Evolving Battery Form Factor Allows for an Unlikely Portable Gaming Console Hack

My first Makita cordless drill seemed one thing like this:

It wasn’t “form follows function,” however “form follows technology limitations.” The crazy-long deal with was formed that approach to accommodate the batteries, which on the time used nickel-cadmium (NiCd) cells. These cylindrical cells needed to be organized end-to-end so as to construct up the required voltage; this drill’s 9.6V capability meant there have been eight 1.2V cells stacked in there. (Makita’s 14.4V drill on the time had a good longer deal with/battery, with twelve cells stacked inside.)

The stability of the long-handled design was truly fairly good, however the disadvantage was that it wasn’t nice at stepping into tight areas.

I purchased that drill within the ’90s. In the early 2000s, energy software producers knew they wanted one thing higher, and started investing in R&D, and collaborating with battery producers. The end result was lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for energy instruments.

Cylindrical Li-ion cells are smaller than NiCd cells whereas providing a better energy density. This allowed engineers to position the cells side-by-side in a grid, and in tiers, if wanted. Thus now we have the brick-style battery, which permits designers to higher form the software to the human hand:

This Li-ion design after all grew to become the usual, providing extra energy in a extra compact bundle. Whereas 14.4V was probably the most you might get with the outdated NiCd batteries, the brand new Li-ions have made 18V commonplace.

Which brings me to my subsequent object. This is the unique Game Boy Advance, Nintendo’s moveable recreation console from 2001.

Image: Evan-Amos, CC0

It ran on two AA batteries, supplying you with round 15 hours of gameplay time earlier than you had to purchase a contemporary pair.

In 2003, Nintendo launched this fancier Game Boy Advance SP.

Image: Evan-Amos, CC BY-SA 3.0

This had a then-newfangled Li-ion battery, which was rechargeable; it was seen as a game-changer, eliminating the necessity to maintain shopping for AA batteries. The 3.7V battery gave you 10 to 18 hours of gameplay between costs.

Recently, a South-Korea-based tinkerer generally known as Bangoo H determined to hack a Game Boy Advance SP along with an 18V DeWalt battery.

He created his personal 3D-printed case for the console, which does a reputable job of constructing it seem the article was an precise Nintendo-DeWalt collaboration.

He’s additionally crafted an adapter to make the attachment level appear extra pure:

The resultant battery life presents an absurd quantity of gameplay time—about 230 to 400 hours, or roughly 10 to 17 days straight. “Most RPGs,” the tinkerer writes, “can be played from start to finish on a single charge.”

Had we stayed with NiCd batteries, this object would’ve seemed wildly completely different.