Rechargeable Alkalines?

[tggzzz]

I get that most people haven't heard of rechargeable battery packs for laptops.
But incredulity is not falsification, and what I had was a laptop with a rechargeable alkaline battery pack.

Who made that laptop?, model number, details such as CPU etc.
When was this, exactly?
What did the battery pack look like?, how big was it?
What further details can you give about it?

Who the hell knows? I got rid of it over 20 years ago. You may as well bark at the moon.

Finally, a response.

Q.E.D.

[tooki]

I get that most people haven't heard of rechargeable battery packs for laptops.
But incredulity is not falsification, and what I had was a laptop with a rechargeable alkaline battery pack.

It is practically impossible to prove a negative. But you could easily prove the existence of such a laptop by finding documentation of it: an old ad or datasheet or review or something. Even without knowing the model name, you would find some sort of evidence that somebody once made such a thing.* You are the one making the extraordinary claim, so the onus is on you to prove it.

Meanwhile, the characteristics of rechargeable alkalines (low cycle count, poor high-current performance) make them unsuited to laptops, making it exceedingly unlikely that anyone would select them for that application. 


*I did search (Google, archive.org, Google patents) and came up with absolutely nothing supporting the existence of such a laptop. I did, however, find evidence supporting its nonexistence. The company that developed rechargeable alkalines, Battery Technologies Inc of Canada (founded 1986), had the following item in their FAQ on their website in April 2003:

(10) Are RAM cells available for camcorders, video cameras, cellular phones, etc?
All these so called OEM (original equipment manufacturing) applications use battery packs. Currently NiCad and NiMeHydride packs are available for these applications, and are very unpopular due to problems with the “memory effect” under actual use conditions. BTI's R&D lab is working on the development of battery packs for the OEM market.

If they had already produced laptop batteries, they would clearly have said so.

Regardless, they never got the chance to make any, because April 2003 is also the same month the company went out of business.

(The persons involved in BTI also moved on to other companies in 2003.)

Anything later than this is too late for your timeline of having disposed of it 20 years ago, so BTI was responsible for the entire rechargeable alkaline technology during the laptop era through 2003. (Prior rechargeable alkalines were only on the market briefly in the early 70s, much too early for any laptops.)

So I’d call your claim “busted” absent actual proof of its existence. Whatever your laptop used, it wasn’t rechargeable alkaline.

[Connecteur]

Once again, the fallacy of incredulity attempting refutation.
It was definitely an alkaline battery pack.  I took it to a battery specialist, and they offered to rebuild it for me.  There is no question what it was, outside your mind.

[MK14]

Once again, the fallacy of incredulity attempting refutation.
It was definitely an alkaline battery pack.  I took it to a battery specialist, and they offered to rebuild it for me.  There is no question what it was, outside your mind.

If they offered to rebuild it for you.  Then why didn't you go ahead and get it fixed/renewed, especially given your (implied from the original opening post of this thread), interest in 'green credentials', rather than disposing of something, still viably working.

Also, normally the original supplier/manufacturer, of the laptop, would be a good (or best), source of new/fresh battery packs.  How come, you didn't use that option?

[tooki]

Once again, the fallacy of incredulity attempting refutation.
It was definitely an alkaline battery pack.  I took it to a battery specialist, and they offered to rebuild it for me.  There is no question what it was, outside your mind.

It is far, FAR more plausible that you are simply misremembering the type of battery used in that laptop. If that isn’t the case, prove it.

[Connecteur]

Once again, the fallacy of incredulity attempting refutation.
It was definitely an alkaline battery pack.  I took it to a battery specialist, and they offered to rebuild it for me.  There is no question what it was, outside your mind.

If they offered to rebuild it for you.  Then why didn't you go ahead and get it fixed/renewed, especially given your (implied from the original opening post of this thread), interest in 'green credentials', rather than disposing of something, still viably working.

Also, normally the original supplier/manufacturer, of the laptop, would be a good (or best), source of new/fresh battery packs.  How come, you didn't use that option?

I sold the computer to a computer repair store guy.  He was quite surprised that the battery still worked on a laptop that old.  What is your problem?

[MK14]

What is your problem?

Have you ever made, a powerful (enough) battery, yourself at home?

Was it really easy?

[Connecteur]

Technically, a "battery" is an assembly of cells.  I have made several batteries by spot-welding together cells, usually to replace faulty batteries.  I have a UPS that had a lead-acid gel-cell battery that had failed. I replaced it with a battery of 18650 lithium cells.  The capacity before was 9 mAh. With the lithium battery it was 33 mAh.

[MK14]

Technically, a "battery" is an assembly of cells.  I have made several batteries by spot-welding together cells, usually to replace faulty batteries.  I have a UPS that had a lead-acid gel-cell battery that had failed. I replaced it with a battery of 18650 lithium cells.  The capacity before was 9 mAh. With the lithium battery it was 33 mAh.

Thanks for your answer.

The reason, I said what I said, was because.  There seem to be a number of 'these' threads, as in this actual thread.

In some case(s), the starting (opening) post, is identical or extremely similar.

In other case(s), the words are different.  But on reading the opening (and early) posts, by the OP, it would seem to be pretty obvious, that they are actually the same thread, as well.

In the earliest or earlier (as in years ago), version(s), the OP (thread starter), seems to indicate, that they have built such batteries, themselves.

They also seem to say (and/or indicate by titles and information lines), they are heavily involved and/or interested, in battery technologies, and/or especially rechargeable Alkaline cells.

I have NOT read all the available information, so may be missing some of the details, and/or misunderstanding what is going on.

