cash and batteries rule everything
around us you don't always see them but
they're definitely there every night I
plug in multiple devices to charge just
so they'll get me through the next day
but most people have never actually seen
the batteries inside their devices have
any idea of how they work or know what
to do with them when they get damaged or
died so what's in this tiny black case
that allows it to power all your
favorite devices this iPhone battery for
example is actually a tiny pack of
volatile chemicals and metal separated
by thin layers of non conductive
material inside you have positive
electrodes typically made of lithium
cobalt oxide and negative electrodes
made of carbon both of which are sitting
in an electrolyte solution when you plug
in your phone lithium ions are sent from
the positive electrodes through the
electrolyte solution to the negative
electrodes which allows the battery to
store the energy for use this is all
controlled by some smart circuitry that
regulates voltage preventing
overcharging and overheating you really
don't want to be face-to-face at the
battery when that happens but you can't
keep recharging a single battery forever
you have to replace the battery in your
car every five years or so right the
same goes for electronics every battery
has a lifespan so batteries are
essentially consumable products the
average iPhone battery retains up to 80%
of its original capacity after 500
cycles to put that into perspective if
you charged your iPhone every night for
a year and a half the battery meter
would still read a hundred percent but
your battery life would only last 80% as
long as it did when you first got it so
you and your battery have hopefully
lived a long and happy life together
but when it's time to say goodbye how do
you get rid of it do not I repeat do not
throw it in the regular garbage mother
nature and the folks driving the garbage
trucks will be real real mad because
batteries are incredibly toxic and had
the potential to cause fires if your
battery is dead but otherwise in good
shape you should take it to your local
waste management or do a google search
for a battery recycler or drop-off
location you'll find one at most big
electronics or hardware stores if you've
got a swollen battery you should treat
it before you drop it off just fill a
bucket with some salt water using a
ratio of one gallon of water to one
tablespoon of salt
drop your battery in it for a couple
days and let the solution discharge the
battery if you've punctured your battery
there's no flame you're very lucky place
it in a steel bucket of sand until you
can bring it to a recycler if you've got
a dying iPhone battery you can get one
of our complete DIY iPhone battery fix
kits and swap it out in a matter of
minutes
just follow our step-by-step guide use
the recommended tools and you'll be good
to go happy fixing