Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Luxembourg
Posts: 36

Stowaway keyboard --> enormous battery drain

I have a Visor Deluxe and huge problem with battery drain in combination with the Targus Stowaway keyboard.

Rechargeable Alkalines are empty within 4 hours of PDA use with keyboard enabled. I can check the drain immediately with the program Superutility ( www.handmark.com ) which shows voltage and percentage of battery capacity, switching the display every second. If battery drain occures, this display switches extremely fast between the two values. The program itself is not the cause of battery drain, I already tested this by removing it.

What I tried to stop battery drain:
- deactivating all the system hacks (Crash, Autoshift, Battery Meter, Silence) and resetting
- installing different versions of the keyboard driver (1.1 & 1.5).
- removing Springboard module (Innopocket Compact Flash adapter)
- I noticed that the driver automatically disables "Beam receive" when the keyboard is enabled. Manually changing this does not alter the situation.
- using fresh non-rechargeable batteries: They last longer, but empty within one day when the keyboard is attached and activated.

Nothing helped. My guess is that the driver is the cause. When the keyboard is disabled in the driver, the drain immediately stops, even if the keyboard remains attached. If the keyboard was activated and attached and then removed, the drain continues until the keyboard is deactivated in the driver.

I would be grateful for any advice, because I cannot use the keyboard with this power problem. I will contact Targus support later.

Thank you

Carlo

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Glen Burnie, Maryland
Posts: 205

I'm not sure I can be of much help, but I can tell you that I don't have the battery drain problem you refer to. I have a VDX with version 1.5 of the Stowaway driver, enabled at all times, and my Thinmodem plus living in the Springboard slot with no noticible battery drain.
One thing I can think to check is you battery setting with the .7 shortcut. If I remember correctly, Rechargable Alkaline is one of the settings you can choose. It might be a problem with it thinking it has a different kind of battery in it and using the wrong "curve."
A soft reset might not hurt either (after turning on the keyboard driver). Good luck figuring it out!

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Sven

If at first you do succeed, try not to look astonished.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: June 10, 2001 San Clemente Pier , CA
Posts: 211

That is very interesting.

I now have a Prism, so I don't think I can use SuperUtility to check my rechargable, but I would like to know if the drain ALSO continues even after I remove my keyboard on my Prism. I wonder how to check for continued drain from driver? I use a keyboard everyday for work/school.

Also, I will be watching this thread for more information because I had intended to buy a Vdx for each of my sons, along with a keyboard for the start of school in Sept. (spoiled boys, I know. but anything for education, et al)

In the past, when I had a Vdx, a set of batteries lasted for about a month (down to 3% with runtime) with occasional keyboard use. That was a long time ago, 18 months, and maybe with the original keyboard driver. But you said you checked that.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 8

another negative data point

Wacky. Like Sven, I don't have a problem either, so I'd say definitely contact Targus support...
I have a VDx with v1.0 of the driver, use NiMH rechargable batteries (tried Renewals for a while, they leaked, rechargable alkalines scare me now), have used the keyboard for hours in conference talks. I usually leave the keyboard driver off when I'm using the visor without the keyboard, because sometimes when I don't, graffiti seems a lot slower and punctuation is iffy (maybe I need to upgrade the driver or something); but certainly never experienced major drain when I do leave it on.

Bridget

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Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NC, Indiana
Posts: 465

I have no such drainage either.

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-Vincent

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

Sorry if this is obvious, but it begs to be mentioned: how much more are you using the Visor since you got the Stowaway? I used to get five weeks of battery life on my VDX. After I got the Stowaway, the batteres lasted about ten days.

Remember, normally when you look up and enter information in the Visor, you typically only have it on for 30-60 seconds at a time. With a keyboard, it's not uncommon to have it the Visor on for many minutes at a time.

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Eye of Gameboy

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

Also think of the rate of usage. I don't know exact power thigns per charactor, but I do know graffiti is MORE per charactor. Say.. it takes .0003 watts for each kb stroke, and .0005 watts for each graffiti. Your not goign to write more than 100 at a time in graffit, so you never notice it. But you will right THOUSANDS at a time with the kb. See where I'm going? The Stowaway isn't draining any extra power.. your just usign your Vsr more.

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-miradu

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

I agree with the last few posters; it does sound as though you're using it more. Targus' documentation says it isn't much of a battery drain (one of the reasons I got mine).

just my "me too."

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Luxembourg
Posts: 36

Thanks to all for the input. As I wrote the power drain is huge and can easily be observed with this strange side effect on the Superutility program.

It has nothing to to with heavy usage. I used my Visor as much with graffiti before getting the keyboard and never noticed any battery drain. Power loss occures whenever the keyboard is enabled in the driver, even if I don't use it.

