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Gbatteries (YC W14) Launches BatteryBox, A 50Whr Backup Battery For MacBooks

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Re: Gbatteries (YC W14) Launches BatteryBox, A 50Whr Backup Battery For MacBooks

#181
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is straight up not possible. Lithium-ion batteries degrade irreversibly as they're used - the only way to reduce capacity loss is to reduce the depth-of-discharge: add more cells, and discharge them less per cycle. Unless they're fiddling with the actual chemistry of the cells, it's unlikely they've changed anything.

That reminds me, I stumbled upon some very interesting discussion here while doing some research on lion characteristics a few weeks ago: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Lithium-ion_battery/Archiv... But real batteries are obviously unaware of these sources because there are numerous examples in the wild that have been regularly fully discharged (to 2.8 to 3.0 volts), stored at around 20 °C and kept fully charged i…

Li-ion batteries are only dead after 2 years if they are abused or their charge/discharge life is used up. Properly cared for real world Li-ion batteries last for 10 years or more (in spite of Isador Buchmann's claim to the contrary).

Note that he explicitly confirms that Li-ion batteries have a limit on the number of charge/discharge cycles they can handle. That's precisely the problem this technology is supposed to fix.

Re: Gbatteries (YC W14) Launches BatteryBox, A 50Whr Backup Battery For MacBooks

#182
post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious to know how much work they'd done on the idea ahead of time. If this was conceived during YC, they're definitely a very impressive team. A few months ago I looked into building this exact product. If you're a DIY kinda person and you don't mind carrying around some extra bulk, it's somewhat easy to cobble something together. If you want a light/small brick w/ self-contained charging and output regulation…

There are 100s of ways to game this cycle spec too. For example, for all we know there is a 100WHr pack inside the box and they only make 50WHr of it available to the user. This way you can make a 50WHr battery that effectively never "degrades". The BatteryOS just manages the "reserve". Then the only thing they are really measuring is the speed at which their algorithm looses calibration. The software for many BMUs (…

Except they explicitly state that they don't do this. They refer to the 50% charge scheme being used in the Chevy Volt and claim they don't do that.

Re: Gbatteries (YC W14) Launches BatteryBox, A 50Whr Backup Battery For MacBooks

#183
Somewhat odd to target a computer that already runs for 12hours to run 'another 12 hours' with a big bulky external battery pack. Would make more sense to target something like an iPhone or others that run way too short to last a day. Problem is: battery packs for those are a dime a dozen. I do wish them best of luck though!

Re: Gbatteries (YC W14) Launches BatteryBox, A 50Whr Backup Battery For MacBooks

#184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually no, if this worked it would be a 30-minute meeting. Our patented technology extends the charge-cycle life of standard lithium-ion batteries by at least 200%, and we can prove it. Great, we will license that. Here's a check for five billion dollars.

Panasonic would NOT pay additional money in licensing to make less money by having their batteries last longer. Large companies like this make sure the batteries they use aren't interchangable or standardized. They certainly don't want to make batteries that you wouldn't want to replace. If you look at profit analysis of almost any product (like a panasonic camera), the profit margins are all in the accessories, like…

> Panasonic would NOT pay additional money in licensing to make less money by having their batteries last longer.

> Large companies like this make sure the batteries they use aren't interchangable or standardized

Li-Ion cells are made in a variety of standard sizes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_sizes#Round_lithium-ion.... I happen to own a couple of individual 18650 cells, and Panasonic and a number of other companies supply these cells to battery pack manufacturers wholesale.

See also: http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/batteries-oem/oem/lithiu...

Battery packs for consumer electronics are another issue.

Re: Gbatteries (YC W14) Launches BatteryBox, A 50Whr Backup Battery For MacBooks

#185
post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its not thinner. The x240 is 0.8 inches thick [1] and the MacBook Pro is 0.71 inches thick. [2] Not trying to fanboy here having used both of those laptops recently. [1] http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-x24... [2] http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/

Thanks, and sorry about the misinformation. I got my info from http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/ , which was the first result for a search for "Macbook Pro dimensions". Didn't realize that was apparently obsolete info.

[deleted]

Re: Gbatteries (YC W14) Launches BatteryBox, A 50Whr Backup Battery For MacBooks

#186
post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. I could do this on my circa 2005 IBM T43.

Without hibernating to disk first? or via using the Ultrabay as secondary battery? [1] [1] http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_use_Ultrabay_batteries#... [EDIT] Also I'm not in any way affiliated with IBM / Lenovo . But the always-on USB-port feature is also a handy emergency travel phone charger if you can (or have to) prioritize phone usage over computer usage with no power outlets in reach. Since the Ultrabook is…

Ultrabay as secondary battery. I had two batteries in the machine always. One 9-cell in the machine, one 9-cell in my bag and a 3-cell in the ultra bay. I could get 9 hours out of that without too much trouble and both the 9-cell packs were knackered.

Now you can get 22 hours apparently on a X220 with battery base and a 9 cell!

I use my ThinkPad as a charger too. You have to turn it on in the BIOS but it charges literally anything.

Re: Gbatteries (YC W14) Launches BatteryBox, A 50Whr Backup Battery For MacBooks

#188
Pre-ordering hardware that makes promises of substantial improvements over the status-quo that will only be testable by the buyer a few years down the line is a recipe for disaster.

Do yourself a favour and hold on to your money until there are actual units that have been tested rigorously (as in, in an independent lab unaffiliated with the company) to see if the promises are delivered on.

Re: Gbatteries (YC W14) Launches BatteryBox, A 50Whr Backup Battery For MacBooks

#189
Get a new industrial designer onboard. Yesterday. Seeing the thing, I'm inclined to believe that that "new" in previous sentence is superfluous.

Plugging this into my MacBook Air would make me feel like getting a $20 prostitute. And paying her $200 afterwards nonetheless.

Re: Gbatteries (YC W14) Launches BatteryBox, A 50Whr Backup Battery For MacBooks

#190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But is this new technology? Have they really figured out something that other battery companies don't know? This charger takes 2.25 hours to reach 80% or 4.5 hours to reach 100% capacity. Could it simply be that they're charging more slowly? Maybe other battery makers know about this, but they don't implement it because they (and consumers) don't value using the battery effectively. Hoping for some lithium-charging e…

Since they filed a patent on it, I assume it is new tech. There is new charging tech from time to time, but most of the IP belongs to those big semiconductor companies, like TI. I know TI has an innovative power management module for LiPoly batteries, but it is pretty expensive.

You'd think that someone on this site would know patent haven't worked like that for a while...
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