Battery Refill Required [Caffeine]
This t-shirt visualizes what we’ve all known for a long time: He who merges with the caffeine merges with the power. $20. [Glennz Tees via Fashionably Geek]
Researchers creating a nuclear powered battery
Man has long been on a quest for a better battery. This has resulted in some less then ideal solutions, such as the potato battery (it was half baked) and the onion battery (too smelly). Finally, researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a smaller, more efficient, and hopefully radiation free nuclear battery.
To be fair, there are already a few nuclear batteries around, but the problem with them is they break down rather quickly. This is due to the obvious problem of radioactivity causing the semiconductor to break down. The current versions of the nuclear batteries are used in satellites and pacemakers.
Where the innovation comes in, is the size and how it’s made. The researchers have stated that their goal is to create a battery that is the size of a penny, using a liquid instead of a solid semiconductor. The long term goal, is to take the technology even farther, and create a nuclear battery that is smaller then the thickness of a human hair. Sounds like a great idea to me.
[via BoingBoing]
Monstrous Battery Pack Promises 20 Hours of Video Playback for iPhones [IPhone]
USB Fever’s 3000 mAh add-on promises 8.5 hours of talk time or 20 hours of delicious video playback.
According to the manufacturer “it’s not bulky either as it just extends a little at the bottom”—yeah right, and Steve Ballmer is just a little intense. The Super Charger is positively ginormous, but if you have a sherpa (or intern) to help you schlep it around, the battery pack can be picked up for $60. It won’t void any warranties, but it should. [USB Fever via Crunch Gear]
Panasonic unveils Lithium-Ion battery module and home fuel cell cogeneration facility
Panasonic has on display at CEATEC a “1.5 kWh battery module [made] from 18650-type (18 mm in diameter x 65 mm in length) lithium-ion battery cells, which are widely used in laptop computers, to provide energy storage solutions for a wide range of environmentally friendly energy technologies.” String a couple of these suckers together to store the juice collected from the solar panels on your house, for example.
If solar power is to sissy for you, maybe you’d be interested in the Panasonic Fuel Cell Cogeneration System, which “generates electricity and hot water simultaneously at home”?
Sanyo Eneloop batteries good for 1,500 recharges, maintain 70% charge even after 3 years in storage
We’ve got a thing for Sanyo’s Eneloops. Had it ever since Sanyo released us from the clutches of underperforming NiCad and NiMH batteries about five years ago. Its latest AA and AAA batteries can be recharged about 1,500 times, that’s about 3 years of continuous service and 500 more cycles than competing rechargeables, according to Sanyo. The batteries also feature a low self-discharge rate so they remain usable even after they’ve been charged and stored in a drawer. In fact, an Eneloop will maintain about 75% of its charged power even after three years. Impressive, we know, and the reason they come pre-charged from the factory for immediate use of out the box. And compared to disposables, they’re as good for the environment as they are for your wallet over the long run.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Sanyo Eneloop batteries good for 1,500 recharges, maintain 70% charge even after 3 years in storage originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted: October 6th, 2009
at 10:50am by Thomas Ricker
Topics: Environment, aa, aaa, battery, eneloop, rechargeable, sanyo