[bdunham7]

Once again, the fallacy of incredulity attempting refutation.
It was definitely an alkaline battery pack.  I took it to a battery specialist, and they offered to rebuild it for me.  There is no question what it was, outside your mind.

I sold the computer to a computer repair store guy.  He was quite surprised that the battery still worked on a laptop that old.  What is your problem?

I'm trying to imagine the circumstances where you would take an old laptop with a working battery to a battery specialist.

https://youtu.be/QXrPLIF4S2U

[IanB]

What is your problem?

Everyone, literally everyone, remembers the brand name of a device that they owned, if they are of a technical mindset.

I have a UPS that had a lead-acid gel-cell battery that had failed. I replaced it with a battery of 18650 lithium cells.  The capacity before was 9 mAh. With the lithium battery it was 33 mAh.

Impressive. That UPS must have had a really long run time.

[Zero999]

Technically, a "battery" is an assembly of cells.  I have made several batteries by spot-welding together cells, usually to replace faulty batteries.  I have a UPS that had a lead-acid gel-cell battery that had failed. I replaced it with a battery of 18650 lithium cells.  The capacity before was 9 mAh. With the lithium battery it was 33 mAh.

What UPS has a capacity of just 9mAh? A single 18650 lithium cell a greater capacity than that.  Even assuming you're talking about Ah, not mAh, 9Ah is still pretty small.

[Siwastaja]

Don't you guys realize this is modern art, surrealism? We are all part of this piece of art. The more we hear "details", the more obvious it gets, like:

* Remembering battery type of your first laptop with 100% certainty, with no idea whatsoever about anything else of that first laptop
* This magical rechargeable alkaline pack still working after many decades, despite the fact everybody knows alkaline cells leaking in < 5 years,
* This magical computer being recently sold, yet still no remembrance of any details about the computer,
* 9mAh UPS battery,

and so on.

Other threads by this OP are all similar. It's surrealism.

And I don't agree this is derailing the thread. This thread is an artistic installation. My observation of it being art is part of the art itself, hence not derailing. We are all working for the OP here. "Report to moderator" was used by the OP also as a part of this installment, with the expected result, it produces the usual EEVBlog moderator response which only underlines the artistic effect.

[Connecteur]

Once again, the fallacy of incredulity attempting refutation.
It was definitely an alkaline battery pack.  I took it to a battery specialist, and they offered to rebuild it for me.  There is no question what it was, outside your mind.

I sold the computer to a computer repair store guy.  He was quite surprised that the battery still worked on a laptop that old.  What is your problem?

I'm trying to imagine the circumstances where you would take an old laptop with a working battery to a battery specialist.

https://youtu.be/QXrPLIF4S2U

Imagine this then: He wanted to see it, and he bought it.

[MK14]

Let's start dropping, links then.

Anyone else noticing similarities here?

I remember using a battery called 'Pure Energy' as a kid in the 90s.

'Pure Energy' battery brand made these for a pretty long time. They were actually pretty popular here in Canada

Source for above quotes (bold done by me):
https://www.reddit.com/r/batteries/comments/qzpykn/what_happened_to_rechargeable_alkalines/

When I was a child, I discovered that regular store-bought alkaline batteries could be recharged, and reused multiple times. I recall having a laptop back in the 90s....
cut.......
I think it was called, "Pure Energy."

[Zero999]

Once again, the fallacy of incredulity attempting refutation.
It was definitely an alkaline battery pack.  I took it to a battery specialist, and they offered to rebuild it for me.  There is no question what it was, outside your mind.

I sold the computer to a computer repair store guy.  He was quite surprised that the battery still worked on a laptop that old.  What is your problem?

I'm trying to imagine the circumstances where you would take an old laptop with a working battery to a battery specialist.

https://youtu.be/QXrPLIF4S2U

Imagine this then: He wanted to see it, and he bought it.

Did it have one of these batteries by any chance?

[bdunham7]

Imagine this then: He wanted to see it, and he bought it.

Who bought it--the battery specialist or the computer repair shop?   

[Connecteur]

Imagine this then: He wanted to see it, and he bought it.

Who bought it--the battery specialist or the computer repair shop?   

Now you're just trolling.
Face it.

[MK14]

Now you're just trolling.
Face it.

You seem to have admitted or hinted, to being possibly concerned with the EEVblog forums, reactions, to a previous thread.

I have been roundly criticized by members of the EEVBlog forum

from here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/batteries/comments/vuect8/the_freezer_treatment_works_for_old_lithiumion/

Which is a user that seems to have created, almost exactly this thread, elsewhere.

Are you disappointed with us, and trying to get your revenge?

[Connecteur]

Are you disappointed with us, and trying to get your revenge?

How exactly could that be possible?

[MK14]

Are you disappointed with us, and trying to get your revenge?

How exactly could that be possible?

There does seem to be a tendency (and a rumor that we do this here), to jump in with (often) technical engineering, criticism/disagreements/arguments, against what some people create threads about.

It can come across as being unsympathetic, harsh and even nasty.

Even if that, is NOT intended.

In theory, a person could be annoyed by such apparent arrogance, even if it is not really the case, if you can see and understand it, from an engineering perspective.

But some people, can take it the wrong way.

E.g. Free-energy (especially, initially disguised ones), threads.  Created by OP's (posters), who will absolutely ignore all arguments, against a video, purporting to demonstrate free-energy, and it is mind and soul destroying, 2 hours long, and so scientifically incorrect, it can be very tedious to watch, even for a minute or so.

[Ranayna]

Giving the benefit of doubt...
Could the "laptop" have been something like this?


It looks like it uses C cell alkalines, so might have been a worthwile target for rechargable alkalines.