Low Battery life
Low Battery life
I am getting very little battery life from my archos 605. I just play music for about 20 minutes and I lose one bar, and this consistently happens. Am I doing something wrong? When I first opened the player, it told me to fully charge the player first. Did I have to use the USB to charge, because I used the DVR station to charge faster? If I have a faulty battery, should I contact Archos or Amazon? (I purchased my player from Amazon)
My (604wifi) loses the top battery bar almost as soon as I've unplugged it from full charge!
How long does your battery last playing video non-stop from full charge to the unit shutting down? Remember to disable wifi as this doubles (at least) the power consumption.
Anything less than about 3 h is below normal. Most seem to report about 3.0, maybe 3.5 h. Some get 4.0 h or above and one or two lucky people get nearer 5 h. It, of course, depends on LCD brightness level, encoding bit rate, volume level on earphones etc.....many threads in here already about what you might expect (just search - pleanty of info on this already)....and yes it's unlikely to match the claimed figures from Archos
How long does your battery last playing video non-stop from full charge to the unit shutting down? Remember to disable wifi as this doubles (at least) the power consumption.
Anything less than about 3 h is below normal. Most seem to report about 3.0, maybe 3.5 h. Some get 4.0 h or above and one or two lucky people get nearer 5 h. It, of course, depends on LCD brightness level, encoding bit rate, volume level on earphones etc.....many threads in here already about what you might expect (just search - pleanty of info on this already)....and yes it's unlikely to match the claimed figures from Archos
Andy W
but shouldn't I be getting at least 17 hours audio
I dont think I get anything close to it, maybe a third of that...i'll check out other threads too
I also loose the 1st bar quickly but had positive results when I timed the overall video playback life.
Try and do a full battery test:
1) Charge until light blinks
2) Unplug and immediately start video (w/ earphones plugged in)
3) Let video(s) run until battery shuts down the unit
I found that my battery indicator went to the middle bar quite quickly, then stayed for an extended period. Then, went to the minimum bar (red) quickly, but still played for a long time.
When testing this way, my video played for 4hrs and 22minutes (160gb model). (I plugged in the earphones to make sure the speaker wasn't draining battery life.) I also have the battery pack and it played for 7 hours with everything charged.
Before I did this test, I never felt my battery had this much life capacity. It seemed much less because it would go to the middle and the end on the indicator quickly. One other battery drain I have noticed is leaving it in suspend mode (no wifi connectivity) for a couple of days seems to eat more batterly life that I would have guessed.
Try and do a full battery test:
1) Charge until light blinks
2) Unplug and immediately start video (w/ earphones plugged in)
3) Let video(s) run until battery shuts down the unit
I found that my battery indicator went to the middle bar quite quickly, then stayed for an extended period. Then, went to the minimum bar (red) quickly, but still played for a long time.
When testing this way, my video played for 4hrs and 22minutes (160gb model). (I plugged in the earphones to make sure the speaker wasn't draining battery life.) I also have the battery pack and it played for 7 hours with everything charged.
Before I did this test, I never felt my battery had this much life capacity. It seemed much less because it would go to the middle and the end on the indicator quickly. One other battery drain I have noticed is leaving it in suspend mode (no wifi connectivity) for a couple of days seems to eat more batterly life that I would have guessed.
Is this good enough?
I got 3 hours and 45 min from my player during the video test. However, my volume was on mute for the first three hours, because I didn't think that that would make much a difference or not. However, I'm not really sure how dramatic of an impact it would have...but is the video time I'm getting good enough? I'm also getting around 11, maybe 12 hours of audio, off a full charge too.
You'll never really know until you do the test again (with the volume on your earbuds as you would normally have it all the way through) but let's guess it will be maybe about 3 hrs in your case.
