{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2017}} {{Infobox information appliance | name = Batteroo Boost | developer = Batteroo, Inc. | type = Consumer electronics | website = https://www.batteroo.com/ | release_date= TBA }}
The '''Batteroo Boost''' (formerly known as the '''Batteriser''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|æ|t|ər|aɪ|z|ər}} {{respell|BAT|ər|eyez|ər}})) is a line of products designed by Batteroo, Inc. that is claimed to significantly extend battery life by using a miniature boost voltage regulator. It was crowd-funded on Indiegogo.<ref name="BatteriserSite"/> The company is based in Sunnyvale, California and founded by Bob Roohparvar and Frankie Roohparvar.{{cn|date=February 2019}}
==Product details== A patent was filed by Fariborz Frankie Roohparvar with the priority date of September 20, 2010.<ref name="Batteroo2012" /> The Batteroo Boost is claimed to extend the life of both new and used batteries. Batteroo has said that Batterisers are non-toxic, reusable, and coated with a non-conductive coating to prevent any risk of shorts. They also claim that a built-in reverse polarity protection mechanism eliminates dangers of inserting a battery into the Batteriser the wrong way.<ref name="BatteriserFAQ" />
Crowdfunding completed between July 2015 produced $394,459, while the initial goal was $30,000.<ref name="indiegogo" /> During the crowdfunding Batteroo announced they would be producing Batteroo Boost for AA, AAA, C, and D batteries.<ref name="BatteriserSite" /> In August 2017, Batteroo launched a second crowd-funding campaign for a line of products for rechargeable batteries called Batteroo Reboost. In this crowd-funding campaign, they raised an additional $42,311.<ref>{{cite web|title=Batteroo ReBoost: Make rechargeables work anywhere|url=https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/batteroo-reboost-make-rechargeables-work-anywhere-technology|website=Indiegogo}}</ref>
The shipping date for the product has been delayed for various reasons, but photos from the manufacturing process have been made available.<ref name="IndiegogoUpdates1" /> As of early May 2016, the company was months overdue to ship to its Indiegogo backers, with some backers accusing Batteroo of running a scam.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/the-perks-and-pitfalls-of-crowdfunding-20160429-goicl5.html|title=The perks and pitfalls of crowdfunding|last=Francis|first=Hannah|date=May 3, 2016|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=June 2, 2016}}</ref>
==Product tests== In a test by UL, a Garmin Golf GPS using Batteroo Boost was shown to have a lifespan of 10 hours and 12 minutes, in contrast to the 1 hour and 43 minutes of operating time without a Batteroo Boost.<ref name ="UL"/> However, TechnologyCatalyst repeated the test and found that the Garmin displayed a notification that the backlight could not be turned on due to low voltage after an hour or so on ordinary AA batteries, but then the GPS operated normally for over 17 hours. TechnologyCatalyst suggested that the device could be useful "if Batteriser was honest about its product", not to prolong battery life but to stabilise voltage over its lifetime.<ref name="Mills2015"/>
PC World's Jon Phillips demoed the Batteroo Boost operating on batteries in an Apple Inc. keyboard that he claimed were dead. The 'power meter' on the computer's screen showed the batteries as being dead without the Batteroo Boost, and as having 100% power remaining with the Batteriser.<ref name="Phillips2015"/> Brian Dipert at EDN called into question the strain on the keyboard being caused by the 'power meter,' and suggested that this test might not be representative of the Batteroo Boost's effectiveness in other applications.<ref name="Dipert2015"/>
==Controversies== ===Effectiveness=== thumb|right|Voltage of an AA alkaline battery during constant-current discharge at 100mA. Energy extracted from the battery is proportional to the area under the graph: {{legend|#C4f099|energy extracted before ''V''{{=}}1.3V}} {{legend|#b8cfe7|energy extracted from ''V''{{=}}1.3V until ''V''{{=}}1.1V}} {{legend|#f4dcb6|energy not yet extracted in battery when ''V''{{=}}1.1V}} The Batteriser's efficacy in consumer applications has been challenged by a number of sources.
