Batteries
- Thread starter craigix
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nubie
Recovering Jerk-A-Holic
QUOTEMWeston said:
By the way, I walked around and sat in on sessions at TIDC with the plastic mockup in my dress pants pocket all week and did not find it too thick. I forgot it was there most of the time! Personally, an extra 3mm wouldn't change anything for me. I wouldn't cram them into a tight pair of jeans, but then some people who jam a wallet into their pockets need to really rethink the nasty image they are forcing into my head anyway.
Quite the eBulge you are sporting there, is that a handheld mockup are are you just happy to be at TIDC?
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I'd always go for higher capacity, I can easily rip through the 6 hours a psp throws out and the pandora lends itself to lots of power intensive tasks such as using usb devices, wireless and possibly overclocking.
The only time weight is an issue is if you lie down holding the console above your head but then the pandora layout wouldn't really work like that anyway.
The only time weight is an issue is if you lie down holding the console above your head but then the pandora layout wouldn't really work like that anyway.
Eolair
I am become death, the destroyer of worlds
Craigix and MWeston, could you please tell us what you estimate the battery life of the smaller battery to be? If you want people's opinions, I think it's important that they know this too.
(Edit: Your earlier post indicates that you've already tried this)
I would suggest that you make two simple mockups with the different sizes (27 and 30mm), and try handling them like you imagine people normally would. Try it between yourselves and maybe a few other people. If you could weight down the mockups with their estimated weight, it would help your decision further.
Even if 3mm doesn't sound like much, it could make a big difference when you are actually carrying the Pandora around or using it. It's also important to consider if the different thickness' changes your visual impression of the device.
(Edit: Your earlier post indicates that you've already tried this)
I would suggest that you make two simple mockups with the different sizes (27 and 30mm), and try handling them like you imagine people normally would. Try it between yourselves and maybe a few other people. If you could weight down the mockups with their estimated weight, it would help your decision further.
Even if 3mm doesn't sound like much, it could make a big difference when you are actually carrying the Pandora around or using it. It's also important to consider if the different thickness' changes your visual impression of the device.
God Ginrai
Godmaster
That seems to make an even better argument for the Longer-Life battery. ^_^ I'm all for it.MWeston said:I have some additional information about this battery that needs to be considered to make the most information, sorry it comes so late in the topic!
This higher capacity battery is more "off the shelf" and that is why Craig likes it. My biggest problem with it is that it breaks our spec sheet by increasing Pandora's overall thickness from approx. 27mm to about 30mm. Since the battery takes up a very large area of the Pandora footprint, it isn't like there is a lot of extra dead space added by increasing the entire base thickness by 3mm (which would be the case with the GP2X if the case was built up everywhere to fit the AA batteries instead of just molding around them).
If the distribution of material within the lithium polymer cell is uniform, then I would estimate the battery weight increasing by 60% or about 75g. The case would get slightly heavier from the increased height but should be negligible.
By the way, I walked around and sat in on sessions at TIDC with the plastic mockup in my dress pants pocket all week and did not find it too thick. I forgot it was there most of the time! Personally, an extra 3mm wouldn't change anything for me. I wouldn't cram them into a tight pair of jeans, but then some people who jam a wallet into their pockets need to really rethink the nasty image they are forcing into my head anyway.
-God Ginrai
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squeakypants
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Here's some good questions:
Are they compatible with eachother? That is, since you're using a standard battery, could someone buy a better one and just replace it?
How much are they? If it's just a matter of weight, I'd rather have the longer lasting one, but if it's a matter of cost I don't mind a weaker one. Especially since I'll probably have to replace it every year or so (I'm guessing). And that's if the battery doesn't die when using it plugged in.
Are they compatible with eachother? That is, since you're using a standard battery, could someone buy a better one and just replace it?
How much are they? If it's just a matter of weight, I'd rather have the longer lasting one, but if it's a matter of cost I don't mind a weaker one. Especially since I'll probably have to replace it every year or so (I'm guessing). And that's if the battery doesn't die when using it plugged in.
fusion_power
Advanced Member
I'm always for long battery life. I don't care about the weight. As long, the unit isn't to heavy to get broken into million pieces because of its own weight if it just falls 5 Centimeter, I'm fine. ^^
And with a heavy Pandora, we could do additional muscle exercices for our arms. :lol:
And with a heavy Pandora, we could do additional muscle exercices for our arms. :lol:
QUOTE
increasing Pandora's overall thickness from approx. 27mm to about 30mm.
