Digital Works' ReZap recharges disposable batteries, coming to North America in May
By Vlad Savov 
posted April 21st 2010 7:43AM
posted April 21st 2010 7:43AM
PC Treasures Leads the (Re)Charge
OXFORD, Mich., April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for Earth Day, PC Treasures, in partnership with Digital Works Australia Pty. Ltd., is very pleased to introduce to North American consumers the ReZap Battery Engineer, an innovative, exciting and earth-friendly battery recharger that adds life to all sizes of standard batteries. Designed and manufactured by Digital Works, the Battery Engineer utilizes intelligent microprocessors and software that regulate the charging process allowing consumers to safely recharge their standard, previously non-rechargeable batteries up to 10 times.
In addition to charging standard batteries, the Battery Engineer also charges rechargeable batteries and includes a battery tester to inform the consumer of the charge level of any battery. The sophisticated design makes charging batteries foolproof since up to four multiple-sized batteries (AAAA, AAA, AA, C, D, 9 Volt, and lantern batteries), can be charged simultaneously. It is the first charger of its kind to fully and automatically detect the different types of batteries that have been inserted into it and proceed to use the correct charging algorithm to handle the custom recharge of each battery individually. No buttons or switches to set, thereby eliminating charging errors.
Brian Austin, the President of PC Treasures states, "Most people are surprised to learn that they can recharge standard alkaline batteries. With the ReZap Battery Engineer, not only can you recharge them, but you can do so in an entirely safe manner. The Battery Engineer is a great way to help the environment and save a great deal of money on reduced battery purchases."
PC Treasures is introducing the Battery Engineer to North American retailers and it will be available in May 2010 for a suggested retail-selling price of $59.95.
ABOUT PC TREASURES, INC
Since 1998, Oxford, Michigan-based PC Treasures has been the leading provider of award-winning OEM software bundles to computer system builders and resellers throughout North America. The company has recently significantly expanded its product offering to include a wide variety of consumer-focused digital entertainment products, PC and netbook accessory items, and the ReZap line of battery and portable power solutions. PC Treasures' various product offerings can be purchased at leading brick-and-mortar and web electronics retailers throughout North America. For more information visit www.pctreasures.com.
SOURCE PC Treasures, Inc.
RELATED LINKS
http://www.pctreasures.com
I'm sure I had one of these years ago
@Josh123
Those alkaline chargers have been around for over a decade now, I think.
@Josh123 They definitely existed in the 90s. Not USB, of course.
@Josh123 : I remember them in the early-to-mid 1990s, before proper rechargables became a sensible option. I recal they had a great ability to start fires.
@Josh123 NOT chEAAP. thats very expensive. this is a new technology avaiible to the masses and i understand, but the price will drop to about 15 soon after the debut to our continent
@Josh123
These were available in the 1990's and I tested many alkaline batteries with them. What happened was that the main manufacturers modified their battery tech to stop these rechargers working. Duracell was the most obvious one. Their batteries would recharge really well, 5 or 10 times, and then suddenly their newer batteries simply stopped recharging at all. I expect they put in a small diode or something to prevent current being forced back into the cells. Some other manufacturers still produced (and produce) batteries that could be recharged but it became too hard to find them and this ended the short popularity of these rechargers.
So it's unlikely that the "recharge any battery" claim will hold up today. However charging Li-Ion batteries from a USB port is already a useful thing, I'd buy this just for that.
@Hieronymous
ive had a USB recharger for rechargeable batteries for 3 years, you can get much cheaper variants (i got mine from a pound shop XD) and ive seen rechargers for disposable batteries before too, and cheaper.
but heck, its pretty nifty :)
@Hieronymous Even a Schottky diode has a forward drop of 0.15-0.45 volts, which would severely limit the power available from the battery. If the ability to recharge alkalines was deliberately crippled (which I doubt, since it would probably have cost more than the lost sales of new battereis), then it was by some other method.
In any case, the makers of this piece of junk correctly assume that people have short memories.
@Hieronymous If that's true, I'd like to see legislation banning the practice of making the batteries un-rechargable. What a waste!
@Josh123 Yeah it was the Buddy-L SuperCharger that you likely remember. Never could get mine to really work but I did buy it pretty late so if they really did mess with the batteries that would certainly explain my terrible results.
Anyone got a good legal counsel for personal injury from exploding battery?
This tech was popular back in the 90's, but it died off because the damn things just didn't work. Sure, you'd get maybe 10% of a charge the first time, but each subsequent charge yielded less and less. Then there was the whole "batteries occasionally exploding" business, which didn't do any favors for the PR or legal departments of the various companies who sold them. In this day and age, with every battery maker carrying lithium ion rechargeables in every conceivable size, who needs this anyway?
