Ode to the AA Battery • Hacker News Board

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#41

Post by ocdtrekkie » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 4:09 PM UTC

100%, I am a huge fan of actual detachable batteries and I also store most electronics with them removed. I generally consider any rechargeable battery a risky thing to store. (Some explode.)

One thing I really love is power tool systems though: I have some Ryobi tools that are over 20 years old and they work with batteries sold in stores today. (The battery tech has changed but as long as your charger is for your battery tech, the tools are all good.) I rarely use a given tool enough to justify replacing batteries in it every 2-4 years, but I use one of my Ryobi tools or the other frequently enough to justify keeping a couple good batteries available at any given time.

I have a modern drill and impact driver because I use them a lot. But the handful of couple decade old saws are plenty adequate for the very rare occasions I need a jigsaw, circular saw, or sawzall.

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#42

Post by bombcar » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 4:10 PM UTC

jmclnx wrote: post #18

I did something similar with my old 286 system. The CMOS battery failed and I rigged up a replacement using velcro and 4 AA batteries. Worked great. Sadly I had to toss that system when I moved to a smaller apartment :( Looking back, tossing it was a huge mistake.

Ebay has various 286s for about $200, some even working!

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#43

Post by bombcar » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 4:11 PM UTC

alnwlsn wrote: post #30

amelius wrote: post #4

Speaking of which, I really hate those chargers that force you to use two batteries instead of one. I get that it is cheaper to design it that way, but come on.

Speaking of which, I have yet to see a consumer battery charger that isn't incredibly cheap feeling. Even ones for charging different chemistries or that let you set current rates are a mess of low-quality molding and cryptic button presses.

This is expensive but so far pretty nice. It's about the size of a console, though.

https://www.amazon.com/OLIGHT-Exclusively-Rechargeable-Batte...

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#44

Post by Scoundreller » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 4:14 PM UTC

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’m visiting some family and I’m a hero for fixing a couple devices that stopped working from alkaline batteries by using a bit of foil paper to overcome the corroded contacts.

Maybe not great in the long run (steel and aluminum don’t like eachother)… maybe I should have put on some grease…

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#45

Post by bluGill » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 4:19 PM UTC

embedding-shape wrote: post #20

jmclnx wrote: post #18

I did something similar with my old 286 system. The CMOS battery failed and I rigged up a replacement using velcro and 4 AA batteries. Worked great. Sadly I had to toss that system when I moved to a smaller apartment :( Looking back, tossing it was a huge mistake.

> Looking back, tossing it was a huge mistake. On the other hand, being afraid of ending up with similar feelings like you, I keep stuff. So I sit here in a room where I'm probably one or two arms-length away from VGA and DVI cables and other relics, "just in case".

If it makes you feel better, I just bought a used zoom h4 for cheap - it still works, but it uses mini-usb and I long ago toss those cables because I didn't have anything that used them. (I have a full audio workstation with a 18i20 interface in my office, but sometimes I want something portable)

Which is to say those might become useful someday again... Are they worth storing is a different question - since I'm looking for the cables anyway - both of the cables you mentioned can be bought for $5-$10, and the mini-usb I need is as cheap as $3. It will cost more more in shipping than the cable. (though I will likely look for something else I need to get free shipping)

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#46

Post by pdpi » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 4:20 PM UTC

coldpie wrote: post #14

conception wrote: post #5

The Xbox 360 was the most gamer friendly console (play your open music during games?!?) but one feature i loved was the battery packs. Your controller died? Just swap a pack - two seconds. And the packs could be rechargeable or AA so you could have a bunch of rechargeable AA for a fair price and never get bogged down waiting for anything to charge.

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...

And, if you use good quality 2500mAh rechargeable AAs, those controllers go forever between charges.

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#47

Post by briHass » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 4:23 PM UTC

This seems like more of a rant about non-replaceable batteries (of any type.)

When I buy things like flashlights/headlamps and other battery knickknacks, I ensure it uses a 18650 or some other standard lithium formfactor.

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#48

Post by wrs » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 4:24 PM UTC

Alongside their AA-powered keyboard, Apple sold a little two-cell charger with two AA NiMH batteries, which is still what I use to charge my Eneloops.

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#49

Post by bluGill » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 4:24 PM UTC

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.

Re: Ode to the AA Battery

#50

Post by Zak » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 4:29 PM UTC

everdrive wrote: post #26

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…

>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…

Alkaline has a tendency to leak electrolyte when stored in devices long-term, especially if used intermittently, even more so if the loads are at the upper end of what alkaline can handle as they are in many modern flashlights. The electrolyte is corrosive and often results in a broken device, which is exactly what you don't want in an emergency.

Li-ion's self-discharge is pretty low for a bare unprotected cell, and a flashlight with a mechanical switch consumes no power when off. One must take care to avoid short circuits when handling such a cell, but modern Li-ion flashlights have over-discharge protection, so that's the main safety concern with a single-cell design.