And this is why I like understanding electronics
So that spiffy set of Logitech portable speakers I own. Yes, the ones with the battery pack. They no longer hold a charge. I unplug them, they shut right off. Annoying to say the least. So, I did some digging. The internet did its job and supplied lots of complainers. Interestingly, they were telling me that they were all yelling at a computer screen about the same issue.
Wait, what? Is it a design defect? A manufacturing defect? Is logitech to blame? Should we lambast them and hate them for it? Is it a weather balloon? Charlie? yeah, give me those binoculars, so I can investigate further..
Ah-HA! as I suspected. The speaker system uses a 3.6 volt cordless phone battery pack. Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh) in fact. In actuality, its three 1.2 volt AA size cells that are attached together. And, its a shitty battery. Who saw that coming? Hello?
So in order to test my theory, I pulled three regular AA batteries and wired them together in the same fashion, and attached them. Oh look! The speaker system does its job perfectly! Okay, we’ve established that its a battery problem now. And here’s the downside. My replacement battery pack uses alkaline cells, rather than NiMH cells. They charge differently. So, while I can use the rebuilt battery pack to play back, I cant really plug in the charger. So, what does this mean? It means I’m going to the store tomorrow in order to buy a 3.6volt NiMH battery pack for the damned thing. I can really pick any thing I want, since I can rebuild the connector. I just plan to find one that has the largest mAh rating, so I can get the most playback time.
In closing, a couple of thoughts.
1. Logitech, if you didnt want consumers to disassemble the unit, use something better than allen screws.
2. Logitech, if you did want consumers to disassemble it, why use allen screws?
3. Logitech, if you were going to use a garbage battery, make it public knowledge, so replacement is easier.
Cross-posted specifically for Zula, The White Grace Jones.