obsolescence, batteries

  In reply to one of my earlier posts, SDF colleague _(is that a good
  description for somebody on the same system?)_ solderpunk recently
  wrote about [1]battery standards and [2]gadget obsolescence. I share
  those views.

  But what about the advances in power density of consumer batteries,
  what did we gain with the Li-type batteries?

  I have made a quick survey of rechargeable batteries at home: Li-ion in
  various phones (smart and feature), and NiMH AA and AAA batteries. (I
  cannot say what's in my Android tablets, because those are not easily
  removed from the device). I have weighted them and calculated the
  energy density based on what's written on them -- of course this may be
  under optimum conditions, but assuming all manufactures exaggerate more
  or less the same way, it should still be somewhat comparable:
    * Li-ion: 0.2, 0.2, 0.05 Wh/g (the last a very small and older item)
    * NiMH: 0.06, 0.1, 0.1 Wh/g

  So we could say we gained about a factor of two in weight for the same
  energy density -- but does it really matter a lot, whether you carry 25
  or 50 g of batteries for a total of let's say 200 g (typical
  smartphone)?

  But we lost on
    * safety: never heard about burnt NiMH batteries, but there are
      entire chapters about transport safety measures for Li batteries in
      IATA documents
    * availability/replacement: just keep some alkaline AA and AAA, and
      you can replace your rechargeable ones in an emergency
    * environmental protection, as solderpunk nicely pointed out: the
      more different batteries you need, the more waste you generate

  And did I already mention obsolescence..?

  .:.

References

  1. gopher://sdf.org/0/users/solderpunk/phlog/more-battery-thoughts.txt
  2. gopher://sdf.org/0/users/solderpunk/phlog/lithium-blues.txt

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