[bookcourier] Re: Sapping batteries - a helpful warning
- From: "Bruce Lamden" <bruce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookcourier@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2005 12:26:33 +0100
Hi Greg,
The BC did issue a low battery warning. I think it told me to change the
batteries. At that point I didn't press any buttons I just changed the
batteries and the BC came back to life OK, albeit having lost its settings.
I am thinking about the lithiums now but I by far prefer to stick with
rechargeables. I'm hoping its more environmentally friendly, but who knows
for sure?
Bruce.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg Epley" <gregepley@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookcourier@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 3:57 PM
Subject: [bookcourier] Re: Sapping batteries - a helpful warning
> Hi Bruce,
> I didn't download the user manual for the BC from the web site prior to
> getting my BC because it was a gift, so I was quite surprised to find the
> user manual mention that the battery status function didn't work for
> rechargeables; that was what made me leery to use them, because I was
> really looking forward to having a battery gauge for my rechargeables. I
> was coming off an MP3 capable CD player which was not built for
> accessibility, and would just stop right in the middle of a track when the
> batteries were low, all because I couldn't see the battery status gauge on
> the display. So, when I got the BC and the user manual first mentioned the
> battery status, I thought - fantastic - finally I will have a way to keep
> an eye on my battery level. This enthusiasm faded quickly when I read
> that the battery status didn't work for rechargeables.
>
> However, seeing how others on the list are posting that they just skip the
> change battery function, and knowing that it will probably be some time
> before Springer improves the software to gauge battery status for other
> types of batteries, I'm going to give serious thought to switching to my
> high capacity NIMH's or some of the lithiums others on the list are
> mentioning.
>
> I assume the BC just suddenly stopped responding when your batteries went.
> Or did it say "batteries are low"? Just curious.
> -Greg
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bruce Lamden" <bruce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <bookcourier@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 7:43 PM
> Subject: [bookcourier] Re: Sapping batteries - a helpful warning
>
>
>> Hi Greg,
>>
>> Thanks for the info. I'm going to stick with my rechargables and keep my
>> fingers crossed. I think I must have missed the discussion on why
>> rechargeables are bad. I find it hard to believe they are. I'll also
>> avoid
>> using the change battery command. It doesn't take long to reset my
>> settings.
>>
>> I think if Springer gave us "save settings" and "restore settings"
>> commands
>> we could use when we wanted the "change battery" command could be
>> droppted.
>>
>> Bruce.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Greg Epley" <gregepley@xxxxxxxxxx>
>> To: <bookcourier@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 1:00 AM
>> Subject: [bookcourier] Re: Sapping batteries - a helpful warning
>>
>>
>>> Hi Bruce,
>>> I assumed that the change battery command saved a file to the CF card,
>>> but
>>> couldn't find any evidence of that file on the CF card that was in the
>>> unit at the time of my mishap; perhaps because the file didn't get
>>> saved,
>>> or perhaps because it is saved with a system attribute set so it doesn't
>>> readily show up in Windows Explorer, or perhaps because the info is
>>> saved
>>> in some sort of flash memory in the BC - but that last case would mean
>>> there would be no need for the change battery command, as the settings
>>> should just always be automatically stored in that memory.
>>>
>>> I have some 2500 mAH NIMH batteries - a set I previously used in an MP3
>>> capable CD player, which was my reading device prior to the gift of a
>>> BC -
>>> and I was really planning to use those until I read about using
>>> rechargeable batteries in the BC, then I wasn't so enthused. Like you,
>>> I'm not sure what the BC will do when the rechargeables get low enough,
>>> and after this incident I'm not even going to touch that with a ten foot
>>> pole. I know that eventually I'll get back into using my BC regularly,
>>> but this whole thing has got me so spooked now that I hate to even take
>>> the thing out of the house with me for fear of what will happen to it
>>> next. I'm accustomed to being able to do some kind of reset procedure
>>> myself to just fix the problem and move on, and I very much dislike
>>> having
>>> to ship it off and wait for it to return, even though I know Springer is
>>> going to get it back to me ASAP.