I have written to Targus support and will post the result.

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Carlo

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

When I was but a lad I had a cassette tape player/recorder that wasn't really off when you turned it off; you could hear the motor and it ate batteries at the rate of 4 "C" cells a day (until I got smart and started taking them out). This sitch reminds me of that.

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Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

Re: Stowaway keyboard --> enormous battery drain

quote:

---

Originally posted by Carl0
- installing different versions of the keyboard driver (1.1 & 1.5).

---

__________________

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Luxembourg
Posts: 36

I have reinstalled the driver according to this procedure (also described in the readme), but it does not help.

Maybe the cause is the Visor connector. My batteries lose quite some power also during hotsync, but recover afterwards. With the keyboard, the connection lasts much longer of course.

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Carlo

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Luxembourg
Posts: 36

In order to check if there might be a software incompatibility problem, I have made a hard reset and installed only the v1.5 keyboard driver. Battery drain still exists, in exactly the same circumstances as described above.

Because this driver works well for all other users, there must be a hardware problem. Now I have to find out if the Visor or the keyboard is the cause. Unfortunately there is no other Visor around except in the store where I bought it.

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Carlo

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Posts: 26

me too

I use regular alkaline batteries and also notice a huge battery drain using my stowaway. I think it's a hardware problem since I also have this with my matchbook drive CF card adapter (where other users don't). I also see the battery level 'recovering' a bit after detaching the keyboard (or CF card) but not enough.
I've contacted handspring and will be getting a replacement.

Vered

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Luxembourg
Posts: 36

@vered: The CF power drain is due to your card. Some cards suck 10 times as much power as usual. I had this problem with a noname card until a changed to a Sandisk.

Carlo

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Carlo

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Posts: 26

actually my card *is* a Sandisk 32MB one. And since I also have a problem with the keyboard draining, I think it's a problem with the visor itself. Of course, I'll be smarter once I have the replacement visor and see if I still have the problem.

Vered

Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 99

Battery Drain problem on some VDX's

This reminds me of a problem my friend had a while ago - and I've seen some posts on the subject in visorvillage

I think there was a problem with some VDX's where if it was bumped hard, something short circuited inside and battery drain was crazy. My friend called Handspring about it and they fedex'd him a new one the next day - I think they were aware of the problem.

It could just be coincidental that at the time you installed the stowaway that you may have dropped your visor causing the same battery drain issue? If you do a hard reset and still notice the battery drain is very significant, I'd try and give Handspring a call - assumming you're still under warranty...

Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 7

Stowaway Drains

I am using the stowaway on my Prism, and when the keyboard is enabled in their 1.5 software, the battery drains much faster with or without the keyboard attached. It doesn't bother me too much though because I can always top off my rechargable battery.

I think the cause is that the driver is constantly scanning the connector whenever the keyboard enabled option is clicked. Sort of like when you enable IR-receive in Prefs, the device is constantly checking to see if something is communicating to it through IR. Anyway, I notice this because one of the cursors blink much faster with the keyboard enabled option clicked.

Targus could probably take a lesson from the Logitech people who created the wireless optical mouse. Whenever there is no activity for a certain amount of time (lets say 1-2 seconds), it scans slower and not so often. If there is still no activity for a while, it scans even less often. When activity is finally detected it goes back and scans for changes at the full rate again. Anyway, for my mouse there are about 4 levels of scanning activity depending on how long there is no activity.

I bet if Targus incorporated such an algorithm in their driver it would reduce the battery drain. And keypresses are not nearly as frequent as a mouse trying to figure out movement at 800dpi.

--David

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Luxembourg
Posts: 36

Re: Stowaway Drains

quote:

---

Originally posted by biggie_d
I am using the stowaway on my Prism, and when the keyboard is enabled in their 1.5 software, the battery drains much faster with or without the keyboard attached. It doesn't bother me too much though because I can always top off my rechargable battery.

---

It does bother me, since my batteries last less than half a day

I have called Handspring support. They think that the keyboard is at fault (of course!). Then I tried a different keyboard at a store and the battery drain was still there. I will now ask to have my visor replaced.

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Carlo

Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 7

Battery drains

Well I think the keyboard is at fault too. I never had any noticeable battery drain until I purchased and used the keyboard (not the keyboard, but the software "driver"). Fortunately, the drain introduced by using the keyboard hasn't been significant enough to affect my usage of the Prism. And my Prism has become far more useful ever since using it.

But I think that there are more intelligent algorithms ThinkOutside can use to further reduce the battery drain from the Stowaway keyboard.

--David