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Hitachi Readies Fuel Cell for PDAs
Anuj Jain writes "The Register is reporting that Hitachi and Japanese cigarette lighter maker Tokai will ship a direct methanol fuel cell system for PDAs in 2005. The prototype has already been built. The two companies believe they can develop the prototype into a device the size of a AA battery. Hitachi first demonstrated its fuel cell system back in March. NEC is also known to be working on a similar system of its own, as is Toshiba. Unlike Hitachi, they are targeting the notebook computer market. In October, Toshiba showed off a PDA-sized version of its fuel system that can recharge a mobile phone. Another article here. Light on details, but cool photo in the Reg article!"
This is all the more reason for there to be a transparent case option for pda's. How cool would it be to see the board, plus a glow-in-the-dark mod'ed fuel cell? Sweet!
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If I am not mistaken, they currently give people much grief over taking a lighter aboard a plane. This would only aggrivate the situation.
I can just imagine a business traveler trying to argue his way into letting security let him take a 'recharge' of pure methanol onboard the plane.
Ethanol stores more chemical energy, is easier to make, easier to come by in a pinch (cheap vodka anyone?), and is much less toxic than methanol. Why the hell aren't they using ethanol?
sufficient fuel to power a handheld device for six to eight hours.
That's meaningless! Give me some hard data! What's the voltage, the peak and average current ratings, the amp-hours? Can it blink a handheld LED for 6 hours, or run a 400Mhz ARM core with a backlit color display for 6 hours? Is the power density higher than an LiIon battery of the same size? How much does it cost? Can it be refilled in place without turning off the device?
Seems to me that if this was actually signifigant progress, they'd be telling us all this.
I wonder how much methanol will be needed to keep modern laptops running? At 50 W power consumption, a laptop consumes about as much energy as half a person. With an energy content of 19.5 MJ/kg MeOH and assuming a 75% conversion efficiency, a laptop needs almost 100 gm of methanol for an 8 hour flight.
Something tells me that airlines and security people won't like the idea of people carrying 4 ounce cartridges of flammable pure methyl alcohol onboard flights. Even in a "secure" cartridge form factor, the liquid would seem to pose a hazard if a terrorist learns how to open the cartridge and set fire to the liquid.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
Duno if it's in the article, but so far Hitachi have manage to produce a prototype with 20% methanol concentration. The proto can run a PDA for about 6-8 hours. They are planning to increase the methanol concentration however, something which should increase the power. The problem now however is what to do with the waste product of the batery, namly water. Not to cool having a leaking PDA in your pocket ;)
Can someone who knows more about this than me enlighten us on whether these things are rechargeable?
I have a hard time seeing these things catch on if they are one time use.
-Pete
Soccer Goal Plans
Yes
The reason they don't want to use ethanol is precisely BECAUSE it is the same as alcohol.
If they use ethanol, they have to treat the refills just as they would have to treat vodka - they cannot sell it to anybody under-age, they have to have a liquor license to sell it, they got to prison if they violate the rules.
That is why you don't see pure ethanol at the gas pump, that is why you won't see ethanol fuel for fuel cells.
Now, the COULD try to design the fuel cell to run on ethanol, as well, and leave the fact as a "back door" sort of issue, but any fuel they sell will have to be denatured in some form. The easiest way is to use methanol.
www.eFax.com are spammers
We've been waiting for this since you first told us about it 6 years ago, folks. Hurry up and DO it already. It seems every time there is some article on this it's just to fuel some hype for a new round of investment or something. It's always been 'Next Year!!!" or something like that, but never "Look. Here is a cell phone running on a fuel cell. It cost us $100,000 to build this one, but we're ramping up for mass production and should be ready to start the robots up in 12 months." They always have some vague concept artwork and a giagantic prototype and this 'please give us money' verbiage.
As for the airplane problem, first, I don't think there will be any regulation or rules on this until it actually becomes a problem. I mean, they still let you carry a cigarette lighter and a bottle of booze onto a plane and that is no worse. The first second someone sets fire to the inside of a cabin, though, how long do you think before no liquor or fire-making devices are allowed as carry on's?
