Wierd Energizer battery story & computer keyboard

[Slow Puffs]

This is going to sound nuts...

My wireless key board to my HP touchsmart started acting up. Okay, I replace the batteries (the batteries hadn't been replaced since I got the 'puter a year and half ago). With the new batteries absolutely no connectivity... using all the re-set, manual instructions.

On the laptop I went to the HP site about such problems... this particular wireless keyboard will only work with ENERGIZER batteries... I bought new energizers today and it's back to normal.

That's hard to believe :shock:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/TouchSmart-PC/Warning-about-wireless-keyboard-batteries-for-HP-Touchsmart/td-p/151506

How is that possible?

 

[jhuggett]

From what I gathered on the positive side of the battery housing there are plastic pieces to properly align the battery when seated? Aparently they are too long to allow the Duracell batteries to reach the contact so they don't work. Other batteries like the Everready seem to have a longer positive terminal so they work.

Basically a design flaw. You could probably take an exacto knife to those plastic pieces and shave them down a bit so any battery would work.

That's the only plausible sounding explanation I read but it's hard to tell without looking at it.

 

[puros_bran]

I think its a conspiracy by the Illuminati! well either Them or the liberals.. dirty rat bastages!!!!

 

[glpease]

This is going to sound nuts...

My wireless key board to my HP touchsmart started acting up. Okay, I replace the batteries (the batteries hadn't been replaced since I got the 'puter a year and half ago). With the new batteries absolutely no connectivity... using all the re-set, manual instructions.

On the laptop I went to the HP site about such problems... this particular wireless keyboard will only work with ENERGIZER batteries... I bought new energizers today and it's back to normal.

That's hard to believe :shock:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/TouchSmart-PC/Warning-about-wireless-keyboard-batteries-for-HP-Touchsmart/td-p/151506

How is that possible?

My first thought was that there was in impedance difference between the two battery brands, but for this to be an issue, the current draw would have to be huge and the impedance difference huge, as well. Interesting theory, but likely dead wrong. Or, maybe HP had some conspiracy deal with Energizer, and installed hardware to read the battery's color or something. Nah. That's just silly. Of course, this was all before coffee.

AFTER coffee, my next thought was that there must be a mechanical difference. Battery sizes are somewhat loosely spec'd, so it's possible that the two have different contact geometry, and the battery holders don't work with some brands, while they will work fine with others. I've actually seen things like this. in a couple of situations. Battery holders and batteries are pretty simple things, but I've seen cases in some weird equipment where the tolerances were just too close, and things didn't work according to plan. Maybe that's it?

So, I followed the link, and found this:

I found the same issue with the keyboard and it was very frustrating... first it seemed that the batteries that I had in my stockroom cabinet may have been bad/old... but in a different product they were full strength... so I decided to compare the Eveready batteries to the Duracells//// lo and behold there is a very slight difference in the tip of the batteries (positive post) that plus the fact that the design wizards at HP elected to inset the positive spring clip behind two raised plastic bosses on the positive side...

result... the slightly longer and narrower tip (only a few thousands of an inch mind you) was the difference between the duracells working normally or not working at all....

SOLUTION.... taking a pen knife or other such implement insert tip into the coil of the spring contact at the positive end of each battery location in the keyboard (batteries removed obviously) apply some lifting torque to spring that clip out from between the plastic retainers so that the tip of "ANY" brand of batter will contact it and the problem goes away...

such a subtle flaw.. a better spring design would have fixed the issue..... a thinner plastic boss structure would have fixed the problem... such a basic defect and still occuring today in my almost new touchsmart 800 series... go figure....

again just spring the center of the positive contact for each of the batteries so that it is even with or just outside of the plastic retainers in the battery housing and the problem is cured.... gently tho... there is no warranty for breaking the spring or the plastic retainer clips.... LOL

The actual problem isn't nearly as interesting as the possible problems. The sharp edge of Occam's Razor shaves close once again.

 

[Slow Puffs]

My family and friends that I shared this with just can't believe it.

On another site, there are horror stories of HP sending a new key board to the owners... now HP changed their response. "Replace the batteries with energizer batteries."

A cute aside to this is that my grandson said:
"I guess it's true what they say about the energizer battery."

:lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxafIhYFOr0

 

[puros_bran]

Wheres the Mac Fanbois???

holy moly, what an opportunity to say "Buy a Mac"

 

[Slow Puffs]

Here's the real thing...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HiO9rzU_aw

 

[Hunter5117]

Wheres the Mac Fanbois???

holy moly, what an opportunity to say "Buy a Mac"

PB, actually I have found the Logitech keyboards work pretty good with my Mac.

So, Buy a Logitech :cheers:

 

[Falconer]

HP has a conspiracy alright. It's called China! It's like the ameriacn lead singer in some rock'n roll band that was setting up somewhere in China. The local stage manager came over and said. "Your microfone no work, this no good, this garbage!"
The singer replied saying "Hell you made it!" :lol!: