Slashdot Mirror
USB Batteries
An anonymous reader writes "Tired of paying for new batteries all the time? Tired of searching for the charger for your rechargeable batteries? Worry not, because these new AA batteries will recharge direct from your USB port! This is such a cool idea, that I cant believe that no one has done it before." At $24 each I would hate to lose or break them on a regular basis.
Too bad the one in my keyboard is unpowered, and my tower is in such an awkward position. :(
Let's break this down.
4 batteries - $6 at Walmart for off brand or $10 - $15 for 4 name brand rechargables.
Cheap AA/AAA USB Charger $8 from tiger direct.
OR
Better AA/AAA USB Charger $20 from tiger direct.
The cheapest route gives you 4 batteries, each with twice the mAH for $14 plus shipping. The most expensive route gives you the same thing for $30 plus shipping. Either way, buying a battery with only 1300 mAH nowadays is like buying a midsized car with a 50 hp engine.
Bottom line? For novelty reasons, these batteries look interesting and you do not need to carry an additional charger. But at around $16 US apiece they are expensive and WAY underpowered. Additionally, you need one USB slot for each. If you buy a regular USB charger and use standard rechargeable batteries, you can charge several (up to 4) with one USB slot and spend half the money.
Conclusion? It's a neat novelty backup backup. But it is way to expensive.
Funnypics
And not affiliated with the product in any way.
Thanks for another Slashvert.
The little "L" like symbol means pounds not dollars.
It's what those crazy Brits use as money.
12 pounds, so much money.
Whoops, I meant $24 apice, not 16. Man that's even worse.
Funnypics
erm, it said 12.99pounds for TWO-which then is similar to 12 dollars each.
I used to have 'D' cells that'd plug in to a wall outlet, too. Trouble is, a large portion of the volume is devoted to the connector and charging circuit. But if 50% capacity is enough, I suppose they'll work.
I thought this might be useful, then I looked at some of my toys that take AA. My old Canon A70 takes 4AA. I use NiMH. I have a charger that can charge 4 batteries at a time. Ummm ... I don't think I even HAVE 4 USB ports :) and even if I did, I don't think they'd all fit. (Because you know how they like to cram a bunch of USB ports together and if you plug in something larger than a regular cable, the slot next to it is wasted)
.. I'm back to "I can't think of anything useful for it" :)
So really, it's only useful for say, an MP3 player that takes a single AA battery. But then again, my brother's little samsung mp3 player has a built-in Li Ion battery and a USB plug built in that can flip up. And it's hardly bigger than a AA battery.
Hmmm
AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
The article mentions that they are £12.99 which is a lot more then $12.
costing just £12.99 for two AA USBCELL
I have a 15 minute quick charger (by Rayovac) and I would hate to go back to having to actually wait hours for my batteries to charge. This is a cool idea, but lets try and speed it up and then I'll be interested.
Meh.
This is what dislexia is really all about: inability to read properly. It's not $12, it's 12.99GBP, which roughly stands for $25.
For this money I can buy brand deltaV charger and 4xAA NiMH accus. Each one of them 2500mAh, or about twice the capacity of said USBCELL.
RobertBastard Operator From 193.219.28.162
I predict these will fail. Today, electronics that one would typically use rechargable batteries come with custom batteries and are self charging. (For example, my MP3 player, camera, and phones use a custom battery and have the charger build into the unit.) Other electronics, like remotes, last so long on a single pair of batteries that using rechargables is pointless.
Does anyone remember the rechargable ankalines that came out in the mid-90s? (I don't remember the brand name.) I used to use them in my CD player because they'd last for hours and were cheap. These don't last long, and cost too much money.
No, I will not work for your startup
With car-based USB-for-power-only ports, this can be a convenient way to recharge your batteries.
Now if only I could plug my Remington into my laptop for a quick charge....
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Tired of searching for the charger for your rechargeable batteries?
Even with this, VA employees will still be looking for the battery charger.
In most cases, if you have USB power you have an outlet. In rare cases where your out in the middle of no where with nothing but a notebook and a GPS unit running on AA batteries, and you need to keep the GPS charged so you can make it out there before dark, I guess these would be of use. Cant realy think of any other time.
