Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 3

Prism Battery Life

I recently introduced my wife to the world of PDA's with a new Visor Prism. She is happy with all aspects of the device with the exception of the battery life. It seems that her VP poops out at around the 4 hour mark of a 12 hour nursing shift. I'm looking for some average battery lives of their Prisms from fellow users, some tips on saving the batteries, and perhaps a way to upgrade the power plant of the VP with this post. Thanks in advance for your input.

Jack

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 152

I can get about 3 day out of a charge, depending how often I use the MemPlug.

Check the brightness setting. I keep mine at about half during the day and all the way down at night.

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Howard

Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Southern California
Posts: 7

Prism Battery Life

I seem to be averaging 3.5 hours or so on mine. I just figured out how to adjust the contrast yesterday, so hopefully that will improve. I've also ordered a "BattPlug" portable (battery powered) recharger for long flights, etc. Haven't received it yet, so I can't give you a review!

http://visorsolutions.com/battplug.htm

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Them Twin Cities
Posts: 1758

Altering the brightness radically affects battery life on the Prism. But even at the lowest setting, you are only going to get a few hours of constant usage. If she needs a long-haul day constantly using a Palm device, Prism isn't the one she wants (sorry).

That said, keep the brightness low and recharge it whenever you can (maybe she could get a travel plug for work?), and it's a great little friend. I've had mine for a few months now, and even with them new ones popping out all over I still like little Sancho quite a bit.

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Registered: Feb 2000
Location: SW Virginia
Posts: 290

I feel that I can get about 3.5 to 4 hours of continuous usage out of my Prism (that is always on). However I have never timed it.

quote:

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Originally posted by dietrichbohn
(maybe she could get a travel plug for work?)

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Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 341

6 hours tops for me at near minimum brightness. Half what I got with my IIIc. Not good at all.

Mike

Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Macau
Posts: 52

I keep the brightness setting at about 1/4 to 1/3. After about 3 hours use (actually measured by runtime) the battery is only at 70%. I think the lowest I have gotten with the brightness set low was 67%. However, yesterday I turned up the brightness to look at something outside and forgot to turn it down. After only about two hours use, it was down to 56%.

I have the battery plug for long flights and emergencies when I can't access electricity to recharge, but for your wife a second cradle would probably be a very workable solution. The battery plug I got was USD 34 but to connect it to ac you need to use the connector that comes with your prism, and carrying it back and forth daily would probably be a bit annoying. If work is safe and there is space to keep things there, the second cradle could just live there.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 43

Have you considered getting the Emergency Charger from http://www.talestuff.com ? I use mine all the time. Basically, it'd a small plastic thing that turns the Prism's hotsync port into a standard DC jack. You can get AC adaptors, car power things, portable battery packs (they optionally sell the EC packaged with a four AA battery case, which should substantially increase the Prism's life), and even solar panels.

However, you'd probably burn one or two AA batteries a day with such aggressive use of a Prism (actually, that's only if you never use AC power, so I may be exaggerating), so Prism may not be the way to go here. Personally, I use the Prism for internet connectivity and games, but I have a HandEra 330 for business oriented functions, like spreadsheeting and book reading (okay, that last one isn't a business function, but having that wide landscape mode is really great<g> ).

My pet peeve: After having the Prism for almost a year, I forgot how amazingly crappy the default PalmOS Datebook application is. Datebook+ is such an awesome application (mainly because of the floating appointments and the more flexible alarm prefs), and I can't use the HandEra for appointments since it uses the older version, which can't even wake me up in the morning! On the other hand, the HandEra's speaker is *so much better* that I cannot use the Prism, either! Does everybody have any suggestions as to how I might transfer the app from my Prism to my H330? :/

Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 341

quote:

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Originally posted by John Cholewa
Have you considered getting the Emergency Charger from http://www.talestuff.com ? I use mine all the time. Basically, it'd a small plastic thing that turns the Prism's hotsync port into a standard DC jack. You can get AC adaptors, car power things, portable battery packs (they optionally sell the EC packaged with a four AA battery case, which should substantially increase the Prism's life), and even solar panels.

However, you'd probably burn one or two AA batteries a day with such aggressive use of a Prism (actually, that's only if you never use AC power, so I may be exaggerating), so Prism may not be the way to go here. Personally, I use the Prism for internet connectivity and games, but I have a HandEra 330 for business oriented functions, like spreadsheeting and book reading (okay, that last one isn't a business function, but having that wide landscape mode is really great<g> ).

