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-rw-r--r-- | www/docs/BATTERY | 86 |
1 files changed, 74 insertions, 12 deletions
diff --git a/www/docs/BATTERY b/www/docs/BATTERY index 735a62c5f2..65a9c536d9 100644 --- a/www/docs/BATTERY +++ b/www/docs/BATTERY | |||
@@ -11,33 +11,95 @@ A1: Player: the charging is all done by hardware and the exact | |||
11 | 11 | ||
12 | Q2: Will keeping my charger connected a long time damage my batteries? Can I | 12 | Q2: Will keeping my charger connected a long time damage my batteries? Can I |
13 | leave it over night? | 13 | leave it over night? |
14 | A2: [fill in] | 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)". | ||
15 | 27 | ||
16 | Q3: Does Rockbox charge the batteries more/less/worse/better than the Archos | 28 | Q3: Does Rockbox charge the batteries more/less/worse/better than the Archos |
17 | firmware? | 29 | firmware? |
18 | A3: [fill in] | 30 | A3: The current release of 1.2 is much worse than the Archos charger, it |
31 | tends to stop charging much too early and leave the batteries half | ||
32 | empty. | ||
33 | The current development code (CVS daily builds as of 20.8.2002) is much | ||
34 | better than the 1.2 release, but still not perfect. Linus recently | ||
35 | measured 6 hours continuous playtime after a rockbox charge, and much | ||
36 | over 7 hours after an Archos charge. We are working on fine-tuning | ||
37 | the charger logic to get the most out of the batteries, but the | ||
38 | emphasis is on not overcharging them, since that would damage the | ||
39 | batteries. Better be safe than sorry. | ||
19 | 40 | ||
20 | Q4: What kind of batteries are there in my factory default Player/Recorder? | 41 | Q4: What kind of batteries are there in my factory default Player/Recorder? |
21 | A4: [fill in] | 42 | A4: Both ship with 1500 mAh NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries. |
22 | 43 | ||
23 | Q5: Is it hard to change the batteries? Does it void my warranty? | 44 | Q5: Is it hard to change the batteries? Does it void my warranty? |
24 | A5: [fill in] | 45 | A5: The archos manual and web site describe how to replace the batteries, |
46 | so you're supposed to do it. They recommend using only Archos-supplied | ||
47 | batteries, but my Recorder 20 unit only shipped with one set. Some | ||
48 | units have been shipped with two sets of batteries. Someone actually had | ||
49 | Archos send him new batteries free of charge after they had weared out, | ||
50 | under the warranty. (have asked from support-technique@archos.com, | ||
51 | waiting for an answer to arrive!) | ||
25 | 52 | ||
26 | Q6: How much cost replacement batteries? Where can I buy them? | 53 | Q6: How much do replacement batteries cost? Where can I buy them? |
27 | A6: [fill in] | 54 | A6: www.greenbatteries.com sells 1800 mAh NiMH cells at $3.25USD each, |
55 | and I bought 4 of the same GP batteries for 20 euros in an | ||
56 | home electronics & household appliance store in Finland. | ||
57 | NiMH batteries are sold in almost all shops that sell consumer | ||
58 | electronics, and in many online shops. Browse around. | ||
28 | 59 | ||
29 | Q7: What kind of run-time can I expect on a set of fully-charged batteries | 60 | Q7: What kind of run-time can I expect on a set of fully-charged batteries |
30 | when running Rockbox? | 61 | when running Rockbox? |
31 | A7: [fill in] | 62 | A7: For the stock 1500 mAh cells, from 6 hours to 8 hours, depending on |
63 | which charger was used (see Q3). It depends a lot on the condition of | ||
64 | the batteries. We are looking into implementing more battery-saving | ||
65 | techniques in rockbox to make it rock longer. | ||
32 | 66 | ||
33 | Q8: Can I use different batteries in my Archos? | 67 | Q8: Can I use different batteries in my Archos? |
34 | A8: [fill in] | 68 | A8: Only use NiMH-type rechargeable batteries. It is considered to be safe |
69 | to use NiMH batteries of different capacities though, a lot of people | ||
70 | have purchaced 1700 or 1800 mAh batteries to replace the stock 1500 mAh | ||
71 | cells and have the device run a bit longer. | ||
35 | 72 | ||
36 | Q9: Can I use non-charable batteries in my Archos? | 73 | Q9: Can I use non-chargeable batteries in my Archos? |
37 | A9: [fill in] | 74 | A9: This is not recommended. The unit has been designed to operate with |
75 | four 1.2V batteries producing about 4.8V at most, and using 1.5V | ||
76 | alkaline/zinc carbon batteries will produce around 6.0V, which will | ||
77 | heat up the unit a lot more and might even damage it. The Archos | ||
78 | manual explicitly tells you not to do so. | ||
38 | 79 | ||
39 | Q10: Can I use a different charger? | 80 | Q10: Can I use a different charger? |
40 | A10: [fill in] | 81 | A10: People have successfully used different chargers with similar |
82 | specifications as the stock charger. The charger must have the | ||
83 | same kind of connector with same polarity (center positive/+). | ||
84 | The charger should supply at least 7-8 volts, and if it provides | ||
85 | more than 9V, it probably should be current limited (do not | ||
86 | directly plug it in your 12V car battery or it's charger!). | ||
87 | |||
88 | Using lower charging voltage will slow down the charging, and using | ||
89 | higher voltage will cause a higher charging current, more heat, | ||
90 | and too much heat and current can damage the batteries or the unit. | ||
91 | Using a different charger will void your warranty and can be | ||
92 | dangerous to your unit, so we can not recommend it. | ||
93 | |||
94 | Many people are happy using an external quick charger which | ||
95 | is specified to work with NiMH batteries. | ||
41 | 96 | ||
42 | Q11: Can I buy a replacement charger exactly as the one Archos shipped? | 97 | Q11: Can I buy a replacement charger exactly as the one Archos shipped? |
43 | A11: [fill in] | 98 | A11: The FAQ on the Archos web site and the top of the charger both read: |
99 | |||
100 | Output: 9VDC 600mA | ||
101 | Center positive (+) polarity | ||
102 | |||
103 | Chargers with similar (or user-adjustable) properties are available | ||
104 | at shops selling consumer electronics. | ||
105 | |||