Laptop batteries that last 50 years...
could be a reality sooner than we think:
<a href="http://www.eet.com/at/news/OEG20021104S0040"; target="_blank">http://www.eet.com/at/news/OEG20021104S0040</a>;
Think of the other applications; internal insulin pumps, micro robotics, consumer power cells for electronics, hearing aides, PDAs, on a macroscopic scale we can talk about electric automobiles (although the oil companies will have a fit), deep space probes, etc. There must be millions of uses.
We can finally solve the wireless keyboard and mouse dilemma!
<a href="http://www.eet.com/at/news/OEG20021104S0040"; target="_blank">http://www.eet.com/at/news/OEG20021104S0040</a>;
Think of the other applications; internal insulin pumps, micro robotics, consumer power cells for electronics, hearing aides, PDAs, on a macroscopic scale we can talk about electric automobiles (although the oil companies will have a fit), deep space probes, etc. There must be millions of uses.
We can finally solve the wireless keyboard and mouse dilemma!
Comments
[quote]high-energy particles. In this case, they are known as beta particles, free electrons that are biologically harmless compared with the alpha particles and gamma rays produced by other isotopes when they decay.<hr></blockquote>
<img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
[quote]The half-life of nickel-63 ? the time it takes to radiate halve its mass<hr></blockquote>
<img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
<img src="confused.gif" border="0">
For medical uses...the electon is not "biologically harmless". They are easier to shield but after shielding it may ruin the "small" nature of it. But then again with such a long half life and a tiny amount of material it might not matter anyway? Interesting.
<strong>It gets worse
The half-life of nickel-63 ? the time it takes to radiate halve its mass
<hr></blockquote>
<img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" /> </strong>
that's the easy part. ever been to school ?
However, my soldering skills are poor: three out of 20 links soldered in 2 hours...
<strong>Slightly On Topic: I'm currently building a replacement Type III battery for my Duo 230. I'm expecting 7+ hours of life, more when I get the solar cells (seriously) and more when summer returns.
However, my soldering skills are poor: three out of 20 links soldered in 2 hours...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Jeezus Stoo, in 5 minutes I soldered 3 battery packs for my RC cars!
<strong>I doubt these batteries can produce the necessary amperage to work on a computer. But they will have some nice effects on NVRAM development for sure.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well you never know some time down the road as electronics get less and less power hungry and these power units get higher and higher amperage output.
I was thinking more along the lines of building these things right on the motherboard. The CPU would have it's own power unit as would the memory and separate parts of the computer system. Even the screen could have about 4 of these in parallel. The components I see a problem with would be the hard disk and optical drive. If we are still using those in 10-20 years then maybe a more conventional power source (battery or fuel cell) can augment the system and it would not have to be so big.
And the use for PDA's and watches, digital cameras, MP3 players... But I bet this is one of those technologies that is always just 10 years away.
<strong>
that's the easy part. ever been to school ?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Half-life has nothing to do with mass. I have a PhD remember?
The half-life is the time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms to decay. They DO NOT radiate half of their mass. In fact they radiate almost none of their mass.
Beta is released (again may be the other way around) when the atom loses two protons and two neutrons (a Helium nucleus.) This decreases the atomic number by four.
Gamma radiation does not have mass and is not made up matter, but is simply a wave.
My guess is that Alpha/Gamma radiation is more common, and neither decrease the mass (by much.)
</end rant on stuff I don't really know about.>
Betas and positrons are electrons (-/+ charge). The range is longer but the quality factor is 1 where as alphas are 20.
Gammas are just X-rays. They don't have a range per se and the quality factor is 1.
I did learn something in school.
<strong>
And the use for PDA's and watches, digital cameras, MP3 players... But I bet this is one of those technologies that is always just 10 years away.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Maybe, but radiation emissions would have to be quite intense to yield even a watt.
In propelling a microgear: (Struggling to remember mechanics. . . )
The inertial moment of a wheel of sorts is known as "I." I equals some multiplication along the lines of mass*(arm length of gear squared). There are further multipliers that handle the geometry of the gear. But for me is suffices to say that I increases with arm length in O(N squared). Now, mass is also involved, and mass increases with volume (size) in O(N cubed). So what we have here is a 5th degree system.
Battery output only relies on mass/volume, so it only decreases in a O(N cubed) fashion, while torque requirements decrease in an O(N fifth) fashion. When going down to the micro-level, this contrast can be huge. It is the same reason why a flea can jump so high, and why bigger crickets are so much easier to catch. Torque vs Energy output in comparison to size.
So I hate to piss on the campfire, but I don't think this will ever appear in a large, electronic device. MAYBE NVRAM, if the technology develops well.
<strong>
Gammas are just X-rays. They don't have a range per se and the quality factor is 1.
I did learn something in school.
So you're telling me that the Incredible Hulk came about just on a measley diet of QUALITY FACTOR 1 EMISSIONS? Jeez. . . What people say these days.
Just for the record, radiation isn't particularly dangerous in most cases. When some blockheads in over their heads in pirated technology decide to use graphite blocks in a nuke reactor, and then **** around with it, you've got a problem. But apparently US submariners get less radiation than normal people do. Shielding and good design usually do the trick.
And boy am I a fan of irradiated meat. Barely need to cook it at all. Yum, irradiated blood dripping from my mouth.