. Typically you can open a cover and see the wiring details as well. Forget about web sites, there are too many different ways a system can be setup, so even if they are not slop they can still be inapplicable for you. Once…

Yeah. Have your manuals handy if you get a furnace guy/electrician in. My electrician actually wired up my thermostat wrong when I got a new thermostat in.

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#98

Post by hn_acc1 »

Lutzb wrote: post #8

The best thing about Eneloops do not seem to leak. I can just leave them in rarely used electronic devices without worrying. They might discharge, but so far this has never been a problem.

Mentioned this above - so happy we went with Eneloops. Our battery waste is nearly 0, and no leaking..

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#99

Post by inasio »

I found a Minidisc player that had been in storage for over 10 years, probably closer to 15. Runs off a single AA battery; I'd left it with a Duracell and it was still running.

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#100

Post by Pxtl »

sowbug wrote: post #85
alnwlsn wrote: post #13

Designers have a choice in lithium-ion though. 18650 is is pretty large cell but there's 14500 which is AA sized or 10440 which is AAA sized. They make versions with the usual battery "nub" rather than the flat faces for spot welding, and built-in protection circuitry to prevent over-discharging. You probably would want to use ones of a different size than normal 1.5v cells though. A personal favorite of mine is RCR1…

I love the 14500 except for its footgun shape. 6 x 14500 is at least 21 volts, which won't play nice with a device that wanted 9 volts. I used to try to keep the 14500s far away from the AAs, but there's no stopping a kid in a hurry who wants to play with a toy or musical instrument.

I've taken the approach of electrical-taping my USB-chargeable 14500s each to a dummy-battery, since the things I put them in have 2 adjacent slots for series AAs. The voltage is still high (3.somethingV instead of 3V) but they seem to work.
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