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
Hmm.. $20 for a way to drain my laptop faster? If I have power to waste, I'm usually close enough to an outlet to use a cheaper rechargeable battery... has there been a clamor for USB powered power devices that I wasn't aware of? Short of recharging my iPod, most of my USB needs are computer peripherals. I think you can file this with the Java enabled toaster.
Time to get my USB powered electric pencil sharpener patented and on the market
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grrrrrrr what a fucktard.
If you saw it this morning, why didn't you submit it then?
I can think of another 'cool' idea. How about learning the proper use of the Engrish language?
Who ever designed this wasnt a hematopathologist. USB-CELL sounds like an obscure WHO leukemia/lymphoma classification.
I have an aftermarket mouse for my Mac that already charges AA sized batteries for the wireless mouse. Works great and I always have spares. They tend to just last for a week in the mouse but I think that's more of a a lack of real power management. I couldn't care less since it's already outlasted virtually all my wireless PC mice. My average on PC wireless mice is 30 days and I've had several die after a week. I've tried every name brand for wireless PC mice and they all seem like crap. I went back to hardwired optical mice on my PCs but my Mac is still going strong. Wish the company made PC mice.
OK, no more about batteries unless its something like new AA cell is rated at 1200may. (note thats years, not hours).
Let's see - 5 hours to charge so you either leave a laptop on and run it's battery dead - wait - that little 3 prong hole in the wall - AC power - I can plug my laptop in there save its battery or I can plug in a real battery charger and fast charge my much cheaper, higher capacity AA/AAA's.
A battery charger is small, small, lightweight and can be has with dual voltage. Mine is 6 years old and weighs a few ounces - including cord and EU adapter.
If you really don't want to carry a charger you can buy a dozen high capacity rechargable AA's at the price of these - and simply carry them with you. (If you really would use that many you probably would carry a charger anyway).
This is an expensive answer to a question no one is asking.
Slashdot - we now spam the globe for you...
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
Most computer have the usbports stacked so they would only be able to charge one at a time.
If you have access to the power brick you have access to an outlet so why not charge them from one.
Charging from the laptop while on battery power would surely drain things probably quicker than the battery could fully charge up.
You can buy around a dozen or more regular rechargables for the price of one of these so whats the point. This is definately one of those "because we can" products like usb mitten warmers and coffee warmers.
I look at my Sony Walkman Bean (now defunct, sure); it plugs into the USB port and recharges itself. Built in rechargeable battery.
/\/\icro/\/\uncher
Unless the electronics are really well engineered (aka foolproof design) then a failure could result in a damaged motherboard, especially considering the amount of current these things are capable of drawing. Surface mount fuses aren't much fun to replace, especially in laptops. I'd wait a while to see if any horror stories surface before plugging that thing into my machines.
On a related note, the Motorola Razr cell phone's power connector is mini-USB, so it can charge off of your USB port as well.
Dan East
Better known as 318230.
In the last couple years they've dropped rechargeables to 1.2V which means normal batteries are delivering 25% more power if the amps stay the same. I don't want 'em.
And that figure is including tax and shiping...
Imagine you are on travel. Your battery is discharged. Well it's pretty certain you know where your expensive computer is. And it's pretty certain you know where the battery is--it's the damn thing you need to charge. But where the heck did I misplace that charger. Oh damn, it's at home. Or it's at work or it's in the other computer's computer bag. Out of luck.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
they go bad very very often sometimes not lasting any longer than a regular alkaline, and then will not hold a charge again. Ive had better luck with Radio shack brand than energizer but still dont think Id buy them again.
Even had dewalt 18 volt batteries go bad, and they cost 70$ apiece, at least dewalt guarantees them for two years though.
No wireless. Less space than a Nomad.
Lame.
Okay, unless I'm recharging these from my laptop battery (which is, I'd say, pretty dumb in most cases, but might have very limited utility somewhere), my charger is going to be close to my plugged-in computer, which is going to be close to a power strip with several outlets.
Where I could just plug in a more conventional charger, instead of plugging it into my USB port of my computer. Its no harder to remember where that charger is than the one plugged into my USB port. Where is the benefit?
That sound you hear is the joke whooshing over your head. The Simpsons quote should've been a major tipoff.
20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
A USB batter charger . This way you can use 2500mAh batteries rather then having half the capacity taken up by the usb port and charging circuit.
