Slashdot Mirror


Build Your Own iPod Battery

OmniVector writes "With various complaints about the iPod battery's life, and its mere 10-8 hours of charge many of us are left looking for a way to keep the tunes kicking a little longer. Drew Perry has come up with a novel solution which can only run you a few bucks for an extra 10 hours of battery life out of a box of playing cards and a everyday batteries. Not bad for that long car trip where you just don't have a firewire charger handy."

318 comments

  1. Sorry, that looks awful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why would I cary around such an ugly thing? I'd rather just buy a 2nd iPod.

  2. good luck... by tsunamifirestorm · · Score: 5, Funny

    explaining your stack of batteries when it shows up on the x-ray at an airport. ;)

    1. Re:good luck... by torpor · · Score: 5, Informative

      batteries are a known quantum in the world of travel security. scanners are designed to know what they are and how they're used.

      contrary to popular belief, batteries do not look like explosive devices.

      this diy-playing-card-battery-charger might raise a few eyebrows for its 'concealment' factor, but then, you don't have to use a playing-card box. you could just as easily use something else that actually looks like a plastic case designed for carrying batteries.

      this is a clever hack, anyway. the schematics are where the value is - whats the bet it won't be long before you can get these plastic cases in the akihabra back-streets, selling as 'cheap firewire-device rechargers' or whatever ...

      --
      ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
    2. Re:good luck... by gantrep · · Score: 1

      Umm, just take it out and show them. It's made of two nine volts and two double A's. I don't think it would be too hard to explain.

    3. Re:good luck... by baryon351 · · Score: 4, Funny

      contrary to popular belief, batteries do not look like explosive devices.

      Excellent! I'll make an explosive device that looks like a battery then.

      Foolproof!

    4. Re:good luck... by liloconf · · Score: 1, Funny

      My wife had the same problem about a week... oh you said ipod.

    5. Re:good luck... by mabinogi · · Score: 4, Funny

      yes..but the most common component in homemade explosives is.......explosive material.
      which there wont be any of...
      so there wont be a problem.

      --
      Advanced users are users too!
    6. Re:good luck... by WIAKywbfatw · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Contrary to popular belief, airport security personnel aren't exactly smart.

      Two recent examples for you:

      1. A passenger from Germany who was stopped and detained for having wires protruding from her jacket. It was nothing more than an ordinary electric jacket as used by bikers for the last twenty-odd years but that didn't stop the security guys from treating the passenger like a terrorist.

      An example of them getting it wrong by going overboard.

      2. A Sudanese man who was stopped at Heathrow with five live bullets in his coat. The man had just travelled from Washington DC, and the fact that someone was carrying live ammunition onto an aircraft was totally missed by the security in DC. So, security at Washington is so tight that you can get munitions onto a transatlantic aircraft without being spotted.

      An example of them getting it wrong by making basic mistakes.

      Remember, these are the people who insist on everything going through an x-ray machine, even materials that are highly sensitive to rays and easily damaged, because they know best and because the machines are "harmless".

      --

      "Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
    7. Re:good luck... by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 4, Interesting
      explaining your stack of batteries when it shows up on the x-ray at an airport. ;)
      They seem to be able to tell batteries and bombs apart on the X-ray (at least I hope so). I had no trouble with security when I took a dive-light through... basically a flashlight encased in a big, heavy, watertight aluminum casing... the thing looks exactly like a pipe bomb. They asked me to open it up and show the innards, which I couldn't, since it's all sealed tight. They asked me to turn it on, and again I couln't comply: you're supposed to remove the bulb from these things when moving them.

      Then they just waved me through.
      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    8. Re:good luck... by easter1916 · · Score: 3, Funny

      An explosive device that looks like a battery? Brilliant! BRILLIANT!

    9. Re:good luck... by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Funny
      I'll make an explosive device that looks like a battery then.

      Do you work for Nokia, by any chance?

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    10. Re:good luck... by torpor · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Anecdotal evidence at best. Answer me this question smartie:

      How many thousands and millions of times did Airport Security Personnel accurately spot and identify a battery/electronic posession of a passenger and determine that it was in fact safe?

      Just because you've 'heard of this in the news' doesn't mean that your analytical powers are sufficient to accurately determine reality in a scenario you've had no direct experience with. You're not looking at the entire scene here: count the success as well as the failure and then compare.

      Personally, I've known quite a few very intelligent security people, and had no problems with them whatsoever.

      Your two anecdotes prove your argument, though. Sharp...

      Remember, these are the people who insist on everything going through an x-ray machine, even materials that are highly sensitive to rays and easily damaged, because they know best and because the machines are "harmless".

      "I'll ignore the fact that most 'x-ray machines' installed at major airports are in fact far more than 'x-ray devices' and do more than just 'x-ray' things, and imply that because those passengers (such as myself) are so smart, they're bringing super-sensitive materials with them through the airport security screeners, who are all sooooo stoooopid ..."

      --
      ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
    11. Re:good luck... by zhenlin · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Exploding phones? Or exploding batteries?

      I've heard of self-destructing circuitry too.

    12. Re:good luck... by Wuffle · · Score: 5, Interesting

      On a flight from LA to San Francisco I recently took all i was taking was my rucksack as hand luggage, in it was my digital camera, a 12-pack of Duracell batteries with only eight still in the packet, four being in my camera, and my iPod and a few other bits and bobs.

      My bag got flagged by the security staff and so first I was ordered to sit down in some waiting area type place while they swabbed my bag (I presume for trace explosives or something) and put it through the scanner again.

      I was then given a pat-down body search, my shoes had to be taken off, put through the scanner and then swabbed, my bag was then taken away by one of the staff and I was told to wait while they tested that the batteries were actually batteries or something. I wasn't told, just ordered to sit and wait.

      So after 30mins of my time wasted they decided to let me go on my merry way. What really got on my nerves is that there were no 'please' or 'thankyous' uttered by any of them, I felt as if I had done something wrong or was being treated badly just for having batteries in my bag.

    13. Re:good luck... by torpor · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Anecdotal? Are you fucking kidding me?

      Yes, anecdotal. No, I'm not fucking kidding you. You're being an idiot for making such blanket assessments about the security industry on the basis of "what you've heard in the news". Look it up. (Hint: Based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis)

      Your assessment that security people are stupid is based on anecdotal evidence - i.e. NON-SCIENTIFIC

      Were it non-anecdotal, you would include, along with your 'counter-view', the observation that, in fact, countless thousands and thousands of 'potential battery-bomb incidents' actually get correctly assessed as being non-threatening.

      You would include the hundreds and thousands of times when cameras and film are actually put through the machine, and do actually survive. It might surprise you, but technology has changed. There are safe scanning machines on the market, and in active use, pretty much everywhere.

      Your system of logic is flawed, and derived from a society driven by controversy and conflict, tabloid-idealized notions. That is not the way life actually is...

      And in fact, yes, I do happen to know quite a few travelling photographers, many of them businessmen (as I am myself), and I have also filled 4 passports in my life, in my travels. So yes, in fact, I do have a lot of experience in this matter and I do know what I'm talking about.

      Your ideal is flawed.

      --
      ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
    14. Re:good luck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Excellent! I'll wait for integrated cold fusion battery for iPod. Then I'll be arrested for some form of an atomic weapons violation.

      BTW, did you know that sending zalmiak candies from the EU to the US is quite difficult? Zalmiak is ammonium chloride so it's made of ammonia and chlorine which are hazardous chemicals. I know a Finnish girl who tried to send zalmiak to her friend in the US. The clerk at local post office said that sending zalmiak to the US is not possible without a specific licence. Nice! One more terrorist girl stopped again!

      Some (non-rechargeable) batteries also contain ammonium chloride so maybe it is equally difficult to send batteries to the US. Or maybe Apple iPod loaded with these batteries is a diabolic doom device! MWAHAHAHAHAA!

    15. Re:good luck... by jockm · · Score: 1
      batteries are a known quantum in the world of travel security. scanners are designed to know what they are and how they're used.


      contrary to popular belief, batteries do not look like explosive devices.


      No but the CostCo tube of AAA is was carrying did look enough like a clip that my luggage had to be opened and searched when I was travening back from the Philippines...
      --

      What do you know I wrote a novel
    16. Re:good luck... by DoorFrame · · Score: 1

      Yegads? Would you have them say "Ok, Maam, you have wires protruding from your weird jacket, please pass on through this security checkpoint without further questioning?"

      No, of course they should treat her like she's got a bomb in her coat. If you're travelling on an airplane you've got to know that they're going to be looking for bombs, and for you to wear something that looks kind of like a bomb is going to get you pulled out of line and questioned. It's foolish of you not to expect it to happen and it's dangerous of you to call for it NOT to happen. I expect everyone getting on a plane with me with weird wires protruding from their clothing to be very thouroughly examed before they get on board. Anything else is dangerous.

    17. Re:good luck... by WIAKywbfatw · · Score: 2, Insightful

      There's a difference between asking someone a few questions, scanning their coat, checking their other clothing and carry-on luggage and that of any travelling companions and automatically treating someone like they've committed a crime and giving them the "bright lights in their eyes" treatment for daring to wear a common piece of clothing.

      On the other hand, there's the total incompetence of allowing a passenger to travel with live ammo.

      I'd rather live in a world where fuck-ups were of the first kind than of the latter kind but they're both pretty good examples that security at airports isn't perfect. What good is the vigilance that flags up so many false positives if the actual positives are totally missed?

      And on top of that, some of the security systems are inherently flawed. Someone recently tried entering Osama bin Laden's name on the US fly/no-fly list only to find that the US's number one target was cleared to travel. Now we all know that bin Laden isn't going to be flying into the US on a commercial flight using his own name any time soon but it's just another indicator that the systems that the US has put in place to prevent potential hijackers from boarding aircraft isn't totally up to the job.

      --

      "Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
    18. Re:good luck... by ericspinder · · Score: 4, Informative
      I had a simuliar problem with 4 AA batteries, loose at the bottom, of my laptop case. They all lined up neatly in a side pocket. This got me flagged, they even showed me what it looks like. They were really professional about it and it only "cost" me 5 minutes and the two-inch mini screwdriver I also had in the bag (which was not flagged by the x-ray machine operator).

      I would suggest that anyone carrying extra batteries for a personal device, put them into the change cup.

      I've said it before, and I'll say it again...
      What highjacked those planes was not box cutters, but fear, weak doors and historial compliance to anyone. The Heroes of Flight 93 showed what really happens in the "new reality".

      --
      The grass is only greener, if you don't take care of your own lawn.
    19. Re:good luck... by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 1

      batteries are a known quantum in the world of travel security. scanners are designed to know what they are and how they're used.

      contrary to popular belief, batteries do not look like explosive devices.


      I sure hell hope not. If batteries were taken for granted like that, I imagine that someone will get the bright idea to hulk out AA batteries to put bullets into them and reseal them.

      One thing is while people may be familiar with AA, AAA and such type batteries, a Lithium square flat pack that doesn't look like a 9V will raise questions. Heck, airport security is pretty dumb anyway, so they wouldn't know what a lithium battery is.

    20. Re:good luck... by armando_wall · · Score: 1

      Better having those guys there, rude and all, than having a real terrorist making his way into the plane and putting and end to your life.

    21. Re:good luck... by waterford0069 · · Score: 1
      Then they just waved me through.

      You are lucky they did (and I guess we're unlucky they did). I know of an instructor/tech diver who was at an equipment show (DEMA), and bought a canister light cheep at the show. While going through, it showed up on their scanner. Lots of wires, big lead-acid batteries (showing up as big black regions), all packed in a cylinder. I should hope that they would be asking questions.

      He was pulled out of the line (and I presume to another room) and told that he had "one chance" to explain the contents of his carry-on. AFAIK, he gave the appropriate explanations, and I think he also had to open it up and demonstrate it etc.

      Lessons for the future. If you are carrying something innocent that could be misconstrued as something that is not
      1) Go early so you have plenty of time to get through the hastles.
      2) Be prepared to give a thourough and accurate explanation of what it is (and demonstrate it... being the lightbulb next time).
      3) Contact the air-line. They probably have specific proceedures for transporting "odd" devices.

    22. Re:good luck... by anonicon · · Score: 1

      It seems to me that the only thing they did wrong was to not say "thank you" or "sorry for the inconvenience." I'm not trolling here, but everything else they did, there is a good reason for it.

      Did it really take them 30 minutes? That's pretty bad. In Cincinnati, I got flagged for a pat-down and re-screen and the entire thing from "step over here" after the metal detector to departing for my gate took about 5-8 minutes. That included a field-check of my Neuros MP3 player to see if it was really an audio player.

      Oh well, at least it wasn't Greyhound.

    23. Re:good luck... by iocat · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Wow, on a flight recently from LA to SFO the same thing happened to me! Oh, and on a flight from San Diego to OAK. Oh, and a flight from SEA to OAK. And SFO to DTW! Man, it was like I WAS BEING RANDOMLY SELECTED FOR THE INCREASED SECURITY SCREENING! This happens to hundreds of people every day, sometimes randomly, sometimes psuedo-randomly (like if you have a one way ticket, or swarthy skin and a beard, like me). This wasn't some dumb screener being afraid of your batteries, it was total standard procedure. Unless there was a backup at the airport it typically adds like maybe five minutes, tops, to the security screening.

      In my experience, the TSA people have always been unfailingly polite, but I suspect that's because I start out by being polite to them, for two reasons. First, why not be polite to everyone? Second, Why be rude to someone who is capable of making your life miserable and leaving you with no recourse?

      --

      Dude, I think I can see my house from here.

    24. Re:good luck... by Drew+Frezell · · Score: 2, Informative

      Did you know that salt is made out of sodium chloride so it's made of sodium and chlorine which are hazardous chemicals. I don't think it should matter since the process of separating the two chemicals would prove very difficult. Drew

    25. Re:good luck... by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    26. Re:good luck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do you think you were owed a 'please' or 'thankyou' ? They were just doing their job.

      And you wonder why you are still working the drive-through.

    27. Re:good luck... by thedillybar · · Score: 1
      I've gotten all this done to me on a domestic flight where the only thing in my carry-on was clothes. No batteries, no electronics, no metal.

      What's your point?

    28. Re:good luck... by thedillybar · · Score: 1
      If batteries were taken for granted like that, I imagine that someone will get the bright idea to hulk out AA batteries to put bullets into them and reseal them.

      And once you load them full of bullets, the scanner won't recognize them as batteries anymore.

    29. Re:good luck... by lrucker · · Score: 1

      I got pulled over for a random check in Dec 2001, when the iPods were still new and the problem with the battery discharging even when not in use was not well known. In fact I'd just discovered the problem for myself when I turned it on to kill time and nothing happened (showed up 2 hours early, as instructed, but there was no delay at the first security check). Luckily for my iPod, the screener didn't ask me to turn it on.

    30. Re:good luck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They got you for a screwdriver? REdiclious.

    31. Re:good luck... by Moofie · · Score: 1

      No sir.

      My safety is not worth my liberty. I'll take my chances with the terrorists. They're not going to hijack any plane I'm on until I'm good and dead anyway.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    32. Re:good luck... by azuretek · · Score: 3, Informative

      I recently took a flight and I had 4 laptops, 5 batteries, 1 camera, gameboy, gameboy games, and tons of other elctronic gizmos on my carry ons. I put them all through the xray machine and they didn't even ask me about them. Funny thing though, I had all the batteries stacked up inside a zipper on one of the carry ons and they didn't even ask about it. In fact they didn't even bother me or ask about why I had all these things on me, for all they know I could have stole them from people in the airport. The only thing that kind of annoyed me was they made everyone getting in take off their shoes.

      Anyway, alot of people have trouble through the airport and personally I haven't seen any of it. Only thing is I wish my family could have come to the terminal to wait with me until I left. But I guess that's just how the security goes.

    33. Re:good luck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck. Most drive throughs would get rid of him if he didn't say thank you.

    34. Re:good luck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes.

    35. Re:good luck... by cellocgw · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Better having those guys there, rude and all, than having a real terrorist making his way into the plane and putting and end to your life.
      That's a standard example of FUD, as well as a standard example of a nonsequitur. There are some analyses which point out that, prior to any airport security, there were a number of hijackings to Cuba. Nobody was hurt. Then, as security got tighter and tighter, the number of hijackings went down but the death tolls went way up.
      The "Better X than Y" just doesn't fly here, any more than "Better the (anti-)Patriot Act than more OK City bombings" routine being foisted on us by the clowns in DC.