A source of contention surrounds the brownout voltages for battery-operated devices. David L. Jones in his EEVBlog used a programmable power supply to determine that nearly all devices function in some respect until around 1.1V, or roughly 80% of a battery's life due to the non-linear discharge curve of batteries. This stands in contrast to Batteroo's claim that using a Batteroo Boost will unlock the remaining 80% of power (from 1.3V downwards).<ref name="Mills2015"/> Batteroo has claimed that the bench power supply test is flawed, because of the definitions used by Jones to define device functionality, the inherent differences between power supplies and batteries on the basis of Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR), and different measures of voltage (confusion between open circuit voltage and closed circuit voltage).<ref name="Dipert20152"/>
A further source of controversy is that the Batteroo Boost will shorten battery life in devices that undergo only intermittent use, because the Batteriser is always drawing power to boost the voltage, even when the device is idle.<ref name="Francis2015"/>
The first devices were delivered at the end of 2016. Frank Buss, and later on, Dave Jones, concluded in a first test that the device is not efficient when used in an electronically-unregulated toy train.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj6GyGVWwto&t=144s|title=Batteroo sleeve testing|date=December 22, 2016|publisher=|via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl90m2KHbNk|title=Batteriser / Batteroo Passive Toy Test|date=December 30, 2016|publisher=|via=YouTube}}</ref>
===Potential dangers=== David Jones on EEV Blog raised the concern that because the Batteroo Boost acts as a ground for the boost converter circuit, any nick in the insulation might result in a direct short, and potentially a fire.<ref name="Benchoff2015"/>
===Internet controversy=== In the wake of Dave Jones' video about Batteriser, his video was disliked by an abnormally large number of Youtube accounts with IP addresses located in Vietnam.<ref name="Russon2015"/> Other bloggers with Batteroo Boost-related videos experienced similar activity from addresses in Vietnam. The bloggers involved suspect that either a click farm in Vietnam was engaged to disrepute those attacking Batteroo Boost, or a single computer with many fake or stolen YouTube accounts utilized proxied IP addresses to cover its tracks.<ref name="Stewart2015"/>
=== Lawsuit regarding name === On July 25, 2016, Energizer Brands LLC filed a federal lawsuit, saying that the name Batteriser violates a variety of its trademarks on the word "energizer". The lawsuit said that "... despite advertisements, solicitation, and pre-orders, Batteroo has not delivered a single Batteriser product to a consumer in the ordinary course of business." According to the lawsuit, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled June 27 in favor of Energizer and refused registration of the Batteriser and Batterise marks. According to Energizer, Batteroo also tried to falsely implicate Energizer in the product delays of Batteriser.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2016/07/29/energizer-sues-california-startup-for-calling-its.html|title=Energizer sues California startup for calling its product 'Batteriser'|last=Kirn|first=Jacob|date=July 29, 2016|website=|publisher=St. Louis Business Journal|access-date=August 1, 2016}}</ref>
== See also == * Undervoltage-lockout * Joule thief
== References == <!-- Please leave refs in vertical format per WP:STABILITY --> {{Reflist|2|refs= <ref name="Stewart2015">{{Cite web | title = Negative Feedback - Attack on a YouTube Channel | first = Joe | last = Stewart | work = Dell SecureWorks Security and Compliance Blog | date = September 3, 2015 | accessdate = October 22, 2015 | url = http://www.secureworks.com/resources/blog/negative-feedback-attack-on-a-youtube-channel/ | quote = Dave Jones’ EEVblog, came under attack after having published a series of videos debunking a product claiming to vastly extend the life of alkaline batteries. }}</ref> <ref name="indiegogo">{{cite web | url = https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/batteriser-extend-battery-life-by-up-to-8x#/ | title = Batteriser: Extend Battery Life By Up to 8x. | publisher =Indiegogo | accessdate =April 26, 2016 }}</ref> <ref name="Russon2015">{{Cite web | title = Hackers spamming YouTube videos with dislikes using hijacked Vietnamese IP addresses | last = Russon | first = Mary-Ann | work = International Business Times UK | date = September 7, 2015 | accessdate = October 22, 2015 | url = http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/we-dislike-you-vietnam-hackers-give-youtube-videos-thumbs-down-1518821 | language = | quote = ...received hundreds of dislikes on his 30 August video debunking a product called Batteriser, which claims to greatly extend the life of alkaline