Rechargeable batteries: Are They The Best Solution

It has been a controversy since rechargeable batteries emerged to the public market in mass production that are they the best solution? I also were wondering about this and made many researches and actual monitoring to the lifespan of these batteries, and it is fair to say that rechargeable batteries are not in their best shape yet. So what can be the alternative?

Well a one solution can be to make your gadgets convert rather than converting your batteries, are you wondering how? ! Simply by turning them to be able to take AC supply rather than a DC\Battery supply. How this is done?  

Well all the answers you need to know are written in this article "Convert Battery Powered Electronics to Run on AC", but before you go to that article you need to know some facts first. For instance the mobility of you gadgets will be severely affected as they will need to be wired like any other AC powered device. Also that the application of such conversion is not easily done and needs some basic info about electronics and soldering. Moreover you will need to be careful about which gadgets to convert as some gadgets are to sensitive to tolerate slight changes in voltages. Furthermore the voltage regulator weather is was the LM317 or the L78XX you will need to know the current needed by the gadget to run and you will sometimes need to have a heat sink mounted on it.

In addition to all these things to consider the big question become will it be worth it?! Well actually Yes but it depends on the gadgets under question as some gadgets that contain motors will need more power and thus will need too often to have either replace their batteries or recharge them and in both cases the cost over which you are paying is relatively high especially when using regular not chargeable batteries. When you convert these devices to use AC supply then you are going to have a prolonged and almost maintenance free solution. Also the basic cost is relatively low compared to rechargeable batteries.

Finally, converting your gadgets to AC will be a good idea if you were opting for cost reduction and immobility of your devices and it will be a little bit challenging to do such a change with your gadgets so please apply your first time conversion on a low cost gadget that will not hurt your pocket if something went wrong. By the way it this is your first to time to know about electronics then it is a very good starting point as the work applies is relatively easy to apply.  

You might want to look for the datasheets of either LM317 (mentioned in the article above) OR  L7805 if you couldn't find LM317 then you might want to use L78XX series for an alternative.

If you liked this article then you might also like to read Recycling Batteries

Hope you like this article, please for your opinions or comments type them in the comment box below, thank you!.

Rechargeable Batteries Are Green

Like many people today, I am very concerned about the environment and all the damage that is occurring on a daily basis. From air and water pollution to mountainous landfills, we are filling our world with harmful emissions and millions of tons of garbage that will never disappear. I'm not an activist by any stretch of the imagination, and understand that there is bound to be some degree of pollution as long as humans inhabit the Earth. But I want to do what I can to reduce my own negative impact on the environment. I already take public transportation or ride my bicycle to work instead of using my car, and I recycle everything I can. Now I'm also starting to use rechargeable batteries instead of standard ones.

A battery, of course, is not biodegradable. If you just toss a used one into the trash, it will sit in a landfill and the toxic chemicals it contains will seep out and possibly contaminate the soil in the immediate area. There are many battery recycling programs in place, but I know a lot of folks simply dispose of them with their regular garbage. I want to get rid of the temptation altogether -- and reduce my own consumption -- by using rechargeable batteries.

Rechargeable batteries are more expensive to purchase than regular ones -- at least initially. The advantage of rechargeable batteries is that you can use them many times over. Once the "juice" runs out, simply stick them in a suitable charger for a couple of hours and they'll be ready to go again. This is a great way to power all your video games, controllers, wireless keyboards, assorted toys, and many other electronic items that you use regularly.

The quality of rechargeable batteries largely determines how many times you can reuse them. I recommend going for the best quality you can afford because that decision will pay off in the long run. There's no sense in buying cheap rechargeable batteries that can only be reused a few times. That doesn't save money or do the environment any favors. Instead, it would be much better to go with a name you can trust so you can count on having a dependable product.
Rechargeable batteries are available at local electronics shops as well as online. You can probably get better deals if you shop on the Internet, so be sure to check out several online stores to compare prices. In addition, some places offer additional discounts if you buy larger volumes, so that's something to consider as well.

