Batteries are cylindrical because it’s the most efficient shape to make them in. There is a central electrode with the electrolyte around it. By making it cylindrical it’s distributed evenly. Imagine having it square, then in the corners the layers would be thicker than on the sides.
So that explains why the cells and normal AA batteries are cylinders. So why not have a 9 volt cylinder? That’s because the chemistry used for alkaline batteries produces 1.5 volts. A single cell, regardless of size, only produces 1.5V. So how do you get 9V out of a 1.5V battery? By putting 6 of them in series. 6 x 1.5V = 9V.
An A battery is usually just called a 17500. They were used in laptop batteries and such but are now used in hobbies more. Mostly for flashlights, vapes, or Lightsaber replicas.
You could read the text next to it. They have an official specification, and they're occasionally used as cells in larger battery packs, but they never got adopted in consumer products, so you can't just buy an off the shelf A battery. Nobody has bothered to get a picture of one, because nobody actually cares that much.
Thanks - I’m adding some text now next to the drawing about occasional sightings in Canada, but as they don’t care about capturing it nobody has a picture of it. Hence validating my drawing as the only proof.
Usually they're used in thin devices where a bigger battery wouldn't fit.
Lots of computer styluses take AAAA batteries, including the Microsoft Surface Pen.
There are also some small flashlights and laser pointers that use them.
microsoft surface pen is my touchstone for this. the only way i could get new batteries was online and the pen lasted for so long if i bought a pack of 4 batteries i’d have lost the other two but the time they ran or so id need to but a whole new pack.
Which was the secret knowledge for those of us with pen lights or active stylii back in the day that required AAAA cells. And then you'd find a cheap brand of 9v that actually had a stack of nonstandard square cells inside it instead... Bastards.
I have a wacom-type pen for a tablet that uses one of those. It was a total pain in the ass the time I was traveling and accidentally discharged it by jamming the button in a tight-packaged bag. Turns out, they are pretty much only available online. No normal shop ever stocks them, not even electronics shops nor radio shacks. Barely anyone even heard of them. Tried disassembling a few 9V's, but all of them were the stacked kind. And with international shipping going 2-6 weeks and me changing locations more often than that, it was an extremely difficult to get hold of them.
When Dan's Data reviewed these, he said something like "even if you use this in space, you are still no further away from a shop that sells replacements than you would be at home"
Yep, I bought a pack of these, but then i didn’t need them because I didn’t use the stylus enough/stylus had a good battery life, BUT then when I did want to use the stylus I had no fucking idea where I stored those batteries.
Thank you. Wasn't sure if that was a type of battery, and I didn't think that a Google search on just a number would be very successful in pinning it down.
An 18650 battery is a type of lithium-ion rechargeable battery123. The name 18650 comes from its dimensions: it is 18mm in diameter and 65mm in length. The battery has a nominal voltage of 3.7v12and a capacity range from 1800mAh to 3600mAh12. 18650 batteries are commonly used in electronic devices such as laptops and flashlights, as well as in electric vehicles and other high-power applications.
The stylus for a surface tablet uses one AAAA battery, and it will last for hundreds of hours of use. I wish I still had mine, as my surface tablet was my art tablet and I miss doing art. Nobody pay attention to the fact I was bad at it.
Well, I mean, in theory they used the smaller ones because they got the power draw down enough that AAAs could power the thing for about the same duration. But obviously not.
119 Comments
redcalcium@lemmy.institute · 128 pts · 2y
Wait until you see this:
https://brokensecrets.com/2010/12/20/9-volt-batteries-contain-6-aaaa-batteries/
BearOfaTime@lemm.ee · 45 pts · 2y
I took apart a lot of batteries as a kid. The nine volts never had batteries like this inside them.
_thebrain_@sh.itjust.works · 71 pts · 2y
Since seeing this picture I have disassembled about 50 nine volts looking for this and have found about 3. Some full of coin cells too.
Edit: I should say it was years ago I first saw this picture. I haven't disassembled 50 batteries in the last 2 minutes
edgemaster72@lemmy.world · 46 pts · 2y
I reject your edit and substitute the original assumption
Kolanaki@yiffit.net · 18 pts · 2y
How many batteries can you disassemble in 2 minutes? I'm starting the timer.... NOW! Go!
Paragone@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 2y
The carbon-zinc ones never do, but the alkaline ones do, the ones I opened, anyways ( a few decades ago )
RobotToaster@mander.xyz · 12 pts · 2y
Some have stacked flat cells IIRC.
