• MNByChoiceOP
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        I know nothing, but I am surprised the voltage issue cannot be efficiently fixed with a circuit.

        • rufus@discuss.tchncs.de
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          edit-2
          11 months ago

          @ripe_banana@lemmy.world posted a link to such a product, it’s possible. The question is: is it viable…

          The chemicals in NiMH rechargeable batteries aren’t that rare/expensive and it works.

          Adding a circuit needs additional space in that small form-factor that takes away from the space the actual battery could occupy. And the circuit needs power itself. And the chips costs additional money, and it’s more complicated to manufacture which costs yet more money. I can only imagine you end up with a product that’s about on the same level with the regular batteries, just more expensive.

          And I’m not sure about the market for AA batteries. Nowadays lots of products have batteries soldered inside of them. And the next step in tech is probably not a backwards-compatible AA battery, but something like the 18650, which is already widely adopted. And they come in the size of AA batteries as well, called: 14500 Lithium Batteries.

    • hinterlufer@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      11 months ago

      There are, but to use them as a replacement for NiMH/Alkaline cells, they need voltage conversion and typically have a built in charging circuit so you can charge then via USB-C for example. Theyre expensive, have a similar capacity compared to NiMH and can’t be charged in a regular battery charger.

      On an other note, there are 1.5V lithium batteries (non-rechargable). They supposedly have a higher capacity and last longer.

      And then there are 14500 Li-Ion cells that are about the size of an AA cell but run at 3.6V.