      --
      https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
    36. Re:good luck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'm an X-ray tech. Batteries and bombs look completely different.

      Bomb material is generally much less dense than battery contents, for example. Plastic explosives have signature densities, and are displayed using a red tone on the monitor. It's funny, because meat has a desnity very close to that of plastic explosive, so it's highlighted red as well.

      Batteries, made of lead are displayed black. They block x-rays very well--there's no mistaking batteries for any explosive material; unless they packed some of the batteries with PE, and lead-lined them. In which case you couldn't tell the difference, except that the PE batteries would have extra wires going to them.

      If you want to make a tech nervous, get a steak (no bone), a couple batteries, a PCB with random components on it, and run a couple leads over to the steak, and use 14-ga amphenol pins as probes into the steak. that'll get you a strip search, with the possibility of a free prostate exam.

    37. Re:good luck... by MoneyT · · Score: 1

      You know, if you're really worried about your equipment going through the scanner, at a lot of airports, you can request a manual examination of the equipment. The prerequisit to that of course being that you will allow them to handle the equipment.

      --
      T Money
      World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
    38. Re:good luck... by miguel_at_menino.com · · Score: 2, Insightful


      Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Anytown America airport. Security today was brought to you by the lowest bidder.

    39. Re:good luck... by shepd · · Score: 1

      I'd have agreed with you, since I once got away (accidentally) with a "concealed" swiss army knife in my hand luggage.

      But then I was stopped the next time through security... what for?

      Because I had a power transformer, to convert from 110 volts to 220 volts (couldn't put it in the regular luggage, it was quite heavy and would easily have put my regular luggage over the limit).

      They examined it for about 2 minutes, and finally decided it was "safe", and let me pass. But the mere fact that a power transformer scared them made me realise: Airport security are *NOT* electronics technicians by any means of the word.

      --
      If you could be told what you can see or read, then it follows that you could be told what to say or think - BoC
    40. Re:good luck... by shepd · · Score: 4, Funny

      >Zalmiak is ammonium chloride so it's made of ammonia and chlorine which are hazardous chemicals.

      Dear Lord! We use that stuff to tin our soldering irons in North America. You guys *eat* that stuff?

      And people wonder why we call you guys strange... :-)

      --
      If you could be told what you can see or read, then it follows that you could be told what to say or think - BoC
    41. Re:good luck... by torpor · · Score: 1

      they're not looking for electronics. they're looking for things that are packaged in a way to explode.

      a power transformer, being designed not to explode, oddly enough models things which are designed to explode in structure and design.

      you know, the only reason people think 'security people are idiots' is because they (security people) are a) suscpicious of you, and b) inconvenient at a time you think you're supposed to be being 'serviced'.

      --
      ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
    42. Re:good luck... by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "contrary to popular belief, batteries do not look like explosive devices."

      Just before flying down to Brazil back in 2002, I bought an 8-pack of AA and another of AAA batteries. I was politely informed that I wasn't in any trouble, but that is the type of thing they watch out for. I'm pretty sure what happened was the guy at the gate knew I had enough electronic gizmos in my bag to need the batteries. But he had to do battle with policy.

      Maybe things changed. Maybe that was an unusual airport. I don't know. Just thought it was kind of interesting given this topic.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    43. Re:good luck... by ManxStef · · Score: 1
      Remember, these are the people who insist on everything going through an x-ray machine, even materials that are highly sensitive to rays and easily damaged, because they know best and because the machines are "harmless".

      Worth pointing out that I've had mostly positive experiences when transporting photographic film through airports. My advice would be to take the films out of the cardboard packaging (keeping the cartridges and sheet film in their respective plastic containers), then put all these in a clear plastic bag. Take it out of your hand luggage when approaching the inspectors & x-ray machine, then politely ask for the film to be "hand inspected" - most will be happy to oblige and will use a wand-type device around the film cartridges (I think this reacts with chemicals relating to explosives).

      The only negative responses I've had were in small airports (such as coming back home) or with particularly lazy guards - there were several instances in the UK where you'd ask, the guy'd say "no, cause they don't damage films" and you'd come back with "well as a professional photographer who's read all the evidence plus the recommendations of the Royal Photographic Society, BJP, etc. I'd respectfully disagree..." but they'd just flat out refuse, put your films through and on collecting them at the other side you'd see the film wands and trays propped behind the machine - just too bloody lazy, grrr.

      As for the evidence, well it's not entirely clear cut, but for anything serious I'd recommend caution. It depends entirely on the operator and what scanning strength they use - if for instance you use one of those "film protector" cases they'll usually just dial-up the gain until the "see through it" so as such I'd advise against the use of these, but it just indicates that it's down to luck as much as anything if you do put it through. I'd also strongly recommend hand inspection of film with speeds of over ISO 800 as the evidence is a lot more distinct for sensitive high-speed films (these fog much more easily). Also esp. worth it when you'll be travelling on multiple flights (and therefore experience serveral scans) as the fogging effect is cumulative.

    44. Re:good luck... by trb · · Score: 2, Funny
      I recently took a flight and I had 4 laptops, 5 batteries, 1 camera, gameboy, gameboy games, and tons of other elctronic gizmos on my carry ons.

      bwah bwah bwah imagine a beowulf cluster bwah bwah...

    45. Re:good luck... by unixbum · · Score: 2, Funny

      Oh my.. The whole world is eating sodium chloride (NaCl or table salt), its made of sodium which reacts violently with water and explodes and chlorine which is a deadly gas... WE MUST STOP EATING SALT!!!!! ... go back to 8th grade physics when two elements combine the resulting compound may have completly differnt properities

    46. Re:good luck... by shamino0 · · Score: 3, Interesting
      You know, if you're really worried about your equipment going through the scanner, at a lot of airports, you can request a manual examination of the equipment.

      Have you actually tried to request this?

      Last year, I tried requesting a hand inspection of a box of floppy disks, because I was afraid of possible X-ray damage (they were about 20 year-old 5.25" disks with programs that it would be hard to replace these days.) The security person said "sorry, we can't do that. Put it through the machine or you can't take it on the plane."

      I decided to not start a fight over this, since I don't relish the idea of being arrested 3000 miles from home. I consider myself lucky that the disks didn't get damaged.

    47. Re:good luck... by shepd · · Score: 1

      One more thing I've just learned:

      The :-) symbol means "I'm dead serious" in europe.

      I will try to be more careful with it's application. :-(

      --
      If you could be told what you can see or read, then it follows that you could be told what to say or think - BoC
    48. Re:good luck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      this is a clever hack, anyway. the schematics are where the value is

      Come on dude, we used to make these kind of schematics in electro 101.

      It's not a very good idea anyways to mix varies kinds of batteries. One has greater capacity than the other this guy is asking for trouble.

    49. Re:good luck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I had a bag I had used at school. I grabbed it and tossed some books in it to read on the plane, etc. I forgot that it had a stapler and a pair of pliers in it.

      They confiscated my pliers, but not the stapler. Odd. I would've expected the stapler to make a more effective weapon, though I just surrendered the pliers because it would have been more trouble to mail them to myself or something to take care of them.

      I still have no idea what the problem was, but I thought it easier not to question it.

    50. Re:good luck... by fiftyfly · · Score: 4, Informative
      I would suggest that anyone carrying extra batteries for a personal device, put them into the change cup.

      When I fly I carry all kinds of change, several AA's, tokens, pens & what not. To get around having to haul all this stuff out for inspection all the time (esp for connecting flights) I usually carry a ziplock bag or two and stuff anything that might remotely go into the change box. One item, no fussing & my pockets are lighter.

      --
      "Sanity is not statistical", George Orwell, "1984"
    51. Re:good luck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Anecdotal? Are you fucking kidding me? These are actual examples of how security personnel at airports screw up.

      I don't think you know what anecdotal means.

    52. Re:good luck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Better having those guys there, rude and all, than having a real terrorist making his way into the plane and putting and end to your life.


      Bwhahahahahaha! 1 down, 249,999,999 to go!
    53. Re:good luck... by pinkfalcon · · Score: 1
      just yesterday I was stopped for less than 5 minutes because my change purse and my GPS gave an 'unusual x-ray' signature.

      Bear in mind this was right after the airport (Rapid City) had been closed for 24 hours during a blizzard and the security guards were probably very bored (there was no-one else in line at all)

      --
      Real SUV's don't have cupholders
      It's 5:42 A.M., do you know where your stack pointer is?
    54. Re:good luck... by ncc74656 · · Score: 1
      The whole world is eating sodium chloride (NaCl or table salt), its made of sodium which reacts violently with water and explodes and chlorine which is a deadly gas...

      Sodium chloride's nothing, compared to the hazards posed by dihydrogen monoxide. :-)

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
    55. Re:good luck... by pyser · · Score: 1

      Contrary to popular belief, airport security personnel aren't exactly smart.

      You've got that right.

  3. How about instead of voiding the warranty.... by joshua404 · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...by dissecting your iPod, why not buy this ?

    1. Re:How about instead of voiding the warranty.... by professor+seagull · · Score: 3, Informative

      dissecting the ipod? read the article

    2. Re:How about instead of voiding the warranty.... by HighwayRobber · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      But where is the knowledge gained in that?

    3. Re:How about instead of voiding the warranty.... by caitsith01 · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Yeah, that way you can funnel your hard earned cash to Apple AND their buddies at Belkin in order to get the product you paid a huge amount of money for working properly.

      --
      Read Pynchon.
    4. Re:How about instead of voiding the warranty.... by gantrep · · Score: 1

      Option 1: Pay 70 dollars Option 2: RTFA and pay for acouple standard batteries and a firewire connector

    5. Re:How about instead of voiding the warranty.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      belkin = Belkin online price $69.99

      homebrew = 10$ for batteries
      5$ for connector
      133t value of being h4xxor = priceless

    6. Re:How about instead of voiding the warranty.... by sineltor · · Score: 3, Funny

      Advantages
      - Not compatible with iPod mini.

      Sold!

      --
      'No publisher will ever pay you enough to successfully sue them' - Dave Sim
    7. Re:How about instead of voiding the warranty.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But it works properly. This is just how to get it working even longer.

  4. Nice by iswm · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That's pretty slick. Now just stick the batteries in something nice and shinny that will go beter with iPod's sexy design, and we're cooking with fire.

    --
    Buckethead
    1. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Now just stick the batteries in something nice and shinny that will go beter with iPod's sexy design, and we're cooking with fire.
      have you seen a shiny sexy cell phone with an external battery box with a string attached between them? never mind functionality, it sure looks 21st century cool geek technology, doesn't it? maybe this battery box should power your PDF and wristwatch as well. let's patent it before apple make new ipod with external battery.
    2. Re:Nice by Bushcat · · Score: 5, Insightful
      No it's not, it's terrible. The running costs are immense, and it's unbalanced.

      In the first picture, there are a GP and a Varta 9V battery in parallel, with at least two cells, at least one of which is rechargable. So, 9 + (2 x 1.2) = 11.4 V.

      In the second picture, there are two Varta 9V primary batteries in parallel, placed in series with two 1.5V Duracell alkalines. So, 9 + (2 x 1.5) = 12 V.

      We can assume the difference in non-load voltage is not relevant. But when we consider the power available:

      The capacity of each PP9 Varta is at most 450 mAh. (Rechargables are 110 mAh to 150 mAh). Taking the best case in parallel, therefore, 900 mAh. The rechargable AA's are about 1350 to 2300 mAh. If primary AA's are used, then figure on 2400 mAh.

      So for an all-primary solution, the AA cells have 2.5 times the life of the PP9 cells. Basically, this design eats PP9 cells and there's no real way of telling which batteries/cells are running out at any given moment.

      If one's going to go for a primary cell solution, then it would be better to have, say, 3 x 2CR5 in series or 3 x CR-P2 in series. But obviously a rechargable pack is the optimal solution because it's way cheaper in the long run. Buy them all together, Use them together, recharge them together. Check out packs used for digital cameras.

    3. Re:Nice by JustKidding · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Not only that, but the two 9V batteries are going to discharge through one another, because of the internal resistance in the batteries. Current can flow through a battery (which is why you can connect them in series), and therefore at least one of them is going to go flat, even when it's not in use.

      The two AA's are pretty pointless, as the iPod was rated 8 - 30V, suggesting they just used a 78l05 or similar power stabiliser (min. input voltage = output + 3V). 3.5" HDD usually only need 5V, any extra voltage is just going to get you some extra dissipated heat, and no extra playing time, because the power stabiliser has to dissipate anything above 8V.

      For fsck sake, find yourself an EE 101 book or something.

    4. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not a 3.5" HDD. It's 1.8". It's not a 78105. The reason you don't want to go above 9V or so is because the iPod will try to charge the internal battery pack. Nothing to do with heat dissipation.

    5. Re:Nice by dnoyeb · · Score: 4, Insightful

      IIRC, internally the CPUs and memory chips will operate at either ~3V or ~5.5V, so the voltage will be stepped down in either case.

      two 9V batteries will not be discharging through one another. One of them can not go flat, they are in parallel, if one goes flat, THEN the other will discharge through it, in effect, charging it(if it were rechargeable). But the effect is negligable, they will reach equilibriun.

      I would go personally with a bunch of AA batteries since they tend to have longer life under load. 9V seems to be passe for devices which have human interaction.

      6 AA in series would do the trick, and you can likely get a package to hold them at Radio Shack.

      And I would say he has passed EE101, it was a good freshman level attempt. On paper it works :D

    6. Re:Nice by Specialist2k · · Score: 1
      But obviously a rechargable pack is the optimal solution because it's way cheaper in the long run.

      Not really. If you aren't very careful, the 9 V batteries will be empty way before the 1,2 V because of the different capacity. If any current is drawn from the accu pack after this moment, the still not empty 1,2 V batteries will actually start to charge the 9 V blocks with inverted polarity destroying the 9 V accumulators.

    7. Re:Nice by madpierre · · Score: 1

      78l05 or similar power stabiliser

      That's a really *clunky* design if they did. Switching regulators are
      far more efficient than linear ones. The linear reg has the advantage
      of simplicity I suppose. Also some switching regs can cause glitches
      in digital circuits if you're not careful.

      --
      siggy played guitar
    8. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I find it pretty funny how rude and ignorant you are.

      With two 9 volt batteries in parallel the one battery with slightly more voltage will discharge into the other only until the voltages of each battery are equal. This does not effect batteries wired in series (voltage adds to total).

      The 7805 IC is what is called a linear 5 volt regulator. It regulates a DC input voltage to 5 volts.

      If the hardware incorperates a switching type regulator the extra input voltage will not dissapate significantly more power because switching regultors are very efficient. Linear regulators, such as the 7805 will dissapate more power however.

  5. Nokia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Somebody should do something like this for the Nokia people. Or not? :p

    Anywayz, this is a really nice hack, but I doubt the cardboard will unplug rather nicely (that is to say, if he would need to unplug it several times, but he probably won't since the batteries will be dead)

    And I know my language is bad, I just got out of bed

    1. Re:Nokia by Fish+Heads · · Score: 1

      I have a deck of the Saddam and Friends playing cards I bought at a truck stop somewhere (likely paying too much) that came in a plastic card case. Even see-thru. So that would solve the visibility issue and the stregth issue.

      --
      Time is the quality of nature that keeps events from happening all at once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working. -Anon
  6. advantages by tsunamifirestorm · · Score: 4, Funny

    Advantages
    Not compatible with iPod mini.
    straight quote.

  7. Off-topic: Who said anything about dissection? by torpor · · Score: 4, Funny

    This article is how to build your own Belkin battery pack for cheap.

    Naughty naughty, you didn't read the article did you ...

    --
    ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
  8. 10-8 hours of charge? by caitsith01 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    More like 4-7 hours on the third generation iPod if you skip tracks frequently and don't listen in a continuous block.

    Which is why I returned mine. Apple were forced to acknowledge that their claims about battery life may have been misleading when I showed them the Australian Trade Practices Act sections about misleading and deceptive conduct.

    My 2 cents: buy a minidisc player. Better battery life, physically tougher, smaller. What's the point of having 10,000 songs if you can only listen to 7 hours worth in a sitting?

