Registered: Aug 2001
Location:
Posts: 7

Should NiMH discharge this soon?

I've been using my visor platinum and stowaway in this, the first week of class. I average a little over three hours of class a day (law school) and I'm lucky if I can make it through a day without having to change batteries.

I've been charging the NiMH's fully overnight (I have three sets), but they never seem to make it over two hours. The batteries and charger are brand new. It just seems that they should last a little longer than that.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Elkins Park, Pa
Posts: 577

Wow, that's a concern for me too, because I use my visor just as much and I'm just about to get NiMH batteries. Did you try the battery shortcut?

__________________
-Bernie

"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared'.
-Dan Quayle

Registered: Aug 2001
Location:
Posts: 7

I didn't use the shortcut, but I'm using a hack that allows you to specify the battery type.

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Derry NH USA Earth
Posts: 154

Re: Should NiMH discharge this soon?

quote:

---

Originally posted by tjevans
I've been using my visor platinum and stowaway in this, the first week of class. I average a little over three hours of class a day (law school) and I'm lucky if I can make it through a day without having to change batteries.

I've been charging the NiMH's fully overnight (I have three sets), but they never seem to make it over two hours. The batteries and charger are brand new. It just seems that they should last a little longer than that.

---

__________________
<div align="left"><font size="+2" color="#FF8000">Mike</font>
<hr width="200">
<font color="Red"><i>Programming is the struggle between programmers<br> building bigger and better idiot proof systems<br> and the universe building bigger and better idiots</i></font>
<hr width="200">
<b><a href="http://enhanceyourlife.com">http://enhanceyourlife.com</a><br>
<a href="http://www.furrbrain.com">http://www.furrbrain.com</a></b></div>

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Elkins Park, Pa
Posts: 577

I'd think the battery hack would work, but I'd try 7 anyway. I think that's what it is, anyway. Does it actually run out of juice, or does it just SAY it's running out of juice?

__________________
-Bernie

"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared'.
-Dan Quayle

Registered: Aug 2001
Location:
Posts: 7

Not quite accurate

Ok, I wasn't quite accurate in my first post. The charge (or at least what is being reported) holds pretty steady for about two hours. It'll be at 90% or better. Then within the next hour or two, the charge plunges to around 30%, which is where I usually change batteries.

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Misplaced Canuck in Charleston SC
Posts: 257

i typically get about 17-22 hours from a set of fully charged NiMHs running them dry (I usually change them out around 10-15%).

I would suspect that the heavy serial port usage by the stowaway is probably what's sucking your batteries dry (I don't have one, so this is conjecture based purely on what i've read in other postings here).

I was at a conference a little while ago and using my Platinum to take notes during all the seminars, so I had it on a lot longer than usual and doing a lot of writing. I ended up getting about 7 hours out of a charged set of NiMHs under those circumstances. The battery usage you're seeing may be normal if you're doing a lot of typing and communicating over the serial interface (with the keyboard).

The discharge pattern you're seeing is fairly typical of rechargables...steady battery reading for a long time then a rapid fall off.

__________________
-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.12
GS d-(+) s: a C++ UX++++V++S++ P+>+++ L>+++ E+>++ W++ N++(+++) o? K? w !O !M V-- PS PE Y+ PGP++ t++ 5++ X++ R+ tv++ b++(+++) DI++++ D+ G++ e+++>++++ h--- r+++ y?
-----END GEEK CODE BLOCK-----

Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

Re: Should NiMH discharge this soon?

quote:

---

Originally posted by tjevans
I've been using my visor platinum and stowaway in this, the first week of class. I average a little over three hours of class a day (law school) and I'm lucky if I can make it through a day without having to change batteries.

I've been charging the NiMH's fully overnight (I have three sets), but they never seem to make it over two hours. The batteries and charger are brand new. It just seems that they should last a little longer than that.

---

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Elkins Park, Pa
Posts: 577

Unless it's defective or something, the stowaway hardly sucks up any extra battery.

__________________
-Bernie

"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared'.
-Dan Quayle

Registered: Aug 2001
Location:
Posts: 7

According to runtime, my (alkaline)batteries were drained of 50% of their charge in the past 30 min while I was doing some word processing with the keyboard.

Registered: Aug 2001
Location: beach
Posts: 71

help with maxell rechargeable NiMHs please

I was tired of changing batteries every 7 days, so I invested in a Maxell recharger w/ batteries today. I popped the charged NiMHs into my plat tonight and.... nothing! Eeek! So I changed back to my alkalines quickly. I set the battery type to NiMH on the plat and then put the NiMHs in again. Again.... nothing I have another set that I purchased and will try and charge those too, but has anyone had this experience with the maxells?