Draining batteries into fewer batteries

[LightningInAJar]

TL;DR Summary

Condensing battery supply.

Am I safe in assuming that different electronics will stop working at different levels of remaining energy storage in a battery? Assuming a person has many batteries with a little juice left, but not enough to work most electronics can it be transfered efficiently to rechargeable batteries with the right setup? I want to avoid waste before throwing anything out.

 

[.Scott]

Am I safe in assuming that different electronics will stop working at different levels of remaining energy storage in a battery?

Yes

Assuming a person has many batteries with a little juice left, but not enough to work most electronics can it be transfered efficiently to rechargeable batteries with the right setup?

That may not be efficient enough to be worth anything.
An alternative strategy would be to use the batteries with high-current devices first. Once they are "spent", try them on a low-current device.
Another alternative would be to set up several spent batteries in parallel and use that combination to power something.

I want to avoid waste before throwing anything out.

If a non-rechargeable battery is too spent for a low-current circuit, it is time to throw it out.

 

[Baluncore]

I want to avoid waste before throwing anything out.

Unless you are in penury, with a lot of spare time, I believe that may be a false economy, that makes life unnecessarily more complex.

The failure of a battery can be more expensive than the possible savings. Put the effort into recycling all things more efficiently.

 

[berkeman]

If a non-rechargeable battery is too spent for a low-current circuit, it is time to throw it out recycle it.

Fixed that for you.

 

[DaveC426913]

Unless you are in penury, with a lot of spare time, I believe that may be a false economy, that makes life unnecessarily more complex.

TIL the word "penury".

In 60+ years it has never crossed my path. And I have a pretty broad vocabulary.

 

[Baluncore]

In 60+ years it has never crossed my path. And I have a pretty broad vocabulary.

Up until now, your reading of the works of Charles Dickens, has clearly been insufficient. Social welfare has largely ended penury, extreme poverty, and destitution, in civilised countries today.

 

[DaveC426913]

Up until now, your reading of the works of Charles Dickens, has clearly been insufficient.

Ah. That would do it.

 

[hutchphd]

Unless you are in penury, with a lot of spare time, I believe that may be a false economy, that makes life unnecessarily more complex.

This admonition notwothstanding, there are a host of strange "near boost converter" ideas that I have always known as "joule thie-
f" circuits to enablenearly dead batteries to light LEDs. I do not think these will make the deserts bloom.

 

[.Scott]

The high-current/low-current strategy is seldom worth implementing because low-current device maker often use those coin-like batteries (cr2032's). But it is a good idea to promptly remove a battery once it is "dead" - simply because dead batteries eventually leak.

There is a similar situation where the high/low strategy does work for me. Once a propane tank is too empty for use with a BBQ grill, it can be switched over to one of those propane-driven mosquito-killers.

 

[sophiecentaur]

, there are a host of strange "near boost converter" ideas that I have always known as "joule thierf" circuits to enablenearly dead batteries to light LEDs.

They do have a significant use in low power loads (garden decorative lights etc.) where the PV cells produce a voltage that's lower than the LEDs require.That's not so much a fault situation - just good, economic design. A bit like using a transformer with AC to match the source volts to the volts needed for the load. Hey-ho for modern electronic devices.

 

[LightningInAJar]

TIL the word "penury".

In 60+ years it has never crossed my path. And I have a pretty broad vocabulary.

I had to look up TIL.

 

[hutchphd]

In 60+ years it has never crossed my path. And I have a pretty broad vocabulary.

But not a big Dickens fan, I would surmise.

 

[DaveC426913]

But not a big Dickens fan, I would surmise.

See post 6,7.

 

[Patxitxi]

TL;DR Summary: Condensing battery supply.

Am I safe in assuming that different electronics will stop working at different levels of remaining energy storage in a battery? Assuming a person has many batteries with a little juice left, but not enough to work most electronics can it be transfered efficiently to rechargeable batteries with the right setup? I want to avoid waste before throwing anything out.

Wrong focus I think.
Focus should be on recycling not wasting time and money on inmaterial "savings".
The collar is worth more than the dog...