    --
    Read Pynchon.
    1. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      The point's not toasting a cd every time you want to hear a song that's not toasted

    2. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by line.at.infinity · · Score: 1

      MiniDisc players don't play MP3, AFAIK. That's unfortunate. I assumed that Apple's 8 hour claim was an underestimate, but if your claims are true for all iPods, I'll have second thoughts on purchasing one.

    3. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Nutria · · Score: 2, Insightful
      "The point's not toasting a cd every time you want to hear a song that's not toasted"

      Hey, I have an idea!!! Store all the ripped songs on you PC/Mac's hard disk, and copy a chunk of them over to the ipod when needed.

      Nah, that's too obvious.

      --
      "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
    4. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by timmy0tool · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I still get 12 hours of play out of an old CD player(11 years old), from too AA batteries. I havent seen anything recently which managed this.

      All the recent CD players I have seen last 4 hours but have 1 Meg buffers, 2x read speed, feature, feature etc.

      I'm sticking with my old CD player, It works as I want and has the only features I need (long battery life).

    5. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by gantrep · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Because for 7 hours you have 10,000 songs to pick from to listen to.

      But I agree. I think that for example, the cast-benefit ratio is better for buying a cd-player that play's mp3-cd's than a HD-based player right now.

    6. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I have been using an old Sony MD player for quite a while. On one (count 'em, ONE) AA battery I routinely get about 30-35 hours playback at moderate volume. I have never used any music player that even comes close to this.

    7. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you stupid or is it a taint?

    8. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by cybergibbons · · Score: 1

      How does that solve the problem of having to maker cds or mds when you want to listen to music? You might have been trying to be funny but you've come across as stupid.

    9. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by be-fan · · Score: 1

      MiniDisc has no Linux support :(

      --
      A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
    10. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by RdsArts · · Score: 1

      I have a newish portable CD player, and it's lasted about a month of daily hour-long listen on the first 2 AAs I put in it.

      Maybe your just unlucky? ^^;

      I will admit it doesn't have a ton of features. Other then some minor skip protection, it's bare. But still, just got it ~6 weeks ago, and only put the one pair in..

    11. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by hugzz · · Score: 5, Interesting
      buy a rio karma. better sound quality (remotely), better battery life ("15 hours"), plays more formats (ogg, flac). much cheaper (can get em for $230 pretty easily)

      on the downside, they currently have no remote and cant work as a USB harddrive without the use of additional software. fortunately, rio are constantly updating the player with new features, and are in the process of making it work as a usb harddrive.

      Minidiscs are alright (i own a sony N10 [top model]). It depends what you like though. They do have great battery life, but this is at the expensive of the amp.. so thanks to their weak amps, the sound quality isn't great. they're really good for the average joe, who (shock horror) uses the stock earbuds, and is happy with things like 128kbps mp3.. but as a music fan the weak amp annoys me (which is why i'm buying a karma, and have just built a portable amp)

    12. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by cybermace5 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yeah the newer ones typically get up to 32 hours out of that. Sonys, specifically.

      --
      ...
    13. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Milkyman · · Score: 3, Interesting

      more recent sony discmen (discmans?) have insane battery life as do the md players, at least in the higher end units. my old discman could get 50+ hours on a pair of AA and my minidisc player gets 30+hours on one AA easy.

    14. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by CdBee · · Score: 1

      When someone combines a CD walkman that plays Mp3s (already cheaply available) with a DVD drive..

      then the iPod will have real competition... 4Gb of Mp3s on an optical disk, might be read-only but it'd be all most people ever need....

      --
      I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
    15. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by cap'n+foolsy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      12 hours? i get roughly 30 hours of play (at least one hour of non-stop playing everyday for a month) out of my panasonic cd player from the same. this is with 40 seconds of skip protection and bass boosting.

      for me, the thing that's most important is that it can play my music uninterrupted, and with decent sound quality. that's why i _still_ use this 3-year old cd player more often than my brand new iRiver mp3/cd player.

      --
      It might look like I'm standing motionless, but I'm actively waiting for my problems to go away
    16. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by NevermindPhreak · · Score: 2, Interesting

      the specs say it does have the external hard drive function already, though. this was the main thing holding me back from getting a karma, and now it says they have it. do you know the specifics on this situation?

    17. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Fulkkari · · Score: 4, Insightful
      What's the point of having 10,000 songs if you can only listen to 7 hours worth in a sitting?

      I'm just curious; where do you listen to your iPod or any music player for that matter 7 hours a row? Traveling maybe? I'm quite sure you would able to use external power source part of that time.

      Personally I can't get up to 7 hours a day even if I listen every moment I can.

      And would people please stop to post these iPod battery stories? The whole is has become highly exaggerated.

      --
      I demand the Cone of Silence!
    18. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by preposterity · · Score: 1

      Which city are you in? Did you manage to get all of your money back?

    19. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by caitsith01 · · Score: 0, Interesting

      Adelaide. No, they fed me some absolute BS about a restocking fee or whatever, just so that they didn't have to look like they were giving in to me (i.e., make it look like I'm just an annoying person who changed his mind, not a customer with a legitimate complaint). So they knocked about $80 off the refund. I have since cost Apple several thousand dollars personally by advising technologically non-savvy people who ask my advice against buying Apple products. I know of at least 2 instances where this has been a determining factor in buying decisions. Ah, revenge. It's a shame, I kinda like Apple, too.

      --
      Read Pynchon.
    20. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by caitsith01 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Ok... to work, 1 hour. At work, 7.5 hours. From work, 1 hour. Bam, already over the limit.

      I mean, at work I generally can't listen to 7.5 hours straight (those annoying co-workers won't leave me be for that long), but if I stop and start the thing accordingly I reduce the life to around 5-6 hours.

      Plus, I don't WANT to recharge the goddamn thing, ok? I want to charge it like my phone, maybe once every 4-5 days, not every single night.

      Plus, what about:
      - long bus/train trips
      - flying places (I do this a lot, often more than 7 hours in a flight)
      - going away from civilisation
      etc. etc. etc.

      I guess I would challenge the 'portable' aspect of the iPod as a 'portable music solution.' As an external HD music player it rocks.

      --
      Read Pynchon.
    21. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 4, Interesting
      I usually listen to my iPod on my walk into and back from work each day, and then drop it in it's cradle between times. The battery is also fine for use on train journeys, and short flights. The one time I have wished for a longer battery was when I went to Japan (24 hours of travelling, although a lot of those were spent asleep).

      If the cost of a longer battery life is a larger unit, then I'd rather not have one. If I need more battery life, there's always the Belkin Battery Pack ($59.99 from the Apple store) which delivers an extra 12-15 hours of charge.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    22. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      You should all take a look at Creative's Zen Xtra player at "http://www.nomadworld.com/products/Jukebox_ZenXtr a/" while you may or may not think the design is as sexy as an iPod (personally I think the Zen players look a lot better, since they don't send those "look at me, I'm a MetroSexual" vibes, but I guess that's quite subjective). The Zen players last almost twice as long as the iPods on their battery (14 hours compared to about 8), come with either 30 or 60 GBs of HDD space and guess what? They're a lot cheaper than iPods too! In addition they just use normal cell phone batteries which you can buy almost everywhere, it's also easy to change them yourself so you can bring a couple of extra ones with you if you want to. Besides every review I have seen (you can google for this if you don't believe an AC...) rates the Zen players as having quite a bit better sound quality than the iPods. Please at least compare the two players before you decide to buy either one, I can't stand the fact that a lot of people are paying premium $ for a pretty mediocre device supported by a DRM'ed music store. At least I would expect the /. crowd to be able to evaluate the technical details and see that iPod comes up short on everything but design (which is subjective anyway) and at a much higher price.

    23. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by nicky_d · · Score: 2, Interesting

      My 2 cents: buy a minidisc player. Better battery life, physically tougher, smaller. What's the point of having 10,000 songs if you can only listen to 7 hours worth in a sitting?

      So a MD player will give you 10-12 hrs, or whatever, But in that time, you'd have to change disks ten or so times, unless you were a) listening to the same tracks over and over, or b) using MD compression, which gets pretty poor results IMO.

      I switched from MD to iPod, and it works great for me. A lot of the time, my laptop is with me too, so that's extra power for the 'pod. I don't make long trips away from power adapters, so that's a hassle I don't face. If I did, I'd probably buy an iPod battery pack. My MD player uses a rechargable battery, so for long trips I'd face the same choice with that; take the charger, or take backup power.

      Advantages to the MD player: it records, and it has optical in. Disadvantages: no way to digitally transfer the contents (mine is a pre-Net MD), and I'm limited to using discs. I enjoy the serendipity and convenience of 8,000 tracks of music on shuffle far too much to go back to having to choose a specific disc to play.

      A case of getting the right tool for the job, I guess. Seven iPod hours works fine for me, but might be a dog for someone else, I guess. I'd never pick a MD over an iPod, however; notes, caledar, alarm, firewire hard drive... too many bonuses. My iPod is to MD as my MD was to my Walkman...

    24. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      My problem with the zen vs the ipod, is that the zen requires drivers.

      The ipod just shows up as a mass storage device so when you drop by a friend, you plug your ipod to his computer, install a third party music manager (stored in the ipod) and swap mp3's. With the zen you need to have the cd with you.

    25. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, they fed me some absolute BS about a restocking fee or whatever, just so that they didn't have to look like they were giving in to me (i.e., make it look like I'm just an annoying person who changed his mind, not a customer with a legitimate complaint).

      sorry to break it to you, but from the sounds of your complaints it really does seem that you are an "annoying person who changed his mind" and really not "a customer with a legitimate complaint"...You sound like you purely want to bitch because you don't feel like keeping your ipod recharged. I bet you sit there in your cubicle all day with the volume totally cranked [which, hey, guess what? reduces battery life!] while sitting there listening to 10-15 second clips of songs before deciding to switch. For what is essentially a flash-based player [yeah, that 32MB buffer] that spins up the HD to read for a few seconds every 20-30 minutes, you are seriously screwing with the intended operation [ie, the HD is *constantly* being pegged because of yer fucking indecisiveness]. so, yeah, it sounds to me as if apple just gave you yer money back to get yer silly face out the door and i'm sure they hope you never return.

    26. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by squiggleslash · · Score: 1
      Well, most of us do not carry our PCs around with us all the time, so that's not really an option.

      Those who do presumably can use the PC to listen to their music collection, they don't need an iPod.

      The entire point of the iPod is that you store your entire music collection on it, rather than spending thirty minutes a day scheduling the playlist before you leave home in some "I can predict what I'm going to want to listen to in the future!" frenzy.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    27. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by allgood2 · · Score: 1

      I routinely get about 9hrs battery life off my 3rd generation iPod. While this isn't as great as the 12-13hrs I used to get from the 2nd generation iPod, its suitable for me. I've gotten into the habit of doing a mid-day charge for days that I'm on the go for 18+ hours. Otherwise, assuming I'm not listening to music every moment of the day (which is true), a single battery charge can last a 12hr work day, with no problems.

    28. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Fulkkari · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Would you claim that a 12 inch PowerBook isn't really a portable comptuer because you can't run it the whole day on just batteries? I think it is silly to bash Apple, just because you don't WANT to use an external power source. It would have been an option you would have got for free. And there are still other options for you if you can't use/don't want to external power source like this story and TheRaven64 points out.

      --
      I demand the Cone of Silence!
    29. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by caitsith01 · · Score: 1, Funny

      It's great that you can lower your expectations to meet the performance of a product. You must be a very easy person to satisfy -

      Problem: new car only achieves speed 30 mp/h despite advertised maximum of 140
      Response: of course it won't go the advertised speed unless you plan your routes to only go downhill and arrange to move house to sequentially lower altitudes to avoid ever going uphill... duh!

      Problem: doctors at hospital failed to stitch up chest cavity after heart transplant
      Response: lie perfectly still on your back and never move a muscle, always being grateful for the magical gift of life

      Problem: person on ./ has different opinion to you
      Response: side with staff in Apple store based on 0 personal knowledge of particular store. Digitally edit photographs to show self being married to Steve Jobs by mayor of San Francisco

      Problem: iPod only plays for 15 minutes unless playlist for next 25 years is pre-programmed in at time of manufacture
      Response: [you] lose control over what you listen to in order to compensate for design issues; criticise those who do not wish to listen to a 10,000 song playlist in pre-determined order as 'indecisive' [me] return iPod and use my MD player. Criticise Apple for not making a device that meets my expectations (or the performance of a generation 1 iPod for that matter).

      --
      Read Pynchon.
    30. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by P1P3Z · · Score: 1

      I have a decent Sony CD/MP3/Radio/Tv/Atrac walkman that is rated at 70 hours play time. I use it very heavily both for CD and mp3 disc use and have only changed the batteries once since I bought it 6 months ago. The unit only cost me 70 dollars on Ebay, new. I can change the batteries myself for a few bucks. -P1P3Z

    31. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Mononoke · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Plus, I don't WANT to recharge the goddamn thing, ok? I want to charge it like my phone, maybe once every 4-5 days, not every single night.
      You are talking on your cel phone around 7 hours per day? You must have one hell of a rate plan on that one.

      Where do you find the time to listen to music when you are on the phone that much?

      --
      NetInfo connection failed for server 127.0.0.1/local
    32. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by caitsith01 · · Score: 1

      Well, each to his own I suppose. For me, battery life is paramount. For you, having an insane selection. For me, I like listening to whole albums only and rarely if ever listen to anything on shuffle. You, I take it, enjoy the random airplay of the iPod on shuffle mode. We're both winners.

      I must dispute your figures, though.

      1. 10-12 hours is about 1/3 the play time I get on my MD player from a charge of an AA battery

      2. In 10 hours I would have to change discs about 5 times with non-LP MDs, or 3 times with LP-MDs (including putting the first disc in), not 'ten times or so'

      3. LP Minidiscs are encoded with ATRAC-3 at about 132kbps. Although nothing is ever definitive with audio, some tests have found that ATRAC-3 at about 70kbps is roughly equivalent to 128kbps MP3 for music reproduction.

      --
      Read Pynchon.
    33. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Mononoke · · Score: 4, Insightful
      No, they fed me some absolute BS about a restocking fee or whatever, just so that they didn't have to look like they were giving in to me (i.e., make it look like I'm just an annoying person who changed his mind, not a customer with a legitimate complaint). So they knocked about $80 off the refund.
      If you lived in the real world, you'd realize that restocking fees are not BS. It costs money to buy used equipment back (and return it to sellable condition) from people who can't read the specs before they buy the item.
      I have since cost Apple several thousand dollars personally by advising technologically non-savvy people who ask my advice against buying Apple products. I know of at least 2 instances where this has been a determining factor in buying decisions. Ah, revenge. It's a shame, I kinda like Apple, too.
      No, you don't. You do seem to like the ego boost that comes with thinking you are having some negative affect against "The Man."

      --
      NetInfo connection failed for server 127.0.0.1/local
    34. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by ClockworkPlanet · · Score: 1

      I always have my car keys with me wherever I go. My key fob is a Lexar Jumpdrive that holds 256MB of data, so carrying drivers is not a problem.

      With that argument against the Zen out of the way, there really is no reason to pay over the odds for an iPod.

      --
      Now wash your hands.
    35. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by caitsith01 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Whereas you, apparently, enjoy the ego boost of thinking you're elite for defending a poor little corporation from the evils of fickle users like me who actually demand products that work as advertised.

      I know restocking fees are real. I simply think Apple should wear the cost of a return if they can't print accurate information in their advertising material. I did read the specs. The spec sheet they gave me stated "Battery life: 8 hours," with no disclaimer that this meant "8 hours playing 1kbps mono static in one continuous track with the volume set to zero." First time out in the real world, it was dead withing 5 1/2 hours.

      Don't even bother to give me any of this bs about how I should be wary of advertisers claims: I know I should be wary, and they should be wary of me. If they give misleading information, I am not just going to bend over and take it whilst praising Apple's design aesthetic. If you lived in the 'real world', you wouldn't have hundreds of dollars to flush down the toilet on things that don't work properly.

      --
      Read Pynchon.
    36. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by JThaddeus · · Score: 1

      Amen about the minidisc. My son got one a few years back and current models are even better. His model is rechargeable but mine (only $99) is not non-rechargeable. Big deal! AA batteries last many times longer than an iPod charge and are cheap. I can fit 4 CDs onto one disc and carry 5 more disks in a pocket.

      Now if the software only ran on Linux...

