EEVblog #779 - How To Measure Product Battery Cutoff Voltage

[Hugoneus]

Does anyone know where the professor in the video teaches at?

[apis]

deliberately lying to sell people snake oil is not. It is probably hard to tell "beyond reasonable doubt" which is which but It would definitely be illegal to lie in the EU and Likely Austraila/New Zeeland too. I would be surprised if not in the USA/Canada as well. The problem in this case I suspect is they are not selling a product, they are doing a crowd-funding campaign. People are not technically buying stuff, they are donating money to fund something that might seem worthwhile if you believe their bs.

Indiegogo has a definite written policy: https://www.indiegogo.com/about/terms

"Campaign Owners are not permitted ... to scam others. If the Campaign is claiming to do the impossible or it's just plain phony, don't post it.  Campaign Owners shall not make any false or misleading statements in connection with their Campaigns."

If you believe this is a scam or claiming to do the impossible, or making misleading statements then drop them a line at this link...

Indiegogo also wants to foster "trust" and "safety":
https://support.indiegogo.com/hc/en-us/articles/526996-How-Does-Indiegogo-Foster-Trust-Safety-

If you think the batteriser people are breaching trust (eg. by lying to people in their promotional material) then let them know.

You could also write to them if you believe this product may be harmful (eg. by over-draining batteries) or risky (eg. by fooling battery indicators in devices which need to check battery levels before writing to SD cards, causing data loss if the battery runs out of juice at that moment).

"Thank you for contacting Indiegogo. Your request has been received and is being reviewed." Well see what happens.

[TheSteve]

Does anyone know where the professor in the video teaches at?

It must be the school for bent over monkeys.

Seriously though, Dave, thank you for continuing to make videos like this that debunk total crap products that are nothing more then a scam.

[dr.diesel]

Does anyone know where the professor in the video teaches at?

He's probably a true professor, just in Liberal Arts or PE.  lol.

[McBryce]

I still think it's a viral marketing campaign for something else, probably one of the battery companies themselves. There's no way that a company that can spend that much time and money on marketing videos, would make a reply to a technical critic with a setup that is so over obviously not serious. ie: The target audience will obviously notice the mistakes. If they've designed a Batteriser, they know how pathetic and fake the monkey guys setup is.

McBryce.

[German_EE]

Their 'Professor' is suspect because normally when someone from a university is shown on TV they give their university name and department. German TV shows the qualifications as well but that is a little over the top.

That workbench, high chuckle value, anyone who left a soldering iron like that would end up needing medical attention. There would also be LOTS of burn marks on the bench.

[firewalker]

Does anyone know where the professor in the video teaches at?

Which one? The one the the monkey or the one on other videos?

Alexander.

[continuo]

He's probably a true professor, just in Liberal Arts or PE.  lol.

If not a blantant lie by the batteriser guys, he's a Professor of Electrical Engineering... Unbelievable... Why on earth would he sell his soul and scientific reputation for such a dubious company? For a few bucks? I just don't get it... 

[McBryce]

The monkey graduated with a Doctorate from Yale. He has no idea how he ended up in marketing

McBryce.

[kunzem]

i really want the name of this "professor" its so WTF

[AF6LJ]

Even if that device worked; I wouldn't be caught dead using it on my portable short wave radio, for the simple reason I cannot be sure this device isn't a broadband noise generator.

But you can't be sure it is without actually testing one. Sure, it probably is but that's a whole lot less convincing than actually measuring one.
I wouldn't be surprised if Dave measures that when he gets his hands on one.

And as an off topic aside in regards to alternative medicines. Once an alternative medicine is scientifically shown to be theraputically useful it ceases  to be alternative. It just becomes medicine.

I hope Dave does measure conducted and radiated EMI of one of those...

And off topic.....
I totally agree regarding regarding Alternative medicine, the problem is science like every thing else on the planet can be perverted by an agenda.

[Goober_in_CA]

Dave

I think the cymbal monkey understood the concept of internal battery resistance better then Batteriser did.
Thanks for the great video.

Daryl

[LabSpokane]

Even if that device worked; I wouldn't be caught dead using it on my portable short wave radio, for the simple reason I cannot be sure this device isn't a broadband noise generator.

But you can't be sure it is without actually testing one. Sure, it probably is but that's a whole lot less convincing than actually measuring one.
I wouldn't be surprised if Dave measures that when he gets his hands on one.

And as an off topic aside in regards to alternative medicines. Once an alternative medicine is scientifically shown to be theraputically useful it ceases  to be alternative. It just becomes medicine.

I hope Dave does measure conducted and radiated EMI of one of those...

Whoa! Good catch!  You just nailed what could be the fatal flaw: getting that thing through FCC with dozens of different battery combinations and an infinite combination of end devices. They can't submit it for approval just clipped to the battery because that is *not* how it will be used. It's clearly a Class B device since its billed for home use, which really ups the ante. 

They might try to classify it as a kit and push certification to the end user, but I doubt the FCC will bite.

[boffin]

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/bob-roohparvar/5/6b1/73b

Dr. Bob Roohparvar – Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Batteroo – With over 30 years of electrical engineering and entrepreneurial experience, Dr. Roohparvar is no stranger to disrupting the power management industry, with a prolific patent portfolio. Prior to Batteriser, Dr. Roohparvar served as CEO and President of Flexpower, a subsidiary of Flextronics. After being told it couldn't be done, Dr. Roohparvar and his team re-designed the original iPhone charger, reducing size by 40% and creating the smallest charger in the world. Prior to Flexpower, Dr. Roohparvar served as Vice President and General Manager at Broadcom, in charge of their Power Management Business Unit. In addition to launching Batteriser, Dr. Roohparvar is also a professor at California State University, East Bay, teaching computer science and computer engineering classes. Dr. Roohparvar received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University.

