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by skywal_l 89 days ago
> USB-C charging—no more scrambling for AAA batteries

Bear with me if you’ve already seen this comment, but I dug out my old TI-89 a while ago for some reason, and all I had to do was plug in four AAA batteries and it worked.

If it had been fitted with a rechargeable battery, 30 years ago, even assuming it was still functional, I would have needed to recharge it... but with what?

Now we have USB-C rechargeable AA/AAA batteries, so there’s really no excuse.
3 comments
EvanAnderson 89 days ago
I haven't seen that comment, but please keep making it every time it's relevant.

Non-user-replaceable batteries are terrible. It turns devices into e-waste. I wish device manufacturers would understand that. I wish consumers would understand that.

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fn-mote 89 days ago
> I wish device manufacturers would understand that.

Device manufacturers want you to buy another one. They understand. Consumers, not so much.

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EvanAnderson 89 days ago
Fair enough. I wish consumers understood it and demonstrated that understanding to device manufacturers.
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projektfu 89 days ago
Alkaline batteries also create e-waste when they leak and destroy the contacts. Only a few people will be able to repair it.

I agree with you, also for things like radios alkalines are great as a battery that stays outside of the radio and is used when you need it, and doesn't leak much charge at all.

But e-waste is still a problem.

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amluto 89 days ago
NiMH batteries generally don’t leak.
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jrmg 89 days ago
One of the things I like most about my Xbox controllers is that they still take two AA batteries rather than having an internal one.

No need to think about charging the controller - just have a pair of charged AAs nearby and switch them out when it becomes necessary.

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Dylan16807 88 days ago
> but with what?

The reason it would be a problem is because USB didn't have a suitable port in 1998.

Upgrade to 89 Titanium and it already has a USB (mini) port built in. Mini is not ideal but it's fine. You can get a whole pile of mini and micro adapters for a couple dollars.

The fact that batteries wear out is a significant issue for longevity. Backwards compatibility is a solved problem if you use USB.

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