Technical Editor Margery Conner's PowerSource streams the latest developments in electronic power design and related technologies. Follow Margery on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/margeryc.
Advertisement
Profile
RSS Feed
-
Add this blog to your RSS newsreader!
Recent Posts
- Solar heat engine’s 20% efficiency may trump solar panel’s 15% for some apps
- Startup battery company Imara folds, sells equipment to Yardney
- Energizer battery charger opens backdoor on unwary owners
- 3D holographic prints can replace bulky physical models
- GaN community grows: ex-IR CEO launches GaN-based power transistors
- San Diego airport terminal lets waiting passengers plug in
- IR’s GaN platform: Is the long run of the silicon MOSFET ending?
- New MOSFETS target server power supply efficiency
- US manufacturing strong, so why the disastrous job losses?
- Panjiva finds, evaluates international suppliers based on shipping data
Recent Comments
- Dermologyscincare on Here’s a list of micro-inverter companies (and some proposed new installations)
- Chris P on Solar heat engine’s 20% efficiency may trump solar panel’s 15% for some apps
- Grant on Solar heat engine’s 20% efficiency may trump solar panel’s 15% for some apps
- kool on 3D holographic prints can replace bulky physical models
- kool on 3D holographic prints can replace bulky physical models
Most Commented On
- Utilities suffer from CFLs’ poor power factor (110)
- This was not the right application for a compact fluorescent light (101)
- Not so easy to run an LED ”bulb” off of a dimmer switch – but here’s how (77)
- Proposed ban by China of rare-earth metal exports would affect hybrid cars, CFLs (72)
- Why diesel is so expensive (58)
Archives
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
By Category
- AC-DC (2)
- Aerospace & Defense (8)
- Analog (2)
- Analog Circuit Design (1)
- Automotive (2)
- Automotive (33)
- Battery Power (47)
- Biometrics (1)
- Body Electronics (1)
- Business and Marketing (5)
- Capacitor (2)
- China (1)
- Communication functions (2)
- Communications & Networking (7)
- Company Types (1)
- Components, Hardware, Interconnect (90)
- Computers (2)
- Computers, boards, buses (2)
- Consumer Products (1)
- Convergence (1)
- DC-DC (1)
- Design Engineering (1)
- Digital ICs (1)
- Discrete Components, Active (2)
- Discrete Components, Passive (2)
- Displays & Indicators (5)
- Displays and indicators (40)
- DSP Engineering (1)
- EDA (1)
- Electromechanical & Mechanical (1)
- Electronic Accessories (2)
- Electronics Business (2)
- Electronics Components (12)
- Electronics Environmental Issues (2)
- Electronics Licensing & Technology Agreements (1)
- Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) (1)
- Embedded Systems (3)
- EMI (1)
- Enclosures (1)
- Environmental Compliance (1)
- Global Supply and Trade (2)
- Globalization (1)
- Government/regulation (3)
- HBLED (29)
- Heat Dissipation (1)
- Hybrid & Green Cars (1)
- Industrial-Embedded Computing (1)
- LED (42)
- Licensing & Technology Agreements (1)
- Low Power (1)
- Low-Power (2)
- Manufacturing Operations (2)
- Medical (1)
- Medical Electronics (5)
- Mergers and Acquisitions (1)
- Motors (1)
- OLED (4)
- Parts Databases (1)
- Passive components (2)
- Piezoelectric Crystal (4)
- Point-of-Load (1)
- Power components (4)
- Power Consumption (5)
- Power Dissipation (2)
- Power Management (1)
- Power Sources/Controllers (321)
- Power supplies (20)
- Power Supplies (76)
- Powertrain (1)
- Printed Circuit Boards (2)
- Research (1)
- Robotics (1)
- Sensors (12)
- Solar/Photovoltaics (22)
- Standby (1)
- Supply Types (1)
- System Engineering (1)
- Technical Standards (1)
- Transformer (1)
- Transistors (6)
- Venture Capital & IPOs (1)
- Wireless (1)
- Wireless Networks (1)
Power Management Articles
- Battery simulator has variable ESR response
- The Black and Decker GH1000 Type 2 string trimmer
- Editor’s welcome
- EDN on Power Technology: GaN-on-Silicon gains momentum, more...
- EDN on Power Technology: HB LED reliability and lifetime; EDN's Innovation Award finalists; More...
- More...
Blog
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Supercapacitor-powered screwdriver recharges in 90 seconds
Sep 19 2007 11:54AM | Permalink |Comments (3) |
Here’s a product review on Popular Mechanics’ website of the new 5.4V cordless FlashCell screwdriver from Coleman. Granted, the FlashCell doesn’t have the same capacity as an equivalent battery-powered screwdriver: For example, the lithium-ion-powered 3.6V iXO cordless screwdriver from Skil gets 37 screws per charge while the FlashCell gets only 22. But the Skil’s charge time is on the order of hours, not seconds.
Supercapcitors don’t have a problem with partial charges, so if you can only wait for a 30 second charge, go for it – the number of screws you can drive will be decreased, but you won’t be wearing out the supercap. The company estimates the number of charge-discharge cycles at 500,000 – just try doing that with a lithium ion pack.
The unit shares the problem common to supercaps in that its self-discharge rate is high compared to a battery – the company says the Flashcell retains about 85% of its charge after 3 months on the shelf, but that’s hardly a show-stopper when the re-charge time is just 90 seconds. And keep in mind this is a screwdriver, not a drill. For more on supercapacitor- (aka ultracapacitor-) powered drills, see this post on Paul Rako’s Anablog.) Here’s the [cheesy] commercial for the FlashCell:
Related entries in: Power Sources/Controllers |
Reader Comments
at 10/23/2007 7:57:27 PM, David said:
They are not your typical super capacitors. They are new patented technology by an Australian company called Demain. www.demain.com.au
at 3/14/2008 11:56:34 AM, stiggle said:
Interesting... If the Lithium cell provided 40 screws worth of energy, and the charged super capacitor provided only 20, this would lead me to the conclusion that the super capacitor is capable of half the Amp-hour (Watt-Second) in the same volume. So if this could be scaled up to an electric vehicle, I wouldn't need to worry about batteries since I could quickly recharge and be on my way even with only about 20 miles of range between charges....
at 2/23/2009 10:38:38 PM, Bob said:
Ummm... did you notice any SIZE DIFFERENCE between the 2 screwdrivers?
That thing looks like the electric screwdrivers of teh 1980's.
Post a comment
About Us | Contact Us | Free Email Newsletters | Free Magazine Subscription | Advertising | 
RSS
©1997-2010 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Use of this Web site is subject to its Terms of Use | Privacy Policy