      --
      "Love is a familiar; Love is a devil: there is no evil angel but Love." --William Shakespeare ('Love's Labors Lost')
    37. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by anonicon · · Score: 1

      I've been looking for something along these lines since early 2001 and they're just now *sort of* starting to appear. There are portable DVD players which support mp3 playback from a DVD, but their lifespan is ~3 hours before needing new batteries or a recharge.

      There are still no large-format audio-only players with "in the field" playtimes of 9 or more hours, support for DVD-RWs, or hard-drive sizes of 100gb or more. My Neuros is pretty good, but I'd rather have a DVD-RW or 100gb+ audio player instead. It's not here today, but maybe within 5 years.

    38. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What's the point of having 10,000 songs if you can only listen to 7 hours worth in a sitting?


      I choose to own a car even though it spends 90%+ of it's life sitting in my garage or in sitting in a parking lot doing nothing. The conveniences of owning a car so that I have the freedom to go where I want, when I want outweigh the fact that the car sits around doing nothing most of the time.

      I choose to own an iPod for the same reason. (It sits in a parking lot 90% of the time... just kidding.) With my iPod I have my entire music collection at my finger tips so that whenever I want to hear any given song, I can listen to it. I don't have to burn and bring a collection of discs with me and then shuffle them around while driving down the road to get to the song I want.

    39. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (personally I think the Zen players look a lot better, since they don't send those "look at me, I'm a MetroSexual" vibes...)

      Don't worry. The fact that you exude total gayness proves that you are a flaming faggot. The iPod isn't going to confuse your fellow fudge packers into thinking you are just a MetroSexual.

    40. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have persective issues. Your therapist must be on danger money. Calm down before you pop a vein, you sad little man.

    41. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by billscarwasher · · Score: 1
    42. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by parkanoid · · Score: 1

      I would think twice about buying a karma after reading the support boards. It seems to be very, very poorly built.

    43. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by nicky_d · · Score: 1

      As you say, we're both winners, and as I have an iPod and a MD, I can't fail ;)

      Yeah, the large library on shuffle is the real killer for me, I hardly ever set the 'pod to anything else nowadays - there's stuff on there I've never listened to on CD and plenty of web-derived stuff that's yet to be heard. Oftentimes I get to work and have to plug into iTunes first thing to check out the walk in's playlist.

      The battery life / disc swapping? Well, I don't dispute your figures, and I never really ran my MD battery down, so who knows? I'd use my MD to and from work (45 min walk each way) and charge it up once a week. Occasionally I'd get a low battery warning toward the end of the week. I knew bupkis about battery care back then, probably a factor. Disk swapping I guess depends on what you put on a disc and how you like to listen; I generally like to hop around, as we've seen... and LP MD quality I was gauging from listening to a friend's, admittedly on the highest compression (around 4x, I think). Didn't like the sound myself, but take that as a personal call, I didn't apply any science.

      It's all good, anyhow; I still like to use my MD as a highly portable recorder and it makes a decent digital audio storage device, though I'd use it far more if it had a digital out. Day to day, my iPod wins me over easily. Still, ask me again in 12 months when the battery's gone...

    44. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Rew190 · · Score: 1

      When someone combines a CD walkman that plays Mp3s (already cheaply available) with a DVD drive..


      No, 75% of the iPod's draw is that you can have large music collections in a very small form factor.

    45. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Mindcry · · Score: 1

      i have first run version of the phillips expanium (first gen mp3/CD player) that was one of the first to do 320kbp/s and good skip protectiong (45s audio, 150 mp3)... it gets 10 hours every time, and 200 songs per CD is really enough for me... at the time i bought it, its tech support and information was handled by their computer monitor section, which i thought was really odd...

      Anyways, about 5-6 years later its still working fine, well worth the $100 it cost (now you can get AM/FM/CD/MP3 players for $17 heh)...

    46. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You first said...

      More like 4-7 hours on the third generation iPod if you skip tracks frequently and don't listen in a continuous block.
      Which is why I returned mine.


      And then....

      For me, I like listening to whole albums only and rarely if ever listen to anything on shuffle.

      Which one is it?

      Reading your posts I think you are full of shit. You are either a troll or a paid shill. I don't think you ever owned an ipod or a minidisc.

    47. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Galvatron · · Score: 1

      I get something like 6 hours on a single AAA with my Rio Sport mp3 player, and I believe that's typical for most flash-based players. So with two AAA batteries I get the same amout of battery life as your cd player gets with two AA batteries. Play time is longer, though of course it's harder to switch media (I've got 256 megs installed, so with 128 bitrate, that's some 4 hours). Switching flash cards is possible, though buying extra cards around is expensive.

      --
      "The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
    48. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Minidisc is also crippled with DRM. :-(

    49. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by evilempireinc · · Score: 1

      I second the battery life comment. I took a road trip from Durham, NC down to Florida and it didn't die till a few exits before South Beach.

      --
      we can rebuild this sig. we have the technology
    50. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      My battered old warhorse Sony MZ-R30 minidisc recorder (old school for sure - it was one of the first MD recorders available in the UK) uses a lithium ion battery and I get months of playback out of it on a full charge, even today.

      Well, not months, but a long time. I'll be sad when that LiIon battery reaches the end of its life since I won't be able to replace it - it's a proprietary Sony battery for a product that was made nearly 5 years ago and has been superceded by MD players with AA batteries.

      I don't use my MD player much any more - I have a 15Gb iPod. I'm in the process of converting my extensive collection of MDs to mp3 with my Sony JB-940 deck and G5, but it takes time.

      The MD is handy for voice recording on location - those track marks are excellent for the job.

    51. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Lars+T. · · Score: 1
      "More like 4-7 hours on the third generation iPod if you skip tracks frequently and don't listen in a continuous block. Which is why I returned mine."

      So you returned you ipod because it would have a lower battery time than that given by Apple if you used it in a way you wouldn't use it in?

      --

      Lars T.

      To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck

    52. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by plumby · · Score: 1

      I got over 14 hrs out of my Creative Zen Xtra last week while travelling back from Northern Finland to Nottingham.

      The beauty of the 10,000 tracks is that -

      a) during the time I was away I probably listened to at least part of around 80 different albums. Even assuming that I was using my old Net MD walkman (that my wife now has), that would have been around 20 minidiscs that I would have had to carry with me (and sort through every time I fancied a change).

      b) I didn't have to decide at the start of the trip which 80 albums it was going to be. I just selected whatever I was in the mood for at that point.

      c) hopefully, I can stop buying a second copy of a CD I've already got (which I've done more than once on trips to our local cheap CD shop), as I can now just look it up on the player to see if I already have it.

    53. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by skiflyer · · Score: 1

      So get the best of both worlds and by the iRiver IHP-140.

      40 gigs, easy 12 hours of battery, up to 15 depending on your listening habits... supports many codecs, no drivers, no third party music manager to install on my friends' harddrives. Just plug it and that computer has an extra 40 gigs. Can copy over those ASF videos and listen to their audio as well if you fancy.

      Great stuff, solid build... slightly larger than an ipod, though if I'm not mistaken smaller than the zen... either way, still fits in a pocket easily.

    54. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by hugzz · · Score: 1
      Yes it has external harddrive function, but to use this, you have to have a peice of software installed on the computer called "taxi" or something. so if i wanted to move some files from my computer to yours, i'd have to install taxi on mine, put the files on the karma, go to your place, install taxi on yours, transfer the files.

      this is somewhat of a pain, because it means you have to carry the taxi CD with you if you want to use the handdrive feature.. which means you wont randomly be at a friends house, see some files you want, and transfer them (unless you alwys plan on having the cd with you)

      I'm 90% sure my info is correct, unless they fixed this really recently. They have said that they will fix this though

      check out riovolution and riovolution forums for some good info

    55. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by NevermindPhreak · · Score: 1

      ah, i see. that wouldnt be a problem for me, because all my friends have broadband and i have some decent webspace i could just host the program on. unless the program were insanly big, then it might get annoying. thanks for the info on that.

    56. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by a8o · · Score: 1

      You're just lucky. My discman broke today when I dropped it. I got it for Christmas, this is the first time I've dropped it before.

      The reason I would love to have an iPod right now is that it has a durable casing and feels solid.

    57. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by caitsith01 · · Score: 1

      Yes, yes, of course you're right. I only hate iPod because I'm insane, not because I had a poor user experience with it. I never, for example, used it for a few days and decided it didn't meet my needs. No sir, I just want to tear down Apple because... Apple killed my parents. Or something. Well, at least now I am 'big' enough to admit that iPod is the only and best music solution for everyone on the planet. Case closed.

      --
      Read Pynchon.
    58. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by Temporal+Outcast · · Score: 1

      You could have more than one battery source :)

      One for car, one for jogging etc etc.

      --

      Vote for a Man, Vote for Bush!
      Not a liberatarian flipflop hippie.
    59. Re:10-8 hours of charge? by MrNemesis · · Score: 1

      They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety

      They that can give up essential battery life to obtain a little temporary music deserve neither battery life nor music

      ;^)

      --
      Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
  9. Infinite battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We want solar iPod now!

    1. Re:Infinite battery by liloconf · · Score: 3, Funny

      You're assuming that because it's a mobile device people actually go outside with it.... you realize this is Slashdot??

    2. Re:Infinite battery by tracker1972 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Good point :-)

      Could leave it on the window sill next time you have a power cut though. Sorry, don't live in the states, didn't mean to be insesitive!

      Solar chargers always seem like top ideas though. Small panel, top of rucksack, just to keep topping up whatever, hell it would just work a radio, but just to streach the life of an iPod to an hour or so more? Might just make a day out then? If it's sunny enough.

      Tracker.

    3. Re:Infinite battery by nih · · Score: 1

      disclaimer: this player is guaranteed to work until the end of time, or until the sun goes nova, whatever comes first.

      --
      I'm a rabbit startled by the headlights of life :(
    4. Re:Infinite battery by Papa_Smurf0007 · · Score: 1

      You spend that much time in the sun light??

    5. Re:Infinite battery by Quasar1999 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Solar iPod? You'd need about $150 in solar cells just to make the damn thing spin it's HD up. And then there's the logistics problem of the device not having enough surface area, so you'd need to put a huge adapter on it (goodbye small and portable)...

      I tried this idea already... thought I could make millions... instead I wasted $150... ugh.

      --

      ---
      Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
    6. Re:Infinite battery by buttahead · · Score: 1

      Sounds like you are trying to run the whole thing directly off the solar panels, which will take a lot of panels and bright sun light.

      Look into BEAM robots for a better solution: use fewer solar cells to charge a second set of batteries or some massive capacitors, then switch power over once the charging is complete.

      Charging will take some time, but thats why you have a spare set of batteries always being charged.

    7. Re:Infinite battery by peektwice · · Score: 1

      Not really infinite. But infinite to the human user

      --
      Other than this text, there is no discernible information contained in this sig.
  10. putting two batteries in parallel is not good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    placing two cells in parallel can mean that one will discharge through the other - a stack of 6 or 8 AA cells in series would be better

    1. Re:putting two batteries in parallel is not good by neirboj · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Theoretically, if two batteries rated for the same voltage are connected positive-to-positive and negative-to-negative, no current will flow between them. In practice there may be a small difference in the potential at the positive terminal of one with respect to the other which would result in some current drain. At some point however the differential would vanish due to the discharging and current would cease to flow.

      I propose that batteries in parallel are fine as long as you replace them simultaneously.

    2. Re:putting two batteries in parallel is not good by cybermace5 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Ehh...yeah...and I noticed he's got different brands of batteries and even chargeables, standard, and alkaline batteries all mixed together. That's quite a little cocktail of things that can go wrong. Once that dry cell nine volt dies and the alkaline hasn't yet, the circuit isn't so hot any more...or maybe it is hot, in a bad way.

      Just get 10 NiMH AAA batteries and wire them in series. They're 1.2 volts, so you'll get 12 to start off. It'll end up being about 1.75"x1.875"x.75" if you don't use holders, otherwise you can use two 4-cell holders and one 2-cell holder in a small box, which would make it a lot easier to pull out the batteries for recharging. This gets you about 600 extra milliamps, I have no idea what the iPod drains. If you used AAs instead, that would get you up to 1800ma. But 10 AAs are a little heavier.

      Might as well go for the 12 volt lantern battery!

      --
      ...
    3. Re:putting two batteries in parallel is not good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Sorry, but your statement that "the current would cease to flow" is not correct. There will be a current around the loop; the potential drop of this current through the (small) internal resistance of the batteries is what causes the voltage to even out. But that current can be very large causing a lot of heating of the batteries.

      You are correct, however, that effect is not too bad if the batteries are closely matched (i.e. bought from the same package at the same time and always used together so they discharge equally).

    4. Re:putting two batteries in parallel is not good by Linker3000 · · Score: 1

      You can get 2300mAh NiMh rechargeables thesedays!

      Probably be up to 3A within a few months!

      --
      AT&ROFLMAO
    5. Re:putting two batteries in parallel is not good by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      You make it sound like the current would flow forever were it not for the internal resistance.

      What causes the voltages to even out isn't the internal resistance, it's the stronger battery discharging and charging the weaker one. The resistances just keep the current from being too huge and causing one of the batteries to explode or the wires to melt.

      Obviously charging a non-rechargable battery is a bad idea, so as you said, it's important to use batteries that are at the same state of charge when you parallel non-rechargables.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    6. Re:putting two batteries in parallel is not good by alphakappa · · Score: 1

      Another person creating science out of his ass.

      If you put batteries in parallel, they won't discharge through each other. Basically, if one battery goes down, the other will recharge it, so the batteries will reach an equilibrium state where neither discharges through each other. If you live in a real world, you'll see many applications where batteries/cells are connected in parallel.

      --
      "When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." - Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
    7. Re:putting two batteries in parallel is not good by lexiconbt · · Score: 1

      "If you live in a real world, you'll see many applications where batteries/cells are connected in parallel."

      yes. but in the real world there are a lot of dumb engineers. I mean really. lots.

      for example, you will never find a battery made up of cells connected in parallel - battery manufacturers know batteries. (a 9v is 6 AAAA's in series)

      batteries connected in parallel will most definately discharge each other. Usually very slowly, mind you, so you can usually get away with it - and nearly double the life of just one. but that doesnt make it a good thing - at all. so there.

    8. Re:putting two batteries in parallel is not good by alphakappa · · Score: 1

      I agree with you. My bad.

      --
      "When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." - Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
  11. Card box? by darketernal · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Seems to me that should the battery deal go wrong, the card box is very conducive to fire.. fire on batteries... box go boom?

    That's me being paranoid, but I recently heard of a colo facility destroyed - burned to the ground - by exploding batteries.

    1. Re:Card box? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      I have a friend who can make a very effective little bomb out of a used battery. I can assure you that they are significantly explosive. Basically the process involves using a ground up sparkler or powdered match heads as an accelerant and... bang!

      Hmm... John Ashcroft... I think I'll post anonymously today.

    2. Re:Card box? by W2k · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The batteries that destroyed the CoLo would have been the heavy-duty supersized ones that go in UPS'es and the like. Those really are dangerous if you handle them incorrectly. The ordinary batteries you can buy at the grocery store, however, almost never explode, especially not the non-rechargeable kinds. Besides, if you are carrying this box in your pocket, and a battery explodes, you will have more important things to worry about than whether the box catches fire or not...

      --
      Quality, performance, value; you get only two, and you don't always get to pick.
    3. Re:Card box? by martingunnarsson · · Score: 1

      If you are stupid/clumsy enough to charge non-rechargeable batteries they can explode. No, it won't be a big explosion, but perhaps enough to set something on fire?

      --
      Martin
  12. NetMD by caitsith01 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Well, with a NetMD minidisc recorder it takes a few minutes to transfer whatever you want onto a minidisc. I can live with that. Furthermore, it will play for around 30 hours on an AA battery, so if you take half an hour to organise a few LP MDs you're set for days of music.

    --
    Read Pynchon.
    1. Re:NetMD by SuperQ · · Score: 1

      I took my NetMD on a trip to europe, I used it while on the plane, and some train trips around Finland. I took 2 NiMH AA's and only used one durring the 2 weeks. It was slightly more bulky than an iPod tho.. I took a small case with 10 LP2 disks.. that's about 2gig worth of good quality mp3s. (20 CD's worth of music) The bonus for NetMD is that 10 disks, and the player/recorder were only $150 or so.