batteries. }}</ref> <ref name="Francis2015">{{Cite web | title = Batteriser battery life extender: scam or saviour? | first = Hannah | last = Francis | work = The Sydney Morning Herald | date = September 17, 2015 | accessdate = October 22, 2015 | url = https://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/batteriser-battery-life-extender-scam-or-saviour-20150915-gjmrql.html | quote = In some cases using Batteriser could even shorten a battery's life, Jones said, because the product is effectively drawing power to boost voltage all the time, even when a device is idle. | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150917233050/http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/batteriser-battery-life-extender-scam-or-saviour-20150915-gjmrql.html | archivedate = September 17, 2015 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> <ref name="Dipert2015">{{Cite web | title = The Batteriser: scam or savior? | last = Dipert | first = Brian | work = EDN | date = August 13, 2015 | accessdate = October 23, 2015 | url = http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4440136/The-Batteriser--scam-or-savior- | quote = ...Batteriser ... represents an impressive ... case study ... of today's DC voltage boost and regulation capabilities. }}</ref> <ref name="Phillips2015">{{Cite web | title = Batteriser is a $2.50 gadget that extends disposable battery life by 800 percent | first = Jon | last = Phillips | work = PCWorld | date = June 1, 2015 | accessdate = October 23, 2015 | url = http://www.pcworld.com/article/2928997/batteriser-is-a-250-gadget-that-extends-disposable-battery-life-by-800-percent.html | quote = Roohparvar gave me a demonstration of Batteriser’s effectiveness. }}</ref> <ref name="Mills2015">{{Cite web | title = Don't Buy The Bullshit This Indiegogo Campaign Is Selling | last = Mills | first = Chris | work = Gizmodo | date = September 22, 2015 | accessdate = October 23, 2015 | url = https://gizmodo.com/dont-buy-the-bullshit-this-indiegogo-campaign-is-sellin-1732402971 | quote = For some particular high-power devices (really, the only example are old-skool cameras that run on AAs)... }}</ref> <ref name="Benchoff2015">{{Cite web | title = Crowdfunding Follies: Debunking The Batteriser | first = Brian | last = Benchoff | work = Hackaday | date = June 6, 2015 | accessdate = October 23, 2015 | url = http://hackaday.com/2015/06/06/crowdfunding-follies-debunking-the-batteriser/ | quote = }}</ref> <ref name="Batteroo2012">{{Cite web | title = Patent US 20120121943 - Structure and Method for Extending Battery Life | first = Fariborz Frankie | last = Roohparvar | date = September 20, 2010 | access-date = October 23, 2015 | url = https://patents.google.com/patent/US20120121943 | language = | quote = Claim 3 ...comprising a voltage regulator circuit... }}</ref> <ref name="BatteriserSite">{{Cite web | title = Batteriser.com | first = Bob | last = Roohparvar | date = 2015 | accessdate = April 26, 2016 | url = https://www.batteriser.com | quote = Tap into 80% more energy with Batteriser. | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160418021704/http://batteriser.com/ | archive-date = April 18, 2016 | url-status = dead }}</ref> <ref name="IndiegogoUpdates1">{{Cite web | title = Batteriser Indiegogo Updates | first = Bob | last = Roohparvar | publisher = Indiegogo | date = April 7, 2016 | accessdate = April 26, 2016 | url = https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/batteriser-extend-battery-life-by-up-to-8x#/updates | quote = We’re happy to also provide you with some photos from our manufacturing line of Batterisers in China... }}</ref> <ref name="BatteriserFAQ">{{Cite web | title = Batteriser FAQ | first = Bob | last = Roohparvar | publisher = Batteriser | date = 2015 | accessdate = April 26, 2016 | url = http://batteriser.com/faq/ | quote = No, the sleeve is covered with a non-conductive coating, which prevents shorting. }}</ref> <ref name="Dipert20152">{{Cite web | title = The Batteriser: Defenders and Detractors | first = Brian | last = Dipert | publisher = EDN Network | date = September 16, 2015 | accessdate = April 26, 2016 | url = http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4440366/The-Batteriser--defenders-and-detractors | quote = In the same video, he mentions that “most electronic devices have boost circuitry” making Batteriser useless. One cannot have it both ways. }}</ref> <ref name="UL">{{Cite web | title = UL Garmin Report | publisher = UL | date = 2015 | accessdate = April 26, 2016 | url = http://batteriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Batteriser_ULReport_GPSDevice.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160122031930/http://batteriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Batteriser_ULReport_GPSDevice.pdf | archive-date = January 22, 2016 | url-status = dead }}</ref> }}
Category:Electric power conversion Category:Consumer electronics Category:Indiegogo projects