I just replaced all of my regularly used rechargeable batteries with 2500maH sets and I will never go back to lower rated batteries again. On my vacation last week I shot over 400 photos and about 4 minutes of video on my Canon S1 IS and I only recharged the batteries once.
You don't have to worry about charging on a USB port if your batteries don't die all of the time.
ÕÕ
So what Brittish companies can we ridicule with the £?
Obviously ££oyds of £ondon
Lets think... there's the £and Rover, although not really Brit owned now.
Virgin Air£ines?
Che£sea footba££ C£ub?
anything that has Eng£and in its name
How could anyone forget the Roya£ Fami£y?
GlaxoSmithK£ine is Brittish based and thats a good one, a drug company we know they on£y care about money
Uni£ever is also Brittish
any other suggustions
Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
There's more geek factor here than real usability. Anyone had their charger melted to slag because of leaky batteries? Yeah, me too. Personally, I wouldn't mind too much if a $10 charger got toasted, but not my $1xxx laptop. I can garentee that they won't be held responsible should anything get toasted with your lappy...besides, there has been enough troubles with the official laptop battery blowing up without throwing something like this into the mix...
We're all hypocrites. We all have hidden parts, it's the contrast between them that make us more a hypocrite than others
If you had spent $6 on a real battery, with double the capacity of your 'nifty' USB battery, it wouldn't need to be recharged in the first place.
paintball
in addition to having less capacity, and being very much more expensive, they recharge more slowly than regular rechargables do in a dedicated charger. If you're putting them into a USB port which is ultimately AC powered, well, why not just use a faster, cheaper, charger.
And if someone plans on charging off a notebook running under battery power, do they really intend (or are they even able) to run the notebook for the 5 hours needed to recharge these?
This makes no sense at all, and are certainly nothing to be "excited about." So much for "trusted reviews."
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
"Hey look, this battery dies twice as fast, but if it's dead, you can recharge it on USB!"
"Uh, yeah, couldn't I just have used a regular battery that wouldn't be dead yet?"
You can have:
- an expensive, dead, 1300 mAh USB battery that you need to recharge on your laptop (good luck on your laptop battery not going dead first!)
- a cheap, half-full 2500 mAh regular rechargable battery that you don't need to recharge at all.
paintball
What?!? $24 is ridiculous. A standard NiMH battery uses about 10mA at 1.41V during an overnight charge; surely a USB cable can provide that to charge stander NiMH batteries. And overnight charging does not require an end-of-charge sensor, so this is way to expensive.
The government can't save you.
I own about 16 Rayovac rechargable AAs. I've never had one go bad on me. At this point I'm sort of hoping they do, because their 1600mAh is starting to look a little anemic compared to the new crop of 2500mAh'ers.
I use them in my 4AA bike lights, and in my digital camera. They've saved me hundreds of dollars.
Rayovac is a rockin' brand. They don't advertise, period. So they cost less than Duh-a-Cell or Enervizer, and in my experience they perform very well indeed.
NiCad rechargables sucked. Those haven't been around for decades though.
If you're going to post product promotions and endorsements at least have the 'nads (and honesty) to divulge your vested interest in the product.
Just think, you can get on the plane, plug the batteries into your laptop while you're working, and by the time you get from London to NY, your iPod is all charged up!
It's all about the chemistry, not some kind of voltage deflation. Zinc cells give 1.5V (alklines, etc). NiCd and NiMH gives 1.2V. Lead acid gives 2 and a bit V. You can't make a NiCd battery at 3V. A battery is a stack of cells, so it can only provide an integer multiple of the cell voltage (2.4 or 3.6V is as close as you'll get with NiCd).
Lots of people here seem to hate these batteries, but I think these would be just perfect for the Wireless Mighty Mouse. My Mac Pro arrives tomorrow, and I could easily imagine keeping one of these stuck into a front USB port.
At least stop fixating on mAh's if you're doing anything that requires a fast discharge (i.e.:fast action photography work that requires a flash).
My main beef with how batteries (rechargeable, or disposable) are rated these days, has to do with the fact that most of them don't disclose the internal resistance of the battery. The AA battery could have 4000 mAh, but if it's resistance is so slow that my flash takes 15-20 seconds to recharge, it's useless. I'll gladly take a 1000 mAh battery that recharges my flash in 5 seconds, even if I have to change batteries three times in a shoot.