  13. Charging Problems UNSAFE by Kehl · · Score: 4, Informative

    THIS IS NOT SAFE!

    There are 2 x 1.5 volt cells in series
    And 2 x 9 volt cells in parallel

    I know for certain this causes heat problems during charging or discharging because of the charge inbalance between the cells.
    This could lead to explosions in extreem cases.

    If you need to build one, I would suggest removing one of the 9 volt cells or adding 2 more 1.5 volt cells in parallel

    1. Re:Charging Problems UNSAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You DON'T want to charge them.

    2. Re:Charging Problems UNSAFE by neirboj · · Score: 1

      I'm curious about the grounds on which you make this claim. It seems that you intend to make a point about the series/parallel configuration of the batteries but it is not at all clear what that point is.

      So as not to appear hasty or impatient, I'll give you an opportunity to go into more detail about those "extreem inbalances".

    3. Re:Charging Problems UNSAFE by waterbear · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'll give you an opportunity to go into more detail about those "extreem inbalances".

      I'll bite: just to explain the problem with connecting batteries in parallel:

      The 9v batteries in parallel have the same nominal voltage, but almost inevitably will slightly differ in actual voltage. The difference voltage tends to drive current around the circuit composed of the two batteries in parallel. There is only very low impedance in that circuit if the batteries are reasonably new and full of charge.

      As a result, the idle circulating currents can build up to high values and cause heat dissipation problems, perhaps damaging the batteries and severely limiting the useful life of the arrangement.

      Since the whole point is to get longer life, that looks a bit self-defeating.

      A simple solution is to include a series diode with each battery. The loss of about 0.5v overall will not be appreciable because of the wide iPod voltage tolerance.

      -wb-

  14. If you have a 1 or 2G ipod... by Xyde · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As I do, if you've ever taken it apart you'll notice there is quite a bit of space left in there. The battery is quite thin. I've often wondered if you could just buy another battery from say www.ipodbattery.com and install it internally, coupled in parallel with the original one. (same voltage, twice the capacity) Any EE's could verify if this would work?

    1. Re:If you have a 1 or 2G ipod... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Well, by putting two of them in parallel, you'd be effectively increasing your milliamp-hour rating. But how the iPod handles that is another story. Either (a) it continues happily playing music (thus giving you more hours), or (b) it happily draws the extra current, giving you heat problems, no extra battery life, and possibly frying iPod things that you don't want to fry.

    2. Re:If you have a 1 or 2G ipod... by lgftsa · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The charger would be trying to deliver twice the designed current, by trying to pump up the pulse voltage(I assume they use a charge/rest/discharge technique), plus any bad battery detection/safety cutout would be negated.

      Is would be interesting to watch, but I'll be standing over *there* while you try, if you don't mind...

    3. Re:If you have a 1 or 2G ipod... by autocracy · · Score: 3, Informative

      More available amperage shouldn't result in more draw. Plugging your cellphone charger into a 15 amp circuit is the same as plugging it into a 20 amp. No matter what, it still draws the same power - less than one amp (or you have issues).

      --
      SIG: HUP
    4. Re:If you have a 1 or 2G ipod... by Tenareth · · Score: 2, Informative

      Electricity isn't "pushed" it's pulled.

      If you plug a 20amp item into a 15amp circuit, it will pull the 20amps anyway, until smoke, or a fuse/breaker goes off.

      But the device wouldn't pull more just because there's more available. It's the recharger that might not be happy.

      --
      This sig is the express property of someone.
    5. Re:If you have a 1 or 2G ipod... by MobyDisk · · Score: 1
      The device would last exactly twice as long. You sound like you are disagreeing, but then you provide points that verify the statement. Let me just clarify:
      More available amperage shouldn't result in more draw.

      Correct.

      Plugging your cellphone charger into a 15 amp circuit is the same as plugging it into a 20 amp. No matter what, it still draws the same power - less than one amp (or you have issues).

      Correct.

      Both points are irrelevant. Placing two batteries in parallel would cause the device to have twice as much power available to draw (The milliamp-hours would double) but since it draws it at the same rate (power draw = volts * amps) the result is twice the battery life.

      And a quick link just because this subject is always taboo with lots of "experts." Check out How Batteries Work
    6. Re:If you have a 1 or 2G ipod... by Zarquon · · Score: 2, Informative

      The problem wouldn't be using the battery (discharging) but in charging. (Assuming the IPOD won't zero a pack; reversing cells is bad, m'kay.)

      You would have to disconnect one battery or the other before charging a pack. Lithium chargers are designed for specific battery combinations as they can explode if not charged properly.

      --
      "'Tis great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults, greater to tell him his." --Poor Richard's Almanac
    7. Re:If you have a 1 or 2G ipod... by autocracy · · Score: 1

      I should be more specific... I was noting that point B in my parent's post was incorrect (over-draw and heat issues). So, they're relevant to what I was trying to prove, and still don't argue against what you say. As we both noted, the draw is still the same, and since there's now twice the available power, life is twice what is was. After all, I did say it wouldn't result in more draw - never did I make claims about the life (though the obvious answer is again twice what it was).

      --
      SIG: HUP
  15. Don't believe the hype by caitsith01 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yes, have second thoughts! I'm not proposing that iPods stink or anything of the sort, but if you are like me, i.e. serious about listening to a lot of music rather than looking at a shiny white thing, then iPod may not be the ideal solution. I am on the move a lot, and for me an average of 6 hours playback was just never going to cut it.

    With NetMD, using Sony's (admittedly pretty shite) software you can easily transfer MP3s onto minidiscs in no time. The program takes your MP3, converts it into a (seperate) MD-formatted audio file, then copies it via USB to the MD player. By ripping and maintaining your own MP3s outside the Sony software managing your music is pretty straightforward.

    Minidisc uses ATRAC, see here: http://www.minidisc.org/aes_atrac.html

    --
    Read Pynchon.
    1. Re:Don't believe the hype by NeoPotato · · Score: 2, Informative

      So don't use Sony's OpenMG software. There's alternative ways to get your MP3's on there without copy protection.

      Try M3U2SB.
      http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/paolose/

      Hell of a lot better than using Sony's software.

    2. Re:Don't believe the hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How long does it take to make a minidisc this way? How many hours and minidiscs to get 6 hours of music? USB is really slow.

      Ignoring any transcode issues, I am curious if this is really practical or not.

    3. Re:Don't believe the hype by Petrol · · Score: 1

      Each minidisk can hold music at 3 different levels of quality: 1X (80 minutes), 2X (160), or 4X (320).

      The sound qulaity is good enough for me at 4X, so i can put 4 or 5 CDs on each mindisk; the transfer may take 5 minutes per CD but I never have ot do it a second time - i just file the minidisk away. THe minidisk player uses one AA battery and at the 4X playback rate it will last me between 36 and 40 hours of playback. In other words, it is very rare for it to die before I recharge it.

      --
      ...and that's the end of our show. Donk!
  16. Alternatively... by cioxx · · Score: 4, Informative

    Buy a 40-hour iPod battery for $100 bucks.

    That's Right. 40

    1. Re:Alternatively... by vanillacoke · · Score: 1

      That's not elegant!!!!

      Beauty over ugly!!! Don't you know the Apple mantra?????!!!!1

      --
      The secret to getting modded up is to allways say i've got karma to burn in your sig..
    2. Re:Alternatively... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Only 400 charges though... I think most people can easily charge more than 400 times if they don't be careful about using all of it before doing so.

    3. Re:Alternatively... by swb · · Score: 1

      Are there better pictures of this anywhere?

      Both this and the Belkin leave me confused on how it hooks to the iPod.

      The design of the 40 hour unit appears about right, except that I'd make it more of a holster type attachment that held the iPod at its sides, and a dock connector at the base, similar in design to the way some car cell phone holders hold a cell phone.

      This way you get a solid, single unit when connected together instead of two units loosely connected. I've often thought that the iPod should have a few threaded sockets on the back and two on the bottom for secure attachment to other devices.

    4. Re:Alternatively... by TFloore · · Score: 2, Informative
      Only 400 charges though... I think most people can easily charge more than 400 times if they don't be careful about using all of it before doing so.
      They say this because, as they also say, it uses a Lithium-Ion battery.

      That's the standard answer for *any* Lithium-Ion battery.

      300-400 charges, for full charges, less than 30% charge remaining when you recharge it.
      500-600 charges, for partial charges (generally defined as 70%+ charge remaining when you recharge it)

      If you want more charge cycles, you don't want Lithium-Ion batteries. Do some reading on rechargable batteries, most of them have a rating of "number of charge cycles" before you have a paperweight.

      NiMH are 350-450 charge cycles.
      NiCD are 400-500 charge cycles.

      Never heard a rating for Lead-Acid rechargable batteries (aka, car batteries) but considering they are usually rated for some number of miles in your car... they have a charge cycle rating too.

      Incidentally, if you have an old cell phone, where the battery doesn't last as long as it used to when it was new... don't blame the cell phone, blame the battery. This is why I like the extended-life batteries on cell phones. Not just so I can talk longer, but so I can recharge it only once every 3 days (assuming low usage). This way, the battery will get 300 charge cycles in about 2 years, and I'll be replacing the phone then anyway.
      --
      This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is... Oops. Frank, I've got your sig again! Where's mine?
  17. How about rechargeable CR-V3 batteries? by line.at.infinity · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Instead of using NiMH or Alkaline AA battery pairs, Li-ion batteries are fantastic too. A comparison with 2xAA batteries and CR-V3 batteries show that CR-V3 battery charges last longer and have a longer lifespan.

  18. How about this? by nametaken · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wouldn't it be better to use the rechargable batteries you can buy at BestBuy or Target instead of burning up those AAs and 9vs for 10 hrs of play time?

  19. What? by tracker1972 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Who, when advertising, underestimated the possible battery life? All the quotes I remember about battery life (but I have not checked for the iPod) are based on "optimum conditions" or "up to" however long.

    Whoever the manufacturer I think their claims (max speed, time, savings etc) are mainly calculated, theoretical maximums.
    Real life is rarely optimised.

    Tracker.

    1. Re:What? by caitsith01 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Nonetheless, if they make claims that are false, that is misleading and deceptive conduct in Australia, where I live. When I set my MD to play non-stop on a full charge and timed it it didn't even make the advertised battery life, it was short by nearly an hour.

      Just because advertisers DO lie doesn't mean they SHOULD lie.

      --
      Read Pynchon.
    2. Re:What? by tracker1972 · · Score: 1

      Just because advertisers DO lie doesn't mean they SHOULD lie.

      True, I wonder if the "up to" bit is their way of saying "no more than" though. Not the whole truth as opposed to a whole untruth. Bloody lawyers.

      Maybe I have finally become desensitised to the advertiser, only brand I still look for is Farleys rusks. Mmmmmmm, shopping trip.

      Tracker.

    3. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      So naturally, since you made a big deal about this and Apple themselves had to admit they lied in the face of Australian Law, it must be written up somewhere other than your personal MiniDisc fan site, right? Letters from Apple, court documents, lawyer's briefs?

      I'd like to have some precedent available.

    4. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, because you really need to go to court for someone to accept that the law is on your side and act accordingly. Fuckwit. Did you murder anyone last year? Oh, so where is the court case where the police forced you to obey the law?

      If you really care, it's in Yo Momma vs. Chastity (2003), why don't you go and look it up?

    5. Re:What? by scrub76 · · Score: 3, Informative
      Just a counterpoint showing that mileage does vary.

      I recently flew from LA to Melbourne, a brutal 14 hour flight. I turned on my 1st gen iPod immediately after we left LA, and, much to my surprise, it kept working until our approach in Australia. Yes, I didn't skip around very much, and I'm sure that helped battery life. But 14 hours of non-stop playback is 14-hours of playback.

  20. Left out of the article: Pin assignment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    6 pin Firewire pin assignment (& others)

    Need to know which ones are the power pins, right? ;)

    Anonymous Joe

    1. Re:Left out of the article: Pin assignment by supertsaar · · Score: 1

      Ha, thanks, I was about to ask if anyone knew how to solder the firewire....

      --
      The Bigger The Headache The Bigger the Pill
  21. Software is the biggest weakness of MD by caitsith01 · · Score: 1

    I wholeheartedly agree. Is anyone aware of any work being done to get freeware software for MD happening?

    --
    Read Pynchon.
    1. Re:Software is the biggest weakness of MD by be-fan · · Score: 1

      Not that I know of. There are a couple of programs (gnetmd, xmd, Open/NMD) but none currently support song upload or download. The most promising project, Open/NMD, seems to be defunct.

      --
      A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
  22. Never have batteries in parallel! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sorry buddy, but your second solution is just as bad. You should NEVER have batteries in parallel. At best your batteries will discharge much faster than they ought to. At worst, they overheat and go BOOM.

    I'm assuming he chose this configuration because a 9V will discharge faster at a given current than a AA. (I don't know anything about battery capacity, so this is a supposition.) If that's the case, the best thing would be to just get rid of one of the 9V's and carry the extra as a spare when the first dies.

    1. Re:Never have batteries in parallel! by Bushcat · · Score: 4, Interesting
      My computer's battery pack, which happens to be laying disembowelled in front of me at this very moment, consists of 6 cells arranged in 3 sets of 2 cells in parallel, connected serially.

      Nothing wrong with parallel connections as long as you charge them either conservatively or intelligently. Note the final design shown in this article actually shows primary cells. Firstly they're nominally non-rechargable, secondly their internal resistance prevents any thought-provoking excursions in the temperature and noise domains.

  23. Problems, problems, problems... by fmaxwell · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The first problem with the battery pack is that it is grossly unbalanced. He shows alkaline batteries in it, so let's cruise on over to www.energizer.com and get some specs. A 9V Energizer has 625mah while AA Energizers have 2850mah capacity. Parallel the two 9V and you are only up to 1250mah, which means that the two 9V batteries will be dead before the AA cells are even half of the way used up.

    Next, he is using expensive and environmentally harmful alkaline batteries rather than NiMH rechargeables. According to the EPA, Americans throw away 2 billion non-rechargeable batteries per year -- almost all of which end up in landfills. The single largest source of mercury in garbage is alkaline and button cell batteries. He took an iPod that had a battery pack that could be recharged for about a year and a half and made an alkaline pack that has to be thrown away every ten hours! It's projects like the one described here that make me think that the feds should ban all non-rechargeable batteries bigger than button cells.

    Since the iPod would run on anything from 8-30V, he would have been a lot smarter to use 8 AA NiMH batteries in a case like this or this.

    1. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by niko9 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm not trolling, but you bring up an interesting point; do you know of anyone who will accept batteries for recyclying or safe disposal?

      --

    2. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by autocracy · · Score: 0

      A 9V engergizer giving out 625 mah would provide 3750 mah if converted to 1.5v (or what an AA runs at).

      --
      SIG: HUP
    3. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by anubi · · Score: 4, Informative
      Call your city... especially the department which handles the trash.

      Most of them are very concerned about things ending up in the trash which are not supposed to be in the trash, and are quite helpful when questioned.

      Its a helluva lot easier to help someone properly dispose of something than it is to try to recover it out of the landfill once its presence has been detected.

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]

    4. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by ceranta · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm pretty sure Radio Shack will take your used alkaline batteries. Or any electronics store for that matter.

    5. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by DoorFrame · · Score: 1

      Recyclable batteries do not last nearly as long as non-recyclables... at least the ones I use. I don't mind, it's worth the saved money in most cases, but I can see if you need your batteries to be long lasting the recyclables are not a good alternative.

    6. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Those who would give up alkaline batteries for environmental friendliness deserve neither alkaline batteries nor enviornmental friendliness."

    7. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by mattkime · · Score: 1

      While I agree with you that rechargeable batteries are more ecologically sound, most alkaline batteries no longer have mercury.

      --
      Know what I like about atheists? I've yet to meet one that believes God is on their side.
    8. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by fmaxwell · · Score: 4, Informative

      Recyclable batteries do not last nearly as long as non-recyclables... at least the ones I use.

      The better NiMH AA-size rechargeable batteries are rated at 2100-2200mah. An alkaline AA Energizer is rated 2850mah, meaning that it has about 1.3x the capacity. But there is more to it than that. NiMH batteries work far better than alkaline batteries in power intensive applications. A NiMH battery maintains a high and consistent voltage during most of its discharge. An alkaline battery's voltage drops rapidly when used in a power intensive applications such as digital camera. In that kind of application, the NiMH batteries last far longer than alkalines.

