Batteroo ReBoost gives a Ni-MH cell a voltage hike

Many electronic devices are designed to operate with primary cells using a nominal voltage of 1.5 V and often do not work well with the slightly lower voltage provided by rechargeable batteries. All that could change by using a Batteroo ReBoost SmartSleeve, which is a thin voltage management and up-converter battery sleeve; it helps save money and protects your devices...

This video shows the quick and easy assembling of the new high-efficiency wireless power converter kit (SMD presoldered) brought to you by Würth Elektronik and Elektor Magazine. Try out this highly promising technology with a transfer capacity of 50W over distances up to a few centimeters, through any non-conductive material, such as plywood or a dry wall.

Most of the time simple solutions are the best. “Keep it simple, stupid” or KISS is a well-known but often ignored design principle. Not so for this project which consists mainly of clever wiring and a bunch of connectors. What can you do with it? Not only does it allow you to get out of the wallwart phone charger mess by providing inputs for several plug types but it also lets you easily attach a volt- and ammeter to see what's happening -- and why. Hide it all in a sturdy little box and what you have is a handy adapter & test tool.

Press releases from research institutions always offer tantalizing new technologies but you know there are still many hurdles along the way before the product will finally hit the shelves. There are of course research teams worldwide working on novel battery technologies because efficient energy storage systems will become increasingly important in the future. Currently on offer we have new cell technologies that promise energy density increase of 3 or 15 times that of conventional lithium cells…

Take your Raspberry Pi with you in your car, your truck, your boat, your caravan, your trailer, your cabin without worrying about questionable power. With StromPi, you need not fear untimely power cuts. Thanks to this UPS card, you Raspberry PI can even send you an email when the battery needs changing.

EBM Edition 2 / 2017 for May & June covers Power Supplies, Batteries and Energy, three areas in which startup companies should see a lot of potential to bring their products to market. It can be done! One such startup, MOWEA, won 75,000 euros worth of marketing budget during the Fast Forward Awards competition staged by Elektor and electronica Munich last year.

Intersil’s ISL78693 is qualified to AEC-Q100 Grade-3, leaks only 3 µA, and is suitable for eCall back-up battery charging. In the event of a crash, eCall systems are intended to automatically broadcast location and contact the nearest 24-hour emergency call center for help. They must “be capable of operating reliably and autonomously from the backup battery at a moment’s notice, even if the vehicle is involved in an accident minutes after being parked for several months,” said Intersil. 3 µA is a maximum, with typical leakage of 700 nA.

Stanford researchers have found a way to extinguish a fire in a lithium-ion battery. The researchers put triphenyl phosphate (TPP) inside a shell which melts at a temperature of 150 °C (302 °F) releasing the flame retardant TPP which was observed to extinguish fires in under 0.4 seconds in tests.

Wireless sensor networks that use energy-harvesting techniques for their power requirements are becoming increasingly common. To power such sensor circuits an “energy reservoir” is required that is compact, but still has a high capacity, a long service life (maintenance free) and a low internal resistance, and is capable of being charged and discharged rapidly.

With exploding cell phones making the news lately, many are likely wondering if a better battery is possible. In the Department of Chemistry at the University of Calgary, professor Thomas Baumgartner’s research group is working on tackling that question, by developing a carbon-based battery whose organic components make it a considerably more stable and sustainable alternative