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   acb (acb@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 12-Oct-2023 08:29:06 JST acb

   This is thoughtful design: Muji apparently released a flashlight that works with any combination of 2 AA and 2 AAA batteries, only more dimly with fewer batteries.

   • Embed this notice
     pettter (pettter@mastodon.acc.umu.se)'s status on Thursday, 12-Oct-2023 20:18:53 JST pettter

     in reply to

     • Pete Prodoehl 🍕
     • Charlie Stross
     • Blake Leonard

     @rasterweb @cstross @blake @acb Possibly also robustness - another component means another source of failure.

   • Embed this notice
     Pete Prodoehl 🍕 (rasterweb@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 12-Oct-2023 20:18:54 JST Pete Prodoehl 🍕

     in reply to

     • Charlie Stross
     • Blake Leonard

     @cstross @blake @acb Probably cost.

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     Charlie Stross (cstross@wandering.shop)'s status on Thursday, 12-Oct-2023 20:18:55 JST Charlie Stross

     in reply to

     • Blake Leonard

     @blake @acb I seem to recall reading some years ago that Microsoft had patented a *really simple* circuit to allow devices that run on one or more AA or AAA cells to auto-sense which way the batteries were inserted and flip polarity as necessary to operate. Can't imagine why this isn't in universal use already …

   • Embed this notice
     Blake Leonard (blake@infosec.town)'s status on Thursday, 12-Oct-2023 20:18:56 JST Blake Leonard

     in reply to

     @acb@mastodon.social I've always assumed that things that "require" X many batteries of X type are depending on all batteries to complete the circuit, not to mention the specific voltages of certain types of batteries. If that is true there's probably a way around it and that's probably what they did -- it's probably more components though and therefore more costly (although, to be fair, it's probably pennies on the dollar per hundred units or whatever).