      Where alkalines have a big advantage is in things like smoke detectors and remote controls. A NiMH battery will "self-discharge" in 1-2 months while an alkaline battery will last for years with no load.

      Also, be careful not to confuse NiCads with NiMH batteries. The two are drastically different in capacity. A typical AA NiCad has a capacity of 700mah, 1/3 the capacity of a modern AA NiMH cell.

    9. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by fmaxwell · · Score: 1

      Many advertise as "no mercury added", others as "mercury free", and still others say '99.x% mercury free.' But, regardless of that, you obviously recognize that 2 billion batteries per year going into U.S. landfills is an ecological disaster.

    10. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by fmaxwell · · Score: 2, Interesting

      do you know of anyone who will accept batteries for recyclying or safe disposal?

      A better question is whether the company is actually recycling the batteries. I saw that one person recommended dropping dead alkalines off at Radio Shack, but I've seen Radio Shack employees throw fistfuls of dead batteries in the trash. I'm sure that they'd love to lure you into the store on a regular basis with the promise of recycling batteries, but will they recycle them? I don't know.

      There is a firm called Toxco which recycles alkaline batteries (as well as lithium and other types). They have a rather short page of companies that use battery recycling services (Radio Shack is not on their list). You might contact them (see their contact page) and ask if they have customers that accept alkaline batteries for recycling.

      As to "safe disposal", there is no such thing for alkaline batteries. You can't dispose of 2 billion batteries per year without an environmental impact.

    11. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by fmaxwell · · Score: 2, Informative

      I'm pretty sure Radio Shack will take your used alkaline batteries. Or any electronics store for that matter.

      They'll take your cup from Orange Julius, too, but it doesn't mean that they will recycle it. I've seen Radio Shack employees throw handfuls of batteries into the trash, so make sure that your store actually participates in a battery recycling program before handing them batteries.

      National US retail stores participating in a battery recycling program include: Ameritech, Batteries Plus, Best Buy, Cellular One, Cingular, Circuit City, GTE Wireless, Home Depot, Orchard Supply, Radio Shack, Sears, Target, WalMart, and Wireless Zone. Again, make sure that the pimply faced kid behind the register knows how to recycle batteries and isn't just tossing them in the trash.

    12. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by rark · · Score: 1

      > the feds should ban all non-rechargeable
      > batteries bigger than button cells.

      I understand the theory, but bad idea. I will not use a rechargable for things like smoke detectors -- NiCad and NiMH batteries lose charge whilst sitting. Even the new ones do, though at a lesser rate. Li Ions are hard to find (in 9v and AA sizes, at least), only last two years or so from manufacture (no matter how many times you cycle them in that time) and I swear they lose charge too, though perhaps more slowly. I've been told different by someone who ought to know, but that doesn't match my experience. But for applications like smoke detectors, where it absolutely has to work and you can't be getting up there every few days or every few weeks to be taking out a battery and recharging it, rechargeables just don't cut it (unless the smoke detector has some sort of trickle charger built in and only uses battery for electrical outage backup). Also, things like emergency flashlights for places where leaving them on a charger is untenable are not good applications for rechargeables. I imagine there's some medical equiptment that uses larger-than-button sized batteries for which similar arguments hold.

      OTOH, most applications are not like smoke detectors and more people should use more rechargables more of the time. It would be useful if the start up expenses weren't so high. This can be staggered by buying new sets of batteries for each device as the old disposables go. But for anything that has to run, unless you have a critical mass of devices that use that type of battery, you end up having to buy at least two sets of rechargeables for each device. At somewhere between three and five times the cost of a same-sized alkaline battery, the price gets high, quickly. I was pricing out D-cells for a backup battery pack for my notebook (to be used to keep my notebook up while swapping out it's internal batteries, and also as a last option should I completely run down the two internals -- inspired by the recent slashdot book review) and realized that 32 of the suckers (16 to provide the 19v my laptop wants, doubled for spares, since nothing else I own uses D-cells) will run me nearly $200. I'll be going back to the drawing board, because there are cheaper solutions commercially available. (I may just use AA, since it really doesn't have to run a long time, worst case perhaps long enough to shut down, but I haven't fully thought that idea out yet and there may be some painfully obvious reason why it won't work.)

      Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to have some sort of tax or fee on disposable batteries -- maybe like the bottle refund in some states. You could pay an extra five or ten cents and you'd get it back when you bring the batteries to be recycled. It would help keep them out of landfills, at least. Or we could tax disposables and use the revenue to subsidize rechargeables to make them a bit more affordable, esspecially the larger sizes. Esspecially since the environmental costs (which ultimately we all pay) for disposables are higher than those for rechargeables. A tax/subsidy system would bring the actual consumer dollar cost closer to the real long term costs of each. I can hear the free marketers all having heart attacks now, but it's less draconian (and more practical) than completely outlawing disposables, but still encourages use of rechargeables.

      It would also be useful if more devices were calibrated for rechargeables. My palm gives me about four hours of heavy use before it starts flashing the annoying "your battery is dying" screen with a rechargeable, compared with 12 hours with an alkaline (generic store brand, because I'll pay a bit extra for high quality rechargeables, but I'm a cheap bastard when it comes to disposables). However, with the NiCad rechargeables, there's actually nearlly two hours left on the battery (it's just two hours of waiting for that damn screen to go away so I can go back to what I'm doing) whereas with the alkaline it's got perhaps three of those scre

    13. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by kisielk · · Score: 1

      If you are in western Canada, the Save On Foods recycling center accepts not only bottles and milk cartons, but also all sorts of other materials including alkaline batteries. They have a whole brochure of stuff they accept.

    14. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by fmaxwell · · Score: 1

      I understand the theory, but bad idea. I will not use a rechargable for things like smoke detectors -- NiCad and NiMH batteries lose charge whilst sitting. Even the new ones do, though at a lesser rate.

      You are right and I was sloppy. What I really should have said is that they should ban alkaline and carbon zinc cells. A smoke detector or emergency flashlight should be equipped with lithium cells. They have a ten year shelf life and far more power than alkalines. The cost is more in line with rechargeables so the purchase decision would not be so clouded by initial cost.

      OTOH, most applications are not like smoke detectors and more people should use more rechargables more of the time. It would be useful if the start up expenses weren't so high.

      I've just watched for sales. The last NiMH batteries I bought were 2000mah AA cells that cost me $6.99 for four. I bought four packs. Prior to that, I stocked up at under $1 per AA from MCM electronics for 1800mah AA cells. But even Walmart has marked down four-packs of Rayovac NiMH cells to $8.97. That's the same cost as three packs of alkalines but that extra cost is paid for quickly.

      Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to have some sort of tax or fee on disposable batteries -- maybe like the bottle refund in some states. You could pay an extra five or ten cents and you'd get it back when you bring the batteries to be recycled.

      That's something that I've considered also and I think that it's a good idea, though I'd prefer to see the lower forms of batteries (e.g., alkaline and, worse yet, carbon zinc) be eliminated. Some of the people who use disposables are those who can least afford to. They buy $3 packs of batteries five times per month rather than paying $9 for rechargeables and a one-time cost for a charger. They are the same people who buy a half-sized container of soap because it costs 30% less than the bigger size.

      I can hear the free marketers all having heart attacks now, but it's less draconian (and more practical) than completely outlawing disposables, but still encourages use of rechargeables.

      Capitalism doesn't deal with the "tragedy of the commons" and that's why we need government intervention. It's why we don't let industry decide how much to pollute. It's why localities have made recycling mandatory. The free market can do a lot to get you a better price on headphones or bananas, but, if anything, it tends to encourage spoilage of the environment (since it's usually easier and cheaper to pollute than not).

      It would also be useful if more devices were calibrated for rechargeables. My palm gives me about four hours of heavy use before it starts flashing the annoying "your battery is dying" screen with a rechargeable, compared with 12 hours with an alkaline (generic store brand, because I'll pay a bit extra for high quality rechargeables, but I'm a cheap bastard when it comes to disposables).

      If you have a true PalmOS, you might be able to calibrate it for the rechargeables.

      I'm pretty sure it's because the Palm uses the delivered voltage to decide when the battery is dying, and the rechargeables drop below that point much faster, relative to their total life, than the akalines.

      You are correct -- because they start out at a lower nominal voltage of 1.2-1.25.

      I know people who gave up on putting rechargeables in their palms because they hated changing batteries three times as often. Twice as often is less annoying, and there's no reason for changing the batteries three times as often except for the calibration of the device. Other devices have this same problem. Maybe it's time to start placing a bit of pressure on the manufacturers?

      Amen! All devices that can use standard (A,AA,AAA,AAAA,C,D,9V) disposable batteries should capable of using rechargea

    15. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by tim1724 · · Score: 1

      As others have pointed out, most stores which sell electronics have recycling programs. Although I'm not sure if I'd trust a typical Radio Shack or Best Buy employee to actually send my used batteries to the recycling program rather than simply tossing them in the trash.

      The last time I was at IKEA, though, I noticed several battery recycling bins, and I'd actually trust IKEA to recycle them rather than throwing them out.

      --
      -- Tim Buchheim
    16. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by rark · · Score: 1

      > What I really should have said is that they
      > should ban alkaline and carbon zinc cells

      That makes more sense.

      Throw a rider on your bill to allocate funds so that medicaid and medicare can provide chargers and rechargables to all patients using medicaid/medicare provided equiptment that can use rechargable batteries (like blood sugar monitors) and help defray the cost of lithium over alkalines for those pieces of equiptment that can't, and some fundage for providing chargers and rechargable batteries to public schools, hospitals, etc, and I might even support it, but that is one hell of a price tag.

      I think it would be more fiscally responsible to start by taxing alkalines and carbon zincs, and using that tax money to help push the start up costs for rechargables down -- either by directly applying it to the purchases, by refund or by giving it over to public schools and hospitals, etc in order to buy chargers and rechargeable batteries. Hopefully after a few years of this rechargables would be in wide use (it's really only the start up that needs help -- after that the rechargables pay for themselves and then some)and no ultimate ban would be needed. If not, then at least the costs incurred because of that ban would have been pushed down.

      The more I think about it the more I really like applying the deposit/return scheme to batteries -- and ultimately both rechargables and disposables should be recycled. It seems to work here in MA -- I think it's basic psychology. In most of the areas where I've lived (CA, WA, DC, VA, MD, WV) the suburbs have had curbside recycling, but if you live in an apartment complex, a city or a rural area recycling was a matter of finding a place to drop your cans (sometimes convenient and obvious, such as a supermarket parking lot, and sometimes really non-obvious, such as a random warehouse in a random industrial section, poorly marked and found after a good search through the yellow pages). It's just the same here, but because there's money in it, the recyclers are convenient and well marked, easy to find, and it's a bit easier sometimes to go through the trouble of putting bags of cans/bottles into the car or walking them two blocks down for $5 than for a warm and fuzzy "I'm helping the planet" feeling ;)

      Perhaps more practically, there really ought to be a public service announcement type of campaign for rechargables. I've noticed that a lot of the non-geeks around me still believe many outdated things about rechargeables. Until this last few weeks, when I undertook some serious research, I believed a few really questionable things. Some of this I believed because friend of mine who should know (i.e. they build electric cars [full sized road vehicles] or otherwise work with batteries as a job or serious hobby) told me so. There are still a number of things I'm still confused about, and I have better theoretical background knowledge than the average non-geek. I figure if I can't figure out a technical issue, then it's utterly unreasonable to expect the average american to do so. So a combination of a publicity campaign (to get the word out that rechargeables are more affordable, more reliable and less of a PITA than they were 20 years ago, and that they are fairly available) and an information campaign (to get correct info out -- when a source that ought to be reliable says that memory is a real issue with NiCADs and they should be deep cycled every week, ideally every time, and another equally reliable source says that memory is not an issue and deep cycling hurts the batteries and should never be done, the situation is *bad* -- and I'm not even going to try to list what the correct info is here, simply because I'm still not sure in some cases, and have decided to run my own experiments and collect my own data. But this is an unreasonable expectation of most people.). Relatively cheap, easier than getting laws passed and potentially very effective.

      One of the things I've realized in the last week -- wh

    17. Re:Problems, problems, problems... by fmaxwell · · Score: 1

      Throw a rider on your bill to allocate funds so that medicaid and medicare can provide chargers and rechargables to all patients using medicaid/medicare provided equiptment that can use rechargable batteries (like blood sugar monitors) and help defray the cost of lithium over alkalines for those pieces of equiptment that can't, and some fundage for providing chargers and rechargable batteries to public schools, hospitals, etc, and I might even support it, but that is one hell of a price tag.

      I'll agree on the medicare/medicaid, but not the schools. It's asinine that schools are still buying, and throwing away, alkaline batteries. That's your tax dollars and mine being wasted.

      Perhaps more practically, there really ought to be a public service announcement type of campaign for rechargables. I've noticed that a lot of the non-geeks around me still believe many outdated things about rechargeables.

      That's reasonable, but most people just need to know that, for 99.9% of devices, rechargeables work fine. Then show them how much they will save over a year of typical use.

      But even with soap, sometimes it's really a price constraint. If you've got $2 to your name and no soap and no toliet paper, it makes more sense to buy the smaller (though more expensive per unit)packages so that you can buy both. Because twice as much soap does not make up for no toliet paper, nor vice versa.

      With batteries, if they can't afford rechargeables, put whatever the battery powered device is (except smoke detectors) into a drawer for a month or two. Or borrow the money from a friend or family member. It's friggin' nuts to see welfare recipients buying 8-packs of AA alkalines for $5-$6 once or twice a month. That's $60-$144 per year! They could to to Walmart and spend less than $30 for 8 Rayovac AA NiMH cells and a Rayovac charger. That would save them over $30 and maybe over $100 (depending on usage) in the first year alone.

      Yet I keep reading that they only start at 1.2V-1.25V. Is my meter screwed? Am I missing something?

      Yes. The 1.2V-1.25V rating is a nominal rating over the useful discharge life of the battery. Here is the data sheet on Eveready AA NiMH batteries. Look at the discharge curve and you will see that the battery quickly drops to the 1.25V range in use and stays there a long time. Now look at the Eveready alkaline AA cell data sheet and you can see that the voltage just keeps dropping off instead of remaining relatively constant. That's why NiMH batteries work so much better in digital cameras, photo flashes, etc. The alkalines quickly lose voltage while the NiMH cells keep right on to the end.

      I don't know enough about walkie talkies to know if this is the case for them, but I had an ex whose vibrator was battery voltage sensitive. It was significantly stronger when one dropped in an alkaline than when one dropped in a rechargeable, though the difference didn't last all that long

      Again, it's the discharge curve. They could easily put voltage regulation into them to keep them at maximum and constant performance throughout the life of the batteries. It's being done with some LED flashlights already.

      Sorry for such a short reply to your message, but work calls and I must go.

  24. and then the sun is down.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it'll come bundled with a flashlight! just shine the beam on that little panel to continue enjoying your music...

  25. Others have said don't do this by panurge · · Score: 4, Informative
    And, as someone who has had extensive experience with batteries, I agree. Never parallel battery cells unless you know how to design the necessary support electronics to prevent one discharging into the other (it can be done but it is complicated and there is always some voltage loss.)

    Instead, either use two 4-way AA cell holders in series with non-rechargeable cells(for a total of 12V), which are available from most electronics distributors, or a combination of 2 and 4 way holders to allow the use of 10 NiCd or NiMH AA or AAA cells - also for a total of 12V since these cells run about 1.2V each. With a diode and a resistor you can trickle charge this arrangement through a car lighter plug, since car batteries run around 14.5V. It's a kludge but a feasible kludge.

    I wonder if anyone has looked at modifying the works of a Freeplay radio (wind up dynamo) to act as a charger for small appliances like iPods?

    --
    Panurge has posted for the last time. Thanks for the positive moderations.
    1. Re:Others have said don't do this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Laughing my ass off in amusement at all of the "experts" here! This is about the funniest cock-fight over the dumbest topic I have read here in quite awhile.

      "And, as someone who has had extensive experience with batteries, I agree. Never parallel battery cells unless you know how to design the necessary support electronics to prevent one discharging into the other (it can be done but it is complicated and there is always some voltage loss.)"