>>> -Greg
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Bruce Lamden" <bruce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> To: <bookcourier@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 5:56 PM
>>> Subject: [bookcourier] Re: Sapping batteries - a helpful warning
>>>
>>>
>>>> Very interesting Greg. Fits in with my observation that alkaline go
>>>> from
>>>> 39%
>>>> to dead.
>>>>
>>>> What does the change battery command do? Does it save the current
>>>> settings
>>>> to the FC and reload them once the batteries are changed?
>>>>
>>>> I haven't got there yet because I've only had my BC a couple of months
>>>> but
>>>> the rechargeables I'm using must be about to run out. I presume there
>>>> is
>>>> no
>>>> warning about them dieing, the BC just stops, and you lose your
>>>> settings?
>>>>
>>>> Can anyone tell me what happens? Thanks.
>>>>
>>>> Bruce.
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Greg Epley" <gregepley@xxxxxxxxxx>
>>>> To: <bookcourier@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 8:07 PM
>>>> Subject: [bookcourier] Sapping batteries - a helpful warning
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hello everyone,
>>>> In hopes of preventing anyone else from going through this same issue,
>>>> I
>>>> have a helpful note to pass along. Some preliminary explanation is
>>>> necessary first, so please bear with me.
>>>> Explanation: Years ago, I can remember frequently using AA alkaline
>>>> batteries down to around 0.8 volts before I ended up having to toss
>>>> them.
>>>> This was perhaps because devices like toys were different from today's
>>>> electronic devices; perhaps it was the motors or the fairly low power
>>>> LED's
>>>> many devices used then; I'm not sure about exactly what the difference
>>>> was.
>>>> Anyway, I know the GP alkalines supplied with my BC when I got it in
>>>> late
>>>> March 2005 were full capacity because they were checked on a meter;
>>>> also,
>>>> the BC reported them at 100%. Around the 22nd of May 2005, the BC
>>>> finally
>>>> reported the low battery warning. Not realizing that today's devices
>>>> don't
>>>> seem to use all the possible power in alkalines that they used to, I
>>>> wanted
>>>> to get the max out of my alkalines. It was late at night and I was
>>>> trying
>>>> to finish a certain portion of a book so I just went through the change
>>>> battery procedure and set the supposedly dead batteries aside to check
>>>> on
>>>> a
>>>> meter the next morning.
>>>> It has been my experience in the past that AA alkalines do not recover
>>>> any
>>>> significant amount of power when left overnight; that is to say they
>>>> aren't
>>>> 0.6 volts or something and then by morning they are 1.2 volts, just as
>>>> an
>>>> example. Perhaps alkaline battery technology has changed over the
>>>> years
>>>> and
>>>> it just passed me by somewhere along the way, I don't know. Anyway,
>>>> the
>>>> next morning I checked the supposedly dead batteries and they
>>>> registered
>>>> 1.23 volts each. A brand new alkaline battery will generally register
>>>> 1.6
>>>> volts, plus or minus .05 volts, so I consider 1.23 volts to be
>>>> sufficient
>>>> energy to run a device with no moving parts, such as the BC.
>>>> Understandably
>>>> that was not a very scientifically based conclusion, but it does have a
>>>> certain amount of logical sense to it anyway, unless one is perhaps
>>>> very
>>>> skilled in electronics and knows more than most consumers. Anyway, I
>>>> went
>>>> through another change battery procedure on the BC and inserted the
>>>> supposedly dead batteries;
>>>> the BC registered them at 42%, so I figured great, I can get a little
>>>> more
>>>> use out of them. That night, I ran for about 18 minutes before the BC
>>>> said
>>>> the batteries were low; I immediately checked the batteries on the BC
>>>> and
>>>> it
>>>> said 14%. Again, I was busy listening to something so I just went
>>>> through
>>>> the change battery procedure and put the new batteries back in and
>>>> finished
>>>> out my session, setting the supposedly dead batteries aside to check in
>>>> the
>>>> morning. Next morning, the supposedly dead batteries registered at
>>>> 1.22
>>>> bolts. This was weird; I'd never seen batteries, especially alkalines,
>>>> recover like this on power when left overnight. So, I figured I'd just
>>>> change them again and run them down a little further. Upon inserting
>>>> the
>>>> supposedly dead batteries in the BC, it registered them at 40%. That
>>>> night,
>>>> I was listening to a book when the BC suddenly said the batteries were
>>>> low;
>>>> I don't know how long I'd been listening because the whole night went
>>>> downhill from there.
