VisorCentral.com - Prism battery

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VisorCentral.com (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/index.php)
- Visor Prism (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=19)
-- Prism battery (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=22108)

Posted by Lex Kamphuis on 03-10-2002 08:45 PM:

Prism battery

Hello,

I noticed a lot of threads about this, but as a new Prism user I would like to get some advise from the "Pro's".....

I just got my new Prism and -according to the Handspring instructions- I had it charged two hours for the first time.
Being used to a Visor Deluxe with alkalines, this battery really goes down fast it seems....! Just browsing some SplashPhoto pictures, opening some Quickword docs, brings it down to 80-70% of its charging level in no time...

I don't think this Lithium Ion battery suffers from a memory leak, but it might be better not the recharge all the time in the beginning if the voltage level is just hardly down?

What ishe best way to handle this kind of battery?

Posted by gadgetguru on 03-11-2002 05:15 AM:

Top it off whenever convenient. LiIon batteries do not like to be
drained all the way. You will extend the life of the battery by
keeping it charged.

__________________
Rick

www.visorsolutions.com

Posted by Lex Kamphuis on 03-11-2002 10:38 AM:

RE: Prism battery

Hello,

Thanks for the advise! So keep it charged as much as possible seems the way to go...Sounds comparible to the state of the carbattery not using/charging it for a while in the wintertime and then try to start the car and listen to a painful sound.... However seeing your car it doesn't seem to have that problem...:-). Great car! Looks a lot better than my old Renault and probably drives faster too...

Another serious question on the LiIon: If I would keep my Prism in the charger all night would it have a negative effect, e.g. overcharging?

Sorry for all this asking....One day I'll be capable of answering questions myself I hope...;-)

Posted by gadgetguru on 03-11-2002 12:39 PM:

Keep it in the cradle as long as you like. It will not hurt the battery.

Thanks for comments on the car. I am really going to miss her. I
am selling it to get a cheaper car with better gas mileage and
lower payments and insurance. Getting a Focus SVT. Still a fun
car, just not as fast. The Focus may keep me out of trouble!

__________________
Rick

www.visorsolutions.com

Posted by Omnitron on 03-11-2002 05:32 PM:

My new Prism

My new Prism seems to drain somewhat faster than I had anticipated.... - I use mine daily - Action Names, occasion Ebook or Avantgo reading, Word processing via Wordsmith on occasion , frequent data entry on ThinkdB databases ... etc. I usually get a good 2-3 hours of use during work per DAY. Add any recreational use to that and I'm running it dry before the day is out...

How fast should a new Prism drain?

__________________
Mark Brinkman aka OMNITRON
My PDA??? - Visor Prism with Memplug CF and 128MB card

NEW >>> [email protected] <<< NEW
View my Handcam Photo albums at <a class="a" href="http://www.webphotos.iwon.com/list_photos_edit.asp?mi=1&smi=1&a=54400">IWON</a> or <a class="a" href="http://photos.yahoo.com/mark_a_brinkman/">Yahoo</a

Posted by traveler on 03-12-2002 04:27 AM:

I regularly use mine for three or more hours a day, and rarely have it drop below 60%. The key is to turn the brightness WAY down, to about 25% or less.

If the brightness is set high, 3 hours a day may not indicate a problem with the battery, but if you have the brightness set down, you should be able to get at least 6 hours usage a day. Good luck!

Posted by Madkins007 on 03-12-2002 05:32 PM:

I recharge mine constantly- I have a travel cable at work and with my laptop, and of course, the main charging cradle.

I also have a VisorSolutions battery charger/recharger pack (which is a great, great device!).

Recently, I became worried about what would happen to me when I am at summer camp with our Scouts this summer- a week without easy access to a power plug (much less a modem!) Egads!

I modified my VisorSolutions charger so it now has an 1/8" jack and plug- and I can now hook up my solar charger (which has a variable output) and charge via the sun, or use a car or AC multiple power supply- I should not have any excuse now for loosing power.

__________________
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are at!

Posted by Lex Kamphuis on 03-12-2002 09:33 PM:

Prism battery

Wow....thanks everybody for all the hints and tips...it's greatly appreciated!

I had my new Prism in the charging cradle for two nights in a row now. Funny thing is that looking at the battery remaining power level in the morning, it never indicates more than 95-98% charge and never gets to the 100% (I use BatMon). Maybe this is because the battery is still "new" and gets its full charge only after using it for a while?
The only thing I can think of draining some power is the MemPlug CF adapter... I don't think the battery is defective though. Am I developing a "Lithium Ion Paranoia" now...;-)?

Posted by Madkins007 on 03-13-2002 04:26 PM:

Mine only rarely shows 100% charged, and even then not for long. Because of my recharging strategies, I don't worry about it.