Purchasing rechargeable batteries instead of standard ones is an easy way to show off your green side and demonstrate a bit of concern for the environment. If we all start doing this, we can ease the strain on our landfills without sacrificing our high-tech gadgets. Nowadays, there are rechargeable batteries that have current capacities six times the capacity of one-use batteries. This means that these batteries will last longer in your gadgets and will be able to be recharged and reused so many times. Moreover, rechargeable batteries are becoming better and better that some good quality types can stay charged for 6 months or more. Also some new types have gotten rid of the memory effect!

using rechargeable batteries is considered economical as well as green act as rechargeable batteries are cheap to recharge and will cost almost nothing of a considerable value compared to having one-use batteries. many well known battery manufacturers like Energizer and Duracell already started manufacturing rechargeable batteries, which pretty much proves that rechargeable batteries are better.

So instead of using 1000 batteries for one time and then tossing then away you can use just two rechargeable batteries and recharge them 1000 times!. So do you see the great benefits of using rechargeable batteries?!

part of the article is from here

Samsung Gone Solar With Blue Earth

If you have a solar powered home, solar cooking machine, solar watch, solar charger for your devices and you're thinking about buying a solar car, then this solar mobile phone is for you. The new Samsung Blue Earth is the first solar smartphone in the mobile industry.

Smart and Stylish Move
With all the environmental problems the world is facing, anyone can now be a part of the solution by using environment friendly products that are available in the market. The well-known Korean company takes the lead in raising environmental awareness by producing this incredibly smart solar powered phone that would be perfect for everyone's needs.
Armed with a solar panel on the back, the phone can go anywhere with you when you go for camping and other out of town trips. The sleek and stylish design can match your executive or casual look. At a cut of 107 x 53 x 13.9 mm, this phone is a little heavy with the weight of 118.9 grams.

The phone has different shades of blue with a glossy that gives a relaxing and comfortable feel to its users. The common touch screen display has a pixel size of 240 x 400 which displays 256,000 colors makes images lively and pleasing to the eyes. You can find the solar panel at the back of phone which adds a classy look to it. The phone is handy but is not easy to hold because of the slippery feel of the solar panel.

Phone Functions
Samsung Blue Earth is a basic smartphone that doesn't have high powered hardware that other smartphones have. This phone only matches the personality of simple Earth loving people. Integrated to the mobile phone is a 180MB read only memory (ROM) and an additional 16GB memory that can be accessed with a MicroSD card. You can stay connected with friends, family and co-workers with GSM, GPRS, EDGE, A-GPS, HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, and USB connectivity tools.
You can easily send information through text and multimedia messages, email, social website updates and calls anytime too. The phone has tools for time management such as the alarms, calendar, memo and to-do list to help keep you on track and increase your productivity. It has tools like the calculator, world time application, countdown timer and stopwatch as well as a voice recorder and unit converter that can be used when the need arise.
One of the editors of cnet website Kent German says:"With its eco-friendly design and spiffy solar panels, the Samsung Blue Earth is more than just a gimmick; it's also an appealing cell phone with character."

Earth-Friendly Package
This high quality eco-friendly phone from Samsung will be a sure hit to nature lovers. You see, the phone including its package is made from recycled materials. Though it may be hard to believe at first, Samsung has disclosed that the handset is made from old water bottle plastic. And also during production, it shows that there are no emissions of harmful substances like phthalates and beryllium. The box used for packaging the phone is made from recycled paper and printed with soy ink.

And if that is not enough to make eco-fans happy, the phone boasts of eco-friendly tracker apps and profile. The unique "Eco Mode" profile lets you save energy by automatically timing the backlight and reducing the brightness. It also runs the "AccuWeather" that gives update on the weather condition and the "Eco Walk" application that keeps track of how much carbon dioxide was reduced in the air with your every step.

