This is basically just a rant from a person who is bad at remembering to charge things.
this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2024
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I'm also bad at this and I'm 100% behind rechargables. Now heckin way my ADHD ass is gonna remember where the AA batteries are at better than a USB-C cable I used every day
I disgree. I have plenty of items around the house that I might only need a few times per year where a standard alkaline or NiMH cell is ideal because I can pop one in when I need it. If the Li-on cell discharges when I don't use it for a period of time then it may not charge anymore and the device is now garbage.
Lithium ion cells do not have high self discharge rates nor do they suffer from the memory effect. I’ve left 18650s charged for years and they work fine, ditto for 14500 (AA sized lithium ion). Sure, they lose some charge, but there’s still plenty of capacity even after sitting for a long time. Can’t say I’ve ever been disappointed with the various flavors of lithium cells, but NiMH was pretty bad until Eneloops came around. Alkaline is still my go to for remotes.
You’re also not going to encounter many situations where alkaline (1.5v)/NiMH (1.3v) can be swapped with lithium ion (4.2v). Certain flashlights are the only things I’ve got where you can swap 1.5v and 4.2v and that’s because they’ve got the circuitry to handle that.
NiCd and NiMH batteries die when left in slow drain devices as the first cell to go empty starts to be reverse charged. These die and often leak pretty fast and you see that all the time if you repair old devices.
Li packs don't go empty as the battery protection circuit cuts the slow drain when they reach low water voltage. They are revived when the protection mode charge reaches low water mark again. They'll be fine unless you leave them for years and years. Even then they generally never leak.
That isn't really true though, any vampire currents or leaving it only partially charged can leave it in a state where it reaches the cutoff voltage when you aren't using it. Then self-discharge takes it under the limit of the charging circuit and the device never works again.
With a device that can run off AA or AAA cells, you can use NiMH (NiCd has zero place today) and remove the batteries when you are done and put them back in the pool of other cells you use. By the nature of Li-ion, as soon as that cell is made it has a limited lifetime until it no longer works just due to reactions that happen within the cell, which means any infrequently used item that might last for decades otherwise now has a lifetime of maybe 5-10 years.
I feel like the real problem isn't Lithium-Ion batteries, but specifically non-removable Li-ion batteries. With some devices, non-removable isn't as huge of a deal, but with other items such as headphones, mice, and gamepads, I'd rather have AA batteries than non-removable Li-ion. In the event that a battery dies while using the device, having to tether yourself sucks. Whereas taking 2 seconds to swap the battery is simple and quick.
Now, the best of both worlds is just a removable Li-Ion battery. That way you can charge overnight, and just swap to another battery when it unexpectedly dies. My headset does that and I love it. Similarly, I used to have that with my LG G4 and it was amazing. This combo yields the best convenience and is best for the environment as you don't need to recycle as many batteries or replace the whole product when the non-removable battery starts dying too quickly.
It's criminal that companies are allowed to release products with sealed Lithium-ion batteries. Like... even excluding the benefit of hot-swapping them for better uptime, extending the product's life with replacement, and limiting the proprietary shapes... old Lithium-ion batteries swell and explode. So why are we putting them into the core of our products with no way to see the health and remove them?
It'll soon be illegal in the EU. If I remember correctly, all handhelds need to have removable batteries.
It's like I cursed myself. THE DAY AFTER posting this I found out that the enclosed battery in my phone is swelling, and I have no method to remove it.
Did DURACELL marketing intern write this? Seems like a propaganda. It’s not like you can’t buy alternatives for each mentioned product with reputable batteries
naw. i like the rechargebles. im not goin back.
Lithium-ion batteries are being used in lots of modest gadgets in which they don’t belong, such as flashlights and TV remotes. There is a class of gadgets that you should never have to charge—ones that tend to be needed right away, at specific moments. A flashlight, for example, serves its most essential purpose during a blackout, when juicing up its battery would be impossible. Yet some flashlights are now designed with batteries that cannot simply be swapped out—as if having lithium-ion cells somehow made them better instead of worse.
The guys at !flashlight@lemmy.world really like flashlights with removable lithium-ion 18650 cells.
goes looking
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-discharge
That has 2–3% per month self-discharge rate for lithium-ion.
It has low-self-discharge NiMH batteries -- Eneloop is a popular example -- as having the lowest self-discharge rate of the rechargeable types, at 0.25% per month. That's higher than alkaline, but for a lot of things, that's fine (and alkaline does have self-discharge too).
Recently, I had to go into my attic to investigate a roof leak. It’s dark up there, so I pulled out a nifty headlamp that I’d purchased on a lark a while back, on the premise that sometimes you need a headlamp. That time had come! But then I realized that my headlamp needed to be charged, which meant digging up the right cable and AC adapter, and waiting hours until its battery was full. All that waiting turned out to be in vain, because the recharged light went out minutes into my task, just when I had reached the deepest darkness of my attic. Somehow, I got out again.
I have a headlamp that takes AA batteries, a battery charger, and a bunch of NiMH Eneloops. They don't have the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, but I can do what the author wants with it, charge and let them sit for a reasonably long period of time, and still have them pretty usable.
But I generally don't even bother these days, because I also have a cell phone always with me with a rechargeable lithium ion battery that gets charged every day and has a built-in flashlight, and is good enough for most small flashlight stuff. I have a couple of flashlights floating around (as well as one of those fancy 18650-lithium-ion ones with a firmware that the !flashlight@lemmy.world crowd likes), but I just don't use them any more, because the cell phone is good enough for most stuff, and it's always with me.
I knew this was Ian Bogost before I clicked the link.
The EU is making non-removeable batteries kindda illegal for new devices from 2027.
I know it's okay to throw away traditional alkaline battery cells in the trash or the ocean or whatever, but I always thought that doing so was improper, so I've just been collecting a bag of them thinking that I'll eventually figure out how to dispose of them properly. The article implies that it's proper to just throw them in the trash. Is that true?
Recycle your old batteries https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/recycling/yes-you-need-to-recycle-your-old-batteries-a5385943645/
Most batteries—regardless of type—contain toxic chemicals. Think cadmium, lead, lithium, or sulfuric acid. If your old batteries end up in a landfill, pollutants like these can leak out and contaminate groundwater, damage fragile ecosystems, and potentially make their way into the food chain.
Look for eco conscious companies in your area, even if they are just doing it for optics. The property management co I work in has a battery recycling bin in the main lobby, others keep them out of sight but are just a request away. I just did a ~~google~~ search of my area and there are so many listed. Search "Recycle batteries in [city]"
Edit: I don't use THAT search but it is so burnt into my mind I missed it there, sorry, lol
It's ok to use google as a verb. Using the word that way is how it becomes generic, which is something Google would really hate. Not that it's gonna happen anytime soon, but we can always try.
I'm keeping a mumber of my first generation Eneloops around. Around 10% of the ones I bought in the 2010s died, the others are still duing duty in my TV remote control etc.
The ones that died mostly died because of staying in a moving box for around 6 years or so after I divorced and forgot about them.
So I'm amazed how many of them just keep working.