VisorCentral.com - NiMH batteries

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VisorCentral.com (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/index.php)
- Visor Platinum (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=32)
-- NiMH batteries (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=20969)

Posted by marmaduke on 01-21-2002 06:25 PM:

NiMH batteries

I have a Handspring Platinum. SOMEWHERE, I read that rechargable NiMH batteries could be used, but, some internal settings needed to be changed so that the unit would adapt to this type battery. I bought batteries and a charger, but, cannot remember where I saw the instructions. Anyone up to speed on this??

Posted by Pathdoc on 01-21-2002 07:23 PM:

Open memopad. Create a new memo. Write the following .7
Repeat this until NiMH appears. You are done!

Alternately, download and install the following free application: Battery Panel . It appears under your preferences. You can then select from a drop down list the batteries you want to use. You can also set the warning voltages and other things.

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Posted by DanaWheels on 01-21-2002 08:37 PM:

Which is better? I use the internal notepad trick, but does Battery Panel save battery power in any way?

Dana

Posted by Pathdoc on 01-21-2002 09:12 PM:

No, it doesn't save power, I just find the additional information useful. I also find it easier to change the battery settings (just pick them from a list) then to remember the shortcut when I have to switch back to alkalines.

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Posted by DanaWheels on 01-21-2002 10:07 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Pathdoc
No, it doesn't save power, I just find the additional information useful. I also find it easier to change the battery settings (just pick them from a list) then to remember the shortcut when I have to switch back to alkalines.

I was at a sci-fi con two weeks ago, and this would help a lot because I was beaming to a lot of different people and you have to change the battery type to beam on the Neo.

Dana

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 01-22-2002 12:28 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Pathdoc
Open memopad. Create a new memo. Write the following .7
Repeat this until NiMH appears. You are done!

Physically you need to make two taps (periods) on the screen so the actual process is Create a new memo. Write the following

..7

The first tap on the Graffiti screen actuates the period symbol, the second tap makes the required period.

Changing the setting has no bearing on battery life or power management. It only tweaks the battery level meter so that it more acurately reflects the remaining ampheres. If you regularly use NiMh batteries but need to press a pair of alkalines into service (when traveling) it won't hurt the unit at all if you leave the meter set to NiCad or NiMh.

Posted by seboditz on 01-22-2002 05:18 AM:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by DanaWheels

I was at a sci-fi con two weeks ago, and this would help a lot because I was beaming to a lot of different people and you have to change the battery type to beam on the Neo.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i just read on the Neo discussion board that the Neo can't run IR beams while set to use any battery other than alkalines.

how come you had to change your batt type setting if you were using a Plat? were there troubles with the Neo receiving your beams?

quote:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by marmaduke1927

I have a Handspring Platinum. SOMEWHERE, I read that rechargable NiMH batteries could be used, but, some internal settings needed to be changed so that the unit would adapt to this type battery. I bought batteries and a charger, but, cannot remember where I saw the instructions. Anyone up to speed on this??
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i use NiMH batts all the time. at my rate of use, i swap the empty and a fresh charged pairs every two nights. i have yet to experience a problem with them.

Posted by Pathdoc on 01-22-2002 02:02 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by seboditz
quote:
i use NiMH batts all the time. at my rate of use, i swap the empty and a fresh charged pairs every two nights. i have yet to experience a problem with them.

I think the key is that you swap them out every night. If you did not do this and left the batteries in , leaving the battery setting on alkaline would give you an incorrect voltage and percent remaining. As a result, you might not realize how far your batteries had drained and lose your data. Alternately, you might think you have less voltage than you actually have and switch your batteries out too soon to recharge. After all, rechargables have a limited number of recharges. I guess that I am just cheap and want to make them last as long as possible.

Thanks Keefer. I could have made that clearer couldn't I?

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Posted by Keefer Lucas on 01-22-2002 03:56 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by seboditz

i use NiMH batts all the time. at my rate of use, i swap the empty and a fresh charged pairs every two nights. i have yet to experience a problem with them.

I use 700 mAh NiMh batteries and get almost a week out of them, which is only a little less than I got from decent alkalines. I synch an average of five times a day, and have a full compliment of Avantgo pages, so my synch times are pretty lengthy. If you are only getting a couple days you either have a heftier synch schedule than I do, or have a bad set of cells.

One thing I have noticed is that with NiMh batteries the level drops off to the 50% level pretty quickly, but stays there for days on end. I've never had a problem with draining the cells unexpectedly.

One trick to extending battery life is to reduce the time of inactivity before the unit shuts down from three minutes to only one or two minutes. I changed from three to one and got another day atleast ourt of my batteries, and it didn't annoy me too much (having it shut itself off).

Posted by volcanopele on 01-23-2002 01:56 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Keefer Lucas

I use 700 mAh NiMh batteries and get almost a week out of them, which is only a little less than I got from decent alkalines. I synch an average of five times a day, and have a full compliment of Avantgo pages, so my synch times are pretty lengthy. If you are only getting a couple days you either have a heftier synch schedule than I do, or have a bad set of cells.

One thing I have noticed is that with NiMh batteries the level drops off to the 50% level pretty quickly, but stays there for days on end. I've never had a problem with draining the cells unexpectedly.

One trick to extending battery life is to reduce the time of inactivity before the unit shuts down from three minutes to only one or two minutes. I changed from three to one and got another day atleast ourt of my batteries, and it didn't annoy me too much (having it shut itself off).

