Benjammin.Net - Opinions - Disposable by Design

Updated:
27 Jul, 2010

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Disposable By Design

This will be a quick rant as I clean up my lab of old electronics as well as having inherited some broken gizmos from friends.

It basically goes like this. Why do companies, the very companies who whine about having to stock so many parts, design products with the idea that the product will be thrown away -- when it might actually last a really long time?

What I'm poking annoyance at are some of the electronics we buy that I realize are in some cases expensive to repair, but when it comes to something that is going to fail in a couple years time like the BATTERY, that may or may not be the end of the useful life of the device. I'll list some examples that should hopefully better elaborate my rant.

Motorola TalkAbout 280 FRS Walkie-Talkies:
This is a really nice walkie talkie. It served me well for the 10yrs I've had it. It's in great shape -- but a couple years ago the battery gave up holding a charge rendering the unit useless until the battery pack is replaced.

Now I've looked around the net and I can find a replacement pack which was custom made by Motorola... There's a couple problems I'm running into.

The seller either lists incorrect information about the pack (my fav is 7.5V 900mAh when the unit specifically runs on a 3.6V pack). The other problem is the pack says "new" but when was it actually manufacturered? NiMH (and lots of other batteries) have a shelf-life charged/used/discharged or not. So these packs for $30-$50 could be 10 years old and dead anyway.

So buying "new" online is still a crapshoot for such an ancient unit.

It's still a nice radio

The technology hasn't changed governing its use.

It suffers no mechanical defects.

Except for the power source, it's still 100% viable.

"So, Ben - You're a smart guy, buy some new batteries and just replace them from the pack. You've done it on other products!" you might say.

How correct! That was one of the first things I did - take the pack apart and see what's inside. The results: Some of the hardest to find (via google anyway) NiMH Cells I've ever seen!

Prismatic (Rectangular) Panasonic Size F5 NiMH cells.

They are not the cyclindrical cells we're all so used to. They're a "Special kind" made with a rectangular shape that gives them a lower profile so the space used by the batteries is smaller. This means you can't just toss anything into them. I can't even find the size, Panasonic or not. Maybe they were made just for Motorola. And again, this makes no sense. WHY REINVENT THE WHEEL! HELLLOooOOooo....

So I haven't thrown out the unit yet in the hopes that maybe some day I'll find a those pesky cells. What a pain. All because Motorola moves through models of product on almost a lunar cycle. (Another reason to avoid Motorola. Their customer support over long periods of time just sucks.)

King/Bendix KX-99 Hand-Held Aviation Radioi:
This one is a little easier. My friend gave me this as the LCD display was broken. Surprisingly, there are still LCD displays available from King (for way too much in my opionion)... but what I wanted to mention again was this: A SEALED BATTERY PACK that is indended to be 100% unservicable. So when the batteries have finally kicked it, you not only add to landfills with the mere batteries inside, but also all the perfectly reuseable plastic housing and other electronic components (like the fuse, thermistor, cabling, etc..).

SUCH A WASTE.

Thankfully, I've cracked open enough epoxied cases for repair that I think I should be able to change out the batteries in this one.

Again, let me reiterate on this one: It's not that the batteries can't be had or even new replacement packs that are probably loaded with fresh cells. (popular radio!) It's the sealed/unservicable nature of the pack. No fixing/replacing simple batteries here! We want you to throw the whole thing away into that landfill. (The cells should be recycled, but most people find that a hassle - so that's probably where they'll toss the dead pack.)

More to come...

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