Replacing batteries

[Cactus Chef]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Wow that's great. I wish it were the law here in the USA. I hate that my Samsung 10E isn't battery replaceable. All of my other Samsung phones I buy a new battery for it probably once a year or two.

That's my current driver, too. I think it may have gotten its last Security Update recently, so I should really start looking for a new one. But that was the last flagship to include a headphone jack and an SD slot, so it's going to be very painful to give up.

[ab78727]

I am happy to hear this news and really think of glued-in custom batteries as pretty evil and a big source of e-waste. I still have my Sony Librie, which uses AAA replaceable batteries, and it still works; I also recently got a HP 95LX, which came out in 1991 and uses 2 AA batteries, and it still works fine. By comparison, I've lost plenty of 'smart' phones because replacing the battery was not viable due to cost or availability. The times I've managed to replace a glued-in battery, mostly recently in a 2015 Macbook, I've hated every minute of the considerable time it took to do the job. Thank you, EU.

[gmw]

It's going to be interesting to see what manufacturers end up doing about waterproofing. Will they discard the claims and hope not too many people read in the bath, or will they try to find a solution? Does anyone know of devices out there already have a solution to user-replaceable batteries and waterproofing?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by gmw

It's going to be interesting to see what manufacturers end up doing about waterproofing. Will they discard the claims and hope not too many people read in the bath, or will they try to find a solution? Does anyone know of devices out there already have a solution to user-replaceable batteries and waterproofing?

All they need to do is change the way the battery is accessed. Current designs are mostly made for fast assembly in a factory.
A self sealing 'cartridge' would be simpler than 'cracking' (Pry or heat soften) the back, then fiddling with mounts and connections.
A simple solution would be similar to the old Nextel (brick) PTT phones. The battery snapped onto the back. the sealed contacts came thru the case and battery. The contact need only resist corrosion (as well as handle electricity).
OK, that solution made the phone less thin.

Something has to give. Physics says storage needs room (A battery sores energy).
Safety needs for higher density cells require more protection than those old 'D' cells we used in Boom Boxes.
So, the solution needs a way to make the Battery compartment water resistant FOR THE LIFE OF THE DEVICE and the pack swap, user friendly.
O-ring seals are too easily damaged or displaced, especially on non round objects like cover doors

[Quoth]

Have the O-ring part of the battery pack, and it quite easily does the radius of phone corner curves.
It can use two screws or clip and be entire size of back thus skinny. Many phones are too skinny.
The skinny obsession is crazy. Now Ethernet being dropped from laptops to make them skinnier. Though Lenovo's skinny laptop still opens, has screw mounted battery, can take HDD as well as SSD (on sockets) and has RAM socket as well as soldered RAM. Too thin for Ethernet, so needs a USB 3.0 dongle. Still, far better repair or upgrade than Mac with soldered SSD (they wear out), soldered RAM and glued batteries.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by gmw

Does anyone know of devices out there already have a solution to user-replaceable batteries and waterproofing?

Garmin handheld GPS from the 90's and early 2000's. Not a great form factor for readers and current phones.

[Renate]

Originally Posted by Quoth

The largest ever 1.5V Zinc cell was the #8 or Flag used for car ignition

Mmm, is your math correct? I used to own a #6 cell.
I don't know what the peak current was but I could make small copper wire glow red.
I used it as a line hot spot upon which to rotate wine bottles, then shock into cold water to break off a life-endangering tumbler/vase. (Emery cloth made it slightly less dangerous).

I approve the battery legislation but there is a battle between, "I want my cell phone to survive the Mariana Trench, but also to be able to replace the battery while riding the subway".

Also, fat chance being able to find a battery.
I'm still looking for a CLP255875.
Well, I found one from some squirrely place in China with long delivery.
The flex is way too long, but you could accordion fold it.
Note: The cells themselves are identified by dimension, but then comes the problem of connector.
An XYZ255875 is 2.5 x 58 x 75 mm.

[Quoth]

I mistyped. UK Flag = USA #6.
Need new glasses.
My source:
http://www.blaukatz.com/tables/basic-round-cells/

There was a much smaller cell with thread on the case designed to heat a wire hot enough to light the gas stove/fire/lamp
U14 109.5mm tall 51.2 dia, threaded top



An old #6 Flag
Two of these would run your ereader for a long time

[Quoth]

Oh, and my PMR446 cheap supermarket two way radios have 3 x AAA cells. Door unclips and the neoprene sealing band has sharper corners than a phone.
It also has a seal on the 3.5mm jack socket.

The current situation is simply to have built in failure to get you to buy a new one. Not cost as often it's the most expensive models that can be repaired etc.

[Renate]

When my #6 battery died I took it apart.
The central electrode is about a 1" diameter carbon rod.
The outside can is zinc.

[Quoth]

All carbon-zinc round cells since the 1890s are like that.

[Renate]

Originally Posted by Quoth

All carbon-zinc round cells since the 1890s are like that.

Well, yeah, but only the #6 has a big honking one.

[Quoth]

A wand!
I made an arc lamp from the carbon rods of two D cells. I was about 11, so didn't realise the dangers (flying bits of burning carbon, or eye damage from brightness or the UV content).

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Quoth

A wand!
I made an arc lamp from the carbon rods of two D cells. I was about 11, so didn't realise the dangers (flying bits of burning carbon, or eye damage from brightness or the UV content).

When I was about that age, I also made an arc lamp. My father severely lectured me on safety, sloppy construction and general idiocy. There were are times when I look back and wonder how I made it into and through my teens without severe injury.

[Renate]

Originally Posted by DNSB

When I was about that age, I also made an arc lamp.

Surprisingly enough, I never did.
Although I did have a lot of fun with the 30 kV out of old color TVs.