Thanks for the help guys.
I just thought about this: a person should could come up with a battery that could power anything. It could be rechargable and run anywhere from .1V to 12V! They could become a millionare, maybe even a billionair!
They have this, too.
They call it a DC to DC power supply.
My father made one out of a car battery and an AC to DC power supply.
Battery setups like this are large and heavy, though.
What I was refering to was a battery that was the size of a AA. I have heard about the DC to DC power supply.
I guess, in the end, it comes down to a comparison between quality and quantity.
It is (at least, theoretically) possible to create a battery that will work for all voltages.
However, it is not really possible to create one that is small, weighs little, and doesn’t generate excessive heat while supplying a large spectrum of voltages.
Why have a battery that can supply a large range of voltages poorly when you can have many different batteries that supply them exceptionally well?
Because, maybe I want to make a robot that can power many different things at once without having to make a complex circuit.
The cutoff on all the Polys I’ve used is at 3.0 volts per cell with optimum around 3.7v per cell. If you shut down at 3.6 you’ll cut off most of the optimal curve.
Can you use a 9.6V, 1600mah NiMH Battery with the MinAB with safe operation?
I meant to say that, I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe it was those Gamma rays Nick talks about.
I would just use something like this www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt … LXJDJ0&P=7
These are everywhere in the RC world and are known to work well. I personaly would just set up some kind of voltmeter like this
www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt … LXHDJ2&P=7
and use it to monitor your voltage.
Also as mentioned above about only having greater capacity OR weight with Lipos is not true. Lipos have a much better power/density ratio then NiMH. The lipos I have for my heli are about twice as light as my NiMH packs and give 15% more voltage and more than twice the capacity. And they are rather low quality 8C lipo packs.
You mean like the one Linxmotion sells?
Be careful when using LiPo’s. If you drop below the suggested discharge limit, the cells either fail or explode and catch fire (either one really sucks considering they are spendy). A built in voltmeter is a good start but I’d strongly suggest an automatic cutoff circuit. Not hard to do if your micro has an analog input and can read the supplies voltage. Add a relay to one of your many digital outputs and your done.
Yeah, I have used LiPo’s many thimes in RC planes to great effect. I f any of mind blow up, it’s not as bad as throwing 30 bucks out the window because I buy individual cells from surplus houses and make my own packs. I bought a couple of 3.6 volt, 1000 mah for five dollars each on the net
have you had any actually go BOOM or catch fire as is always warned about? I’ve had one get all puffy and die (stupid $60 battery!) 
I’ve never had one explode or catch fire because I just spent the saved money on a good charger. It’s funny, they actually sell these ceramic, fire retardent jugs that you’re supposed the put the batteries in while they charge. I’ve seen them on ebay multiple times. They sell under the name Battery Bunker.
I’ve also read that the newest technology in batteries is the Lithium Manganese chemistry configuration. Apparently, they have all of the characteristics of Lipo’s but are much safer and won’t combust as easily.
Wouldn’t you think that they would have fixed all of the safty issues before they sold them to the public… or did they care… 
I agree, but I think the only reason that they are sold to the public is that the risk is no different than filling up your car with gasoline. When used properly, the benefits are great, but when left unattended or handled incorrectly they pose a sizable risk.
I consider gasoline much more dangerous as lipos as well. They are both something that contains a lot of energy and should be delt with carefully. For those of you who have never seen a lipo explode before. Heres a vid
helihobby.com/videos/LithiumBattery.wmv
After viewing the video of the exploding LiPo battery, I’m now less than thrilled about using them. I was considering using LiPo batteries to reduce my robot’s weight. Having to remove a battery pack from the robot for recharging is a hassle. I can recharge my NiMh while still in the robot with no fear of fires or explosions (or at least with a significant reduction of such). I guess I wait until the LiPo technology improves.
-Dobermann
granted that an exploding battery is certainly of concern, i have used them for just about a year now and have had no trouble. it is important to keep a better eye on them and i also have installed a temp sensor to help monitor them. i believe the benefits far out weigh the draw backs