this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2025
55 points (100.0% liked)
Technology
37850 readers
628 users here now
A nice place to discuss rumors, happenings, innovations, and challenges in the technology sphere. We also welcome discussions on the intersections of technology and society. If it’s technological news or discussion of technology, it probably belongs here.
Remember the overriding ethos on Beehaw: Be(e) Nice. Each user you encounter here is a person, and should be treated with kindness (even if they’re wrong, or use a Linux distro you don’t like). Personal attacks will not be tolerated.
Subcommunities on Beehaw:
This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I’ve got a battery-free efficient keyboard already… it uses this cable connected to the computer to supply power when keys are pressed. Very energy efficient. Never needs to charge. And unlike these keyboards with a built-in lithium battery, it will last indefinitely.
No lithium, it's got a capacitor. Those things can handle a lot of charge cycles
But they still have a limited lifetime of a maximum of 10 years, regardless of cycle count.
Where are you getting that number? There are many different types of supercapacitors, which vary in lifespan quite a bit, the conditions (mostly voltage and temp) also have a big impact. The article doesn't specify the type of cap used.
For instance this paper tests a supercapacitor rated for 2.7V at 2.5 and 3v. At 2.5v the cap is estimated to have a lifespan of 100yrs, with 3v scenario it's 10.
Keyboards don't get very hot, and the voltage draw is very predictable so I don't think designing a long lasting capacitor for this usecase is particularly tricky.
I would be worried about the lifespan of the solar panel, but at least it's still usable without that.
I suppose you'll have to do a 10$ repair on your decade old keyboard, and recycle the remains
The keyboard uses super capacitors which are much longer lasting than lithium batteries, it also has an USB C wired connection port hidden under a cap.
I think this looks great. I'm not going to run a 20 foot USB cable accross my living room so wireless is pretty much a must. I think the only concern I have is if it discharges if I store it and if so what the bringup time would be.
Good point; I’ve used a USB extender that had WiFi at either end to handle the distance thing. Maybe it’s just me, but outside of laptops I don’t generally have a need to move my keyboards around much.