I just wanted to take a minute to appreciate interchangable batteries

https://lemmy.ml/post/2948216

I just wanted to take a minute to appreciate interchangable batteries - Lemmy

I know these are currently out of fashion but I’m still thankful they exist. Let’s remind ourselves of devices that use(d) these standardized batteries: * Toys * Digital cameras * Torches * Gadgets like fans * Wireless keyboards * TV remotes Thanks to having a standardized system of batteries, * You can use the same battery across several devices. This is a no brainer but it’s very practical. * Batteries can charge quicker thanks to being put in a dedicated charger and not being limited by USB cables. (But yes I concede that USB has been updated for faster charging over the years) * Devices don’t have down time when their battery is charging. To charge, the battery it removed from the device and can immediately be replaced with a fresh one. * You’ll never have to trash a device due to an expired battery. Just buy a replacement. And building on this… * Any improvements in future battery technology can be retro-fitted into your existing devices. And there is a high incentive for future improvement, because… * An accessible (due to easy replacement) and large (due to many devices) battery market is very competitive. If you look at the pros I listed, they all happen to be things that are very desired in the electric car industry. So I think it would aid the adoption of electric cars if the batteries were standardized in the above way.

Those photos you’ve posted are NiMH batteries… which discharge on their own at a fairly rapid rate even if you’re not using them at all. They’re also pretty big and heavy for the amount of power they provide (which, due to the self-discharge issue, is effectively a lot lower than the official number on the battery).

I strongly recommend investing in devices that use 18650 batteries. Those are similar to cell phone/laptop/electric car batteries. It’s worth investing in good brands of battery too - the quality varies significantly from brand to the next.

For example, basically all power tool batteries.

If they advertise ~12V, it means it is 3 'cells' of 18650s in series. Crack open the case on such a tool battery and you'll find just that -- 3 18650 batteries for the small size. A high capacity battery might instead of 6, with 3 pairs of 2 parallel batteries, doubling the capacity. And nothing but weight and size stops them from just making them ever-larger.

18-20v tools are 6 cells (18v is the nominal voltage, 20v is the 'max' voltage at full charge). Higher cap, more batteries in parallel in each series cell.

It is RARE to be able to service these unless you have some specialized skills. Typically, they are spot welded together, which can be dangerous to attempt to DIY. That said, often when a battery 'fails', it's actually just one 18650 that has failed and taken the others down with it.

That said, these days you do see other sizes. 21700s or even pouch batteries are starting to be more common when tools need more stored joules per unit volume.

There are some clever innovations from some tool manufacturers too.
DeWalt has launched batteries that work with both 18v and 54v systems, by having different pins on the output wired to different points in the battery chain.

(3 sets of 3 in series for 18v, or 9 in parallel for 54v, I’m assuming)