dead accu vs. useless power outlet: Was Apple the first f***ing the customer...? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: PushUp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2020, 07:08:24 pm
content: dead accu vs. useless power outlet: Was Apple the first, fucking the customer and "inspiring" the rest?I remember times, proven by a shaver, console and navi, that it was different in the past...I wonder who was the first, making the devices useless when the accu/storage battery is dead and you are not able to use the device any more, even with the power cord connected to the power outlet?I have an old Braun elcectric shaver with an accu/storage battery. However, when the accu is totally empty I only need to plug the power cord into the socket outlet and I am able to use it immediately with full power to end my shaving; by the way the accu is being loaded during this periode of time. This is my understanding of using electric devices!My newer Braun is not able to do so, it behaves the same as any Apple product beginning with my iPhone 3 and upwards: When the accu is empty you need to load it, till it is usable, if you are lucky.When I want to buy a new accu for my Sony PSP, it has obviously a very bad quality and life time, as you only get rubbish - no original any more. BUT: I am able to use the PSP with my power outlet for ever, even without an accu inside! My old TomTom also works with a dead accu, but nothing else any more?! It is clear, that there will be a point of time, when any accu will be dead.So, when was the turning point, when manufacturer decided to fuck the customer, rendering devices useless by this attitude and forcing to buy new when they don't want to repair or are not able to repair it in general and suffering from not being able to use till it is charged a bit or never again when the accu is dead? This happened to my iPad being in a boot loop due to a dead accu...although it looks brand new...Was Apple the first one?Happy XMAS!

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2020, 09:21:43 pm
content: We refer to them as "batteries".In the case of iphone and other major phones, often the power available over USB (2.5W) is not enough to sustain full peak power of the device. So it must have a battery with some charge in it to absorb those "spike" loads.In the case of a shaver, there may be safety reasons why the device should not be charged and operated at the same time (water may get in it, etc.).If you are comfortable replacing it, look for a 3rd party replacement iphone/ipad battery, they should be in the ~$10-20 range.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2020, 10:09:36 pm
content: As thm_w mentioned, several of the modern gadgets have a power demand that is closer to what a charger can provide, but a fully depleted battery is enough to surpass the maximum capacity. It is quite annoying, but this used to be the norm in some ancient systems powered by NiCd batteries - our VCR was like that (the pre-historic one where you took the "tape" half of it to plug into your camcorder and go out filming around).The availability of crap chargers is endemic and depends on the country/region you live. My brother lives in Argentina and had a dead iPad simply because the charger broke and the only replacements he could find in the local market were all garbage and could not bring it above the absolute depletion.Regarding the shaver, I find it stupid as well - I have a Philishave that has a pair of NiCD batteries and a built-in charger: just plug it and keep shaving. Having to wait is beyond comprehension.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2020, 11:26:17 pm
content: It's the difference between "parallel" or "charger-fed" and "series" or "battery-fed" power path topology. Newer laptops do this too, because it's cheaper (no or'ing diodes/FETs required, AC adapter can be much lower output too). See my post here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/samsung-phones-are-charging-batteries-with-an-ugly-pattern/tl;dr: cost optimisation resulting in inferior designs that also happen to degrade batteries faster. Another example of planned obolescence

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2020, 11:47:58 pm
content: Perhaps the manufacturer should reduce the peak power demand when the battery is old/empty so this doesn't happen....oh wait that just angered the tech press and ended up causing publicity problems:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batterygate