About Batteries

When you think of batteries, you probably think of the round cell Alkalines you buy at the market for your flashlight. But the demands of portable power have required battery manufacturers to find ways to create ever increasing power for ever diminishing sizes of gadgets.

Think about it. Your electric toothbrush, Dust Buster, GameBoy, laptop computer, cell phone and portable screw driver all are just expensive toys which become nothing but table decorations without batteries to power them.

So how did anyone ever think up the idea of a battery? It started way back in 1791 when a fellow at Bologna University named Galvani discovered that when you touch a piece of metal to the muscle of a frog it contracts. Believe it or not this was the beginning of it all; they called this phenomenon "animal electricity."

Luckily, they figured out how to use metal and chemicals instead of poor frogs to move power around. In 1800, Volta invented the world renowned voltaic cell. Events succeeded quickly with the development of faster, smaller, lighter batteries. Batteries which work together in packs for more power, batteries which can be recharged and used over and over. New chemistries have been developed for better performance and to help the environment (See our Battery Recycling section).

So nowadays, you have lots of types of batteries to choose from. There are many kinds, because the power needs are different. Did you know that an Alkaline battery is best for your smoke detector and a Rechargeable Nickel Cadmium battery is best for your GameBoy? If you don't know why,click on
Buddy Battery to read further.

Primary Batteries
Secondary Batteries
More Battery Information
About Charging Batteries
The Three R's
Battery Tips