As for everyone that's going to try to say "well if you bought a better camera," well let me shoot a few holes in that theory. First off, I'm a professional photographer that does a majority of my work out of the studio. Often I'm at public events that require lots of pictures, in short bursts. In low light condition I rely on my hot-shoe flash to handle the lighting. My options in this setup are either walk around with a brick (large battery designed specifically to power camera equipment) around my neck, or use AA batteries. Consequently I go buy the Energizer lithium eight pack of AA batteries or two pack of CRV3's for about $20.
If I could get some guaranteed good, low resistance, rechargeable batteries, I would buy them in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, the technical specs on most batteries just aren't available, because everyone fixates on "how much power they hold."
how about a Hub and extension cable?
Now, throw in a couple-o-dozen megs of flash built in and you might actually have something. I could store the device drivers for my peripherals in the very same batteries that run them. No more hunting for driver discs. Oh, that and increase the mAh capacity.
I really wonder why charging of ALL sorts of gadgets which run on one lithium-ion cell isn't automatically done when you anyway connect that thing to the PC to transfer data?
The USB port has 5V and one lithium-ion cell has a maximum of 4.15 volts, (So there's enough voltage difference to properly charge the lithium cell).
A few gadgets already does get charged when they anyway are connected to the PC, why not ALL of them?
I would be happy to save the cost for the regular charger, and find it very practical to plug it into my PC to have it charged, and for those few who doesn't have a PC, or for whom it would not be practical to charge via the PC, a regular charger or a solar charger with a "USB"-plug, would be an obvious accessory.
(I really wonder how much extra money I have paid for all those chargers sitting around unused, from gadgets that broke or went out of use. Worst of all, all these chargers are still in working condition!)
Then we would also have gotten the bonus of a 5V charger plug being standarized, so that any one lithium cell-gadget can use any 5V charger, including any USB port, ending the trouble with the pileup of orphaned chargers.
Also, the regular plug-in of your whatever type of data collecting and/or processing gadget into your PC to get it charged, probably will be god for your (at the moment non-existing?) habits of taking backups of it before you loose it or break it - that is, if you also take regular backups of your hard drive...
End Of Utopic Dream
£12.99 for two including VAT. So that £11.06 before tax.
The exchange rate is around 1.8887 right now so $20.88 for two.
Which makes it $10.44 for one AA.
Still massivly overpriced but not as high as you said.
One stupid LED as a status? It's already USB! Why not also a little icon indicating charge status, how much power has left... Even maybe intelligent software to even tell how many seconds of gameplay I'll have my Sega GameGear! Ah.. USB. It reminds me when I saw the first USB speakers, I was amazed of how quicly computer technology has gone beyond prediction.. . Witnessing speakers crash! At least Windows 95 OSR2 somewhat tried to continue after a blue screen.
Actually, it would be cool if most devices could simply work with rechargable AAA batteries. Having different batteries for cameras, cellphones, portable game systems, mp3 players.. too much stupid cables everywhere. Maybe something more usable, like flat, square things, Lego-like. One of them to power a camera, maybe interconnect 5 to power a portable mp3-video player, or, interconnect 100 and a Dell laptop to celebrate the 4th of July!
Lets see, 15,000 should do it.
Then I can power a car off my laptop battery...
-- I am the NRA, enough said...
Obviously, this thing doesn't meet any of the applicable specs, especially the specs that address power consumption when a device is not configured. I don't see a USB logo anywhere on their web site.
Use at your own risk.
So how did they get around Dallas/Maxim?
Unless they're inserting some kind of Ipod-esqe "cradle" as an electron-laundering scheme.
Caveat Emptor is not a business model.
Congrats on getting them to fix an post which wasn't wrong.
What about making a little removable USB cap that fits over the rechargeable AA? Don't know how you'd hit the bottom electrode though.
Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
There is no such thing as a free lunch. I wonder how many people will discover that their notebook computer runs out of power after 27 minutes because they're trying to recharge batteries in the USB port. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Put me on the wait list to not buy these.
So where do I download the device drivers?
