Most devices & gadgets are rechargeable nowadays. The only thing I have that still requires batteries is a headlamp but even those are available in rechargeable varieties. House smoke detectors need a battery too.
I sure hope not, the only devices more than a few years old that still function are those with replaceable batteries. Removable batteries make devices simpler, more robust, and longer-lasting. Rechargeable, replaceable, removable, standardized batteries are the sweet spot for sure.
Mimd blown:
Putting the charger circuit inside the battery takes away battery capacity, so I still buy the external chargers
2400mah? No way they’re that small, that’s basically the size of a phone battery, hell an iPhone 16 has a 3600mah battery.
These standard AA rechargeables are 2500, from what other users are saying about losing capacity for the charging circuit, seems accurate:
D and C are almost obsolete already.
AA and AAA I have bought things that require them this year so I doubt it will happen in our lifetime.
As for rechargeable it’s twice the effort to find the charger every two years instead of just using the one time batteries.
As for rechargeable it’s twice the effort to find the charger every two years instead of just using the one time batteries.
I recommend keeping some charged spares and the charger in the same place.
Yeah, OP surely has a place they keep batteries so they don’t make a trip to the store every time a remote dies.
Anyway, I’d recommend that charger be one that charges AA/AAA individually instead of requiring pairs. Mine is a Panasonic BQ-CC17 that came with a set of Eneloops.
That does raise another issue: some of the retail-grade chargers are pretty terrible and may have led some people to a bad impression of how rechargeable batteries perform.
A charger should charge cells individually, at a reasonably fast rate, and terminate correctly to prevent overcharging. Yours hits two points out of three: it’s individual and correct, but slow.
I’ve seen that site before and) but can’t remember if it influenced my decision before purchase or just confirmed it. But good link. I acknowledge it’s slow, but at this point I have enough extra batteries, I can handle it as long as I charge the dead ones upon swap. Still, I’d say a 4th consideration is price point, at which I think these were acceptable. Somewhere above fictional company items on Amazon, below RC hobby grade
It’s a good charger if you’re not in a hurry - fast is just a user experience benefit.
But if I only need one every other year I’ll have to charge the thing before I use it anyway. Besides should you not store rechargeable Li-batteries at 50-80%?
I had NiMH batteries in mind since we’re talking about types that come in alkaline, and low-self-discharge NiMH batteries (e.g. white Eneloops) are generally fine to fully charge before storage.
You might end up with a bit shorter runtimes storing charged batteries for years than charging them right before use, but it doesn’t matter much when your runtimes are measured in years.
There’s one potential snag with certain low-power devices though: a few only work in the 1.3-1.5V range. That’s terrible design since it doesn’t use most of the power in an alkaline, but some of those won’t work at all with NiMH.
I would really hope we will start replacing them with 18650s and the like soon. Rechargeable NiMh batteries just suck in comparison to Li-Ion batteries
I’ve only recently stumbled on 18650’s potential (lol) by using the 4Ah Kobalt 24v batteries for some experiments with solar, 12v loads, and inverters. Holee hell nuts. Theoretically around 44amp continuous draw in 4Ah arrangement (though I’m aiming to be well under 30 in most circumstances).
Also need to mod kids power wheels with these.
Wait until you hear about 21700s.
I was looking into them! Basically I’m just trying to utilize what I already have with my kobalt batteries for odd-end projects and camping, etc. The price-to-performance for the XTR line that has the 21700s just isn’t justifiable for my use-cases.
I’m going to say no. The standard is really old and there isn’t a standard lithium battery yet. I can see built in rechargeable battery becoming more prominent
The A battery has been obsolete for a long time now.
C, D, and 9v are on their way as what’s left of their dwindling niche use cases that are progressively being replaced by rechargable ones. Think of boombox, or flashlight. Maybe the 9v is still solid for something like multimeters, and I’ve seen that automatic room sprayer with C or D batteries.
For AA and AAA, tho? They’re not going anywhere for a long time. Even when all the flashy fun stuff all have their batteries in Lithium, or whatever comes next, a lot of the boring stuff would still be having them. I have this portable microphone I got from late 2010s that still use AA, and so are all my wall clocks. Also, there are good reasons why the walkie talkies have them as options.
Some rechargable forms have become universal now, like the 18650, but I think they won’t replace the smaller ones.
9v are on their way as what’s left of their dwindling niche use cases that are progressively being replaced by rechargable ones.
guitar guy here. 9v is here to stay, almost every peripheral or active pickup uses them.
Yeah, you’re right, they’re not going anywhere as well, they’re just so niche, a lot of people would probably spend their entire lives without seeing one.
