Registered: Sep 1999
Location: US Military in Germany
Posts: 46

The Palm V got it half right and half wrong. They gave their organizer rechargeable batteries....good. But they are not a normal size battery so it ties you to the docking cradle to recharge. How about using the standard AAA batteries but adding a recharger to the visor docking port. Power draw would have to come from external source but you would have a set of NiMh AAA batteries that in a pinch, away from the cradle could be simply replaced by a standard set of alkalines.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 159

You're pretty much describing one of the few things Philips got right with their Nino Palm-size PC. Use the rechargable NiMH battery pack (recharges in unit), or slip in a couple alkalines when needed.

However, since they haven't built it into the first crop, if you want rechargables with the Visor, ones best bet is to pick up a couple sets of NiMH AAAs (and recharger) and power up one set while the other's in use.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: VA, USA
Posts: 27

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the PalmV too thin for normal AAA cells?

I use a set of NiMH batts in my III, and I plan on doing the same with the Visor, but I can't fault 3com for chosing to ditch a standard cell size in order to get the thiness that is basically the only reason the V exists!

FYI: decent NiMH chargers seem to be about $30-40, with the AAA cells about $2 each. It's a pretty good deal. I don't have the slightest hesitation before hitting the backlight now.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: San Francisco, CA U.S.A.
Posts: 42

I ordered my NiMH batteries and charger when I ordered my Visor two weeks ago and received them 3 days later. I must say it's pure agony to have those in hand and still have no idea when Handspring is going to start shipping.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: US Military in Germany
Posts: 46

Just ordered my Deluxe, they are sticking to the mid to end october shipping date. I even asked if they would have the volume to cover all of the early orders. They said it would not be a problem but we will see when October comes. The salesman even said it was guaranteed to ship in October.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: US Military in Germany
Posts: 46

as for the batteries, somewhere here in visor central someone made mention that the bateries are connected to the bottom port and mentioned the idea of a recharger in the cradle. Think it can be done, the technology certainly isn't new.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Bellevue, Wa, USA
Posts: 72

For all of you using the rechargeable NiMh batteries, what kind of performance are you getting out of them? The last time I tried rechargeable, I got *maybe* a quarter of the life of a fresh alkaline. That was a long while ago though, about when the first gameboy's came out. Will you get the estimated 2 months of battery life out of a pair?

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: US Military in Germany
Posts: 46

What kind of rechargeable were you using? Sounds like a NiCd to me. Nickel Cadmium. Develops a "memory" or recharging times so you get less charge each time you recharge before the battery is completely dead. This quickly kills the battery but NiMh (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries suffer much less from this problem. They usually last similar times to alkalines and can usually be recharged hundreds of times. Even better would be LIon batteries. (Lithium Ion) both stronger and longer lasting with even less of a memory effect.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Bellevue, Wa, USA
Posts: 72

Trace-

Do they have LIon battery's currently available in AAA size? I guess I should say, are they affordable? The NiMH sounds like a good buy, guess I will have to check out the website someone posted in the main discussion area, or visit my local radio shack. Do you konw if they make a NiMH charger that can handle regular Alkalines? I hear you can recharge them a few times as well.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: US Military in Germany
Posts: 46

Let me do some checking on the lithium ion batteries. As for the recharging alkalines, all of the people who make rechargers I know of will not accept the liability issues of recharging alkalines. Most site safety issues but I am not an electronics genius so I am not sure about the consequences or even factors affecting recharging of alkalines.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Bellevue, Wa, USA
Posts: 72

The things prpbpbly blow up or something suitably supprising. Oh well, you can't make em perfect. Thanks for all the information, I will head out and get a couple of sets. I had been wondering about the ammount of batteries I was going to start using with this little device.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: VA, USA
Posts: 27

The NiMH battries are fairly cheep (about $2 for a AAA), at least once you realize that the charger costs ten times that much.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Midland, TX USA
Posts: 95

NiMh are available, but I have yet to find lithium AAA cells or even chargers that claim to handle them.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: US Military in Germany
Posts: 46

Went on a fairly exhaustive search and found very little in the way of lithium ion standard size batteries. At one site I found what looks like a AA battery that is lithium ion but the supporting documentation does not list anything as AA or AAA. They were made by panasonic and one would assume that they also make chargers for them. If anyone is interested, reply and I will send link.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: West Hollywood, CA 90069, USA
Posts: 126

Regarding Lithium/Ion Batts. I read somewhere that the minimum voltage for this type of batt was well in excess of 1.5V - until they resolve that little problem, there never will be a Lithium "standard cell".

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 95

Here's a low-cost possibility, rechargable Alkalines (specifically, the "Renewal" brand).

You can get the AA/AAA charger at K-Mart, Wal-Mart, etc. for $9.99, and it includes a pair of AA's. This charger works with rechargable Alkalines AND with NiMH batteries.

Then, get either 4 rechargable AAA's for $5-$6, or get the longer lasting NiMH's at Radio Shack for $6-$7 a pair.

Hey, a charger that works with Rechargable Alkalines and NiMH both for $9.99 is a bargain!

MJH <><

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Posts: 36

You spend coupla hundred on the visor then you go and get the cheapest batteries/charger to blow up in there.

Go to www.thomas-distributing.com (best place to buy from) order 6 AAA nimh's @ $2.35 each and the MH-C204F charger it will do both the AAA's and the AA's you need to get for your digital camera :-)

That way you can have one set in the Visor, one in the case with you, and one in the charger all the time (this is what I do with my Digital Camera, and never have to worry about power).

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Posts: 36

You spend coupla hundred on the visor then you go and get the cheapest batteries/charger to blow up in there.

Go to www.thomas-distributing.com (best place to buy from) order 6 AAA nimh's @ $2.35 each and the MH-C204F charger it will do both the AAA's and the AA's you need to get for your digital camera :-)

That way you can have one set in the Visor, one in the case with you, and one in the charger all the time (this is what I do with my Digital Camera, and never have to worry about power).

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Houston, Texas, USA
Posts: 46

Hey!? I've used the Renewals with not a single problem. Cheap aint always bad. (so how long ya been working for Thomas Distributing?...) The only problem is sometimes not finding batteries in stores the size you want.

[This message has been edited by elmorg (edited 10-17-1999).]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 95

You spend coupla hundred on the visor then you go and get the cheapest batteries/charger to blow up in there.

This is a little dramatic, don't you think? They're alkaline batteries! Even so, it's a cheap way to get a NiMH charger if you want to go that route.

MJH <><