Battery life when off

[aesed]

I took my palm tx out of the box, 2hrs later screen went wonky, then it died. I thought that charging it would help, but apparently not. How long does the battery take to discharge, if it was new (perfect condition) and at 100%? i've left it for one day so far... I found a thread that said this was the solution btw. And there is no way for me to turn it on to make the process go faster.

[Ken in Regina]

My T|X will go for days before the battery will run down any noticable amount. If you want to run your battery down more quickly try the app discussed in this thread.

http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44462

It's also available for download here:

http://ca.geocities.com/jmckie1974/queware.htm

The app is called Rundown and the attachment is at the end of the first message in the thread. It will keep the Palm from going to sleep. If you want it to go quicker, crank the backlight all the way up.

It won't run the battery flat because that's not a good idea for Lithium-Ion batteries, but if you want to run it flat you can go into the Options/Preferences and check the option to "Keep going after battery critical".

I know this doesn't help solve your problem, but at least if you want the battery to run down this will help get it done quicker.

...ken...

[aesed]

Sorry, my palm has no response, so I cant put an app on it or anything. How much does it tend to go down in how many days? that might help me with an estimate... I dont wanna charge it up too early or the problem wont be fixed. The other way is to short out the battery but I don't have the proper tools to do it (screwdrivers are either too small or too big). Thanks anyways though

[Gregte]

I have a spare TX in the cupboard. It takes several weeks to go from 100% charge to 40% charge.

To drain completely could take many weeks or even months, and you will never know when it is discharged fully.

Shorting the battery is a safe and effective way but as you know it requires removing the back case. If you don't have a T5 torx driver some people have used an appropriately sized straight or flat blade screw driver.

If you do happen to strip out the screw heads you can buy new screws at www.gethightech.com. You can also buy the correct torx screwdriver there I believe.

[aesed]

Thanks, but C**P!! Either I really need a screwdriver or I'll have to wait months... I think I'll try to find a screwdriver. Would one from a glasses repair kit work?

[aesed]

Well, I got 2 screws out with a slot screwdriver but I can't get the other two. Is there a way I can stick my screwdriver in to get at the contacts and short them? I got the top two screws out.

Has anyone got any precise results about the time it takes?

[Gregte]

Well, I got 2 screws out with a slot screwdriver but I can't get the other two. Is there a way I can stick my screwdriver in to get at the contacts and short them? I got the top two screws out.

Has anyone got any precise results about the time it takes?
No possibility I am afraid. After removing the 4 screws the case halves have to be pried apart. There are two catches on each side. The easiest way I have found to pry them apart is to slip a flat blade of a butter knife in between them. Do this on the stylus silo side. Place the blade between the back case half and the silo which remains with the front case half.

There is no precise amount of time it takes. it is entirely dependent on what the computer is doing and since the machine is in the state it is in you don't have any idea what it is doing.

In normal OFF mode it will take many weeks and you will never know for sure when it is ready to recharge. In any other mode, which is unknown, it is anyones guess. It may be using power faster or slower than OFF mode.

[aesed]

Well, I found a friend with the proper screwdriver, so that might help get the last two out. I think that's probably the safest way. I hope I haven't completely stripped the screws...

Do you think plugging something into it that would want power for example an iPod, (I don't know how I'd do it yet) would try to take power fro the battery and then have it discharge faster? I could also tell when it's dead because the iPod won't say it's charging anymore.

[JavaJiveJump]

would then disconnecting the battery from the device be sufficient?

[Ken in Regina]

would then disconnecting the battery from the device be sufficient?
Yes.

The whole point of running the battery down is to completely remove power from the main circuit board. Unplugging the battery for a few seconds accomplishes the same thing and does it quicker and more predictably (eg. you can be certain that the power has been completely removed).

The only time it might be necessary to run the battery down is if there is a charging problem. It does not sound like aesed has a charging problem.

...ken...

[aesed]

No, I do not but I also do not have a soldering iron, which is needed because the battery is soldered onto the TX. When opening it, I found that the safety circuit was missing, so I decided not to short circuit it. Do you think I could use some kind of meter (voltometer is that the word?) to check if the battery is dead... any thoughts?

Also about connecting something to leech the power? Running down the battery seems to be my safest option right now.

Thanks,

aesed

[Gregte]

If the safety circuit is missing I would not put that TX in my pocket!

If something fails in the TX causing an excessive current draw your battery could burst into flame and burn you severely. That is the main reason they have the protection circuitry.

The problem with letting the battery run down completely is bigger than you might think. In order for it to run down enough to cause the circuit to reset, the battery has to go below its own 'safe' low voltage. This type of battery should never be allowed to get anywhere near zero volts or it will do itself irreparable damage.

If it actually has no protection circuitry on it the only sensible thing to do is carefully remove it, discard it and replace it with a proper TX Lithium polymer battery.

[Gregte]

The only time it might be necessary to run the battery down is if there is a charging problem. It does not sound like aesed has a charging problem.

...ken...
Actually there are a number of situations unrelated to charging that the TX can get into that a battery disconnect is the solution for. I have had it happen to me twice. Both times were caused by my experimentation, doing things that one ought not do.

I also suspect that bits can get set high or low from such things as electrostatic discharge that we give our devices at times. This happened to a cordless phone I use. It took quite a process to reset the phone's bits back to 'factory' but once done it worked (and still does) good as new.

[JavaJiveJump]

I didn't know the TX's battery connector was soldered on to the board. The battery in the LD plugs into the board.

[aesed]

Thanks guys, but I guess I will be sending it back. Only 2 hours of use... Kind of makes me sad... Oh well thanks for all your help!

[Ken in Regina]

Actually there are a number of situations unrelated to charging that the TX can get into that a battery disconnect is the solution for.
If you check my original post you'll see that we agree. Yes, a battery disconnect is indicated. A battery rundown is not. As you point out yourself, the battery rundown to get it low enough to simulate a disconnect isn't a smart thing to do.

...ken...

[aesed]

Guys, I got it working again! After waiting a while and charging it back up, it started to work. The battery indicator has gone screwy and so it kept dying at 100%.. Then I tried to play bejeweled 2 WHILE IN THE CHARGER and I was forced to reset (bejeweled never opened, blank white screen). After the reset, I know from experience, a palm is supposed to turn itself back on and start up, but this one (for probably the... 3rd time) didn't, and even while in the charger I can't get it to start up again. I am definitely sending it back, and once Chris gets confirmation that it's in the mail, he'll be sending me a new one. I expected better from Chris Short but maybe it's just a defective something. I am glad that opening it didn't void my warranty too though.