USB charging is pretty wasteful of power too. If you use a dedicated charger you can turn off that damn computer.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
OK, these look nifty, but I've been using a USB-powered battery charger for two years as part of my Kensington Wireless Desktop. It charges two batteries at once, and the mouse and keyboard each require 2 batteries. It does its job well, and only requires a single USB port. And plus it acts as a nifty base station for my wireless keyboard and mouse! I use 2500mAh NiMH batteries, and they go for weeks of 9-hour-a-day usage before needing to be replaced.
I have to give this a big "so, what?" It's like selling a pencil with a clock built into it. I mean, sure, it's nifty, but it's a solution looking for a problem.
Matthew P. Barnson
I learn what I think when I read what I write
where an AC talks about a cool new product, I automatically assume said AC is a marketing rep from producer of product.
"Would you, could you, with a goat?" Dr Seuss
My boss had a mobile-phone charger that connected to a USB port about three years ago. It worked a treat.
...the reason I'm posting AC is because my 4-digit UID was permanently trashed to "-1 Terrible" karma by Michael Sims after I dared to post a non-sycophantic question about his intentions regarding a particular story.
Good ol' Slashdot.
I wonder if these work on USB 1.1, since many powered devices (ie, hdd sled) require an additional power source. Should be alright - but it begs an answer, i think.
The Eveready site, http://data.energizer.com/ shows that NiMH AA batteries have 30-40 milliohms internal resistence and can be used to put out 4A continuously. For the Li AA they don't recommend more than 3A burst mode, so in fact the NiMH batteries should be just as suitable. I always do carry some Li batteries as emergency spares, for one thing they have essentially unlimited life (90% power after 15 years!). NiMH batteries lose 1-2% of their charge per day so you need to charge every month to make sure they aren't too low on charge.
From the article: "they could be set to deliver the same killer blow to the battery market that memory sticks did to floppy discs." Really? Lets see. floppy disk: 1.4MB, about 4"X5" in size typical thumbdrive: 256MB, about, well, about the size of a child's thumb. Conventional rechargeable AA: ~2000 mAH, standard AA size, can recharge in maybe an hour with decent charger. USB rechargeable AA: 1200 mAH, standard AA size, recharge in 5 hours. yeah, that's a killer blow all right...
Well, let's see...
I could get a GPS receiver with a custom Li-Ion, or I could get one for which I can easily carry spare AAs for the hike. Which will be more useful on the third day of the backpacking trek?
Let's just say that after I get back from the backpacking trek, I want to do some photography with my nice collection of SLRs and lenses, but I need a little fill flash off camera... That's four AAs each for the Canon flashes, and several sets if I'm shooting a lot, and I can't bring huge softbox/umbrella/strobe/power setups where I shoot.
Okay, now that I'm done with photography, I decide that I'd really like to do some night dives. My backup lights all run off AAs (or C cells, if I'm carrying the bigger ones). Why bother with the big can light for a little clear, shallow water (and the can light's well over an order of magnitude more expensive, anyway).
Well, I get done diving, and... Oh, just forget it.
(Incidentally, if the USBCELLs were a joke, I'd chuckle at a fun Rube Goldberg device. If they're not a joke, I'd shake my head and wonder what *idiot* would buy them... and what else I can sell to him.)
At the rate things are going, cities will be powered not with nuclear power stations, but by a gigantic laptop, with the grid plugged into the USB port. Better watch out the battery doesn't explode, though.
... and then they built the supercollider.
"unauthorized charging device" is a crucial pice of information. You may have invalidated your warranty with all these unauthorized electrons from the Linux box. OTOH, an USB port should be able to source 5V, 500 mA if I recall the specs correctly. Most ports are protected by PTC fuses, which resets themselves after a short circuit when they cool down. This is plenty for a 3.6V telephone battery, and internal circuitry in battery or phone usually restricts the current to a safe level. This is not a statement that YOUR combination of USB, battery or telephone may work, just a statement that MY combo seems to do the trick modulo 4 hours of charging time.
accept no limits but time
My 15min charger and batteries have been working great for over 2 years now. I don't see me having to buy new re-chargables anytime soon. Keep living in your slow charge world, I'll take the quick charge over that any day!
Meh.
This is a great idea for wireless keyboards and mice. Integrate these batteries in to the devices and when they run low, just plug them in to your PC for recharging with a detatchable USB cable. This could be done overnight so in the morning you are back an running as wireless instead of tethered.