      If you're so concerned about parallel batteries reaching equalibrium, why not make a "complicated" support circuit from 2 diodes??? Place a diode in series with each paralleled battery. How complicated can that be?

      This forum is obviously filled with a lot of ... oh, nevermind ... what's the point?

    2. Re:Others have said don't do this by Dun+Malg · · Score: 2, Insightful
      And, as someone who has had extensive experience with batteries, I agree. Never parallel battery cells unless you know how to design the necessary support electronics to prevent one discharging into the other (it can be done but it is complicated and there is always some voltage loss.)

      Wouldn't a couple diodes do the trick?

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
    3. Re:Others have said don't do this by Al-Hala · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yes, Diodes are the easiest solution.

      With the use of low forward drop diodes, and proper attention to peak current flows (and some IC Protectors/low value flameproof resistors), you can have a very decent pack.

      Other solutions involve active current and voltage regulation, and would be overkill for this application.

  26. Belkin Backup Battery by lotd · · Score: 5, Informative
    If you can afford an ipod, I am sure you can afford one of these (if you really want longer battery life):

    Backup battery pack

    LotD

    1. Re:Belkin Backup Battery by pinguirico · · Score: 3, Informative

      I would not recommend this for a second. In my experience these are really only good for a few hours. These appear power the ipod directly instead of charging the internal battery and powering the ipod like the design shown here. I guess this is so they can get away with 4AAs (6V) ass opposed to the 12ish volts over the normal charge line.

      The problem is that as soon as the batteries start to wear (2 out of 4 on the chargers battery charge meter) the ipod crashes. I've noticed my ipod acts funky on low battteries so I'm guessing that the voltage drops too low at a very early stage in the battery wear. Meaning you end up throwing away a lot of half used AA batteries (or saving them for better electronics)

    2. Re:Belkin Backup Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My ipod use changes per day but ussualy im
      a frantic skipbutton freak on a random playlist.
      This eats power and normaly forces you to charge more often.

      With the belkin pack (though it more then doubles the height of the device) give me and my ipodding methods an additional 10-15 hours on PROPER batteries.

      When out for long periods this really helps.

      it's just too bad that people recoqnize ipods so much these days. With Ipod it's harder to get a lift. ( hey, you can afford an ipod, then you can also afford a car,,... punk )

      retep.

    3. Re:Belkin Backup Battery by Colonel+Cholling · · Score: 2, Funny

      Do you really want to use a battery pack from Belkin? It probably highjacks the audio stream so that every other track is an ad for more Belkin products.

      --

      I am Sartre of the Borg. Existence is futile.
    4. Re:Belkin Backup Battery by madpierre · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Hmmm. A poster further up said he thought the ipod used a 78L05
      linear regulator (or some equivalent) and from what i've been
      reading I tend to agree. It would certainly seem to explain the
      ipods rather crappy power management. These linear regulators
      have a quiescent current in the order of milliamps which is just
      dumb (in this day and age) for a battery powered device. It is
      however cheap, which is presumably why apple went this way (if they
      did) rather than opt for a more efficient micropower regulator with
      microamp quiescent current draw. Perhaps they should've farmed out
      the electronics to SONY and just stuck to designing the enclosure.

      --
      siggy played guitar
    5. Re:Belkin Backup Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You want to get the batteries meant for electronics.. not normal batteries. They do cost more, but they seem to last a _lot_ longer in the belkin. You want batteries like the energizer e2 ones.

  27. Larger batteries? by Hadlock · · Score: 1

    How about larger batteries? Long trip/etc? Lantern batteries are $6-7 a pop, and come in 6 and 12v varieties. Excessively large? Yes. Cheap? Yes.

    Something else that has crossed my mind; using a small 12v battery (riding lawn mower/radioshack dual lantern battery) + cigarette lighter + powerbook cigarette lighter power adapter for those long plane rides/trips where you don't have immediate access to an outlet for more than 5 hours at a time. Certianly cheaper/more flexible than one of those $300 external laptop batteries.

    --
    moox. for a new generation.
  28. I wouldn't trust this guy.... by ziggy_zero · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...in his iTunes music library he has the artist of the song "Stuck in the Middle with You" as Bob Dylan....fishy...

    --
    I belong to the ______ generation.
    1. Re:I wouldn't trust this guy.... by picklepuss · · Score: 1

      Actually, although the original (found on the reservoir dogs soundtrack) was done by a Steeler's Wheels, there does exist a Dylan version, and a Grateful Dead version, and a Dylan and the Dead Version.

    2. Re:I wouldn't trust this guy.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Found this via Google:

      http://forums.moodlogic.net/thread.jsp?forum=9&t hr ead=1717

      I can't affirm or deny any of this, but it seems others share your opinion.

    3. Re:I wouldn't trust this guy.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Man, talk about dissilusionment. For at least five years I'd thought that was Dylan. No wonder I couldn't find it on "Book of Bob" or in any of his albums.

  29. batteries in parallel can be ok by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm assuming he chose this configuration because a 9V will discharge faster at a given current than a AA.

    He chose this configuration only because he was trying to be clever and fit it into a playing-card pack.

    As to what you're assuming - no. Battery voltage is determined by the chemical type of the battery. Size doesn't matter. So for example, standard alkaline AA, AAA, C, and D batteries all put out 1.5V, but Ni-Cads put out 1.2V. Lead-acid like your car battery is 2V.

    Therefore, a 9V battery is just six tiny 1.5V batteries in series. Get some tin snips or whatever, and carefully cut open the outer casing on a 9V and you can see for yourself.

    Also, you *can* safely run batteries in parallel. The only gotcha is that you can run into problems if you try to charge the batteries in that configuration when they are not evenly discharged. His picture looks like he isn't using rechargeable batteries, though. Or if you had rechargeables, you could pop the batteries out and charge them individually.

    Personally I think it'd be more straightforward to just wire up 8 AAA batteries in series and forget the 9V nonsense. Probably would get longer battery life too. I don't know if they'd fit in a playing-card pack, but they wouldn't be much larger.

    1. Re:batteries in parallel can be ok by imsabbel · · Score: 1

      The problem is that even if the 9vs are 6 1.5v in serial, be adds them to 2 other 1.5Vs with a MUCH higher capacity.

      The 9V blocks will be drained after a very short time. I REALLY doubt you can get more then 2-3h music out of that pack

      --
      HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
    2. Re:batteries in parallel can be ok by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      alkaline AA, aaa, C etc dont really put out 1.5. alkaline cells have a very alarming and unpredictable voltage drop-off as it discharges.
      if the 12v actually mattered, for some other project, the AA cell etc that i would use would be a 1.25 ni-mh volt rechargeable x 10 or something, rather than 8 x "1.5"v alkaline.
      if its button-cells, a 1.5 volt silver oxide battery keeps its voltage pretty stable and beats the pants off alkaline ones. hence the price difference.

  30. Upgrading Portable Players, Laptops, PDAs by wehe · · Score: 3, Informative

    Since I found it difficult to research how to upgrade and repair such electronic devices, I have setup pages with links to HOWTOs for portable music players, laptops and notebooks as well as PDAs. BTW: there is a also a selecion of Linux tools to connect to portable MP3 players.

  31. Awful design by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    1) Different battery types will lead to different discharge rates... in other words, when a battery is flat, you have to take them all out and test individually.

    2) The circuit is hardly clever or novel; no lights to tell you when the batteries are reading the end of their useful life.

    3) Gluing plastic on cardboard.... does this pass for elegent or clever? If so, let me show you some really "clever" things I've done with a fanbelt at 3 AM to keep my car going.

    4) is this was /. has sunk to? I mean, there's got to be funnier or cleverer stuff than this out there.

    1. Re:Awful design by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      whatever dude, this guy figured out a cheap way to get his iPod to play longer, and no matter how much you might want to put it down, it gets the job done.

  32. Car battery by OPTiX_iNC · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you are going to do all that, why not put a car battery in a backpack and put a voltage regulator on it? The best point of the iPod is that it is sleek and slender, now what have you just done when you 'add' a battery?

  33. huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yes i am dumb. why is this funny?

    1. Re:huh? by mlrtime · · Score: 1


      Its funny because the example from the article is using 9v batteries in parallel (bad), and different types of 9v batteries in parallel (bad, bad). Thus this is not advantageous at all, especially because it won't work with a mini ipod.

      not so funny once someone explains it to you?

  34. Also, a source... by Trillan · · Score: 2, Informative

    I haven't ordered from these guys (yet -- I'm definitely building a battery pack) but a few minutes in Google found them:

    NTC Distributing

  35. akihabra back-streets by fldvm · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    http://www.greggman.com/japan/electronics.htm

  36. Re:MODS, parent did NOT read the article by gujo-odori · · Score: 3, Informative

    While he obviously didn't RTFA, on the other hand, the existence of an external ipod battery pack with LEDs to indicate the charge, a secure (by which they seem to mean locking) on/off switch and a suction-cup mount is something I did not know about before, so I'd call him informative and misinformed, simultaneously.

    However, 70 bucks seems kind of steep for that thing. I'm sure you could make one with all or most of its functions and that looked as good for a lot less.

    Or if you just want to go on the cheap yet have something sturdier than a playing card box, got a snap-together travel soap carrier and make an ipod battery pack out of that instead. It will take a little more effort and skill to mount the firewire plug in it, but it will last a long time.

  37. A different arrangement... by grantedparole · · Score: 3, Informative

    You could make this battery pack rechargable and have an even 12V output using two 9.6V Maha Powerex
    batteries and two regular NiMH batteries.

  38. Eight AAA cell would have been too easy? by egork · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I know I am just a geeky physisist by education :-), can anybody tell me what in the world was the reason to use two 9V and two 1,5V cells and connect them in a funny way, when one could just take eight AAA cells. 8x1,5V=12V bingo!

    That will be even cheaper. And would last longer. And will fit into cardbox as well. And ...

    1. Re:Eight AAA cell would have been too easy? by pla · · Score: 1

      one could just take eight AAA cells. 8x1,5V=12V bingo!

      I had the same thought, and it kinda surprises me that the author of the linked article didn't, since his goal of a "cheap" replacement will eat the non-rechargeable 9v's like candy.

      However, you wouldn't actually get 12V out of 8 AA NiMH rechargeables - They usually only put out 1.2 to 1.3V (the reason many batter meters on lower-end electronics will detect a fresh one as half-empty). But, since the iPod will deal with as low as 8V, your suggestion would still work.

      As an aside, since this hack requires an external battery pack anyway, why go for something so exotic as a custom battery pack? Hook up the smallest motorcycle/ATV battery you can find (12-18V, still in the range the iPod will deal with), and you have somewhere on the order of 10k-20k mAh. A tad bit more expensive (though 8 2100mAh NiMH AA's will cost you $20, plus another $20 for a charger), but the battery and a DC charger (ie, cigarette lighter plugin) will still cost less than a real iPod replacement.

    2. Re:Eight AAA cell would have been too easy? by moberry · · Score: 1

      er.. i could be a little mistaken but AAA's have a MUCH lower amperage than motorcycle battery's. Not to mention the fact that there not to portible

  39. bad electronician, no donut by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Batteries in parallel (like those 9Vs) are bad, mixing battery types in series (such as AA and 9V in series), or even in brand (different brands of AA batteries) is very bad. If you're going to build this project, use 8 AA batteries in a simple series, unless you like having a pocket full of battery acid.

  40. Sombody did it for Nokia, in a explosives way by egork · · Score: 1

    Read about it at. A few persons were actually injured.

    Read and here a report from consumer organization in case you tend to take press releases from corporations with a grain of salt.

    You would not try producing drugs yourself, will you? The high capacity cells are the same sophysticated chemistry these days.

    1. Re:Sombody did it for Nokia, in a explosives way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I find making my own drugs works fine.

      Of course, the electronics involved where limited to hooking up some metal halides, and a wee bit of plumbing.

  41. Battery Mod by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    One thing i have yet to see anyone use... if its rated for 8 - 30 volts use 2 7.2v RC racing packs in series those things were designed for Horrendous discharge rates ive used them on older notebooks with great success i figure an ipod would run for upwards of 40 hours on a pair of good sanyos

  42. Security Staff = Minimum Wage Job by Slashamatic · · Score: 1
    The people doing security are usually minimum wage staff on a stressful job and working shifts. They have to deal with annoyed passengers all the time. They will make mistakes and lots of them.

    Current security prevents low-grade terrorism, i.e., the old-style 'take-me-to-Cuba' hijackings. It won't do much to stop the high-end terrorist.

    As for cost effective, if Osama wants to kill americans, he should just buy a tobacco farm. He could then kill more than 9/11 did on an annual basis.

    1. Re:Security Staff = Minimum Wage Job by Helen+O'Boyle · · Score: 1

      Actually, it's NOT minimum wage. In the Seattle area, it pays better than most retail work. (Out of work techies take note: I know more than one of our kind doing this particular job while they wait for a tech opportunity.)

    2. Re:Security Staff = Minimum Wage Job by Slashamatic · · Score: 1

      Here it is more or less minimum wage. It is interesting that airports do not employ security staff directly, they employ security firms who then recruit the temporary staff. I'm unsure what added value the secuirity companies bring, but I guess they get more than minimum wage!

    3. Re:Security Staff = Minimum Wage Job by Ruzty · · Score: 1

      Maybe I am in an odd place but all our screeners are Federal employees. They booted all the private firms out and replaced them with government employees.

      -Rusty

      --
      The Master (Angelo Rossitto) in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, "Not shit, energy!"
  43. Use an ipod battery? by JasonEngel · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I wonder if it would be possible to make something like this external pack using an actual ipod battery (available at several online stores). Put it in a small project box of some sort with a firewire port on it and maybe some sort of led/light/whatever to indicate if it is charged.

  44. 5 laptop spare batteries across the atlantic by 3770 · · Score: 1

    This was admittedly before 9/11 but I used to carry 5 spare batteries for my Dell Inspiron in my carry on bag. I hate to fly and I can't sleep, no matter how long the flight is. So I used these batteries to watch DVDs.

    I used to cross the atlantic several times a year and never had a problem with security personell giving me a hard time about these batteries.

    --
    The Internet is full. Go Away!!!
  45. Crackhead mods! by I+Hate+Jesus · · Score: 0

    FAKE site!

  46. Re:Mirror for when site is down by iocat · · Score: 1

    Informative? You didn't check the link before modding, did you?

    --

    Dude, I think I can see my house from here.

  47. I made a similar pack... by SiMac · · Score: 3, Informative

    I built it with a Firewire cable with a female end that I cut in half and taped to a 9V clip, then I attached the 9V clip to an 8 battery pack. It didn't need any soldering, and it should last about 20 hours. I've determined that it can be stored in either a cornflakes box or a neoprene case; a hard case would probably work too. It's pretty cool.

    I thought of going the 9V route, but then it occurred to me that it's kinda pointless to have two 9Vs - 9Vs don't hold that much charge; their main benefit is that they're small. They're actually 6 tiny (and therefore inefficient) 1.5V cells in parallel. So there is no purpose in having two.

    1. Re:I made a similar pack... by Zaphod+Beebelbrox · · Score: 0

      You mean 6 tiny 1.5v in series. Parallel ads up the amperage, not the voltage.

    2. Re:I made a similar pack... by Zaphod+Beebelbrox · · Score: 0

      Oops, I made typo. I meant to type adds, not ads.

    3. Re:I made a similar pack... by Zaphod+Beebelbrox · · Score: 0

      Aaaarg, I'll start over and use good grammar this time. Haha, I fixed it before you guys could say It. You mean 6 tiny 1.5v cells in series. Parallel adds up the amperage, not the voltage

    4. Re:I made a similar pack... by Al-Hala · · Score: 1

      Quick correction. The cells are in series (voltage potentials add 1.5V +1.5V etc.

      Series connected cells supply higher voltage for the same current capacity. Parallel supplies the same voltage for higher current capacity.

    5. Re:I made a similar pack... by SiMac · · Score: 1

      Oops, you are right. I knew that ;-)

  48. Anyone else notice.... by telstar · · Score: 2, Troll

    Anyone else notice that this guy's latest blog entry talks about his dead iPod? Connect the dots....

    1. Re:Anyone else notice.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It looks like moderators did not bother to read your link, because his iPod is not dead, you troll.