That's certainly not very good and way short of what Archos has claimed but seems to be fairly typical of what people have reported in the many threads about this on here the last couple of months. Some get more, nearer 4.5 and one or two get close to the claimed 5.5 hours
Unfortunately, it will deteriorate (and in my experience with Archos batteries will do so noticeably in 6 months) but at least we also know that replacing that internal battery (when the time comes) is not too difficult for those with soldering skills, thanks to them retaining those tiny Phillips crosshead screws to hold the case together.
That's certainly not very good and way short of what Archos has claimed but seems to be fairly typical of what people have reported in the many threads about this on here the last couple of months. Some get more, nearer 4.5 and one or two get close to the claimed 5.5 hours
Unfortunately, it will deteriorate (and in my experience with Archos batteries will do so noticeably in 6 months) but at least we also know that replacing that internal battery (when the time comes) is not too difficult for those with soldering skills, thanks to them retaining those tiny Phillips crosshead screws to hold the case together.
Andy W
id be curious if we tried the test again but with VOB's or some other very high quality video... the more compressed the video is, the more battery it takes, isnt that correct... the harder it has to work to decode.... ive heard WMA and WMV is especially hard on batteries.. not sure if thats true or not...
p
p
During my eight hour workday I have vobs playing off my Archos 605 160GB in the background. I keep it charging the night before so in the morning I have a full charge on the battery dock and the Archos unit. Granted I do not keep the Archos going a full 8 hours. I get up to get drinks, go to the bathroom, etc. And I also participate in conference calls. However by the end of the day the Archos still shows I have half of the battery left to use. (There is no way to tell how much of the battery dock is used up, but when I put it in to suspend to go home the Charge light on the Archos comes on.)
so what are my options
I dont really want to keep completely using up my battery and completely recharging a bunch of times, because I heard it hurts the battery. Anyway, so what are my options. While I'm still under the Archos warranty, should I call them up and ask them to replace my battery. Do I have to do it now, within 30 days or so, should I wait until it gets really bad, or what? The problem is that I purchased a web browser plugin for this device, so I don't want to have to return this device, get a new one, and then have to pay for the plugin again.
Based on this I'm not sure you actually have a problem
3hours 45 mins isn't something I'd be sending my 605 back over.
If you were getting much less than 3 hours perhaps and you may want to run the test with the sound on to be sure, but I don't see anything there that I'd return a unit for.
The people getting an hour or so are the ones with battery problems.karohan wrote:I got 3 hours and 45 min from my player during the video test. However, my volume was on mute for the first three hours, because I didn't think that that would make much a difference or not. However, I'm not really sure how dramatic of an impact it would have...but is the video time I'm getting good enough? I'm also getting around 11, maybe 12 hours of audio, off a full charge too.
3hours 45 mins isn't something I'd be sending my 605 back over.
If you were getting much less than 3 hours perhaps and you may want to run the test with the sound on to be sure, but I don't see anything there that I'd return a unit for.
Sorry to butt in but I have to ask;
If it is true that the battery life begins to noticeably deteriorate after 6 months should I then send it back for replacement under the one year warranty dealie?
Just wondering, just got mine this past month and have had no power issues that I have noticed. I am a bit worried that since the unit was disconnected halfway its first charge out of the box that the battery may have been affected as I have read somewhere on these boards...
If it is true that the battery life begins to noticeably deteriorate after 6 months should I then send it back for replacement under the one year warranty dealie?
Just wondering, just got mine this past month and have had no power issues that I have noticed. I am a bit worried that since the unit was disconnected halfway its first charge out of the box that the battery may have been affected as I have read somewhere on these boards...
Obviously you have been doing exactly what all new members should do. Do a lot of searches and reading. Thank you for this.
I am a bit worried that since the unit was disconnected halfway its first charge out of the box that the battery may have been affected as I have read somewhere on these boards...
