Translators - Electronic > Accessories > Ectaco X-series Translators

Ectaco devices will have either a set of AAA rechargeble batteries (e.g., X-series, 500 series) or a Lithium Polymer (Li-Poly) battery (the touchscreen devices, such as iTravl, 900-series, etc.).

As noted, the X-series translator comes with AAA rechargeble batteries (four of them). These are nickel metal halide (NiMH) batteries. This is what laptops used for many years, though most laptops now use Lithium-Ion batteries because they have more "charge density." That is, a Lithium-Ion battery of a given physical size will provide more run time than an NiMH battery of the same size.

A big advantage of NiMH batteries is they cost a whole lot less than Lithium-Ion batteries. When a manufacturer is making battery decisions for a mobile device, the key factor is the load the device will present to the power source. The X-series translator, unlike the current generation of high-end translators, is a medium load. So to provide the same run time it's not necessary to incur the expense of a lithium battery or a lithium-polymer battery. And, yes, there is a difference between Lithium-Ion batteries and Lithium-Polymer batteries.

If you care to know about that difference, what follows is a (mercifully) short tutorial. It has nothing to do with your 500-series translator, but odds are good it's very relevant to other things you own.

A Lithium-Ion battery is basically an acid container with two electrodes and a separator. While it gives long life (as far as batteries go), this arrangement makes the battery either very difficult or impossible to fit into a mobile device unless that device has a dedicated battery chamber that's going to be a boxy appendage on the device. The solution was to replace the acid and electrodes with a gel, thereby allowing a device designer to specify a battery of nearly any shape. This means the battery can fit into the device, instead of having the constraint where the device must have a special boxy chamber to accomodate a battery.

This gel is made of a polymer, so the battery is called a Lithium-Polymer battery or simple Li-Poly. One downside is it has slightly less charge density than a Lithium-Ion battery does. Also, these batteries are typically made in batches for specific devices. That means you don't just go out and buy a battery off the shelf to replace it. And, like Lithium-Ion, they are expensive.

Most mobile devices today use a Lithium-Polymer battery (if they have a rechargeable battery). The Lithium-Polymer battery is a variation of the Lithium-Ion battery, which is why it's also called the Li-Ion Polymer battery. The difference is the Lithium-Polymer has a gelled electrolyte instead of a dry electrolyte and separator. This allows for the slimmer battery (smaller form factor) in demand for cell phones, which is why this battery was developed.

It doesn't have more capacity than a similarly-sized standard Li-Ion battery (it has actually a bit less). It just fits better into small portable devices.
One advantage of the Li-Ion and Li-Polymer battery is it can accept partial charges without degrading the battery or developing "memory." Because these batteries are sized very small to fit into very small devices, this is no small advantage. It's a crucial one (see the tips and a caution at the end of this article).
People want devices that have sound, color, fast processors, and other power-hungry features or components. They also want this device to fit into a pocket. To accommodate these requirements, something has to "give." And that is invariably the battery.

If you want whiz bang features and small size, you can't have super-long battery life. Period. We're up against the laws of physics. But you can have sufficient battery life. For example, properly charge a battery for the typical mobile device and the device can run all day (assuming normal usage).

Facts about battery size vs. performance:

• The amount of energy a battery can store is a function of the physical size of certain battery components and thus of the battery itself. As you go up in battery capacity, you also go up in size and weight.
• Battery life is a function of how much energy a battery stores and the rate at which that energy is used. As you add power usage, you must also add size or reduce battery life.

Essentially, you are storing a charge in the physical materials of the battery. To store more charge, you need more material. And that material adds both size and weight. But nobody wants to carry a brick around. Do you? So these batteries are generally sized to permit X amount of usage between charges. When the designers determine X, they are usually thinking about a day's typical usage.

But batteries lose their capacity over time. So the available X gets smaller. Here are some tips that may work for your particular battery situation:

What you can do:

• Keep a spare battery or two with you, if you're going to be out for long.
• Buy a cradle charger and a car charger. Charge your battery frequently.
• Avoid power-hungry usage patterns if you won't be able to charge for a while.
• Charge the battery for 6 to 8 hours before first usage of the device. Six hours should give you a full charge. Additional charging won't add any runtime. A couple hours over won't hurt, but if you get to six you are done.
• Caution: Do not charge Li-Ion (or Li-Polymer) batteries longer than 24 hours. Think in terms of "sip" not "drown."