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. ... In this article, you'll learn all about batteries -- from the basic concept at work to the actual...

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...

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... Solar energy is a free source of power, which in today's world of high electric prices, is just what many households are looking for. ... Portable solar chargers are smaller and do not offer as much power.

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. ... The battery cell pack is critical to the overall capability of the smart battery. ... Before we begin let’s just recap some of the specialized hardware within the smart battery:...

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... NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) these batteries are less likely to be prone to the memory effect and have a much better power to weight ratio than NiCad. ... Such considerations are becoming more important as mobile devices become smaller and lighter and battery weight becomes significant.

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...

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...

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. ... Smart travelers will keep a few sets of lithium batteries in the trunk of their car so that they have power to spare when they’re far away from an electrical outlet. ... Your camera might use a proprietary lithium-ion (Li-Ion) rechargeable battery—many do.

Batteries That Overheat Stop Working by Dan Hagopian
I had an interesting conversation with a customer this morning and the customer’s scenario went like this: A customer with a 4G iPod states that his iPod overheats and his battery is completely drained when attached to his computer's USB’s port. In addition his backlight does not work unless... Considering the fact that a fully charged battery operates at an internal temperature of 113°F and then keeping a battery in the device and keeping it fully charged will create a constant state of elevated internal temperature and ultimately cause a decline in battery capacity over time.

What to Do (and NOT Do) if You Spill a Drink on Your Laptop by Justin Anderson
Spilling a drink on your laptop can be a very serious problem. But, depending on what you do, and how fast you react, you can potentially save a lot by minimizing the damage a spill can have on your laptop. What to do in the event of a spill: Turn off your laptop. ... After your laptop has been shut down, remove the battery pack. ... Usually holding the power button down for 10 seconds will be your fastest option to turning off your laptop Remove the battery. ... This will keep your laptop from accidentally being powered back up and removes any way that power can still be going to the...