[SL4P]

For the "electronics engineer's workbench" in the video you should have said "That's not an electronics engineer's workbench, THIS is an electronic engineer's workbench....insert pic of EEVBLOG office"

The iron and scope look like they were purchased in order to make the video.  Far too shiny & unscuffed!

EDIT: Sorry - I see that Dave mentioned this in the video.
BTW Dave - you are obviously setting the bar too high for a Professor of EE in a university.
If they listen to you, they'll have to close down the colleges - and their income streams.

[SL4P]

We should mention just for completeness
- that a typical clapping monkey DOESN'T have any low-voltage cutoff circuitry...

You'd be happy if the battery terminals were actually soldered - I've seen cheap imported toys with the wires twisted around the metal battery tabs!

BTW - I wonder if Batteriser guy noticed the current draw ramped up as the voltage dropped to stalling point.
I guess that's when the monkey emits bad smoke.

[apis]

Is this the monkey probing guy?

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/roger-doering/61/a17/3b2?trk=pub-pbmap

Also a professor at California State University, if linked in can be trusted.

[Mr.B]

I guess that's when the monkey emits bad smoke.

Monkey fart?

[orion242]

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/bob-roohparvar/5/6b1/73b

Dr. Bob Roohparvar – Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Batteroo – With over 30 years of electrical engineering and entrepreneurial experience, Dr. Roohparvar is no stranger to disrupting the power management industry, with a prolific patent portfolio. Prior to Batteriser, Dr. Roohparvar served as CEO and President of Flexpower, a subsidiary of Flextronics. After being told it couldn't be done, Dr. Roohparvar and his team re-designed the original iPhone charger, reducing size by 40% and creating the smallest charger in the world. Prior to Flexpower, Dr. Roohparvar served as Vice President and General Manager at Broadcom, in charge of their Power Management Business Unit. In addition to launching Batteriser, Dr. Roohparvar is also a professor at California State University, East Bay, teaching computer science and computer engineering classes. Dr. Roohparvar received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University.

doesn't look to be the same monkey in their video

http://www20.csueastbay.edu/directory/profiles/mcs/roohparvarfarzan.html

students rate him high....not sure what that really says.

http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=671473

[AF6LJ]

Even if that device worked; I wouldn't be caught dead using it on my portable short wave radio, for the simple reason I cannot be sure this device isn't a broadband noise generator.

But you can't be sure it is without actually testing one. Sure, it probably is but that's a whole lot less convincing than actually measuring one.
I wouldn't be surprised if Dave measures that when he gets his hands on one.

And as an off topic aside in regards to alternative medicines. Once an alternative medicine is scientifically shown to be theraputically useful it ceases  to be alternative. It just becomes medicine.

I hope Dave does measure conducted and radiated EMI of one of those...

That was my concern and being an amateur radio operator I have seen more than my fair share of dirty cheap Crap.


Whoa! Good catch!  You just nailed what could be the fatal flaw: getting that thing through FCC with dozens of different battery combinations and an infinite combination of end devices. They can't submit it for approval just clipped to the battery because that is *not* how it will be used. It's clearly a Class B device since its billed for home use, which really ups the ante. 

They might try to classify it as a kit and push certification to the end user, but I doubt the FCC will bite.

[AF6LJ]

The other issue that concerns me is what happens when this device looks into a short?
Say the electrolydic across the battery in my Grundig SW radio shorts? I have three of these things in series that are now looking at .7Ohms. We know batteries get hot but how much hotter is the battery compartment in my Grundig SW radio going to get?
Will it melt the case of my now classic SW radio??

This just occurred to me just a minute ago, the short circuit current on a AA Alkaline battery can be surprisingly high, Maybe Dave knows the answer to that but I see problems here...

[EEVblog]

Does anyone know where the professor in the video teaches at?

We only know about the professor in the promo video, he was from San Jose State.
And from LinkedIn, about Mr Roohparvar himself:

is also a professor at California State University, East Bay, teaching computer science and computer engineering classes

[EEVblog]

This just occurred to me just a minute ago, the short circuit current on a AA Alkaline battery can be surprisingly high, Maybe Dave knows the answer to that but I see problems here...

It will be approximately the current loaded voltage divided by the IR. But there is some added electrochemisty at play when you short like that.

[P_Doped]

O.k., so people want to know the main "professor" in the video:

Of the "campaigners" for the Batteriser (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/batteriser-extend-battery-life-by-up-to-8x#/story), one Chris Uken looks an awfully like this Instagram account person:
https://instagram.com/exellentc/

exellentc shows up in various site login names and other pictures.

I'm not good with faces, but this person looks a awful lot like the main "professors of electrical engineering" doing the video.  There's also a Chris Uken who was a student at CSU East Bay:
http://www20.csueastbay.edu/programs/csr/student-projects-2013.html (search for Uken)

It doesn't appear that the Batteriser Batteroo is run by merely fans of Batteriser...

[EEVblog]

Their 'Professor' is suspect because normally when someone from a university is shown on TV they give their university name and department. German TV shows the qualifications as well but that is a little over the top.

I found it a bit strange that they didn't name him like the other professor in the early promo video.
You'd think they'd want to add credibility to their video, right?
Why didn't professor Roohparvar do it himself? He's a professor at California State University