EEVblog #751 - How To Debunk A Product (The Batteriser)

[Wytnucls]

Looks like a welding jig to me.

[LabSpokane]

NEW UPDATE!

Holy manufacturability clusterfucks!  The AAs are a train wreck

Actually, look at the those two photos. On the large board I do not see any V groove marks on the panel to snap off the rows. But the other photo shows a row of AA's in some sort of assembly/test jig holder.
What's up with that? 

I thought those might be AAAs, but who knows.  The positions of the AAs are all over the place.  I'm assuming that they are reflowing the entire panel at once, which has to be a total circus.  I just can't believe anyone would think an array of tall heat sinks would reflow well.  The edges and the middle of the panel will see very different heat profiles.

[LabSpokane]

Looks like a welding jig to me.

Welding a piece of stainless to a copper trace would be a new one on me...

[ChunkyPastaSauce]

Are there one sided v-scores? If so, board might be flipped, v-score on other side? Or maybe using a depanelizer?

I might have bad eyes..... wheres the converter?

[Wytnucls]

Looks like a welding jig to me.

Welding a piece of stainless to a copper trace would be a new one on me...

There may be an extra insert of stainless steel added for sturdiness. What do you suggest that jig is for then?

[AmmoJammo]

These still won't physically fit into probably 50% of devices.

[Ysjoelfir]

Are there one sided v-scores? If so, board might be flipped, v-score on other side? Or maybe using a depanelizer?

I might have bad eyes..... wheres the converter?

If you look realy closely you can notice at least a "big" cap at the downright edge, just where the sleeve connects to the pcb, so I assume there is actually some circuitry on there. How well it works... we will see "soooooon" 

[EEVblog]

These still won't physically fit into probably 50% of devices.

Quite likely.

[Fungus]

Looks like a welding jig to me.

Looks like two morse code keys stuck to a board with some Batteriser sleeves in the middle.

[Fungus]

These photos don't make any sense to me because there's no context in them.

When were they taken? Where were they taken? Why isn't Bob proudly holding them in his hand standing in front of the assembly line? That's what normal people would do.

They could be some photos the factory emailed to Bob I guess. OTOH they could be from a year ago when the original prototypes were manufactured. Time will tell 

I still say it make no sense to manufacture anything, not with the army of bloggers waiting and the Energizer lawsuit hanging over them.

[ez24]

Looks like a welding jig to me.

Looks like two morse code keys stuck to a board with some Batteriser sleeves in the middle.

Those are pressure clamps.  They cause a bottom plate to come up to push in the circuit board into the sleeve.  A prototype manufacturing device.

[SL4P]

Looking at the array of populated sleeves - suggests manufacturing is a real pain in the ass (need for manually loaded prior to bonding)...?
I too was trying to figure out what the first image is showing... I suppose it looks 'technical', so some punters will be happy!
Credit to whoever went to the trouble of those mockups - since we already know the Batteriser won't work as claimed - regardless if how good the BS is. 

[Fungus]

Note that the sleeves clearly say "Batteriser" - unlike the pics they've been showing lately which said Battfri5er (or something like that).


My prediction:

a) These photos are from the original prototype run from about a year ago.
b) They're about to announce the Energiser lawsuit to the world.
c) The Energiser lawsuit means the entire imaginary production run will have to be "scrapped".
d) They won't have any money left to make any more Batterisers.
e) More VC money please!!!

[Wytnucls]

Clamp it is:

[EEVblog]

These photos don't make any sense to me because there's no context in them.

That was my thought exactly.
Once again, the lack of detail that Bob provides says a lot.

[Fungus]

Clamp it is:

OK, but why would you want to clamp them down that firmly?

Maybe that's the prototype for the machine that press-fits the sleeves onto the PCBs.

[EEVblog]

Note that the sleeves clearly say "Batteriser" - unlike the pics they've been showing lately which said Battfri5er (or something like that).

The latest photo and the update form a few months back about the final production sleeve, they look the same. So the new photo is at least after that date you'd have to guess.

[EEVblog]

Maybe that's the prototype for the machine that press-fits the sleeves onto the PCBs.

But the question either way is why does the clamp photos shows a single PCB strip, and the other panel photo shows a whole panel with no apparent way to break them off into those strips. It doesn't make sense.

[Fungus]

Note that the sleeves clearly say "Batteriser" - unlike the pics they've been showing lately which said Battfri5er (or something like that).

The latest photo and the update form a few months back about the final production sleeve, they look the same. So the new photo is at least after that date you'd have to guess.

They've looked like that for a long time. This is last July:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/breakthrough-battery-gadget-answers-critics-125063020800.html

[Wytnucls]

Prototyping is the likely answer. I have a hard time believing all the sleeves would be assembled that way.

[EEVblog]

c) The Energiser lawsuit means the entire imaginary production run will have to be "scrapped".

It's a demonstrable fact they knew about the lawsuit before they did this run, so they won't be able to use the excuse that they only just found out.

[EEVblog]

They've looked like that for a long time. This is last July:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/breakthrough-battery-gadget-answers-critics-125063020800.html

Yep, well spotted.

[Fungus]

Maybe that's the prototype for the machine that press-fits the sleeves onto the PCBs.

But the question either way is why does the clamp photos shows a single PCB strip, and the other panel photo shows a whole panel with no apparent way to break them off into those strips. It doesn't make sense.

They're prototyping the press-fit die before they make the full-size machine that can do a whole panel at once...

[Wytnucls]

Maybe that's the prototype for the machine that press-fits the sleeves onto the PCBs.

But the question either way is why does the clamp photos shows a single PCB strip, and the other panel photo shows a whole panel with no apparent way to break them off into those strips. It doesn't make sense.

It is a double side pcb, the v-cut may be on the other side.

[Fungus]

c) The Energiser lawsuit means the entire imaginary production run will have to be "scrapped".

It's a demonstrable fact they knew about the lawsuit before they did this run, so they won't be able to use the excuse that they only just found out.

Not many people know that outside this forum, but yeah people would find out. Maybe they're not planning to announce the Energiser lawsuit yet.

Still, everything about those photos says "prototyping", not "manufacturing". I'm picturing the following scene:

"What are we going to do about all the people clamoring for an update on IndieGoGo? Even IndieGoGo is hassling us!"

"Can't we post those old photos from last year's prototype phase and say they're from final production?"

"Great idea!"