Coolestson

http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showthread.php?t=105728

Kar98

If your Power screen looks like this:



it means the back-up battery is not empty, it's toast.

The back-up battery can be found at the end of the black and red pair of cables.


To get there, you'll need to pluck out the four rubber thingies at the backside of your Axim, remove the four Phillips screws and gently gently pry the unit apart.

However, unless you _have_ a functional back-up battery, which looks like this (except for the burn marks, of course)



there'd be no point in ripping the Axim apart. Send the unit back for an exchange.

If you do have one, you'll need an itty-bitty Phillips screwdriver and very steady hands. First pluck the four rubber thingies from their holes in the back. Unscrew the 4 screws and gently remove the back of the unit.

In the lower right of the second picture, the little white plug that's plugged into the back of the mainboard, and has a red and black pair of wires leading to the /front/ of the board, where the battery is glued into place.

So you have to unscrew a few more screws to loosen the board, twist and pry at the black frame surrounding the PDA a bit (watch for the scroll wheel!) Do not panic when one of the small cables on top snaps loose, those can be "clicked" back on.

Unplug the battery, tie a 5 inch long piece of twine around the plug, pry the battery loose, shake it out towards the center, grab it, untie or cut off string, tie around plug of the new battery and ease the new battery back into place where it belongs.

Re-assemble in reverse order.

wadd3456

I replaced it. The f-in thing still randomly will tell me that there is an issue with the backup battery. I soft reset and it goes away. Thats not my biggest problem now at all.

The fact that I cant trasfer via sync is a huge problem, and has been for over a year now. HELP!!

__________________
Dell Axim X3i
Still Un-Syncable and hatin it!
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fire1

were can you buy the BUB shown in the pictures

wooch

I believe they posted a link to an online retailer earlier in this thread.

matt.hoy

Information on the X3(i) backup battery, otherwise known as the "Varta V20HR"

http://www.cellpacksolutions.com/var...ts/DS55902.htm

matt.hoy

Buy an X3 backup battery, brand new for $5 here:

http://www.batterystore.com/Varta/V20HR.htm

gbalab1

Hi everyone this is my first posting to the site,
I just took apart my Axim X3 last night after having that same "Abnormal Back-up Battery" error and found the green bub, but didn't have a clue as to the actual battery part number, did someone disassemble it to find out that the Varta V20HR is the actual original battery used?
I guess my next question is to Wadd 3456, what site did you find the battery for under $2?
And last but not least to Tenc, what brand of VERY electrically conductive adhezive did you use or suggest?

Thanks,
George

ChrisBrown

Im stuck at this spot too. Both those links to batterys show a silver battery, mine is the green one? does it have to be removed? do i put it back inside the green wrapper after replacement? what exactly(link would help) do i use to re connect the leads to the battery? Please help, i want my X3 back...

justcall

And last but not least to Tenc, what brand of VERY electrically conductive adhezive did you use or suggest?


Varta V20HR http://www.mouser.com/index.cfm?hand...oductid=413805

Has anybody asked Dell customer service about this (I know it'd take awhile getting through, but...)?

to buy a refurbish unit from Dell Spare Parts Department:
1-800-357-3355 extension 69938 from Monday to Friday.

Or

for new part, you could contact at Sales Department at: 1-800-433-9511 Ext 43867 from Monday to Friday.


I won't be able to do this for my x3i for a few weeks anyway...

dw

ozofnash

I bought a used x3 off eBay, not a bad deal but it had this 'abnormal' backup battery problem. 2+ days of charging didn't help...so I was going to replace it myself (ordered a couple from Mouser...earlier posting in this thread).

I took the whole thing apart (as I've done a thousand other things...put most of them back together again :) ). Got the battery out and decided to try charging it with a NiMH charger (from my r/c car hobby). I let it 'trickle charge' @ 0.08A (my chargers minimum setting...probably about 4 times the normal charge current) for no more than an hour...feeling the battery every 10 minutes or so. I stopped charging it when it got noticably warm (NOT HOT!!!...just noticably warm...temperature-rise is actually a method used by some chargers). Voltage at that time, according to my charger, was around 1.8v(charging)...volt-meter (not charging) was around 1.4v. <more>

Put it all back together again, upon booting (of cource everythings gone now) I got a 'low' backup battery instead of the 'abnormal', claiming I would have 10 minutes before losing everything. Let the unit charge normally and within 5 minutes the backup battery showed 'FULL CHARGE'. I tested it out, removing the main battery for 1 minute and re-installing it, and didn't lose anything and still showed full backup battery.

I don't know if it would actually go 30 minutes, but at least the messages are gone and it will probably go long enough to swap main batteries.

Trying this doesn't involve total disassembly, just removing the back and unplugging the battery (another posting earlier in this thread). You won't be able to feel the battery's temperature though, unless you have some sort of small thermometer. I would suggest not attempting to charge it fully, just a 'safe bump' to 'get the x3 started'. Note FAST re-assembly is important, otherwise it could drain itself again, so bypass the back screws and get the main battery back in asap.

I'm going to experiment a little with the 2 new batteries I got and ended up not using...to see if as simple 'watch battery-resistor-diode(led)' circuit would safely 'warm'(charge) the failing backup battery enough to 'jump-start' it...cheap and disposable. Making the connection to the battery leads would be tough...

willcatss

I don't know about replacing the battery, but I have found that if I charge the Axim without its main battery, I get the backup battery charged.

matt.hoy

I bought a Varta V20HR, stuck in in, taped it up and it's all working :-)

Simple as that! Total cost: £3.34 (£4.34 if you don't have the screwdriver)

joeytomato

Hi Matt.hoy.

How do you take out that toasted battery from the green pouch and put it back. And what have to be pay attention when doing so.

Thanks and regard.

matt.hoy

Originally Posted by joeytomato

Hi Matt.hoy. How do you take out that toasted battery from the green pouch and put it back. And what have to be pay attention when doing so. Thanks and regard.

Hi there.

Getting to the green pouch is easy enough, simply completley unsrew the axim and unhook the ribbon connectors. (Already been mentioned)

Then simply yank it off the axim, it's only glued on there, you wont break anything and ease it out of it's connection thingy. Slowly run a knife around the edge of the green pouch and it will open, allowing you to remove the backup battery. Then, attach the old wires to the new BUB and if possible, slot it into the green pouch (if not possible, wrap it in electrical tape) Make sure it fits, no need to glue it back on there now, unless you want to and simply re-assemble :-)