0x2d@lemmy.ml · 7 pts · 2y
some do, i have dissasembled some of them to look like this. not all of them though
disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2y
And A23 cells have eight LR932 button cells inside
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A23_battery
MonkderDritte@feddit.de · -1 pts · 2y
Could have about 1/3 more charge if they were solid.
Why aren't they?
BorgDrone@lemmy.one · 17 pts · 2y
Because it’s a 9 volt battery.
Batteries are cylindrical because it’s the most efficient shape to make them in. There is a central electrode with the electrolyte around it. By making it cylindrical it’s distributed evenly. Imagine having it square, then in the corners the layers would be thicker than on the sides.
So that explains why the cells and normal AA batteries are cylinders. So why not have a 9 volt cylinder? That’s because the chemistry used for alkaline batteries produces 1.5 volts. A single cell, regardless of size, only produces 1.5V. So how do you get 9V out of a 1.5V battery? By putting 6 of them in series. 6 x 1.5V = 9V.
KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 2y
I mean… https://lemmy.world/comment/9352108
roofuskit@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
That's a different chemistry that is not as high quality.
sir_pronoun@lemmy.world · 102 pts · 2y
But.. does the mythical A battery exist?
Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world · 68 pts · 2y
Every battery is a battery.
RobotToaster@mander.xyz · 12 pts · 2y
Most "batteries" are in fact cells.
Plopp@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2y
This is why humans make good batteries.
Zron@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
Humans make terrible batteries, you leave one in a box for 6 months, you come back to a soggy, very stinky box.
Humans are much better as low power space heaters. As long as they have fuel, they’ll maintain a known temperature.
Kusimulkku@lemm.ee · 7 pts · 2y
Interlinked
Tehdastehdas@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
Is a battery with one cell still a battery? Is an empty library still a library? Is an empty breadbox still a breadbox?
BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 2y
A battery has many faces. A battery has no name.
hellfire103@lemmy.ca · 16 pts · 2y
It would appear
sonot.mihnt@lemmy.ca · 18 pts · 2y
An A battery is usually just called a 17500. They were used in laptop batteries and such but are now used in hobbies more. Mostly for flashlights, vapes, or Lightsaber replicas.
Oisteink@feddit.nl · 16 pts · 2y
Right - so that is a photo of an AA battery and a drawing of an A battery.
So if I take a photo of a gorilla and draw Sasquatch next to it I have proof of Sasquatch! This is good info to me.
BRB
hellfire103@lemmy.ca · 14 pts · 2y
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_sizes#Cylindrical_batteries
can@sh.itjust.works · 18 pts · 2y
hellfire103@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 2y
My mistake!
pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de · 8 pts · 2y
I think you were right, it does exist, but Wikipedia doesn't have a picture of one they can legally use. For example I found this:
https://www.batteryequivalents.com/a-size-battery-equivalents-and-replacements.html
Fubarberry@sopuli.xyz · 5 pts · 2y
Honestly it feels like "1/2AA Battery" should just be an "A battery"
Oisteink@feddit.nl · 1 pts · 2y
Ah - so I need to put the drawing on Wikipedia. Noted!
Anything else that’s needed? Quickly please as I’ve already called NYT and CNN
zephr_c@lemm.ee · 8 pts · 2y
You could read the text next to it. They have an official specification, and they're occasionally used as cells in larger battery packs, but they never got adopted in consumer products, so you can't just buy an off the shelf A battery. Nobody has bothered to get a picture of one, because nobody actually cares that much.
BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y
Can someone fix this dire state of knowledge?
Oisteink@feddit.nl · 2 pts · 2y
Thanks - I’m adding some text now next to the drawing about occasional sightings in Canada, but as they don’t care about capturing it nobody has a picture of it. Hence validating my drawing as the only proof.
can@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 2y
No public image at least.