>>>> I quickly tried to get the BC to tell me the level, but don't recall
>>>> now
>>>> what it said. I initiated the change battery procedure, but when I
>>>> inserted
>>>> the fresh batteries, the BC was dead. I couldn't get it to talk at
>>>> all.
>>>> I
>>>> tried a reset procedure - no change. I tried everything I could think
>>>> of
>>>> for a half hour and finally went to bed. The next morning, I checked
>>>> the
>>>> supposedly dead batteries and the meter registered them at 1.1 volts.
>>>> The
>>>> fresh battereies in the BC registered at 1.55 volts. I again worked
>>>> for
>>>> about a half hour with no results on the BC talking; I tried different
>>>> CF
>>>> cards - nothing - nothing worked. I left the BC with no batteries or
>>>> CF
>>>> card for the better part of a day and again, no change - nothing
>>>> worked,
>>>> it
>>>> was just dead.
>>>>
>>>> Springer is currently working on my BC and I'm thankful for that. I
>>>> have
>>>> since learned that alkaline batteries apparently have an effect whereby
>>>> they
>>>> reflect what seems to be a good strong charge, but in actuality the
>>>> level
>>>> plumments rapidly when the batteries are back in use. This accounts
>>>> for
>>>> the
>>>> recovery in charge level I experienced. I wish I'd taken the time now
>>>> to
>>>> check the batteries as soon as the BC said they were low, just out of
>>>> pure
>>>> curiosity to see what the meter said, but I didn't. Of course, there's
>>>> a
>>>> possibility the meter would still report the charge level higher than
>>>> it
>>>> actually is when the batteries are in use, so I don't know how much
>>>> good
>>>> it
>>>> would have done to check them.
>>>>
>>>> Springer also said that the BC probably went into this "coma" (my word
>>>> not
>>>> theirs) because the change battery procedure didn't complete its cycle
>>>> due
>>>> to the power loss of the batteries, and while they admit some form of
>>>> alternate power some some sort would have likely prevented the problem,
>>>> of
>>>> course we all know that kind of hardware modification isn't currently
>>>> on
>>>> the
>>>> drawing board at Springer.
>>>>
>>>> Keeping that in mind then, what I've learned from this experience is
>>>> that
>>>> when your BC says the batteries are low - initiate a change battery
>>>> procedure ASAP. If you can't change them, leave the BC off until you
>>>> can -
>>>> do not under any circumstances do what I did and do anything that saps
>>>> enough charge out of the batteries to the point that the change battery
>>>> procedure could fail like this, or you'll most likely end up with a
>>>> dead
>>>> BC
>>>> too. I don't know what exactly Springer does to "fix" the problem, but
>>>> to
>>>> me it would be nice if there were one of those internal reset switches
>>>> activated by inserting a paper clip tip into a small hold on the BC to
>>>> do
>>>> some kind of hardware reset that didn't involve sending the BC in for a
>>>> fix
>>>> by Springer. Perhaps that's something Springer will consider for a
>>>> future
>>>> BC. I don't even know if such a reset would fix the problem.
>>>>
>>>> Anyway, my apologies for this very long post, but I wanted to be
>>>> thorough
>>>> in
>>>> trying to explain and warn other BC users away from sapping batteries
>>>> down
>>>> too low.
>>>> -Greg
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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