Category: Batteries

My Computer Switches Off When Switching to UPS

Here’s a tip for those of you with an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or thinking of getting one. Today, while I was working from home, there was a short dip in the power but long enough to trip the UPS and have it switch to its internal battery to power the connected equipment until the …

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Sometimes There’s Never Enough Signal to Go Around

Just wanted to share an observation I had tonight while attending a show Kathy Griffin was putting on this evening (and yes, she was hilariously inappropriate). In venues such as the Sydney Opera House which probably doesn’t have cell sites in the building you might find that as more people gather in the area the …

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How to Thoughtfully Dispose of Batteries

I’ve covered batteries a bit lately including how to look after lithium ion batteries as well as how to replace a battery in a MacBook Pro but I haven’t covered how to thoughtfully dispose of batteries. It can be tempting and convenient to throw batteries in the general garbage or try to rationalise that they …

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Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Computer Unplugged (For Too Long)

Here’s a tip that might help you prevent your computer become suddenly slow and groggy. If you leave your computer (be it a desktop or laptop with a depleted battery) unplugged for too long it can  forget about the current time and date. Usually, there is a tiny battery inside the computer that keeps this …

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Look After Your Lithium Ion Batteries

These days, nearly all of our portable devices like mobile phones, tablets, laptops and music players contain a lithium ion or lithium polymer battery which have largely superseded the old NiCad (nickel cadmium) or NiMH (nickel metal hydroxide) batteries. If you can remember back far enough, NiCad batteries suffered from “memory effect” which occurred as …

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Panasonic 803 Series Premium DECT Cordless Phone

Panasonic 803 Series Premium DECT Cordless Phone

Last time, I covered the Panasonic washing machine that was shown off at the recent Panasonic home appliance launch last week. Today, I am going to cover off the new cordless phone that will be added to the existing lineup. Granted, these days landline telephony might be viewed more as a legacy service compared to …

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Save Android Device Battery Life When at Home on Wi-Fi

Here’s a quick tip for those of you with Android devices. You might be able to boost your battery life by changing your Wi-Fi sleep settings. You can look at the available settings by going into “Settings” then “Wireless & Networks”. Make sure that Wi-Fi is enabled in this screen and then tap on “Wi-Fi …

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Check Your Laptop as HP Extends Battery Recall

Here’s a heads up for those of you out there with HP laptops that are a few years old. As is usually the case with battery recalls most are undertaken as a precaution to avoid widespread fire hazards, overheating and explosions from occurring. Unfortunately, unless the message is broadcast from manufacturers direct to consumers or …

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Pep Up Your Laptop Speed by Checking the Power Management Settings

A quick tip for this evening. Many of us have laptops and we do need to use them away from a power point when required. However, this often means that your laptop is running in a low power consumption mode designed to prolong battery life at the expense of performance. This can be a pain …

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Nuclear Power: A Polarising Technology

Just a quick one for tonight. For decades there has been debate over the benefits and drawbacks of nuclear power including aspects such as emissions generated during power generation as well as control and containment when the core needs to be shutdown in an emergency. Personally, I didn’t know where I stood on the concept …

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