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-- Battery Life Problems (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=20525)

Battery Life Problems

I have a Visor Deluxe handheld. The batteries seem to last only one day on average. Sometimes, I don't even use it in a day except to HotSync and change the batteries, and the next morning, the batteries are dead or are at 5%.

All I have installed on my Visor at this time are the built-in apps.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

How old is the Deluxe and how long has it had this problem?

You may want to try a reset. Use it for a while and see if the battery life improves. If it doesn't, try a warm rest (hold the Up button while resetting). Again, use it for a while to see how it behaves. Finally, if neither of the above work, try a hard reset (hold Power while resetting; answer Yes to Erase All Data).

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I'm having the exact same problem with my Visor Deluxe. Its worked great for 3 years, and suddenly about 2 months ago it started eating batteries. I'm going through a pair of Energizer Ultras every 2-3 days. Plus I have to reinstall from backup at least once a week when I find that the batteries have died since using it last.

I've tried all of the above recommendations: soft/hard resets, removing ALL extraeous software, removing any modules, etc., but can't seem to solve the problem. I'm ready to call Handspring, but don't want to believe its a hardware problem, as I can't do without it for the time that it would take to repair.

Did the original poster find a solution? Is this a common issue?

I solved a similar issue on mine, although not quite as severe, by going to Metal Halide rechargeables.

I bought a charger and two sets of MiNH batteries (at Radio Shack, but they are often on sale elsewhere). I reset my battery type to NiCad using the dot dot 7 trick. Every morning I would hot-sync, back-up, and swap batteries.

The NiMH batteries would last a few days most of the time, but they also tolerate daily recharging well- something older rechargeables do not do!

Things to look for (I am sure you have already done these, but it might help someone else):
1. Your batteries- is the pack you are using getting old? The 'shelf life' date on the package is often quite optimistic (and just as often very conservative). it is a 'best guess'.

2. Applications- some apps really suck juice! Anything that makes noise sucks batteries dry quickly- alarms, sound effects, MP3, and so on. Rapid movements on the screen mean frequent redraws, which I think sucks juice (although I do not know about the refresh cycles on these kinds of screens). It also means a heavier demand on the processor, which I would bet sucks juice.

3. Modules- Most battery-less modules use the battery pack of the Visor- and every time you access the module, it draws power. If you are using a frequently accessed module, that could be the problem. A great example would be the FlashPlus or MemPlug with frequently accessed programs or data on it- every time you launch it, you are using more power than you used to.

4. Your use patterns- do you use a lot of backlighting, or have an alarm set for everything under the sun, or do a lot of switching between programs, or a lot of installs and deletes, etc. This can cause you problems in many ways. There could be garbage or corrupted files, mis-set settings, etc.; or you could just be asking a lot from the device- more than you did several months ago.

One experiment you can try is to back-up everything, do a hard-reset, and only reload the original programs and your absolutely needed other items- the bare minimum and no modules. Turn off all alarms, etc. and see how bad that sucks juice. If it is the Visor, it should still drain rapidly. If it is an app or module, it should be OK.

Solution

After talking to Handspring, they determined that my unit was at fault and supplied me with a new Visor Deluxe.

This IS a HARDWARE fault and can only be corrected by replacing your Visor unit. It can't be remedied through software.

sseguin613,

Did they make you pay for the repair? Mine is out of warranty, but I think this seems to be a product defect...mine started this just after the new year...

Well, I talked to Handspring...even though it is a product defect you have to pay to get it fixed. Guess I'm going with a new model, but not handspring...

I'm impressed with Handsprings response. As soon as I convinced them that this was a hardware issue (which didn't take long at all), they offered me a replacement for $99. For an additional $25, they shipped it to me first, so that I would not have to go without my device. I asked if I could apply that $99 toward a new model, but they had to draw the line somewhere. Pretty impressive considering I'm about 2.5 years out of warranty. Of course, after this weeks announcements (re: stopping production of the Visor line in favor of 'communicators'), perhaps I just paid $124 for soon-to-be obsolete technology.

The bad news is that the new Visor arrived today, and there is a row (1-2 pixels) missing in the very upper part of the display. They are shipping yet another unit out today, so I'll have to send this one back too.

The good news is that my battery life has returned!

Battery Life

One thing to check is your calendar to see if you have created an entry with a reminder/alarm that is a repeating event. This could pop frequently and cause the battery to drain.

But mine's brand-new!!

Silly me...I bought my V Dx just after Xmas, it's barely a month old, and the batteries die every three days like clockwork. I synch once every two days, I have beam turned off, I've set all alarms and noises to off or low (system sounds off, alarms to low). My battery package is brand spanking new (second 16 pack I've had to buy in a month!), and dated to be used by 2008! In the first week or so, I assumed the battery drain was because I was playing with it a lot, getting used to it, installing stuff and removing, etc. But I'm still having the problems, and I'm not installing things or using it "constantly". I check it or add a memo/to-do/appointment a few times a day, and I have (on average) two appointments alarmed each day, plus 6-12 to-do's to check off.

