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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
 Posted - 08/03/2015 : 15:21:59
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Came across this online campaign, right up there with the "ADE 651" fake bomb detector and the "Quadro Tracker" purchased by school boards for detecting drugs in lockers and purchased by police departments. Google for more details on those. Todays it's the Batteriser: Extend Battery Life By Up to 8x.
Their literature has gems like,,,
"As seen on TV"
"Meet the simple device that could,,, Engineering.com
"It's definitely the most promising thing",,, ZME Science (who?)
"PCWorld run tests has us excited,,, Yahoo! Makers
and much much more.
It's raised over $188,000 and with eight days left the stupid money is shooting for $200,000.+.
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There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2015 : 15:48:47 [Permalink]
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Batteriser – Cool Tech or Scam? by Steven Novella at NeuroLogica Blog
A company is claiming that they have created a small sleeve costing only $2.50 that will fit over standard alkaline batteries, and boost their life by up to 800%. My initial reaction to this claim is that it is almost certainly total BS. But I am always willing to give a new claim a fair shake and dive into the details.
The reasons for my initial skepticism are many. Energy scams are common. They often promise incredible effects from implausible devices. Usually, by asking one simple question, you can destroy the claims utterly – from where is the extra energy coming? The laws of thermodynamics are called “laws” for a reason, and reality is a harsh mistress. |
Read on.
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
 Posted - 08/05/2015 : 02:18:47 [Permalink]
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I wrote about this on facebook. Somehow I can't seem to find it.
The electric principle of the Batterizer is sound.
The most basic version of the voltage step-up circuit, similar to the one the Batterizer is relying on, can be made with only three electronic components.
Yes, I agree that prolonging the battery life 8 times is pure BS.
Prolonging the battery life 2x is most likely a stretch.
But here's the thing: Many devices does not use up all energy there is in a battery.
(If you scroll down on the Kickstarter page, there's a table showing thrown-away batteries and how much energy there's left, and a link to a survey though I haven't read it, I can't say anything about its veracity)
I have a MiniDisk I don't use anymore, but back in the days when it was all the rage, I used it a lot. The Li-Ion battery in it didn't last an entire work-day, so I had to supplement it with a piggy-back AA-battery pack. Using alkaline was expensive but my workplace had a NiMh exchange bank where I could get batteries recharged.
The running time on alkaline was good, but the NiMh-cells had only 1,3 to 1,2V and they didn't even run a quarter of the time of alkaline. The MiniDisk battery indicator signalled battery half-full when I put fully charged NiMh-cells into it.
When the MiniDisk shut down because of low battery, there was still at least half the energy left in the re-chargeable cells.
A device like the batterizer would absolutely had made a difference by boosting the voltage to 1,5v and kept it there until the battery was fully drained, fooling the MiniDisk to keep running 'til the end.
And most likely, it would have doubled the battery life of my NiMh-cells.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
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Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
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| Edited by - Dr. Mabuse on 08/05/2015 02:25:15 |
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2015 : 11:20:38 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
I wrote about this on facebook. Somehow I can't seem to find it. |
Sorry you can't find that post. I would have liked to read that.
| The most basic version of the voltage step-up circuit, similar to the one the Batterizer is relying on, can be made with only three electronic components. |
This would have to be a variable "Dc to Dc step up circuit". I'd like to see a schematic of that or anything close. Batteries at 1.2v need to be boosted to 1.5 and as the voltage drops further the boosting needs to be increase as the voltage drops. That is a whole different circuit. than existing dc to dc circuits I've seen or know of.
Yes, I agree that prolonging the battery life 8 times is pure BS.
Prolonging the battery life 2x is most likely a stretch.
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Why the apparent obvious BS is what I'm wondering? That makes me think it is BS but it either works or it does not. I'm not convinced with anything I've read. I put no worth on "them" showing up somewhere with supposed dead batteries and demonstrating it to whomever. Sending a samples out to independent evaluators to see for themselves and hearing their report would be more convincing but they haven't done that from anything I've read. That leaves me unconvinced for right now.
Does anyone remember Randi's "Project Alpha" or "Pons and Fleishman's"? So much with deceivers being able to fake a demonstration and make fantastical claims and there being people who want to believe before being given sufficient evidence. Until being properly demonstrated (proven) in a more convincing manner or having positive reports from tester where the promoters are not involved, I'm not convinced or buying it. Time will tell if this is BS, just like it did with "pons and Fleishman", it always does. However in their case and in this case, if it is a scam, not before the scammers have collected their money and the people who don't require sufficient evidence have been defrauded. |
There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2015 : 11:38:24 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by sailingsoul
| The most basic version of the voltage step-up circuit, similar to the one the Batterizer is relying on, can be made with only three electronic components. |
This would have to be a variable "Dc to Dc step up circuit". I'd like to see a schematic of that or anything close. |
The simplest one is called Joule Thief (wikipedia link).
It's not internally stabilized, and is very "noisy" both in the output current, and low frequency RF-signals.
With a few extra components, a feedback circuit could limit/stabilize the output to 1,5v.
Batteries at 1.2v need to be boosted to 1.5 and as the voltage drops further the boosting needs to be increase as the voltage drops. That is a whole different circuit. than existing dc to dc circuits I've seen or know of. |
I have a compact DC-to-DC converter circuit board I ordered for my motorcycle battery charger. It delivers 13v Out with a input voltage everywhere from 12v down to at least below 4.0v (that's how low I felt comfortable testing without being able to check how much current I was drawing). So, depending on what components you pick for your circuit, there will be plenty of headroom as long as you don't expect to draw lots of amps.
Why the apparent obvious BS is what I'm wondering? |
I have no idea. Maybe because there are enough ignorant and/or stupid people out there who fall for BS.
That makes me think it is BS but it either works or it does not. I'm not convinced with anything I've read. |
Well, I haven't had any chance to test the batteriser itself, but as I wrote above, the principle is sound.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2015 : 17:37:09 [Permalink]
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My first thought was, "well, a 1% increase in battery life is up to 800%," so the claim is essentially meaningless.
My second thoughts were about how tight the battery compartments are these days. The tolerances on battery size are very tight, so the tolerances on compartments can be tight, too. Getting the double-As out of an XBOX 360 controller can involve violence, for example. So my biggest worry (were I to buy this product) would be that "almost any device" wouldn't include a lot of mine. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2015 : 20:54:55 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
My first thought was, "well, a 1% increase in battery life is up to 800%," so the claim is essentially meaningless.
My second thoughts were about how tight the battery compartments are these days. The tolerances on battery size are very tight, so the tolerances on compartments can be tight, too. Getting the double-As out of an XBOX 360 controller can involve violence, for example. So my biggest worry (were I to buy this product) would be that "almost any device" wouldn't include a lot of mine.
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I was right there with the "up to" claim also. It is meaningless. I don't see why it has to start at 1%. Could from "zero to 800%" be the same thing? No minimum is given, so why not?
It's a big advertising claim used all the time. I flagged on that immediately, when ever I hear "up to" I think yeah right, bullshit!
Scam city right here. Batteries are chemical devices and they produce electron flow only until their chemistry can no longer produce sufficient pressure to maintain 1.5 volts. A circuit is not going to be able to "such out" more electricity than what the battery is unable to provide on their own once they cannot. It just not the voltage as you know Dave but the ability to produce sufficient current at a given voltage. Yes there are voltage boosting circuits but if their source of power cannot provide enough pressure the desired affect won't happen. |
There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
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Batteriser! Order Now.