__________________
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are at!

Posted by Lex Kamphuis on 03-20-2002 09:55 AM:

Prism battery - continued

Hello,

After using my new Prism for two weeks now, I would like to check the power consumption of the LiIon accu with you:

BTW: My Prism is also equipped with a MemPlug CF adapter as well, which also consumes some power I guess...

Anyway, after a 10/15 minute use I already notice a small power discharge, but maybe that's normal? After using the Prism for 10-15 minutes, the power level drops to 80-70%. This is depending on the applications I use ofcourse. Opening files from the CF card probably uses more power too I guess.

I made it a habit to always put the Prism in the cradle all night after a day use. However when I check the power level level in the morning (I use BatMon for that), the level is always between 93-95%. I never noticed a full 100% charge so far....

I have the brightness set to about 75%. Maybe I should lower that further?

� would like to know if this power use seems normal to you.

Thanks,

Lex

Posted by Madkins007 on 03-20-2002 05:48 PM:

1. Turn off the 'beam recieve' unless you need it.

2. Disable any keyboards, etc. when not in use.

3. Turn the brightness as low as it will go for the lighting you are using.

4. Use the MemPlug as little as possible- minimize the 'scanning' or 'searching' messages- move things fully to RAM or totally to the card- the seaches that VFS and PIDirect do take time and energy.

5. Use a card reader whenever possible to transfer files on the card- it is quicker anyway! Also- use the card reader and occasionally scan and defrag your card.

6. The more color, intensity, sound, movement, and so on, the more energy is being used. Some of the games, like Zap and so on really suck battery power. So does any program that does seaches- 'Find', many utilities, etc.

For the most part, none of these really, truely 'suck juice' in a big way, but if you have to preserve battery life, keep them in mind.

And... get a BattPlug from Visor Solutions- just in case! Cheap insurance for the peace of mind!

__________________
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are at!

Posted by Lex Kamphuis on 03-20-2002 08:26 PM:

RE: Prism battery

Hello,

Thanks for the tips!

I didn't know about the card issues, but they make sense. Since I don't have a card reader I wonder how to defragment a card? Do you know which PiDirect application can do that?

Among my Emergency Tools are a separate cradle at work and a travel charger. I also ordered the BattPlug from Visorsolutions.

Posted by Madkins007 on 03-21-2002 04:08 PM:

Re: RE: Prism battery

quote:
Originally posted by Lex Kamphuis
Since I don't have a card reader I wonder how to defragment a card? Do you know which PiDirect application can do that?

I don't think you can do it without a card reader- at least not with anything I have seen so far.

Card readers are not very expensive, but I have had readers from Power Quotient Industries, a generic reader, and my new Zio reader, and I have to tell you, the Zio is wonderful, the PQI was good but quirky, and the generic was a OK but awkward.

The generic and PQI came from NewEgg.com- they were quite cheap, and DID work, but I really, really like the Zio now! I suspect other 'brand name' readers would be just as good.

Using a reader, you can transfer data directly to your card, set up directories, scan and defrag, etc.

The reader also gives you an additional benefit- a removeable, FAST, large capacity drive. I can use it to transfer large files between computers (the driver is pretty small, and the USB connection makes it very portable). This has saved my bacon a couple times when I made a big PowerPoint presentation on one computer, and ended up needing it on another computer! 4-6 floppies, or one quick card read. Piece of cake!

__________________
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are at!

Posted by Lex Kamphuis on 03-21-2002 09:04 PM:

RE: Cardreader

Hello,

Well, I don't know anything about these cardreaders. I thought these things were only meant for digital cameras....
When I got the MemPlug I simply bought a CF card. Now you're talking about complete new issues for me.
I don't know about the best brands on the Dutch market, but you can buy several good ones over here for sure. Only backdrop is not having enough USB ports left on my PC. I have two on my desktop: one is connected to the Visor cradle and the other one is connected to a USB hub with all four ports occupied by a printer, second mouse, webcam and scanner...
Anyway, I definitely gonna look into it...

BTW. I read on the MemPlug forum about somebody who was opposed to defragmenting the card, since it would waste the write cycle and would wear out the card faster. It seems that CF cards have a limit on their write cycles?....Hmm, another reason to get a cardreader....

Posted by gadgetguru on 03-22-2002 02:18 AM:

I bought a Dazzle SM card reader that came with software which
lets you put pictures on a CD and then view them like a slide
show on a DVD player. Pretty cool. I have a Zio reader that locks
up my computer all the time, so then I bought the Dazzle which
works every time w/o errors.

__________________
Rick

www.visorsolutions.com

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