{"id":16683,"date":"2016-01-09T08:18:51","date_gmt":"2016-01-09T12:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=16683"},"modified":"2016-01-09T08:18:51","modified_gmt":"2016-01-09T12:18:51","slug":"the-eco-usbcell-a-lipo-aa-usb-rechargeable-cell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/the-eco-usbcell-a-lipo-aa-usb-rechargeable-cell\/","title":{"rendered":"The Eco USBcell: a LiPo AA USB rechargeable cell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"EcoUSBCell\"<\/p>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> reader, Steven Crawford, who writes:<\/p>\n

Avid follower of your SWL Blog and site. I saw these and thought your followers may find these AA and AAA lithium ion USB rechargeable cells may be of interest as they are limited to 1.5 volts<\/a>. I’m interested for my C. Crane Pocket SW and Sony ICF-SW7600GR as well as for various Mag Instrument flashlights.<\/em><\/p>\n

An excerpt from PCWorld<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Card-carrying members of the Radio Shack Battery of the Month Club, get ready to salivate: The Eco USBcell is the most exciting development we\u2019ve seen in rechargeable batteries in a long time.<\/p>\n

Unlike most rechargeable AA and AAA cells that use nickel metal hydride chemistry, the USBcell\u2019s are based on the same advanced lithium polymer technology that\u2019s used in many smartphones.<\/p>\n

That may not sound like a big deal, but one limiting factor in using LiPo in a AA or AAA battery is voltage. LiPo and Lithium Ion\u2019s typical minimum voltage is 3.7 volts and would fry a standard device looking for 1.5 volts.<\/p>\n

The Eco USBcell features a power control chip to match the voltage to the standard disposable alkalines we\u2019re used to.<\/p>\n

[…]And that\u2019s not even the slick part of the USBcell. Once the battery is dead, you simply pull the top off to reveal a standard USB Type A port. That means there\u2019s no need to carry a charger anymore. Plug it into a 1 amp wall-wart charger and it\u2019ll be topped off in about two hours, even flashing an embedded green LED to let you know. The company says it can technically be charged on a computer\u2019s USB port, but it\u2019ll be a lot slower.<\/p>\n

Click here to read the article in PCWorld.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"ECOusb-aa\"Thanks, Steven! This is a very cool product, indeed! I noticed that, on BestBuy, there are currently six reviews–dating back to October ’15–with a full 5 star rating<\/a>. Not bad.<\/p>\n

With USB ports and chargers being ubiquitous in our world, I can see where charging these would be very convenient.<\/p>\n

My only hesitation is that I have a healthy fear of LiPo batteries after having a GoalZero LiPo pack melt down and burn on my bed while charging once. That was three years ago, however, and charging circuits have become much more reliable since then.<\/p>\n

I’ll put these on my wish list and purchase them later in the year if the reviews remain positive. I just purchased a 12 pack of Panasonic Enloop cells<\/a>, so I’m in no hurry.<\/p>\n

Thanks again for the tip, Steven!<\/p>\n

By the way, if you’re confused by various battery chemistries, check out our recent rechargeable battery primer by clicking here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Steven Crawford, who writes: Avid follower of your SWL Blog and site. I saw these and thought your followers may find these AA and AAA lithium ion USB rechargeable cells may be of interest as they are limited to 1.5 volts. I’m interested for my C. Crane Pocket SW […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4199,836,3],"tags":[486,4629,4630,4140,4135],"class_list":["post-16683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-accessories","category-new-products","category-news","tag-batteries","tag-eco-usbcell","tag-eco-usbcell-aa","tag-lipo","tag-lithium-batteries"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-4l5","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14469,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/08\/primary-ion-and-polymer-a-lithium-battery-primer\/","url_meta":{"origin":16683,"position":0},"title":"Primary, Ion, and Polymer: a lithium battery primer","author":"Thomas","date":"August 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Lithium primary, lithium ion, lithium polymer...want to know the differences between\u2013and varied uses for\u2013these diverse types of\u00a0lithium batteries? You're not alone...so did I. Recently, a reader asked about the suitability\u00a0of using\u00a0AA Lithium batteries\u00a0in a Tecsun radio. \u00a0Several knowledgeable\u00a0Post contributors\u2013including Richard Langley, Ken Hansen, DL4NO, Eric Cottrell, and Mark Piaskiewicz\u2013responded, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"EnergizerLithium","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/EnergizerLithium-e1440602196832.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/EnergizerLithium-e1440602196832.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/EnergizerLithium-e1440602196832.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32819,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/steve-searches-for-a-usb-powered-battery-charger-for-solar-recharging\/","url_meta":{"origin":16683,"position":1},"title":"Steve searches for a USB-powered battery charger for solar recharging","author":"Thomas","date":"June 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Steven Crawford, who writes with the following inquiry: [I'm searching for] good quality USB powered battery chargers for AA and D size rechargeable batteries. Wall outlet chargers are common but quality USB powered battery chargers appear much less common...less common than the packable solar\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessories"","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/batteries.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/batteries.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/batteries.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/batteries.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44828,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/08\/any-advice-on-compact-lipo-batteries-in-ear-earphones-with-volume-control-and-portable-amplified-speakers\/","url_meta":{"origin":16683,"position":2},"title":"Any advice on compact Lipo batteries, in-ear earphones with volume control, and portable amplified speakers?","author":"Thomas","date":"August 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"SWLing Post readers: I originally published the following post on QRPer.com. 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