Discharging m515 battery

[ryber]

Does anyone know of any software or hardware that will rapidly discharge the battery in an m515? My battery life isn't as good as it should be, and Palm recommends fully discharging the battery. As I can't feasibly wait for it to discharge normally, I was wondering if there's a quick way to do it. Thanks in advance.

[JohnKes]

The cure for SUDS (unable to sync) describes a way to keep the unit on until the battery dies. I don't think it will help your battery life (might even make it worse):
http://www.buchmann.ca/Chap10-page6.asp

How old is your m515? Are you not getting 6 hours of ON time? Put in Battery Log to keep track:
http://www.palmblvd.com/software/pc/Battery-Log-2001-10-2-palm-pc.html

Li-Ion batteries should last about 2 years before they become unusable.

[ryber]

My m515 is only 6 months old. During constant usage, it only gets about 2-3 hours with the backlight set on low. With the backlight off, I can use it for a much longer period of time, but this isn't always a reasonable idea (too dark). However, the battery life isn't always consistent. Sometimes I can use it with the light on for 3-4 hours, and the battery is only drained to about 80%, and other times I can use it for an hour and get a low battery warning. I have experienced both situations when using both screen tapping applications and button pushing applications, although button heavy apps do seem to drain the battery faster. Keyboard usage doesn't seem to be a factor either.

I have used battery log in the past, but not on my m515. I'll try it out again.

Thank you for your help.

[JohnKes]

Sounds like it needs an in-cradle reset: Press the Reset button while it is in the cradle. The charger circuitry in the unit may be confused.

Also, the battery meter will show 100% charged before it really is full. It actually needs another hour or two. It is ok to charge it overnight using the Palm charger. The charger turns off by itself when it is done.

[ryber]

I'll try the in cradle reset. Thanks for the tip.

I keep it well charged. It sits in the cradle all day at work. I also let it recharge every night, after I've finished my work on it. Maybe I'm just expecting more life out of it then it can give. It would be nice if Palm made a battery pack/battery booster add-on for the Palm Universal Connector. Then it wouldn't be a problem at all.

Another question. When the battery is fully charged, does the charging icon change to the normal battery icon? I've noticed before that the palm seems to lose connection (battery icon is showing instead of charging icon) while in the cradle. I've even noticed the battery draining in the cradle at times. I'm not a palm newbie (I know it sounds like I am, but I'm actually a part time Palm developer) but this is the first palm I've owned that has a rechargeable battery. I used to be a Handspring Visor user.

[JohnKes]

There are many battery packs you can get. Some use AAA, others AA and 9V batteries. Prices range from $40 to $8.

I wonder if there is a loose connection between the adapter and the cradle. Maybe that is your whole problem. I don't think the charge icon is supposed to turn off while it is in the cradle. If it is a bad cradle, perhaps you can get Palm to send you a new one since the whole setup is still under warranty.

I have a Prism. I got about an hour of ON time for every 10% when it was new. Now (8 months later) I am getting an hour for every 20% of battery life :( At least it is predictable on a day to day scale relative to ON time. I used to have a Visor Deluxe.

[swithin]

Originally posted by ryber

...I've noticed before that the palm seems to lose connection (battery icon is showing instead of charging icon) while in the cradle. I've even noticed the battery draining in the cradle at times...

After Palm sent me the new "E" series cradle, it worked fine. But then I developed the same symptoms that you're seeing. Even though my 505 is seated properly, it doesn't charge. I tried putting the silver part of a small binder clip (equivalent thickness of a paper clip) between the left back side of the palm and the cradle and it started charging. (Obviously, this adjusted the contacts just enought to make a good connection.) I've thought of asking Palm to replace the "E" series again, but haven't made the effort. My Belkin charger has worked (and is working) just fine with the 505.