Despite the proliferation of gadgets with USB-rechargeable batteries., plenty of modern devices still rely on good old AA and AAA cells. From flashlights and remotes to wireless keyboards and more, many of us still regularly use those batteries on a daily basis. And when it comes to AA and AAA batteries, using rechargeables is just so much more economical than their disposable counterparts. The Olight Ostation X is designed to make managing those cylindrical batteries a much easier affair.
The biggest problem with rechargeable cylindrical batteries is the fact that they’re so small. As such, they’re easy to lose, so it’s not unusual to spend a fair bit of time trying to figure out where you placed that batch of AAAs you charged two weeks ago. Plus, once you find a batch of batteries, you can’t even tell from looking whether they’re charged or not, so it requires some serious inventory management most of us just aren’t willing to do when it comes to batteries. This device is designed to help with that.
The Olight Ostation X is a three-in-one device that serves as a charger, a tester, and a storage case for your rechargeable cylindrical batteries. That way, you can keep just a single device to charge your batteries, sort them (it separates healthy batteries from defective ones), and store them, so you know exactly where to get your next batch of batteries the next time your wireless mouse, wall clock, or nightlight runs out of power.
The charging area is situated on top and uses an automated design that requires you to simply drop in your battery (any AA and AAA will work) into the opening, with the device handling the rest. First, it detects the size, type, and polarity of the battery you put in, while also testing it for defects (e.g. too old, leaking, damaged). Only batteries it deems healthy are charged, with the bad ones going to a chute you can access out front, so you can pick them up and throw them away later. Do note, it only charges four batteries at a time, regardless of how many you actually put in the charging area, with a batch taking between two and four hours to fully replenish.
The Olight Ostation X has a bottom compartment that serves as storage area for fully-charged batteries. The batteries are arranged on a first-in-first-out sequence, so the ones that have been charged longer will be the ones you get to pick up first when you need a fresh batch. According to the outfit, the storage compartment can keep a total of 32 AA batteries and 36 AAA batteries at a time, so you can have a good load of charged cells ready on standby.
To ensure safe charging, it comes with protections for overheating, overcurrent, over-voltage, over-charging, short circuit, and electrostatic breakdown. There’s also a built-in cooling system and an auto-shutoff feature if it detects any issues. A companion app is also available, so you can monitor the charging status at any time.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Olight Ostation X. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at $99.