No need to worry. Your meter might be a little funky though. Keep searching and reading and you will see that the best thing to do is fully charge and fully discharge the 605 3 or 4 times. This cycling of the battery will bring it up to peak performance and calibrate the meter. It is always better late than never to do this. Also maybe every couple months do it once to keep it straight. I have had mine for over 6 months and I have no battery issues. Batteries generally need a couple of years till they start to lose capacity. You will be fine. Good luck.
I am a bit worried that since the unit was disconnected halfway its first charge out of the box that the battery may have been affected as I have read somewhere on these boards...
No need to worry. Your meter might be a little funky though. Keep searching and reading and you will see that the best thing to do is fully charge and fully discharge the 605 3 or 4 times. This cycling of the battery will bring it up to peak performance and calibrate the meter. It is always better late than never to do this. Also maybe every couple months do it once to keep it straight. I have had mine for over 6 months and I have no battery issues. Batteries generally need a couple of years till they start to lose capacity. You will be fine. Good luck.
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Dragonstar
- Archos User
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2007 6:42 am
Leery of full rundowns
Hey,
Just wanted to toss in a recent experience.
Despite all the talk of occasionally running the battery down completely, I've had a recent experience (which I hope is now over) that is going to make me very disinclined to let it happen again.
I left my 605 in the dock to record a show one night.
I came back the next day to find that the show had not recorded and my battery was almost dead. Then I realized that the dock did not appear to be powered on - so that explained the 2 hours of black screen. Oddly, the dock was still plugged in and the power bar was still turned on. I fiddled a bit and got the DVR to light up again. But since the player had only one bar of battery, I figured it was a good opportunity to let it run down. So I played with it until it shut off and then put it back in the dock.
The next time I was using the player I noticed the battery meter dropped two bars after only a few minutes of browsing the web. Then I watched part of a movied the next day, and the following day it shut down after another 1/2 hour of viewing. At first I was really worried, then realized I had been running on full backlight - wow does that suck the life out of it!
Anyway, when I got home I put it in the dock and left it over night.
When I came back in the morning, it still wasn't charged. I fiddled and left it again - only to come back in the evening to find it still wasn't blinking and wasn't charged. I went through several rounds of removing from the dock and plugging it back in trying to get it to boot up properly and start charging. It hung on one attempt, and on several others it booted but then seemed to shutdown a few minutes after the screen went dark. I finally got it to boot and stay on and then left it overnight again. This morning all appears well again, but that made me very nervous and suggested to me that on a drained battery, the Archos is very unpredictable, so I'm not likely to intentionally drain it again!
Just wanted to toss in a recent experience.
Despite all the talk of occasionally running the battery down completely, I've had a recent experience (which I hope is now over) that is going to make me very disinclined to let it happen again.
I left my 605 in the dock to record a show one night.
I came back the next day to find that the show had not recorded and my battery was almost dead. Then I realized that the dock did not appear to be powered on - so that explained the 2 hours of black screen. Oddly, the dock was still plugged in and the power bar was still turned on. I fiddled a bit and got the DVR to light up again. But since the player had only one bar of battery, I figured it was a good opportunity to let it run down. So I played with it until it shut off and then put it back in the dock.
The next time I was using the player I noticed the battery meter dropped two bars after only a few minutes of browsing the web. Then I watched part of a movied the next day, and the following day it shut down after another 1/2 hour of viewing. At first I was really worried, then realized I had been running on full backlight - wow does that suck the life out of it!
Anyway, when I got home I put it in the dock and left it over night.
When I came back in the morning, it still wasn't charged. I fiddled and left it again - only to come back in the evening to find it still wasn't blinking and wasn't charged. I went through several rounds of removing from the dock and plugging it back in trying to get it to boot up properly and start charging. It hung on one attempt, and on several others it booted but then seemed to shutdown a few minutes after the screen went dark. I finally got it to boot and stay on and then left it overnight again. This morning all appears well again, but that made me very nervous and suggested to me that on a drained battery, the Archos is very unpredictable, so I'm not likely to intentionally drain it again!
605 30G
2.1.04
2.1.04