Re: [NTLK] Rechargeable Batteries

From: Laurent Daudelin (Laurent_Daudelin_at_fanniemae.com)
Date: Wed Oct 06 2004 - 11:23:22 PDT


On 06/10/04 13:17, "jake smith" <jakesmith_at_mac.com> wrote:

> So I buy some NiMH batteries, put them in the battery tray and charge
> them using the standard Newton power supply?
> I didn't know that, NiMH it is then.
>
> thanks
>
> On Oct 6, 2004, at 5:21 pm, Indigo Kelleigh wrote:
>
>>
>> The only word of advice I can offer is that if you're going to try to
>> recharge them INSIDE your newt, they need to be NiMH batteries,
>> otherwise
>> they'll become useless.
>>
>> Otherwise, I don't think it matters much.
>>
>> -indy

It's not that simple. If you're talking about putting them into the regular
battery tray, they will never recharge inside your Newton (I'm assuming
we're talking about a 2000 or a 2100 here, since NiMH wouldn't recharge
properly with a 1x0 unit, which was designed to use NiCAD).

So, back to the initial assumption, they won't recharge in a regular tray
because the regular tray was designed for Alkalines, not NiMH. When Apple
designed the 2000, they designed it so that if you would use an NiMH
rechargeable battery pack from Apple, the Newton would know about it and
would happily recharge it. Since Alkaline are not usually rechargeable, when
you use the regular tray, the Newton also knows about it and won't try to
recharge it, fortunately, since trying to recharge non-rechargeable Alkaline
could lead to the explosion of those Alkaline!).

So, how do you think the Newton can make the difference between a
rechargeable battery pack and the regular Alkaline tray, since they both go
in the same place inside the Newton? When you insert the rechargeable
battery pack, it is designed to mechanically trigger a circuit inside the
Newton that let the Newton know that a rechargeable battery pack has been
inserted...

-Laurent.

-- 
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Laurent Daudelin                 Developer, Multifamily, ESO, Fannie Mae
mailto:Laurent_Daudelin_at_fanniemae.com                Washington, DC, USA
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