This might not sell, remember the exploding batteries? I don't think people will buy this, battery life in gadgets have been getting much better.
why not just use "normal" rechargeables that can be recharged many 100 of times
over their life the rechargeables work out much cheaper
bound to be enough idiots who can't work out that normal rechargeables provide a far better return on investement
@SiG sorry sig, but this isnt hgtv. people buy regular bateries because they are cheap.
@emopoops Whatever, rechargable batteries are pretty much cheaper than duracell etc. From amazon:
4xAA duracell extreme: £4.09
4xAA eneloop: £6.85
Ok, not quite cheaper, and you can buy normal AA's in bulk, but even so you'd be better off after only a handful of charges.
@SiG It's meant for those people who will pick the free XBox or iPod over a $500 cash prize.
@SiG:
It drives me absolutely insane that people don't use rechargeable batteries yet. I see people all the time buying large packs of normal batteries. I understand using a normal battery in a device like a smoke alarm, but for everything else you should be using rechargeable. They are not more expensive. You may have to pay a little more upfront, but in a short time they're paying for themselves.
"CHARGE - ANYTHING USB - ANYWHERE"
Finally I can charge up my USB cables at the bottom of the ocean.
http://images5.cafepress.com/product/146885145v1_225x225_Front.jpg
Here is the site for it where it appears you can order now.
http://users.tpg.com.au/users/p8king/rezap.htm
iPower...
LOL
WHat get me is.. why not just get a set of eneloops and a charger for the price of... oh say THIS CHARGER thats tries to affiliate itself with Apple?
FAILCOPTERS
@AppleDrank
How is this affiliated with Apple?
@DoctarPeppar
trolls die of starvation if you don't feed* them.
*any response, whatsoever.
It has been a dirty little trade secret that regular non-rechargeable batteries have been able to be recharged about a dozen or so times without ill effect. But the Duracells of the world would rather you not know this.
@Hazdaz Idiotic conspiracy theory #7,398
You guys ever buy enough batteries for a houseful of toys for a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old? I've been trying to get enough batteries in the house for a while...and some of them are going into toys that are rarely used. Not to mention remotes, Wii remotes and xbox controllers.
This could be useful...however not really at $60. $60 would buy about 24 Rayovac Hybrid AAs. Depends on how discounted it is. And how useful it really is. My grandpa had one of these and I seem to remember he stopped using it after a battery exploded on him.
As always, venting prevents X-PLO-SI-ON
Why do these companies make a product that depends on regular batteries?
Why doesnt someone create a dam dock that can connect ACTUAL Li-Ion batteries, that are the type found in cell phones?
WHY?
Id love to be able to take a battery the size of my iPod around with me, and wenever my iPod dies, id just connect it via USB and BAM, insta battery rite on the spot.
We had such things all the way back in the 60s. Didn't work then, either.
This is hardly extraordinary. I've been selling a product just like this in my store for nearly a year (non-USB though). But, $60? Mine are less than half that so either that's Aussie dollars or they're serious padding their profit.
I will say my experience is that a Duracell will charge nearly fully up to 20 or so times, but with a Dollar Store battery you're more likely to get 30%.
Still, that's a lot better than some of the above are saying, but I guess the 90s were a long time ago.
Hmm. Looks like an explosion waiting to happen. Maybe I am too old fashioned :)
Love the idea!
The Sleepy Geek
http://www.thesleepygeek.com
I had a RayOVac Renewal 'Alkaline Charger' over a decade ago; that's probably one of the products the comments are referring to. The actual Renewal batts were pretty crappy, but it DID charge regular alkalines. Had its problems, though. If the batt was way drained, it would hardly charge at all. After recharging, life was pretty bad; maybe 40-50% of new tops. And sometimes, after a couple of cycles, the batt would start to leak and the stuff would burn my hands. No fires or explosions like they warn you on the batteries themselves.
The unpredictability was so bad I gave up, and with the quality of modern NiMh (especially Eneloops), and devices seemingly more tolerant of only getting 1.2v, I'm happier with those.
Well, i don't think i have anything to say because everyone seems to remember that they had chargers that could do this in the mid 90's. Although there where shitty one's that would not charge newer alkaline batteries, or make then pop and they had a falling out. I had a $50+ dollar one that worked great till less then 10 years ago when i lost it.
Just want to add, you can get about 50% charge by just leaving them in direct sun light. My dad grew up in a colony in mexico (a town of >50 people) and he charged his radio's batteries like that. This was in the late 50's. Micro wave works too lol
Or does it just blow no rechargeable batteries ?
The 11th charge is the most interesting. Fire!
Does it really work???
Saw it on homeshopping channel
If it does isnt it worth it?