[DM-MUG] Wireless Mac Mouse Battery Issue

[Matthew Nuzum]

Buying the expensive batteries will make a big difference on the battery
life. Normal alkaline batteries have a drastically reduced life in the
higher drain wireless devices. So for example, a battery able to provide
800mah may only provide 300mah. (This is also true for digital cameras by
the way)

However the new, "ultra" batteries use a different chemistry that provides
additional energy (for example, maybe 1,800mah) and additionally do not
suffer the reduced life in higher drain devices.

The Energizer Ultra Lithium batteries last 6 months in my bluetooth mouse,
Rayovac alkalines last about one month. Paying $9 for a four pack of
batteries may seem a bit outrageous but they really do have value in these
situations.

Another alternative is to pick up a four pack of the Energizer rechargeable
w/ an included charger for about $20. You can just keep two in the charger
while you use the other two in the mouse. They won't last as long as the
Lithium Iron Chemistry "Ultras" but these NiMH will outlast Alkaline by a
good margin (NiMH can handle high draign devices nearly as well), even
though the energy density is comparable.

Christmas time is a good time of year to get deals on rechargeable
batteries. You'll probably find them at the checkout stand at any store that
sells toys and gadgets. The Energizers work very well in my experience.
Definitely stick with the name brand parts.

Matthew Nuzum
newz2000 on Twitter freenode identi.ca and Skype

On Dec 12, 2009 10:33 PM, "mauri booton" <woohoowoohoo at me.com> wrote:

It seems like I'm changing the batteries in my wireless iMac mouse
quite frequently (every 6-8 weeks). Is there some way to conserve the
batteries? If not, I'm thinking a corded mouse could be cheaper to run
and I could live without the "convenience" of the cordless mouse.

~~ mauri ~~

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