I have been having the opposite problem. I have been using Rayovac 700 mAh NiMH batteries for about 4 hours now. Usually, I am down to 90% by now for what I have used it (3 gMovies and a bout of Bewjeweled) and it still shows 100%. I got that BatteryPanel program to change the battery type so I should work. Maybe I shouldn't be complaining but I am a bit worried that it may say 70% but really be low.

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Posted by imabug on 01-23-2002 02:03 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Keefer Lucas

One thing I have noticed is that with NiMh batteries the level drops off to the 50% level pretty quickly, but stays there for days on end. I've never had a problem with draining the cells unexpectedly.

Hmm, My NiMHs (RadioShack 600 mAh) stay at 100% for days on end. The last couple of days, they gradually drop to 50%, and then goes fairly quickly past that. I'll usually get about 7-12 hours of runtime out of a set depending on how much game playing and syncing i'm doing.

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Posted by Keefer Lucas on 01-23-2002 03:24 AM:

Bunny Boy

quote:
Originally posted by imabug

Hmm, My NiMHs (RadioShack 600 mAh) stay at 100% for days on end.

I used to use RadioShack 600 mAh...they died after about six months (ceased taking a decent charge). I traded up, so to speak, to 700 mAh. Curious about the battery level...but it is a wildly imprecise measurement tool; my larger point is that I have never been caught off guard by a drained set of batteries

Posted by marmaduke on 01-24-2002 01:17 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Pathdoc
Open memopad. Create a new memo. Write the following .7
Repeat this until NiMH appears. You are done!

Alternately, download and install the following free application: Battery Panel . It appears under your preferences. You can then select from a drop down list the batteries you want to use. You can also set the warning voltages and other things.

Posted by marmaduke on 01-24-2002 01:21 AM:

Settings

Thanks....the battery control program is very good. Now, what settings should be used for NiMH batteries?

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 01-24-2002 01:47 AM:

Re: Settings

quote:
Originally posted by marmaduke1927
Thanks....the battery control program is very good. Now, what settings should be used for NiMH batteries?

I assume that you are using a VDX, which runs Palm OS3.1. Set your battery to NiCad, which is as close as that OS gets to NiMh. Starting with Palm 0S 3.5 they offered a setting for NiMh. Or so I hear.

Posted by Pathdoc on 01-24-2002 02:56 AM:

Re: Settings

quote:
Originally posted by marmaduke1927
Thanks....the battery control program is very good. Now, what settings should be used for NiMH batteries?

In your original post you said that you had a Platinum, therefore you should be able to select NiMH and not NiCad. With battery showing under preferences you should see "kind" with a downward pointing arrow and a battery type next to it (alkaline for example). Tap on the arrow and a list of battery choices should appear. Select the appropriate battery type by tapping on it. In this case, unless you have changed since your first post, it should be NiMH. You are done! You do not need to change the warning, critical, nor timeout settings. They change to the appropriate settings automatically when you select the battery.

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Posted by seboditz on 01-24-2002 03:05 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Pathdoc

I think the key is that you swap them out every night. If you did not do this and left the batteries in , leaving the battery setting on alkaline would give you an incorrect voltage and percent remaining. As a result, you might not realize how far your batteries had drained and lose your data. Alternately, you might think you have less voltage than you actually have and switch your batteries out too soon to recharge. After all, rechargables have a limited number of recharges. I guess that I am just cheap and want to make them last as long as possible.

Thanks Keefer. I could have made that clearer couldn't I?

My settings are always on NiMH. And with the Plat OS I think it's fairly accurate gauge for battery life.

I have 650 mAH batts only though. Maybe that is why my batts run out after a day or two.

I went over several manufacturers, reviews, and tech pages dealing with dry cells. Apparently, alkalines have 1.5 V and gradually run down to 1.0V or 1.1V before they are effectively dead. Rechargeables (NiCad and NiMH) on the other hand have a max of 1.2V only but they stay there a long time then drops down fairly quickly once the charge is about to run out.

Keefer, I don't know enough to assess if your batts or Visor Batt settings are off when you said your batt level with fresh charged NiMHs are at 50% level most of the time. My batt reading level is similar to those described by Imabug.

Posted by imabug on 01-24-2002 03:41 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by seboditz

I have 650 mAH batts only though. Maybe that is why my batts run out after a day or two.

If your batteries are lasting only a day or so, you might want to try a new set. My 600 mAh's will last me close to a week of normal usage (~7-12 hours total runtime).

Posted by Pathdoc on 01-24-2002 04:27 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by imabug

If your batteries are lasting only a day or so, you might want to try a new set. My 600 mAh's will last me close to a week of normal usage (~7-12 hours total runtime).

Same here. According to run time I get about 8 hours of runtime per charge (that is usually a week between charges). With my NiMH batteries, they fall slowly to about 50% (takes about 7 hours of run time) followed by a drop to 30% after about 30 to 45 minutes of run time followed by a headspinning drop to 0 over the course of minutes when I reach about 25 to 28%. I try to recharge as soon as I get to 30%. On occasion, I have not made it (Thank goodness for BackUpBuddy!).

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Posted by seboditz on 01-24-2002 07:24 AM:

my batts are still good. in the course of two days, i do get around 8 hours runtime. i do a lot of note taking, doc editing, eyemod2 pics, and ebook reading everyday.

i am glad you guys are indeed getting similar runtimes from your NiMH batts. for a moment there i thought i bought a bad set of batts.

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