E-Waste Market Size Continues to Grow

 The disposal of electronic waste is pretty much affected by cost concerns resulting in as much as 80 percent of e-waste ending up overseas where it is recycled in an un-environmentally friendly way.

In countries including China, India and Nigeria, the precious metals are removed by hammers, gas burners and bare hands, which results in lead and mercury being leaked into the air. Safety costs in the U.S. make shipping off these electronics to other countries a more cost-effective measure, as it can cost up to 10 times more to recycle electronics in the U.S.

Foreign countries are starting to crack down though, as Hong Kong authorities already returned 85 containers of electronics in 2007, including 20 from the U.S. China also now produces one million tons of e-waste itself according to Greenpeace China, and this number is on the rise.

As every thing in this world is based on profitability, many companies prefer to ship these wastes to places where the man power is cheaper and where quality and environmental standers are lower. Then we'll wind up in a closed loop that will not help our environment. We need to force companies to recycle for the sake of earth and not for the sake of making piles of money.

You might want to read:

E-Waste Market Size Continues to Grow

E-Waste Market Size Continues to Grow

The modernization and digitization have proved to be worthy for the entire world and humanity but it has also given us a menace in the form of e-waste. With the increasing use of electronic devices and electrical equipment, the collection of e-waste is also mounting.
E-waste or electronic waste is a term used for those electronic equipment that has reached its end of life in the hand of its current user. These devices when disassembled or destroyed are either taken for reuse or slated for hazardous disposal. Some of the electronic waste can be recycled and they are called as a "commodity" while those which cannot be reused is categorized as "waste".

E-Waste Market Size

The global market of electronic waste is estimated to be $7.2 billion in 2004 and it is predicted to increase at average annual growth rate of 8.8% till 2009 to $11 billion.

• Due to the rising demand of high value engineered plastics, the recycled plastics sector will register the maximum revenue growth. It will grow at 10.2% AAGR.
• The recycled metals market will continue to be dominated by the growth in metals mined from end of life electronic waste, growing at an AAGR of 8.1%.
• Recycled glass is low valued hence the recycled glass market continues to be stagnant. Glass cullets sold into the marketplace will continue to command modest prices.
• The cathode ray tube recovered from the old CRTs are vastly used in the new CRTs. The market demand for recovered cathode ray tube feedstock is growing and getting stronger. Due to this higher value glass-to-glass recycling the market will grow at an AAGR of 7.5%.

Reasons for Increasing E-Waste

Due to the increasing areas of information society and the dependency of businesses on computer and Internet, the e-waste has been mounting. Perhaps e-waste is the fastest growing segment of the municipal solid waste stream. E-waste has been mounting rapidly with the rise of the information society. In developed countries, e-waste constitutes 1% of solid waste but it is expected to grow to 2% by 2010. In developing countries, the percentage of e-waste out of solid waste ranges from 0.01% to 1%. But in recent future, the developing countries including, China will be the fastest growing segment of the e-waste market. Over the next five years, the electronic waste in developing countries has the potential to triple the amount at current.
The rising mount of electronic waste isn't going to be cut recently. Computer sales are growing at a rate of 10% worldwide and sale of DVD players are doubling every year. Along with that the rate of obsolescence of electronic equipment is increasing. The life-cycle of the electrical and electronic equipment are shortening. The life period of a television set is reduced to 10 years while that of a computer remains only 2-3 years. All the above mentioned facts are equally responsible for the rising e-waste. In spite of such horrendous situation manufacturers and governments have not kept pace with electronic waste policy and practice. Eventually a high percentage of electronics are ending up in the waste stream releasing harmful toxins into the environment.

Pattrick is working as an industry analyst in the electronics and electrical industry for last fifteen years. He is working on a blog where you can get a lot of information on electronics industry, news, innovations, tradeshows, etc. http://myelectronicsblog.blogspot.com/ He is associated with one of the best electronics and electrical industry marketplaces http://www.digitivity.com/

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New technologies are now arising, polymers are helping easier management of e-wastes!