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author | Robert Hak <adiamas@rockbox.org> | 2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000 |
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committer | Robert Hak <adiamas@rockbox.org> | 2002-08-21 10:36:05 +0000 |
commit | 019203b7faf9fece3b9a12e0698fe1543df7f5d1 (patch) | |
tree | dad0cbf2c64853474b1b190f3777d156a25acce7 /docs/BATTERY-FAQ | |
parent | 52e0e21fde2bfdd8d3ca4a7a6d77ba79577d682c (diff) | |
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1 | Q1: Are my batteries charged all the time when connected to my Player/Recorder? | ||
2 | A1: Player: the charging is all done by hardware and the exact | ||
3 | functionality is hard to determine. It is however not recommended to keep | ||
4 | the charger connected for more than 10-15 hours if you're not using the | ||
5 | unit. | ||
6 | |||
7 | Recorder: no. The charging algorithm is carefully crafted in to not wear | ||
8 | out the batteries any more than necessary. If you're using your unit | ||
9 | connected to the charger most of the time, use the 'deep discharge' option | ||
10 | to save your batteries somewhat. | ||
11 | |||
12 | Q2: Will keeping my charger connected a long time damage my batteries? Can I | ||
13 | leave it over night? | ||
14 | A2: The charger logic lets the batteries charge until they are full. After | ||
15 | that, the charger is disabled, but the device will stay powered on and | ||
16 | continue to consume some power from the batteries (the hardware does | ||
17 | not allow running from the charger without charging batteries, or | ||
18 | powering off with the charger connected). After some time, it will | ||
19 | start charging the batteries again to keep them full. This will | ||
20 | wear the batteries a little, but overnight charging is what most | ||
21 | people do. | ||
22 | |||
23 | As the Battery FAQ at http://www.greenbatteries.com/ puts it: | ||
24 | "A NiMH battery can be charged and discharged hundreds of times, | ||
25 | but whether that means 200 times or 800 times has a lot to do | ||
26 | with how (you use it)". | ||
27 | |||
28 | Q3: Does Rockbox charge the batteries more/less/worse/better than the Archos | ||
29 | firmware? | ||
30 | A3: Player: Rockbox doesn't affect the charging on Players, it is all done | ||
31 | by hardware logic out of software control. | ||
32 | |||
33 | Recorder: The current release of 1.2 is much worse than the Archos | ||
34 | charger, it tends to stop charging much too early and leave the batteries | ||
35 | half empty. | ||
36 | |||
37 | The current development code (CVS daily builds as of 20.8.2002) is much | ||
38 | better than the 1.2 release, but still not perfect. Linus recently | ||
39 | measured 6 hours continuous playtime after a rockbox charge, and much | ||
40 | over 7 hours after an Archos charge. We are working on fine-tuning | ||
41 | the charger logic to get the most out of the batteries, but the | ||
42 | emphasis is on not overcharging them, since that would damage the | ||
43 | batteries. Better be safe than sorry. | ||
44 | |||
45 | Q4: What kind of batteries are there in my factory default Player/Recorder? | ||
46 | A4: Both ship with 1500 mAh NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries. | ||
47 | |||
48 | Q5: Is it hard to change the batteries? Does it void my warranty? | ||
49 | A5: The archos manual and web site describe how to replace the batteries, | ||
50 | so you're supposed to do it. They recommend using only Archos-supplied | ||
51 | batteries, but my Recorder 20 unit only shipped with one set. Some | ||
52 | units have been shipped with two sets of batteries. Someone actually had | ||
53 | Archos send him new batteries free of charge after they had weared out, | ||
54 | under the warranty. (have asked from support-technique@archos.com, | ||
55 | waiting for an answer to arrive!) | ||
56 | |||
57 | Q6: How much do replacement batteries cost? Where can I buy them? | ||
58 | A6: http://www.greenbatteries.com sells 1800 mAh NiMH cells at $3.25USD each, | ||
59 | and I bought 4 of the same GP batteries for 20 euros in an home | ||
60 | electronics & household appliance store in Finland. NiMH batteries are | ||
61 | sold in almost all shops that sell consumer electronics, and in many | ||
62 | online shops. Browse around. | ||
63 | |||
64 | Q7: What kind of run-time can I expect on a set of fully-charged batteries | ||
65 | when running Rockbox? | ||
66 | A7: For the stock 1500 mAh cells, from 6 hours to 8 hours, depending on | ||
67 | which charger was used (see Q3). It depends a lot on the condition of | ||
68 | the batteries. We are looking into implementing more battery-saving | ||
69 | techniques in rockbox to make it rock longer. | ||
70 | |||
71 | Q8: Can I use different batteries in my Archos? | ||
72 | A8: Only use NiMH-type rechargeable batteries. It is considered to be safe | ||
73 | to use NiMH batteries of different capacities though, a lot of people | ||
74 | have purchaced 1700 or 1800 mAh batteries to replace the stock 1500 mAh | ||
75 | cells and have the device run a bit longer. | ||
76 | |||
77 | Q9: Can I use non-chargeable batteries in my Archos? | ||
78 | A9: This is not recommended. The unit has been designed to operate with | ||
79 | four 1.2V batteries producing about 4.8V at most, and using 1.5V | ||
80 | alkaline/zinc carbon batteries will produce around 6.0V, which will | ||
81 | heat up the unit a lot more and might even damage it. The Archos | ||
82 | manual explicitly tells you not to do so. | ||
83 | |||
84 | Q10: Can I use a different charger? | ||
85 | A10: People have successfully used different chargers with similar | ||
86 | specifications as the stock charger. The charger must have the | ||
87 | same kind of connector with same polarity (center positive/+). | ||
88 | The charger should supply at least 7-8 volts, and if it provides | ||
89 | more than 9V, it probably should be current limited (do not | ||
90 | directly plug it in your 12V car battery or it's charger!). | ||
91 | |||
92 | Using lower charging voltage will slow down the charging, and using | ||
93 | higher voltage will cause a higher charging current, more heat, | ||
94 | and too much heat and current can damage the batteries or the unit. | ||
95 | Using a different charger will void your warranty and can be | ||
96 | dangerous to your unit, so we can not recommend it. | ||
97 | |||
98 | Many people are happy using an external quick charger which | ||
99 | is specified to work with NiMH batteries. | ||
100 | |||
101 | Q11: Can I buy a replacement charger exactly as the one Archos shipped? | ||
102 | A11: The FAQ on the Archos web site and the top of the charger both read: | ||
103 | |||
104 | Output: 9VDC 600mA | ||
105 | Center positive (+) polarity | ||
106 | |||
107 | Chargers with similar (or user-adjustable) properties are available | ||
108 | at shops selling consumer electronics. | ||
109 | |||
110 | |||
111 | Q12: I often need to stop my player for about 15 minutes or so, and when I do | ||
112 | it runs off it's batteries. I was wondering, which is best: shutting the | ||
113 | player down completely and rebooting it when I want to listen again, or | ||
114 | leaving the unit on? Which way does it draw more power? | ||
115 | A12: In our testing we found the following results: | ||
116 | HDD off, LED off, idle 94 mA | ||
117 | HDD off, LED off, play 97 mA | ||
118 | HDD off, LED on, idle 129 mA | ||
119 | HDD off, LED on, play 131 mA | ||
120 | HDD on, LED on, play 230 mA | ||
121 | HD on, reading, LED off ~ 600 mA | ||
122 | HD spin up before read max 800 mA | ||
123 | |||
124 | So leaving the unit on and paused consumes ~100mA, and thus much less then | ||
125 | needing to reboot the unit. Your mileage may vary. | ||
126 | |||