About Batteries by Matthew Archer
Batteries are all over the place -- in our cars, our PCs, laptops, portable MP3 players and cell phones. A battery is essentially a can full of chemicals that produce electrons. Chemical reactions that produce electrons are called electrochemical reactions. ... For one thing, all batteries have a maximum current they can produce -- a 500 milliamp-hour battery cannot produce 30,000 milliamps for 1 second, because there is no way for the battery's chemical reactions to happen that quickly. ... To accurately report the state of charge, the pack electronics has to keep a record of the current...

What is Inside A Smart Battery? by Dan Hagopian
If you have a PDA, MP3, MP4, Laptop, Cell Phone, Smartphone, DVD players, or other electronic device then more likely then not the battery within your device is a high capacity smart battery pack. What is a high capacity smart battery pack? A high capacity smart battery pack is a complex battery... This specialized hardware includes: the connector the fuse the charge and discharge FETs the cell pack the sense resistor (RSENSE) the primary and secondary protection ICs the fuel-gauge IC the thermistor the pc board the EEPROM or firmware for the fuel-gauge IC In...

Dissecting A Smart Battery – Part 2 by Dan Hagopian
In part 1 of Dissecting A Smart Battery I mentioned that smart batteries have contained within them specialized hardware that when working in concert provides the power necessary to run a device such as a PDA, digital camera, or ipod player. Continuing the dissection of a smart battery this... The Smart Battery’s Cell Pack The battery cell can be thought of as the holding area of the battery’s chemical. ... Before we begin let’s just recap some of the specialized hardware within the smart battery: the connector the fuse the charge and discharge FETs the cell pack the sense...

Batteries - One Size Does Not Fit All by Dan Hagopian
I have a Palm Zire 72 and a Palm m505 PDA. If I buy a Palm Zire 72 Battery that is 3.7 volts can I plug it into a Palm m505 and have that battery power both devices as needed? In a nut shell the question above seeks to ascertain if all 3.7 volt batteries are the same? ... To construct a smart battery the battery manufacturer must carefully plan the internal battery design environment by considering the: design parameters current requirements capacity and runtime requirements temperature requirements safety requirements ambient operational/non-operational temperatures As a...

The Chemistry of Laptop Batteries Explained by Mansi Aggarwal
Laptop batteries come in all shapes and sizes also differ in their chemical composition. The chemistry of a battery refers to the chemical make-up of the cells inside the outer casing. The most common chemistries used in laptop batteries are: NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) This is the oldest technology... The best alternative is external battery packs. ... If this starts to happen the battery must be replaced. ... Always consult the manufacturer or a reputable laptop battery supplier. ... Such considerations are becoming more important as mobile devices become smaller and lighter and battery...

Digital Camera Batteries: What You Need To Know by Kristine Knight
Your digital camera uses either a rechargeable battery pack or a set of AA batteries. Either will serve you quite well if you follow some simple advice. If your camera uses AA batteries, never ever use the common alkaline cells—even if they were in the box with your camera. ... For those times when a rechargeable isn’t available, step up to an Energizer E2 Lithium battery. ... Yes, Li-Ion does provide firepower for an extended period of time, but today’s modern cameras have extra-large 2.5-inch LCD monitors, which use more battery energy.

How Can The CompactFlash Expansion Plus Improve My iPAQ? by Jon Butt
With an iPAQ Compact Flash Expansion Pack Plus, you can go and buy Type I or Type II CompactFlash cards compatible with your Pocket PC's operating system and extend the functionality of your iPAQ. The HP iPAQ CompactFlash Expansion Plus, as far as PDA handheld accessories go, is indeed a smart... The iPAQ Compact Flash Expansion Pack Plus works on two levels - it enhances the 'life' of your PDA because it adds a removable, rechargeable battery, and it extends the functionality of your PDA via an open Type I or Type II CF card slot.

How To Turn Your iPod Into TV by Peter Lim
The Apple iPod is synonymous with mobile audio and music, and with the launching of the video-capable iPod, music lovers not only will enjoy the audio but also video. Herein lies the problem - the apple iPod screen is only 2.5 inches, and there is no doubt that viewing pleasure can be increased... With the development of technology, soon the battery pack consisting of the 3-AAA size batteries will disappear, making it more light weight! ... The goggles is fairly light at 70 g, with a belt clip that holds the iPod and the battery pack of 3 AAA-batteries.

Integrated Power Management Circuits by Dan Hagopian
Discussing internal battery design would be incomplete if we did not write on the subject of integrated circuits. Batteries for PDAs, MP3s, Digital Cameras, and Laptops have designed within them integrated power management circuits that insure that the deliverance of reliable power is properly... A real example of a battery pack protector circuit is a Texas Instrument two-cell lithium-ion (Li-Ion) and lithium-polymer (Li-Pol) battery pack protector device. ... Power management integrated circuits offer other key benefits as well including maximizing battery life between charges, minimize...

Advantages of a Sun Powered Battery Charger by Mike Jerry
A sun powered battery charger is a convenient way of saving money while using natural resources. This transportable battery charger can go almost anywhere. They are easy to operate and do not require a technology degree to set up. Because the sun powers this type of charger, you will always have... Because they are so easy to use, many people end up buying several portable chargers to use with their battery chargers and other small electrical devices. ... Even on cloudy days, a solar battery charger will still be able to charge your batteries.