  49. Which pins to use on the firewire socket? by scottme · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I don't see anywhere in the article which pins on the firewire socket one has to connect to pos & neg from the batteries. I'd want to be real sure I got that right before plugging a gizmo like this into my iPod.

    On second thoughts, I suppose all it takes to discover this is a multimeter and the Apple charger.

    Still, it would be a nice addition to the article if he would explain that.

    1. Re:Which pins to use on the firewire socket? by madpierre · · Score: 1

      For $$$ that you have to pay for an ipod. Presumably apple had the
      foresight to design in a protection diode or even a whole bridge.

      Then again if their goal is to sell more hardware ... umm.

      You're right though he should've included something as basic as a
      pin-out. Although looking at the way he mixes his battery's im not
      so sure. :)

      --
      siggy played guitar
  50. No one complained... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    when the iPod was originally released, everyone LOVED 8-10 hours. I get about 10-12 out of mine, consistently. All of a sudden it's a problem now.

  51. Leave hardware engineering to hardware engineers. by fmaxwell · · Score: 1

    A 9V engergizer giving out 625 mah would provide 3750 mah if converted to 1.5v (or what an AA runs at).

    It's not being "converted" to anything. It's producing 9 volts. The entire circuit is two 9v batteries in parallel (thus producing 9V) in series with two 1.5 volt cells in series, producing 12V total ( 9V + 1.5V + 1.5V).

    Each of those 9V batteries consists of six 625mah 1.5V cells in series. Each of the six cells is just smaller than a standard AAAA battery. If you put them in series (like they do in 9V batteries), you multiply voltage times six (6 x 1.5), and the mah rating remains 625mah.

  52. Dive lights sealed on airplane? by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure you are supposed to open dive lights or other sealed devices at least enough to unseal them before you fly - I always take mine apart before I go on a plane. Watertight cases have relief valves for just this need. The pressure difference between the inside of the device and the outside is not good (since dive equipment is designed to keep pressure out, not in)!

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  53. If you can tell me where to find a Rio Karma by MarcoAtWork · · Score: 1

    in Canada I'd be all ears... I've read enough stories of people with Karmas that had their HD fail in 3-4 months that I really would want to buy it locally or at least from a Canadian retailer (I wish amazon.ca started stocking electronics!)

    --
    -- the cake is a lie
    1. Re:If you can tell me where to find a Rio Karma by hugzz · · Score: 1

      i have a similar, but worth situation to yours. i really wanna buy one, but i know that there's a risk of it having HDD failure. if the HDD does have a problem, it will fail within warrenty.. but as an australian, it would cause big trouble for me still, since they're only available in america

  54. Danger! Warning! Fire risk! Pleeease mod up!!! by skywolf · · Score: 5, Informative

    To be blunt, this design isn't so bright... Sure, it produces a reasonable voltage, but it's not a good idea to mix different types / sizes of battery in this way. If batteries are mixed in parallel like the PP3 batteries in this circuit, large currents may flow from one of the batteries to the other - it's unlikely both batteries would output exactly the same voltage. If batteries of different sizes are mixed in series, one type may discharge before the other. The discharged cell may potentially be reversed - i.e. current will flow through it backwards. Either of these situations may cause the batteries to vent gas, overheat, or if safeguards fail they may even potentially explode. This is the sort of thing that you may get away with for some of the time, and you may not see any problems immediately - but in the long term you may well burn your house down. This advice comes from experience. If you short a rechargeable battery you can draw extremely high currents (even 10s of amps) and start fires very quickly. I once melted a long piece of plastic insulation very quickly when two contacts touched at the end of a battery lead. The battery got very hot - I burned my fingers trying to disconnect it. Treat batteries with respect. I'd be willing to wager that electronics kills many more people through fire than electrocution.

  55. I know the answer is "why not?" by peektwice · · Score: 1

    but why? It's more of a 7th grade science project than a hack. Besides, for 30 bucks or so, you can get a battery adapter thingie Or if using the ipod in your car, you can get a car cigarette lighter adapter, and run a line in to the car stereo.

    --
    Other than this text, there is no discernible information contained in this sig.
  56. bomb clock with battery should be ok by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Foolproof!

    www.spymall.com/catalog/images/bomb_clock2.jpg

  57. Yet another dumb slashdot article by TheLink · · Score: 2, Informative

    "12 volts. Since that isnt a common value for Batteries".

    Doh what part of 8 x 1.5 or 10 x 1.2(NiCads) doesn't he get?

    And his solution is to mix different types of batteries together.

    --
  58. Belkin Battery Pack by anamexis · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm still waiting for plans for a homemade Belkin battery pack.
    The difference?
    The belkin packs, as you may have noticed, use only 4x1.5V. They don't charge the iPod battery, they power the iPod, getting 15-20 more hours of playtime, a better solution to me. This is probably done by jumping a pin in the proprietary dock connector of the iPod.
    If someone could figure out which pin to jump or otherwise how to make this, it would be a wonderful solution.

  59. It's a plus by dema · · Score: 2, Insightful

    While this doesn't seem like an incredibly safe thing to do, it's certainly nice to see someone actually doing something about his battery instead of just bitching.

  60. Firewire by gruben · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No one seems to care about the fact that the guy didn't say how to connect the batteries to the FireWire connector! I mean, which pins to use, etc.

    He seemed more interested in explaining how to build a horrible case with the playing cards case :P

  61. powerbooks battery life by ende · · Score: 1

    Now if they could only build a solution for the powerbook.. I have new 15" 1ghz, and if I am lucky I get 3 hours of battery life.

    I'd pay more money if there was an after market battery that provided me with ~8 hours of life.

    It's annoying to only be able to watch one or 1.5 movies on a flight...

  62. For a long car trip... by painfall · · Score: 0

    Can't you just use a car adapter? Do those not exist anymore? Did I miss a meeting?

  63. While I'm wiring this thing up.. by NanoGator · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... I'm gonna have it play TV_Themes__MacGuyver.MP3.

    --
    "Derp de derp."
  64. Camcorder Battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    How about an aftermarket video camera battery ?
    Lots of sizes, shapes , capacities and voltages. Plus it's rechargable to boot...

  65. this seems like an expensive hack by Sparr0 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Those batteries are going to be eaten like candy... It would be much smarter to put together a lithium ion polymer pack and just recharge it... Stick 6 1Ah LI-P cells in the same amount of space, (2*3 arrangement) and you get your nice nominal ~11V with a hell of a lot more duration (2Ah) than alkalines, and a lot less cost. The cells will run you maybe $15 each, and will last for hundreds of charges.

    1. Re:this seems like an expensive hack by Al-Hala · · Score: 1

      Agreed. He's used 9V batteries, which carry the least amount of charge storage on the market in the standard sizes (one 9V is actually six smaller cells in series, meaning when one goes, so should the rest).

      He'd do better with a "D" alk (and eat the space savings), or even "AA"'s.

  66. The Right Way To Build An External Battery Box by BigBlockMopar · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's obviously not the work of a professional engineer, but that's what makes it neat. Taking a just barely functional knowledge of what's going on and solving a problem using available tools. I suspect this guy isn't going to be the professional EE you all think he should be for at least 4 more years

    Actually, I've seen a lot of EEs do the same thing, with no more understanding than the basic voltage drop analysis. You have to keep in mind that an engineering degree confers exactly the *opposite* thing to the practical knowledge required in the real world. Those people who make good engineers already got their practical knowledge from playing with Lego and hacking their bicycle.

    You see, the reason why a D cell is bigger than a C cell is bigger than a AA cell is bigger than a AAA cell despite all putting out ~1.5V is because of current capacity. A modern D cell will put out 1.5V into a 1A load for many (~15) hours, while a modern AAA cell will put out 1.5V into a 1A load for around an hour and ten minutes.

    Trivia question: why is there AA, AAA, C and D but no A or B? Answer: The A battery was a big 1.5V lantern battery used to heat the filaments in radios before rectifier tubes were practical to allow the radio to be plugged in to a regular outlet, and the B battery was a 30V, 45V or 90V battery used to provide the plate voltages for the tubes in these radios. The B battery stuck around until the early transistor radios of the late 1950s replaced all the tube portables. You can actually still buy both battery types but generally only through big electronic parts suppliers.

    (Quoting Duracell's alkaline battery data sheets, difficult to link directly to the PDF so click on "Technical Bulletin" and scroll to page 9/13, D cell 15Ah (15,000mAh) and AAA cell 1.15Ah (1,150mAh).)

    Go to Radio Shack and buy a multimeter. Stick it in current mode, and measure the current consumed by the iPod. Then look up the mAh (milliamp-hour) ratings for the type of battery you wish to use - NiMH, Energizer Lithium, Duracells, whatever. Do not mix battery types (brands, chemistries, etc), ages (new batteries and old batteries should never be put together in series), or sizes (AA, 9V, D-cells, etc.) because you will have some discharge faster than others, sometimes to the point of actually trying to "recharge" the weakest cells off the strongest cells.

    Figure out which battery size you need to use based on whatever you consider to be an acceptable battery life for long trips, and use it. Of course, there will be design trade-offs in order to achieve a reasonable size - shorter battery life or bigger and heavier batteries - some compromise will probably have to be reached. If all you care about is battery life, for example, just stick the iPod directly across a car battery.

    Get appropriate sized battery holders at Radio Shack or any number of electronic parts places - MCM Electronics, All Electronics, Digikey, Newark, Electrosonic, etc. Connect them in series and build them into a plastic or aluminum box, properly secured and screwed down. Use heat shrink tubing instead of electrical tape for all connections, and use a grommet (those little plastic things where the power cord enters your kettle or toaster or whatever) to prevent the wires getting frayed.

    And, most importantly, once you know the current the iPod consumes, multiply that number by two and buy a fuse with that rating. Put it in a holder in the battery box - that way, if the power cord to the iPod gets caught and damaged, or if the iPod fails catastrophically - there won't be a fire.

    --
    Fire and Meat. Yummy.
  67. Re:Leave hardware engineering to hardware engineer by autocracy · · Score: 1
    Yes, and no. I'm basing my math on taking a 9 volt battery and putting in a zero-loss dc to dc transformer (and wouldn't it be cool to find something like that!), then measuring how much I can draw. Amperage is rated based on the voltage level of the circuit. If you didn't place each of those each in series to gain more voltage and instead used them individually, you'd find the rating I gave, and also the comparison I'm attempting to make to the parent of my post.
    A 9V Energizer has 625mah while AA Energizers have 2850mah capacity. Parallel the two 9V and you are only up to 1250mah, which means that the two 9V batteries will be dead before the AA cells are even half of the way used up.
    Basically, both you and I are arguing against that statement above, just using different arguments to disprove it. That statement above is wrong because he's comparing the draw against two sets of batteries that are rated for different voltages, but is still attempting to use the voltage-dependant amp rating.
    --
    SIG: HUP
  68. iPod Car Chargers by the+JoshMeister · · Score: 3, Informative


    An inexpensive homebrew iPod battery sounds way cool! However, just to clarify something...

    Not bad for that long car trip where you just don't have a firewire charger handy.

    Actually, there ARE car chargers for the iPod, and they're only $20:
    http://www.xtrememac.com/foripod/car_charger.shtml

    Apple even sells the newer model at The Apple Store.

  69. battery recycling by Porag_Spliffing · · Score: 1

    Here (in the netherlands) pretty much every supermarket or major chain shop has a battery recycling box. We have paper, glass, clothes, and even small chemical waste recycling points in all the cities, towns and many villages along with active campaigns to get people to drop things in the right box.

    --
    Maybe you live in interesting times
  70. What are you people on about by Porag_Spliffing · · Score: 1

    First lets get this clear, this is no troll.

    I am European, I have been trogging around this continent and a few other for buisness and pleasure for many years. What is all this about batteries lining up or even having lots of batteries causing a security scare ? We have had terrorists of many flavours, IRA, ETA, Bader Maenhoff, UDP, PLO, Real IRA, Various commies, various faschists even the bloody animal lib chaps for years, we let them all on planes with bateries and sadfkgsdakfcsgdfk8ladf dsf9ryq +++NO CARRIER

    --
    Maybe you live in interesting times
  71. Car Charger by theraccoon · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I'm surprised no one pointed out that the cost of a 20 dollar car charger is not only cheaper than a box of playing cards and 4 batteries, but also nicer looking and just plain easier? I don't know, but it seems cutting the box open and reglueing it closed every time you need to replace the batteries (which, if they're not rechargable, cost additional money to replace, too), would be a real pain in the ass.

  72. Lamest Mod Ever. by howajo · · Score: 1

    Cigarette Lighter Plug + Firewire Plug = Virtually Unlimited 12 to 15 Volt power. This hack would only be cool if you were on a deserted island with gilligan and the professor rigged it up so you could listen to your iPod. Even then it is still outclassed by the coconut radio.

    1. Re:Lamest Mod Ever. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would you care about a battery hack when you were stranded on an island with Ginger and Mary Ann? Wait, this is /. Nevermind.

  73. Re:MODS, parent did NOT read the article by response3 · · Score: 1

    However, 70 bucks seems kind of steep for that thing. I'm sure you could make one with all or most of its functions and that looked as good for a lot less.

    $70 bucks is kinda steep? And $300-$500 bucks for a digital music player that has the same features of cheaper devices isn't? I don't know about you, but if someone can afford to dish out that kind of cash for a toy, then $70 bucks for a charger that looks nice and works well isn't too much to ask. Oh and if that doesn't justify it, how about supply and demand?

  74. Re:MODS, parent did NOT read the article by gujo-odori · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Nowhere did I say "Can't afford." Rather, my opinion is that the price is unjustifiably high for what you get. You could certainly argue that about the ipod itself, as you mention, and the high price of it is pretty much why I don't have one. I could afford one, but I don't see the ipod as offering sufficient extra bang for the large amount of extra bucks. A much cheaper player will meet all my needs, so I have no interest in an ipod, and won't until the price is much lower than it is now. And they get the battery situation worked out :-)

    Actually, though, I really prefer players with no moving parts. I don't need 4 gig of storage on a player; a large CF more than meets my needs, and doesn't have the one fatal problem of anything that goes around: someday it will stop going around.

    Supply and demand may allow for a $70 price (or not; time will tell if Belkin is at the wrong price point or not), but even that doesn't mean it's not steep. Anytime demand outstrips supply, that allows suppliers to reap windfall profits. Belkin might currently be the only people offering one of these. If six months from now ten other companies are making such a product, you'll see them selling for half what Belkin is currently asking, and still making a profit.

    Therefore, yes I do think that 70 bucks is really steep for one of those and would either wait or try building my own rather than spend that much.

  75. It *is* compatible with the Mini. by danielsfca2 · · Score: 1

    Why the hell wouldn't it be compatible with the iPod mini? Both come with a cable that goes from a 1394 port (like the one on his deck of cards) to the Dock connector on the bottom of the iPod. Even if he wired in the dock-cable to the battery pack, it would be compatible with the mini. The connectors are identical, as is every other connector on both devices (headphone jack and remote jack).

    For any accessory, as long as it isn't mandatorily dependent on the physical dimensions of one device (i.e. cases, OEM iPod Docks) any product designed for the 3G iPod works for the Mini and so on.

    Since this deck of cards, however, allows you to use your own 1394-1394 cable or 1394-Dock cable, it will work with any iPod ever made, along with any 1394 device in need of power.

  76. Palm battery setting by enkidu · · Score: 1
    This article may help you. I'm sure there are other copies of the hint out there.

    PHB summary: to change battery type setting on some Palms you can do "shortcut dot seven". This should echo the new battery setting. Repeating will cycle through the options (alk, NiCd, NiMH I think).

    --

    There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself
    -Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye
  77. Engineering DISASTER by nikkoslack · · Score: 1

    Although this is a novel idea, it is an engineering disaster. 9v batteries in series/parallel with AA batteries is VERY unsafe. A simple LM317 regulator with 4 9V batteries, 2 in series & 2 in parallel would be a novel external supply.

  78. A better homebrewed project: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://users.adelphia.net/~evansa/iPodCharger.html

    I made one of these myself, it works great. It uses 8 AA's in series so it complies with everyone's recommended battery schemes.

  79. Re:why 1000 songs ... only 7 hours by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The reason is that I don't know what I am going to want to be listening to two hours or four hours or six hours along. Your DIY project to carry 1000 disks so that you may choose what to listen to next will require a capacious golf bag at best.