Look at the whole picture, not just the hole in the picture.
personally, it has been done, kinda.... A4tech has a cordless mouse that uses AAA, and to recharge it you plug in the USB calble to the mouse. That way while recharging, you are using a temporary corded mouse. I thought this was brilliant as there is no "downtime" in swapping batteries.
15 Min Recharge Info
From the page:
Rayovac's patent-pending I-C3 technology (In-Cell Charge Control) puts the control of the recharging into the battery, instead of the charger.
15 Minute Rechargeables
Why Buy I-C3:
* Unsurpassed charging time - 15 minutes or less
* Lasts up to 3 times longer than standard alkaline
* Can be recharged up to 500 times
* Price - Very inexpensive compared to the hundreds of disposable alkaline batteries needed to match the lasting power of the 15-Minute Rechargeable System; far less expensive than lithium batteries
* Safe design - system monitors the charge in each individual battery for safe charge design, speed and reliability
500 charges sounds pretty good to me. Even at 50% charge, would last 1.5x longer than an alkaline. Also, this charger doesn't charge all rechargeables in 15 minutes, just specialized I-C3 batteries. So, there is a (rather significant) difference between your normal NiMH and these. It's not a "flash charger", just the charger that these batteries are designed for. The battery basically handles its own charging and timing.
We use the AA and AAA I-C3 rechargeables for cameras (my wife does weddings and other events), audio recorders and players (I use the AAA for digital recorders. I record roughly 4 hours each week, and listen about 8, all on 1 AAA. After charging all 4, I only have to charge once a month). And, of course, there's the TV remotes, LED flashlights, and camping radios.
And let me tell you, for flashlights and radios, there's no greater joy while camping then running my car for 15 minutes and charging the batteries quickly. I can't run my car 5 hours just to recharge some AA's. That's just crazy talk.
Here's a tip for travellers: Go to a gas station and ask for the wall socket for 15 minutes to recharge some batteries. Usually there is an empty spot behind the coffee machine, and then just take your time shopping for sodas, ice, something microwavable, bathroom, etc. You can't do that with 5 hour recharges.
And no, I'm not affiliated with Rayovac, I just find their quick charge batteries a real convenience and well worth it (unlike other rechargeables).
I8-D
i.e, a senselees application of technology. This makes little logical or financial sense. I really doubt it would pay for itself, besides if you are somewhere where you can not get to an electrical outlet to plug in a $10 battery recharger, do you really want to drain the battery of your laptop like this? Makes for a fun /. article, but only the most tech-obsessed will buy this.
I was actually curious exactly how it worked after posting, so I checked. It all has to do with pressure:
1. How does the 15-Minute Rechargeable system work?
The I-C3 technology used in the 15-Minute Rechargeable System allows unsurpassed charging speed due to the system's ability to control the internal cell pressure. With currently available technology, expensive smart electronics must be built into the fast chargers to monitor voltage and temperature and avoid excessive pressure build-up. This breakthrough allows faster charging.
Hmmm, sounds like something Taco Bell should license for their bean burritos.
I8-D
How about a power supply with a USB connector on it, just for charging your USB batteries?
Joke: ->
/|\
You: O
/ \
If I knew the wedgies I gave you back in 6th grade would have resulted in this . . . I might have taken a moments pause.
That's clearly the most expensive battery charger I've yet seen -- and biggest too!
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
Only beginners and the guys that don't mind a heavy battery pack use NiMH. It is just cheaper if you want to be able to draw 100 Amps from your pack. The discharge rate for NiMHs is about 8C, while some lithium Polymer batteries claim up to 20C. (The C here means the dischage factor, or how much amps * the battery capacity you can discharge continiously.) A cheap 2.2Ah 10C lipo can deliver 22 Amps at ~11.1V, which works out to ~240 Watt. What kind of flash would you like to run off that?
But even for AA NiMHs, a 7 cell pack can deliver 8C * ~1.6Ah * 8.4V = ~ 100 Watt. That is still ample power to run a flash on (that is only on for 1/10000th of the time)
My guess is the GP does not know what he is talking about and/or is no professional photographer. Maybe the symptoms he sees are there, but they are not caused by insufficient battery capacity.
Oh and normal litium [ion|polymer] cells are 3.7V. How/why you would make a functional AA Cell (at 1.5V)out of that is beyond me.
This space is intentionally staring blankly at you