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submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml to c/technology@beehaw.org

I know these are currently out of fashion but I'm still thankful they exist.

Let's remind ourselves of devices that use(d) these standardized batteries:

  • Toys
  • Digital cameras
  • Torches
  • Gadgets like fans
  • Wireless keyboards
  • TV remotes

Thanks to having a standardized system of batteries,

  • You can use the same battery across several devices. This is a no brainer but it's very practical.
  • Batteries can charge quicker thanks to being put in a dedicated charger and not being limited by USB cables. (But yes I concede that USB has been updated for faster charging over the years)
  • Devices don't have down time when their battery is charging. To charge, the battery is removed from the device and can immediately be replaced with a fresh one.
  • You'll never have to trash a device due to an expired battery. Just buy a replacement. And building on this...
  • Any improvements in future battery technology can be retro-fitted into your existing devices. And there is a high incentive for future improvement, because...
  • An accessible (due to easy replacement) and large (due to many devices) battery market is very attractive to competition.

If you look at the pros I listed, they all happen to be things that would be very useful for electric cars. So I think it would aid the adoption of electric cars if their batteries were standardized too.

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[-] kratoz29@lemm.ee 4 points 11 months ago

How old are those batteries? I have some that look exactly like that and they could be since 10 years ago or more, and I swear they still work lol.

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[-] rikonium@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 11 months ago

I remember shopping for a Bluetooth speaker and while I settled on a JBL one, I did consider the IKEA model that takes AAA’s but it wasn’t available to try nor buy - it would’ve been nice to be able to consider one that was externally powered but ah well.

[-] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 3 points 11 months ago

Yeah, the first USB power bank we had at home also used 4 replaceable AAs. I wish this was still common

[-] Chapi_Chan@lemmy.one 3 points 11 months ago

If we're gonna keep putting batteries on stuff we'd better put these

[-] wifienyabledcat@beehaw.org 2 points 11 months ago
[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

There's nothing stopping me from using my phone's battery in my toys. The same way nothing stopped me from connecting a small toy electric motor to a straight up power connector to plug into a wall socket when I was a kid.

All you need to do is connect the red and black wires from the battery to the leads on the device. Now, it might cause the thing to break/melt/catch on fire, but that's not the fault of the battery. 🤷🏻‍♂️ 🤣

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this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2023
495 points (100.0% liked)

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