Davel23@fedia.io · 8 pts · 2y
So does the B battery
Oisteink@feddit.nl · 3 pts · 2y
There’s even C batteries, they were known as baby batteries when I grew up, and quite a few ghetto blasters used them
MonkderDritte@feddit.de · 2 pts · 2y
Funny. I have 3rd-party scripts disabled and it spawns endless search fields.
olav@theweird.space · 2 pts · 2y
mojo_raisin@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
That's preposterous
perviouslyiner@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
Tadpole@aussie.zone · 56 pts · 2y
Usually they're used in thin devices where a bigger battery wouldn't fit. Lots of computer styluses take AAAA batteries, including the Microsoft Surface Pen. There are also some small flashlights and laser pointers that use them.
lycanrising@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 2y
microsoft surface pen is my touchstone for this. the only way i could get new batteries was online and the pen lasted for so long if i bought a pack of 4 batteries i’d have lost the other two but the time they ran or so id need to but a whole new pack.
sexual_tomato@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 2y
I'm fairly certain you can take apart most 9 volt batteries to get at the AAAA batteries inside
lengau@midwest.social · 5 pts · 2y
Yeah I bought a 6 pack of them when I bought my pixel slate. They expired after I'd used two
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
All my remotes use them
AresUII@lemmy.world · 38 pts · 2y
There are six of these in some 9V piles
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world · 31 pts · 2y
Which was the secret knowledge for those of us with pen lights or active stylii back in the day that required AAAA cells. And then you'd find a cheap brand of 9v that actually had a stack of nonstandard square cells inside it instead... Bastards.
Voyajer@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2y
Certain lantern batteries are filled with AAs as well
Texas_Hangover@lemm.ee · 6 pts · 2y
I've got one that takes AA's OR 18650's. Its pretty sweet.
Mr_Fish@lemmy.world · 33 pts · 2y
I remember when I had a surface tablet, the stylus thing used a AAAA battery
Kolanaki@yiffit.net · 29 pts · 2y
Save money buying just 1 AAAA battery and cutting it in half for two AA batteries.
edgemaster72@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 2y
I think they follow Hydra rules, if you cut it in half you end up with an AAAAAAAA battery
bitwaba@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2y
Hail Hydraaaaaaaa!
anguo@lemmy.ca · 27 pts · 2y
Where they made by Ubisoft?
Klear@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 2y
They are only sold as a temporary license. Then Ubisoft breaks into your house and takes them away.
Tarkcanis@lemmy.world · 25 pts · 2y
It's what 9v batteries are made of. 6 AAAA batteries in a box.
MeanEYE@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 2y
Some are. Others are stacked like this:
drathvedro@lemm.ee · 23 pts · 2y
I have a wacom-type pen for a tablet that uses one of those. It was a total pain in the ass the time I was traveling and accidentally discharged it by jamming the button in a tight-packaged bag. Turns out, they are pretty much only available online. No normal shop ever stocks them, not even electronics shops nor radio shacks. Barely anyone even heard of them. Tried disassembling a few 9V's, but all of them were the stacked kind. And with international shipping going 2-6 weeks and me changing locations more often than that, it was an extremely difficult to get hold of them.
perviouslyiner@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 2y
When Dan's Data reviewed these, he said something like "even if you use this in space, you are still no further away from a shop that sells replacements than you would be at home"
doggle@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 21 pts · 2y
The stylus on a surface pro 7 uses one.
generaldenmark@programming.dev · 5 pts · 2y
Same goes for the kobo libra 2’s stylus
SuperSaiyanSwag@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 2y
Yep, I bought a pack of these, but then i didn’t need them because I didn’t use the stylus enough/stylus had a good battery life, BUT then when I did want to use the stylus I had no fucking idea where I stored those batteries.
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
My old Genius graphics tablet used AAA batteries, as it was from the times when Wacom's patents on battery-free pens haven't expired.
supangle@lemmy.wtf · 20 pts · 2y
it looks like batteries are screaming like AAAAAAAAA
teamevil@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 2y
BreakDecks@lemmy.ml · 7 pts · 2y
Only name brand. Take apart a discount 9V and it's just one big pile.
teamevil@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y
EdibleFriend@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 2y
/c/sounding
Agent641@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
Lemmy has bathymetry enthusiasts?
hperrin@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 2y
I use them in my active pens.
Naja_Kaouthia@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 2y
At what amount of As does it indicate the battery is just screaming?
mrunicornman@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y
According to Dankpods, it's 3. But that's a shriek, not a scream.