My pet peeve: After having the Prism for almost a year, I forgot how amazingly crappy the default PalmOS Datebook application is. Datebook+ is such an awesome application (mainly because of the floating appointments and the more flexible alarm prefs), and I can't use the HandEra for appointments since it uses the older version, which can't even wake me up in the morning! On the other hand, the HandEra's speaker is *so much better* that I cannot use the Prism, either! Does everybody have any suggestions as to how I might transfer the app from my Prism to my H330? :/

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Them Twin Cities
Posts: 1758

quote:

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Originally posted by John Cholewa
My pet peeve: After having the Prism for almost a year, I forgot how amazingly crappy the default PalmOS Datebook application is. Datebook+ is such an awesome application (mainly because of the floating appointments and the more flexible alarm prefs), and I can't use the HandEra for appointments since it uses the older version, which can't even wake me up in the morning! On the other hand, the HandEra's speaker is *so much better* that I cannot use the Prism, either! Does everybody have any suggestions as to how I might transfer the app from my Prism to my H330? :/

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Arlington TX
Posts: 67

Lowjack,

Here is what I used and for the most part it works. I have the emergency charger for talesafe.com and it works great. I usually have the battery compartment full of new batteries at the beginning of a trip and a spare set of AA for backup. On a given trip I probably use the visor for about 10 hours but not continuous usage. Sometimes but not all I have to use the second set of batteries. The trick to getting max life out of the batteries in keep the brightness all the way down and to just top on the visor when you can that way the batteries dont get that big of drain. BTW I use Raovac rechargable batteries in the charger so when I get back from trips I charge them and then they are ready to go again

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Them Twin Cities
Posts: 1758

The ideal solution might be the Chargecard. There's no annoying extra battery pack, no need to leave the visor sitting in a cradle in a potentially public place (i.e. nurse station)... Plus it has a talelight on it so the alarms won't wake up sleeping patients!

<edit>
...doh... the card is just an adapter that you can plug the batterypack into... doh...

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Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 341

I can appreciate all the efforts at extending batt. life via 3rd party means but this misses the big picture-only 6 hours tops of life on a full charge. The IIIc gets twice that and I could live with that. I could not with the Prism (and the flickering at low brightness was also VERY annoying). Two issues that are were not acceptable to me.

Mike

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Pullman, WA
Posts: 130

quote:

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Originally posted by John Cholewa
Does everybody have any suggestions as to how I might transfer the app from my Prism to my H330? :/

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IYYAYAS

AMMO - Providing the enemy the opportunity to die for his country.

Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Southern California
Posts: 7

Wow! I set my brightness to the lowest setting a couple of days ago, and my battery life has increased tremendously! Usage that formerly drained my prism down to 20% now takes it to about 80%! Since I mostly use my prism inside, and often in the dark, the low brightness is fine. When I DO need to use it outside, etc., I simply adjust the brightness, then reset it when I'm done. I'm still glad I ordered the BattPlug, which I hope to receive tomorrow. I'll certainly take it with me on that 14-hour flight I have coming up, but I'm glad it won't be AS essential as it would otherwise have been.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

100% ever?

Two days of Prism now and I have noticed that the green light will stay on (indicating full charge) even if Launch'Em shows it at 97, 98 %?

Anybody else see this?
Kelley

Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 341

Re: 100% ever?

quote:

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Originally posted by K. Cannon
Two days of Prism now and I have noticed that the green light will stay on (indicating full charge) even if Launch'Em shows it at 97, 98 %?

Anybody else see this?
Kelley

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Sacramento, Ca
Posts: 35

I jsut posted this message

http://discussion.visorcentral.com/...;threadid=20343

It's for a program that dims your screen and has various profile settings. It manages your screen brightness so you don't have to.

This is must have software, and I'm not kidding! I just reinstalled my system from ground up, EnergyDimmer and WS were the first two things to go on it.

I run as much as 8 hours a day and I have no worries.

Note that she may be accidentally turning the unit on while it's in her pocket (nobody dare make a joke out of that), and the ED software has a feature to disable the app buttons so they don't turn it on accidentally.

James
I don't work for him, I just like his software (both his major apps are must haves for my prism)