h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why are mobile phone batteries Lithium Ion (No memory effect, lots of power) and normal rechargies NiCad(get all scuzzed up, don't hold much charge, etc)??

The reason why lithium batterys are not as common, is because they are extremly expensive. For
example on a recent minidisc player(mentioning no names) which could be run off both AA's and a
lithium battey. AA's £3-4 lithium £60!
See my point?

I think, although I could be very, very wrong, it's a matter of cost. The additional battery for my mobile is US$90. Granted, it is a specialized piece and all that, but...it's just a battery! I have NiMHs for my digital camera which weren't cheap either (about $70 with the charger) but they charge in about 40 minutes from totally flat. Granted, digital cameras are not the most energy-efficient users of battery power, but I can usually get about 70-80 shots on one charge, provided I use the flash judiciously.

That's what I get for typing too much, pre-empted.

So, can I physically buy rechargable Lithium Ion AA batteries to run my gameboy on??

I am a recent convert to NiMH batteries. I bought a recharging unit which came with 4 AA NiMH batteries on the advice of a photographer friend for £13.99 from Jessops photography shop (£3 off in the sale at that time) and they rock! charge lasts for 2 hours 30 in my MTB backup lamp and this eats NiCads for breakfast! they are the only batteries that compete with Duracells for run time. I am told there is no down side to them - ie. you can charge them from half full, burn them right down, trickle charge, you name it. I am now waiting to see whether all of this is true. I think they would be perfect for GameBoy. The only down side I can see is the 15 hour charge time which is a bit long.

Dunno, but I do know for sure that you can buy NiMH AAs which may last somewhat longer. No guarantees, and mine were really expensive, but at the prices that batteries are going for these days, it will pay off rather shortly, if you use it a great deal.

Grrr...pre-empted by one minute this time. Ridiculous.

My NiMHs charge really really fast, though. An hour, tops, for a full charge. But I paid US$70 for them and the charger. Shop around, maybe there are different "flavors".

Hey sorry I pre-empted you there, I think my NiMH may actually charge a lot faster as I have been reading the instructions which state 15 hours is the Maximum charge time. I'm going to try less in stages and report back.
Cheers.

No problem on the pre-emptage, I just think that it's funny it's happened twice in the same forum in 14 hours' time.

Oh yeah, and I've seen NiMHs for $20, but apparently mine are 'high-capacity' or 'quick charge' or something, which explains the cost. I think.

NIMH batteries still have the memory effect and are only higher power than NICAD's, so lithium's are still the kings, 2.5 hour charge for 10 playback, thats prettygood!

Lithium batteries do seem to be very very overpriced. I also have a minidisc and have been quoted £40 for a battery. Considering the quantity of minidisc players sold by this company I can't see how they can justify this cost (especially when I see this same battery turning up in everything from SLR cameras to walkmans).

Lithium batteries do perform well though, giving a stable, flat output until the voltage suddenly drops. All the bonuses of rechargeable batteries without the nicad memory effect. The downside is the price!

Have you seen any of the new battery technology that has been spawned as part of the research into EV's (electric vehicles)? California has legislation that requires vehicle manufacturers to sell a certain proportion of Zero Emission Vehicles from 1998 onwards. The USABC (United States Advanced Battery Consortium) is a group made up of Government departments, battery and vehicle manufacturers and electricity generators, that is pushing battery technology forward.

New types include:

sodium-metal-chlorine
zinc-bromide
zinc-air
nickel-metal hydrides

out of these zinc-air seems to be the most promising for EV use. Obviously any battery research is good for consumers as this type of stuff tends to trickle down (no pun intended) into consumer electronics.

There is no need to buy lithium batteries for your gameboy as you can get dedicated power packs from companies like Gamester which are specifically designed ni-cad units in a pretty casing that will give you lots and lots of play time. They are also much cheaper, include the charger and clip onto your gameboy for ease of use. Great for long flights and coach trips! Some of these units include extras like a better speaker, magnifying glass or light.

Check out the new Gameboy Advance, being released later this year. 32 bit processor, letting you play all those cool Nintendo SNES games, higher resolution screen with more colours and six buttons to allow more in-game control.

The Neo-Geo also looks pretty cool but the software is kind of limited (about 20 titles at the moment).