Battery- how long should it last?

bilkay · 04-16-03, 06:07 PM

How long should a charge last on the 1440 battery? Mine seems to last between 2 and 3 hours of use. I thought I read somewhere it should last 6 or 8 hours.:crooked:

snowmoon · 04-16-03, 06:49 PM

Using a conservative backlite ot no backlite on the x5 basic I have been using it for up to 4-6 hours with battery meter only dropping to 75%.

I am not multimedia nor heavy use of the 256CF card I have. I expect that it should last between 10-20 hrs of basic use. I do not have the backlite turned up all the way.

commoved · 04-16-03, 07:16 PM

2-3 hours seems pretty short. What are you doing for that time? Also, the battery is used even when the Ax is "off". So don't just count the time the unit is on. If it's 2-3 hours over a week, then it may be reasonable.

doclek · 04-16-03, 08:51 PM

CNET, in their review of the dell axim x5, said that in their test, the axim ra for 8-10 hours continuously (6 hrs initially with mp3 playback and brightness set to half of the full capacity, if i remember it right). You can check out their revew of the axim at www.cnet.com
anyway, i have a question, i initially charged my axim for 4 hours (as stated in the manual) before using it for the first time. Would my battery last longer if had charged it, say, 8-12 hours more before i first used it, or it really doesn't matter?
another probably "stupid" question: does enabling the Cleartype feature in the settings, drain faster the battery life? I thought of this since i think (correct me if i'm wrong) that rendering fonts more smoothly (cleartype) requires greater processor power, which translates to use of more power.
cheers!

alex :)

peterbright · 04-16-03, 08:56 PM

I routinely get 6 plus hours of use on the standard battery.

Timdjohn · 04-17-03, 02:47 PM

Hmmm, I wonder if I have a bum battery. I get at the most 3 1/2 hours with the screen set to the second to the lowest light setting. and processor at normal. I use it for maybe 30 min MP3 and then maybe anpther 30 min for Avantgo. the rest is just your general use of a PDA, Email Task etc.

So I am with Bilkay, my battery life is lower than reports. I did get 5 to 6 hours at first from what I remember. I thought these Lithium batteries didnt have a memeory and you could charge them at any level? maybe we should grop at dell, but I bet they will not warrenty the Battery.

Tim

ceej13 · 04-17-03, 02:55 PM

Most likely depends how you use the Axim. I don't have a Wi-Fi card or Microdrive. I keep the backlight off most of the time and can get about 8 hours straight. But you can charge the batt at any level.
Contact Dell and explain to them the situation and most likely they will send you a replacement. :)

commoved · 04-17-03, 03:00 PM

Quote:

i initially charged my axim for 4 hours (as stated in the manual) before using it for the first time. Would my battery last longer if had charged it, say, 8-12 hours more before i first used it, or it really doesn't matter?

It really doesn't matter. Back in Dec, this was a hot topic. People that didn't charge for 4 hours didn't suffer any ill effects. I think Dell just wanted a simple way to get people to charge their battery before using the device.

Quote:

I thought these Lithium batteries didnt have a memeory and you could charge them at any level?

LiIon batteries do not have a meory effect. They like to be charged a lot. It's just about impossible to overcharge them or charge them too much. However, if you throw your Ax in a drawer for 6 mos, you are likely to come back and find your battery permanently dead, as these batteries do not like being discharged, especially for long periods. Did you maybe let your battery go into deep discharge? Or maybe you are using your Ax different (cards, new apps) so that it draws more current. There is a finite life the the battery, which is why I'm glad it's replaceable. But the Ax hasn't been out that long. Nobody should be seeing battery life issues yet.

hambalan · 04-17-03, 03:03 PM

I charge mine everyday. Over the course of the day, I would probably clock up 4-6 hours usage (average) - mp3 (screen off), ebook (backlight 2nd or 3rd setting) and just routine use. I must confess I don't have any CF modules life wireless lan / bluetooth etc that would drain the battery quicker. The battery would drop to between 50-70%. The lowest I ever got to was around the 40% mark, but that was after 7 hours of use (if I remeber correctly).

JakeRich · 04-17-03, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Timdjohn
I use it for maybe 30 min MP3 and then maybe anpther 30 min for Avantgo. the rest is just your general use of a PDA, Email Task etc.

Communications takes a lot more power. If you are using the USB port for Avantgo, it should be the lowest, but if it's a serial cable, or wireless, it will consume battery pretty quickly.

Wayfinder · 04-17-03, 04:25 PM

On initial consideration, it sounds like you have a defective battery. Wouldn't be the first time that's happened. Contact Dell, send it back, get another.

HOWEVER, there is also a chance that some internal program is sucking battery power down. That can happen if a program is ill-behaved and uses a lot of processor power. Unlikely, but it's possible.

My experience: I can use the Ax for 5, 6, 8 hours depending on what I'm doing. I once played 2+ hours of MP3s, outputting to the auxilary jack to a stereo, and only had the power drop to 80%.

Dell themselves have tested the battery for up to 13 hours of MP3s (the screen went totally black, but according to them the MP3s still played.)

I'd say realistically... on an average 6-8 hours continuous use, maybe more if you're not using the light screen all during that time (like if you're playing MP3s). Of course, CF cards and SD cards do take some power (however, I have both, and still get good power times).