This really has me p-o'd. I buy it, and BOOM! -- they discontinue it, and it eats batteries, to boot. Guess I need to call Handspring, too. At least I'm still in warranty. But now I really wish I could just get my money back and trade up to something else with the built-in rechargeables. Hubby and I thought there was probably something to be said for the number of refurbished Dx's on the shelves at Fry's Electronics. Next time, I'll have to go with my gut and save up for the "best", instead of jumping for the affordable item.

One note - the Handspring site notes that "some third party applications" suck power, even when not in use. The only third-party packages I have are HandyShopper 2 and iambic Office, plus the x-master hackmaster, FontHack 123 and 3 small fonts for use in TinySheet. Has anyone had a problem with any of those?

Grrrr....

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Regards,

Marla
Mesa AZ

There are a number of battery-monitoring apps out there, such as ATool!, Runtime, and Sysinfo. (sorry for no links, too lazy to go look em up. past my bedtime too. go to www.palmgear.com and search on the names to get more info.)

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I have the same battery problem. My deluxe wastes two new batteries in 24 hours or less, even with the thing turned off. It worked for 2 years without problems, but now........
Paying Handspring $99 for a refurbished unit doesn't sound like a solution to me. If it's a hardware problem, and others are having simular problems, then what's to prevent the replacement unit from doing the same thing?

Finally Died

Well my son's Visor Deluxe which was using a pair of batteries every day or so finally just died. We called HS and was told we would have to send it in for service and since it was out of warranty that it would cost.

I'm not sure what to do with this paper weight now and the Stowaway keyboard that goes with it (yes it will weight down more papers when the VDX and Keyboard are together).

Is there are recycling program (or funeral home) for dead Visors?

Re: Finally Died

quote:

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Originally posted by lbdyck
Is there are recycling program (or funeral home) for dead Visors?

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Traded mine in...

Well, I finally got fed up to the point that I called the store where I bought my VDx, and conned them into honoring the excahnge policy, even though I'd had it for 40 days, not 30. So, now I have a new Deluxe. I did not install xMaster and FontHack 123 or any fonts this time, just in case, but did install HandyShopper 2 and iambic Office. No battery wastage. I've had the same batteries in since Monday, but I admit I haven't used the unit since Monday night (I'm on vacation from work).

One thing I did observe - my kids bought me the Pocket Express entertainment springboard pak for my birthday this week, and that sucker *really* eats batteries. So, it, too, will be returned.

Does anyone out there have a clue as to whether Landware's GoType keyboard is a battery-sucker? Or the Stowaway, for that matter? Curiosity question, mostly. Don't have the $$$ to buy one just now, but I want one eventually. If this VDx doesn't eat batteries, I plan to hand it off to my ADHD 13 yr old this summer, so he can use it for school next year, and I'd like to furnish him with a keyboard for it, and maybe the little printer, too. I'll buy something else for me at that point - not sure what, depends on what's out there in the marketplace at that time.

Regards,

Marla

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Regards,

Marla
Mesa AZ

Re: Traded mine in...

quote:

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Originally posted by MarlaJAP
One thing I did observe - my kids bought me the Pocket Express entertainment springboard pak for my birthday this week, and that sucker *really* eats batteries. So, it, too, will be returned.

Does anyone out there have a clue as to whether Landware's GoType keyboard is a battery-sucker? Or the Stowaway, for that matter?

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I haven't found that battery drain is too big with a stowaway, although you do have the unit on for extended periods when typing. To solve the drain caused by springboards (before you return the entertainment pack), you can copy the programs you are likely to use the most into ram. I have a memplug, but I found that leaving it in all the time and running programs off the module did drain the battery, so I just move my current addiction to ram and move something new in to ram when I feel I need a change.

I believe it's pretty well known that springboard modules will drain batteries when left in place, as they don't have their own source of power. As such, the fix is to simply remove them when not in use. The bigger problem is when the Vdx drains fresh batteries in 24 hours or less without any modules in place, or even when the visor is turned off. There's an internal short somewhere, and it appears to be a problem many users, including myself, are having.

Another way to minimize the drain with the StowAway is to turn the keyboard driver off when you are not using the keyboard. Personally I have noticed that this makes a difference. Supposedly with the driver on, it keeps checking to see if the keyboard is attached and uses up battery power. To turn it off, simply uncheck the box under the general tab of the driver.

In a thread around here that I saw a long time ago and that I could not find again, someone said that it takes less battery power to type a character on the StowAway then to write the same character in Graffitti. I do not know whether this is true or not.

I cannot remeber whether these were mentioned already but inorder to save battery life you can also make the following changes under preferences for your handheld:
1) turn beam receive off
2) change the automatic shutoff to 1 minute

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