Now, follow this idea here -- If fuel cells actually exist and are cheap and great AND they have been around long enough and are ubiquitous enough that the airlines have a problem with them it would be highly likely that EVERYONE is walking around with one or more of these things in all manner of electronic gadget they posess. It's also likely that the gadgets have grown increasingly more demanding power wise after the dependence on batteries is freed. Thus, using batteries is really kind of a non option. In order to keep business, airlines would have to do something such as provide reliable and universal alternative power supplies on the airliners or lose business. It's not a problem I'm worrying about. I don't see why people feel the need to keep bringing it up. It's not like we'll even be flying around in planes anymore once these things come to market in about 200 years.
Think these devices will be allowed on Airplanes?
Yes.
The fuel is non-flamable. It's 80% water.
it doesn't change the fact that conventional batteries will probably still be safer.
You are wrong. These are safer in every way. The real question is wether they hold enough power to be better than what we already use.
"...last 6 to 8 hours...".
:-)].
Then what? Do I buy more cells? Can I plug them into the wall and recharge them?
At least with my AA's and my Laptop I can just charge them when they die. I've used my AA's [GP1600s] since May 2001 quite a bit and they're still going strong [I'd say they count as environmentally friendly considering if you estimate I would have gone through 4AAs a week for two years that's 416AA batteries or roughly 27lbs of waste].
Anyways make a "fuel cell" I can top off with tap water or by plugging into my wall and then maybe I'll consider it [a 1.5v/3Ah AA battery would be nice
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
They also have cutlery on planes that can be used as a weapon but you can't bring your own stuff on board.
Also, even if a security guard understands your reasoning, I doubt that you can still get on with "chemicals".
The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
I'd rather have a battery that never dies. Get me a radioisotope with a half-life of 20 years or less, and use a few grams to propel a tiny Stirling engine driving a 3/4" DC generator. That should be good for at least a few watts of power per stack. One stack could power your cell phone no problem. A larger stack (or perhaps parallel stack) could generate enough power to at least recharge your laptop when not in use. Perhaps even provide constant power.
Screw fuel cells. I want atomic!
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
...Why won't they make this with ethanol.
Don't you think it would be cool to take a sip from your PDA on cold days?
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See here.
Damn straight. People have been lied to six ways to Sunday by the eco-terrorists who think nuclear energy is somehow going to magically kill us all. The truth is that:
1. Nuclear energy is *cleaner* than fossil fuels and battery chemicals.
2. "Nuclear waste" is a misnomer as that stuff can be reused in devices such as RTGs, SRGs, medical applications, and industrial equipment! The stuff that can't be reused can be reprocessed pretty easily. Currently, the government has shut down nuclear reprocessing for fear of "terrorists" getting ahold of nuclear materials.
3. Most nuclear materials are either not useful to terrorists, or can be found fairly easily. There are only a few materials that are good for Fission. These materials are carefully guarded by controlled by the nuclear capable governments. Most of the resulting byproducts of fission cannot be used for fission. Some can be used for "dirty bombs", but so can a lot of more common materials (such as naturally occurring Uranium). "Dirty Bombs" can also be cleaned up, and much of the radiation would be absorbed or blocked by buildings and concrete.
4. Some forms of radiation (e.g. alpha and beta) are not even a serious threat! Alpha radiation is incapable of penetrating the skin. Beta radiation can only do so in large quantities, and then it's akin to getting a strong electric shock. (i.e. Lots of burns and such.)
The truth of the matter is, the more power a material puts out, the more dangerous it is. Lithium Ion batteries, NIMH, NiCad, etc. all contain extremely poisonous materials. Circuit boards often have strong carcinogens. Lubricants, radiator fluids, cleaning supplies, etc. are all dangerous too. You can't say that a few grams (or even pounds) of a radioisotope sealed inside a shield (that isn't even all that dangerous unshielded) is going to cause more damage than all the chemicals we use today. Poppycock, I say!
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
And what happens if you drink radiator fluid? Or battery acid? Or take a bite out our of an electronic device?
YES, people do stupid things. That's called pollution. Haven't you heard all the commercials about properly disposing of your chemicals and batteries?
Besides, the amount of radioisotope scales with the application. A cell phone would need barely a few grams. A laptop might need a hundred grams. Seal these in the proper container (e.g. Lead), and you'll have an efficient heater. The heater powers the engine, which powers the device. And if you use an isotope like Strontium-90, the few idiots who do grind up the lead container wouldn't add much more radioisotope pollution to our groundwater than already exists from the cold war. (Look up the EPA documents if you don't believe me.)
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade