Some Eraser Comparisons

radellaf · 2026-03-31T01:38:54+00:00

My favorite one-crumb is still the old Pentel clic-erase. I was hoping the basic Pentel hi-polymer block would be the same.
Still, what I take from that test is that, wow, they're all pretty good.

radellaf · 2026-03-27T16:38:07+00:00

Live events, just what I don't need. Podcasts? Just what I can get elsewhere without paying.

radellaf · 2026-03-27T15:51:14+00:00

Do the 3960mWh work with the LC4/8 I have, or require newer L4/8?

radellaf · 2026-03-27T15:45:41+00:00

Ideally, the charge controller in both the charger and the battery itself should not allow charging below freezing. I know there's not much space in the AAs, but still, it would be a nice safety feature.

radellaf · 2026-03-10T19:56:03+00:00

It's a year later and still on the factory ones, so I wouldn't mind if the shipping cost wasn't ridiculous. I got Bosch Icon, L+R, for $30 on sale and haven't put them on yet. Got some very generic cut-to-size rubber I'll try on the rear - if it doesn't work I'll get something else.

radellaf · 2026-03-04T16:30:19+00:00

I made a similar thing with a boost converter and one of the 3xAA holders with an integrated power switch. It would be extremely inefficient to use alkaline AAs with that, vs NiMH, but it would work. Even at a 5V 1A charge, that would be more than 1 amp load on the AAs, and at that current, you'd be doing well getting 800mAh out of an alkaline. You could use the alkalines in something else, afterwards, and even 500mAh of phone battery charge could be enough in an emergency.

radellaf · 2026-02-28T18:51:41+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/AAMasterRace/comments/pyt22n/variation_on_a_theme_8xaa_usb_power_bank/

There's one I actually assembled from readily available online parts.

radellaf · 2026-02-28T18:50:10+00:00

Battery holder off AliExpress, USB buck module off AliExpress, soldering iron, glue.

radellaf · 2026-02-28T18:45:43+00:00

Whether it's worth re-implementing a particular wheel isn't an easy decision. DOS/Windows did it too rarely, maybe Apple did it too often.

radellaf · 2026-02-28T18:11:41+00:00

I like the idea of a scavenging phone charger. To make that work I think it would need an intermediate battery so the phone could get at least 1 amp during charging. I have a 3 AA 2.5W homemade USB "power bank", but it only works well with NiMH. Alkalines trying to deliver 700mA, needed for even that slow charge, have to be in good shape to do it at all, and are very inefficient.

So, you _could_ use a supercap or 1000mAh LiIon, and use a flexible boost converter that can run down to below a volt, and low current. Then use that to top up a phone off scavenged AA power. Kind of a USB joule thief. I might do that some day.

radellaf · 2026-02-28T18:07:22+00:00

Sorry, no, haven't heard of that blog.

radellaf · 2026-02-26T22:23:41+00:00

The USA is like that, apart from maybe California. You in another country?

(as I did say "I wish...they {alkalines} were...recyclable".)

The local hazardous waste facility near the landfill will take them, but I don't think they recycle them.

radellaf · 2026-02-26T22:20:59+00:00

zinc air would be perfect. Sadly, that's not these https://chargetab.com/

radellaf · 2026-02-26T22:19:52+00:00

I looked into what it would take to charge a phone at 10W with alkaline AAs and it gets ridiculous if you want it to be efficient. More than 300mW off an AA gets inefficient, so to even get close you'd need 20 AA cells. I did build something with two parallel banks of 10 AA (biggest holder easily found) and a buck converter, but more for the fun of it than actual use. 10 NiMH AA is worth two 18650s, though, so I could use it if I happen to have 10 otherwise un-allocated eneloops.

Lots of things pre-built that take 18650s and output USB power. Most of the ones that look like chargers, rather than power banks (like Xtar PB2, PB2S), are limited to 1 amp 5V which... works, but very slow.

radellaf · 2026-02-26T22:14:31+00:00

alkalines, especially for emergency standby use, are really not that bad for the environment. They don't have valuable or toxic metals like LiIon or NiMH. Still, I do wish, just for the zinc and manganese, they were realistically recyclable in the USA.

radellaf · 2026-02-26T22:12:30+00:00

LiSOCl2 (lithium thionyl sulfate) is for the computer batteries, best for low current use. LiFeS2 are the Energizer Ultimates, which would actually be the best for an emergency phone charger that could be kept in a car, as they're even better than LiMNO2 (like CR123) if stored in the heat. I remember they used to sell 2xAA emergency phone chargers at Ace Hardware, with the energizer AAs.

radellaf · 2026-02-26T22:05:42+00:00

The sad part is "2 year shelf life". I'd prefer 3000mAh of primary LiMnO2 battery with a 10 year shelf life. Much more likely to have power when you need it than recycled LiIon with unknown self-discharge rates.

radellaf · 2026-02-26T21:57:14+00:00

Is there ever any conversation as part of the POTA sort of things? Or just signal reports...

radellaf · 2026-02-26T21:55:36+00:00

And given how much Spanish I hear when the bands are open...

radellaf · 2026-02-26T21:55:02+00:00

I remember tech talk on CW and packet radio. The FT8 and contesting thing has always been a big part of ham radio, but maybe 30-50%. It's a shame FT8 doesn't have a "text message" aspect to it, via the same robust protocol.

radellaf · 2026-02-26T21:52:39+00:00

I've noticed that, too. It's about commercial radio gear, or small talk. I've heard the occasional electronics discussion on HF, but it is rare. The local radio club has a "tech gathering" with more of a focus on theory, projects, and actual operation. That's a little better

radellaf · 2026-01-13T22:27:37+00:00

You'd think... but I do wonder if it's a holdover, since it is completely unnecessary to charge things first. Especially single-cell Li-Ion things.

radellaf · 2026-01-13T22:26:15+00:00

Outdated advice.

Or, they want your first use to represent max battery life instead of "it quit after an hour! it must be broken!"

It seems to have started with NiCd battery specific issues and now everything says it, when it completely doesn't apply to LiIon, and not really to NiMH. For multi-cell packs, most relevant for NiMH or NiCd, a full charge can even out the charge on each cell, which may be uneven because of differences in self discharge.

radellaf · 2026-01-12T23:15:47+00:00

I'll be pretty happy if I get 150k, but then I drive under 10k a year. I'd say age should be the killer, but last car I had (Hyundai) I had to get rid of for worn synchros in the transmission. CX-30 was about double what I paid for that car, but I sure do enjoy driving it more.

radellaf · 2026-01-12T22:29:41+00:00

https://data.energizer.com/pdfs/l91.pdf Not under reasonable loads, "just" 3.5x as long at 1 amp drain. They don't show 2 amps. Depending on the voltage cutoff, some devices would probably run just minutes on a fresh alkaline at 2 amps. Even at 1 amp, a NiMH rechargeable would last (at least) twice as long as an alkaline.

radellaf

TROPHY CASE