C & D are definitely on their way out tho.
something something my cold dead body
Are you trying to charge a lithium primary? That seems… unwise.
If this charger is like my NiteCore, it can charge each of the 4 banks individually.
Yes, this looks like a dual-chemistry slot charger that handles both NiMH and 3.6/3.7V Li-ion, which would charge each battery independently.
The battery in the third slot looks to be an Energizer L91 lithium-iron-disulfide primary battery. Those are not rechargeable, and attempting to charge one may cause it to explode.
gotta make sure there’s a cold dead corpse to pry the rest of them from
I Hope C cells specifically do.
No. Primary cells are easy and cheap to manufacture, and hold much more charge than rechargeable equivalents.
And so much of everyday tech is already built around the form factor and voltage. You cannot change one without also changing the other. While I’m sure some battery sizes will go away with time, as some already have (Type B, anyone?), I’m willing to bet AA batteries will still be around in some form 100 years from now. Internals might change a little, and capacity might increase, but we’re still going to see 1.5V packed into those dimensions.
Primary cells are easy and cheap to manufacture, and hold much more charge than rechargeable equivalents.
This is half-true at best. Consider these tests of an alkaline primary, lithium primary, and NiMH rechargeable AA battery.
The alkaline has more energy than the NiMH at 0.1A load, but not above that. It will last longer in something like a TV remote or wall clock, but not in something like a flashlight with even moderate output or anything with a motor. Low-self-discharge NiMH, which has better shelf life beats alkaline once the load reaches 0.5A, which represents a device that will drain the battery in 4 hours of continuous use. Lithium primaries win the benchmark here until reaching a very heavy 3A load, but they cost as much as NiMH and only work once.
Allow a different voltage range in the same form factor and lithium-ion rechargeable 14500 cells now equal or slightly exceed the 5Wh capacity of lithium primary AA.
You can’t just mix and match battery chemistry and call one superior. If you could, they’d all be inferior to a nuclear reactor in the right packaging anyway. But since you absolutely have to be pedantic about it, I’ll make this revision specially for you with emphasis in the right place:
Primary cells hold much more charge than an equivalent rechargeable battery with the same battery chemistry.
And you can’t just allow for different voltage ranges without all the electronics also being adjusted for that.
You can’t just mix and match battery chemistry and call one superior.
Superior is a value judgment I wasn’t making there. You made a claim about cost and capacity between different chemistries (unless you meant something else by “rechargeable equivalents”), and I said it only holds up for cheap (alkaline) primaries under light loads.
you absolutely have to be pedantic about it
I’m trying to share additional information, not win an argument on a technical point.
And you can’t just allow for different voltage ranges without all the electronics also being adjusted for that.
That’s true. The broader topic of long-term obsolescence ought to include device design though. Someone designing a device today that could potentially use AA batteries should think about whether they’re obsolete for the use case.
A already is and D and C seem on their way out. AA and AAA will likely need an equivalent that’s worth it to change over. 9v for smoke detectors is unlikely to be replaced by a battery, but I swear by mains connected smoke detectors.
Ultimately I wish these were being replaced by standardized rechargeable. Take common voltages/amperages and sizes and just make RA,RAA,RB… for simplicity. I love my rechargeable AA and AAA cells until then
18650 would be nice
Eventually, everything becomes obsolete given enough time. I recently heard the reason these kinds of batteries are still around is because lots of things use them and the reason things use them is because they’re widely available. In other words, these batteries won’t be going anywhere until it becomes cheaper or more viable to ship low-powered devices with their own batteries built-in.
ome can only.hope
Do you not have a tv remote?
At some point they can just stick a lithium cell inside the remote and add a charge port
Apple TV remote has a USB C port for charging
Depends on the version of the remote, my old 1080p only one had a lightning port.
I haven’t owned a TV in 20 years 🤷🏼♀️ I gave up on TV when it became all shitty programming & commercials.
But, what does that have to do with a TV? Its just a large display to view things like movies, shows, and play games on for those that want a cinematic large experience.
I don’t watch movies or shows, and I’m not a gamer, and I live alone, and I have no desire to own a TV 🤷🏼♀️
I can respect that. Are you an avid reader then when it comes to entertainment?
YouTube + Smartphone
That is kind of funny, since I generally can’t stand youtube, since so much of the content from the thumbnails to sponsor drops and begs for likes and subscribes gives off a desperate infomercial quality among video results that youtube tends to promote to the top.
One of the main reasons I prefer shows and movie over youtube for entertainment.
