Hey guys. I'm very new to aximsite, so I apologize if this seems like a silly question. Since it looks like dell is stopping production of the axim, should I be considering getting a backup battery before it's too late? will it ever to "too late" or am I just being paranoid? Also, I dont know how batteries work exactly, but if I got a battery now and didnt use it for a long time would it be about the same as if I was able to buy a battery at the later time? i.e. do they go bad just sitting around?
well, i wouldn't call you paranoid, you have a reasonable concern. however, i doubt that there wont be at least one reputable company that wont be selling batteries for axims.
Li-Ion batteries like the ones in the Axim line start to decay about 2 years after manufacture. Note, that's manufacture, not the date you put it in service. However, the roll off is very slow. To make the battery last as long as possible, avoid deep discharges and keep it topped off as much as you can. Try to keep it above 70% as much as possible.
From the Ultralife battery support page:
Quote:
Unlike nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride rechargeable batteries, lithium-ion (li-ion) rechargeable batteries have no memory effect, therefore, it is not necessary to fully discharge your battery before recharging. Actually, li-ion batteries will generally last longer if you do not completely discharge them before recharging. For example, if you regularly recharge a li-ion battery only after discharging it completely (known as "100% Depth of Discharge"), you can generally expect to obtain between 300 and 500 charge-discharge cycles. However, if you recharge the battery after only a partial discharge, e.g., 50%, you can expect to achieve over 500 charge-discharge cycles; even more if you use a lower depth of discharge, such as 20%. Therefore, you can effectively recharge li-ion batteries even if they have only been discharged for a short time.
To maintain a healthy battery, follow the device manufacturer's charging recommendations, and do not expose the battery to temperatures above 60 degrees C (140 degrees F).
and
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Lithium ion battery life is described by the number of full charge/discharge cycles that the battery sees. In general most manufacturers specify a cycle life ranging from 300 to 500 full charge/discharge cycles. That means fully charging the battery and then fully discharging it before recharging, also described as "100% Depth of Discharge." To increase the total life of a lithium ion battery it is recommended that the battery be recharged after each use or every few uses, rather than waiting for it to become fully discharged. Total battery life can vary depending on the device in which it is used and recharged. Li-ion batteries reach end of life when the battery reaches 80% of its original capacity, which generally occurs between 300 and 500 cycles of use.
and
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The shelf life of a lithium ion battery is dependent upon its date of manufacture, storage temperature and state of charge during storage and maintenance charge frequency. It is not possible to give a definitive answer to your question, since quality of manufacturing varies widely in the industry. One manufacturer could make a battery who's impedance increases 10% in two years, while another could make a battery who's impedance increases 50% in that same time frame. These differences are a function of manufacturing processes and materials. In general, one is better off buying a battery with a recent date code than one greater than one year old.
Hey guys. I'm very new to aximsite, so I apologize if this seems like a silly question. Since it looks like dell is stopping production of the axim, should I be considering getting a backup battery before it's too late? will it ever to "too late" or am I just being paranoid? Also, I dont know how batteries work exactly, but if I got a battery now and didnt use it for a long time would it be about the same as if I was able to buy a battery at the later time? i.e. do they go bad just sitting around?
Much appreciated!
There's a lot of Axims out there to support - I suspect batteries will still be available for several years yet. I can still get batteries for some of my older ThinkPads around here and some of 'em are 6 years out of production. I wouldn't worry about it.
I would gamble to say that whoever you buy a new battery from didnt make them at your request they already have them sitting around waiting to be bought so it wouldnt be an advantage to wait until your original battery started dying before buying a new one you are going to get an old battery anyway even though its never been used it will probably been made at the same time as your original one. I bought a bunch of batteries for my x5 because of the same reason they dont make x5s anymore. They were onsale on ebay for $2.00 each so now they are sitting in my desk waiting to be used instead of sitting somewhere waiting for me to buy them lol.
Li-Ion battery have a limited shelf life, even if you don't use them. I have a SONY laptop battery which I used for less than 10 hours and it's dead after 3 years.
However, those $2 ones are obviously not Li-ion so they have the # of charges life span, especially for NiCd.
Batteries from reputable manufacturers have dates of manufacture stamped on them.
My X5 is something over 4 years old and it seems that the battery has most of its capacity left. I also have an HP h1910 probably with its original battery and it seems to have good life left. I might pick up a spare battery for each one but in most cases the original batteries last pretty well.
I wonder how hard it might be to adapt a Blackberry/Q/Blackjack battery to an Axim of iPAQ if sometime in the future you got really desperate.
Don't forget, 40% and freeze. Discharge or charge your spare Li-Ion to 40% and freeze it and it will lose less total capacity as the months tick by. When you take it out of storage, allow it to thaw for a full day before fully charging it (for those of you with multiple spare batteries in your desk).
By the time you can't find replacement batteries your Axim will be so outdated I bet you will have already moved on to something newer and more powerful.
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