RobotToaster@mander.xyz · 17 pts · 2y
I had a pen and pad that copied what it wrote onto a palm pilot that used these.
sagrotan@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 2y
I despise and ignore battery powered electronics that don't need 18650s. And i use Arch, BTW. :p
CosmicCleric@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
Could you elaborate/educate?
potentiallynotfelix@iusearchlinux.fyi · 3 pts · 2y
Let me google that for you
CosmicCleric@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2y
Thank you. Wasn't sure if that was a type of battery, and I didn't think that a Google search on just a number would be very successful in pinning it down.
potentiallynotfelix@iusearchlinux.fyi · 1 pts · 2y
18650 master race
IthronMorn@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 2y
SMH, 26650's are the only thing worth a grain of salt. LFS superiority!
swag_money@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 2y
wacom stylus!
mipadaitu@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 2y
Old laser pointers used to use quad-As
Z3k3@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y
Old ones
Pulptastic@midwest.social · 12 pts · 2y
I have a flashlight at work that uses them. It's a PITA because we don't stock AAAA batteries at work so they have to be special ordered.
Dud@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 2y
Wouldn't it be cheaper to replace the flashlight then?
A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2y
the internet has ruined me.
i've seen flashlight twice and keep reading it as fleshlight, and wondering what fleshlight requires batteries.
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y
Get yourself a motor from an.old game controller, shove it in the back, wire it to a power source and rock out
A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2y
man, I'll just plug in starfox 64 and a rumble pak. thats how we did it in 1998
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
Whatever gets you through
Hootz@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 2y
Just make sure the shaft isn't to long... Well unless your into power sounding
A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2y
Congrats. You've successfully made me shudder and flinch with the phrase "power sounding"
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
Verily
rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee · 3 pts · 2y
How else would it light up your penis
Hootz@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 2y
Same bro... Same bro and yea I think they got one that does take batteries.
Jimmycakes@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
If his job required constant use of a flashlight a fully rechargeable one would make the most sense. Faster cheaper better
gerbler@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
You can buy a 9v and open the case with some pliers and then boom. You go yourself some AAAAs
Ramin_HAL9001@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 2y
Came here to say this. I once cut open a 9-volt battery and discovered it was really just 6 AAAA batteries wired in series.
AHorseWithNoNeigh@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 9 pts · 2y
hedgehogging_the_bed@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2y
These are common in Microsoft Surface stylus and my Kobo Elipsa pen uses them but I'd never heard of them until 2021.
glitchdx@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2y
The stylus for a surface tablet uses one AAAA battery, and it will last for hundreds of hours of use. I wish I still had mine, as my surface tablet was my art tablet and I miss doing art. Nobody pay attention to the fact I was bad at it.
Blaster_M@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 2y
Obligatory AA AAA AAAA
PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks · 4 pts · 2y
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
AA AAA AAAA
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 2y
Any device that it fits...it's still just 1.5v battery.
There is no difference between AA, or AAA and apparently AAAA other then size.
delirious_owl@discuss.online · 24 pts · 2y
There is a difference other that size: capacity
Oisteink@feddit.nl · 8 pts · 2y
There’s a difference in capacity between AA batteries too. So size then..
mihnt@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 2y
.
ShadowRam@kbin.social · 2 pts · 2y
You could say the same about C and D batteries too.
They're all 1.5V
Zerlyna@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y
I remember needing 4 D batteries for my boombox as a teen. :D
JCreazy@midwest.social · 2 pts · 2y
They even have adapters to convert AA to C or D
Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 2y
Yup
DriftinGrifter@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 2y
like a 16 gauge or sth
kelargo@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y
Inside of other rectangular batteries.
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
What does your remote use?
Hugh_Jeggs@lemm.ee · 6 pts · 2y
USB-C and solar. It's 2024
cordlesslamp@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 2y
Now I feel poor. Thanks.
ilinamorato@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
That sounds amazing. I've never had anything rechargeable before, and I have moderately new, mid-range TVs. Where are you getting the good stuff?
ilinamorato@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y
I haven't had one that needed anything other than AA or AAA...uh...ever?
What brands are you buying?
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
I have two vizio tvs and bluray player that all take two aaaa batteries
Edit: just rechecked and they are aaa, not aaaa. I do have a penlight with aaaa though
ilinamorato@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
Yeah, seems like AAA has become the standard. I don't love it. Seems like they don't last as long as AA did.
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
Yeah, mass is kinda like that i think
ilinamorato@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
Well, I mean, in theory they used the smaller ones because they got the power draw down enough that AAAs could power the thing for about the same duration. But obviously not.
Tehdastehdas@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 2y
One is shorter than the others. Triple, eh?
BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
I don't see it ; perspective?
NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 2y
yeah, one of them is way shorter than the others but it's really wide to compensate.
gnate@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 2y
Streamlight Stylus LED penlight