Hey, perhaps you could put extra memory in there! (JUST KIDDING!!!!)
I'd still opt for the bigger battery even knowing that it means a bigger case.
BTW, you say "more off the shelf" - so that implies easier for the end user to replace if the battery dies? That seems to favor the bigger battery as well.
increasing Pandora's overall thickness from approx. 27mm to about 30mm.
Hey, perhaps you could put extra memory in there! (JUST KIDDING!!!!)
I'd still opt for the bigger battery even knowing that it means a bigger case.
BTW, you say "more off the shelf" - so that implies easier for the end user to replace if the battery dies? That seems to favor the bigger battery as well.
Chip
[Insert Custom Title Here]
A larger battery is always better. I really don't think 3mm and a couple ounces is going to make the device any less pocketable.
Well since only the thickness is effected then it obviously fits the same footprint in the other dimensions. Even if the smaller battery has a little more room in length and width that would be OK. The battery cover would have ribs molded in to keep it from moving. Couldn't the standard battery be the slightly smaller/lighter one, and if you want an extended capacity battery it would come with a replacement battery cover that bulges out 3mm more?
3mm extra? Is it evenly added, or is that an extra "half-bulge" on the bottom? As in will it still be flat? I would like to keep it rectangular (I hope that's the right word)...
And more information (usable hours mainly, cost also) from the original standard battery would help in making decisions. I guess I wouldn't "mind" the extra weight (prefer lighter and smaller), but only 6-8 hours would also be enough, and if the larger battery even costs more, I would lean over to the "lite" version.
And more information (usable hours mainly, cost also) from the original standard battery would help in making decisions. I guess I wouldn't "mind" the extra weight (prefer lighter and smaller), but only 6-8 hours would also be enough, and if the larger battery even costs more, I would lean over to the "lite" version.
x68000
Mega GP Mania
The fact that the longer life battery is more of a 'off the shelf' design, is surely the best way to go, as in years to come replacements would be much easier to source in case Craig et al are no longer supporting the device.
Also, the extra capacity certainly wouldnt go amiss when powering USB devices and overclocking our pandoras whilst playing on our Playstation 3 emulators! (maybe not, since ps3 is not worth emulating......yet!)
Also, the extra capacity certainly wouldnt go amiss when powering USB devices and overclocking our pandoras whilst playing on our Playstation 3 emulators! (maybe not, since ps3 is not worth emulating......yet!)
atomicthumbs
I am the king of the collectors, with hospital bed
Although nobody actually uses it, the right word would be "prismatic".aatu said:
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squeakypants
Member
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If it's 3mm thicker, maybe that's room for a stylus Though the DS Lite stylus is about 5mm, and then you need room for the plastic mold around it
Though the DS Lite stylus is about 5mm, and then you need room for the plastic mold around it
nubie
Recovering Jerk-A-Holic
I read that the stylus goes behind the front ports/switches and in front of the battery, if possible (small enough volume slider and audio/video out.)squeakypants said:If it's 3mm thicker, maybe that's room for a stylus
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TyBO!
Member
I would rather have the higher capacity battery. The added weight and (marginal) size increase don't bother me.
Tobriand
Well-Known Member
I'm a huge fan of battery life... I really miss the old NGPC days of 20 hours battery lives when I really didn't need to charge more than once over a holiday.
As others have said, though, it'd be useful to have a bit more info than currently there - crucially, are we talking 16 hours of MP3s (which is useful, but probably tanslates to ~7 of gameplay) or 16 hours of psx, Quake 3, or some other fairly taxing program? With or without WiFi enabled?
Obviously some of this may still be undr NDA, but it is at least important to know whether 16 hours is at heavy load or not and how long the lighter battery would be expected to last at comparable loads.
I'd also be more comfortable if one of you stuck an extra 3mm of card to the bottom of the current mock-up and tried that out for a couple of hours. It's been a LONG time since anything has had thickness comparable to the original gameboy (32mm), and I must say that if 16 hours is estimated at high load (psx/Q3/etc) and if the alternative were ~12 hours, I'd be tempted by the thinner battery. It still beats the bejesus out of the competition, and presumably, battery life would be even better for less power-consuming things (PCE, NGPC, Genesis et al).
As others have said, though, it'd be useful to have a bit more info than currently there - crucially, are we talking 16 hours of MP3s (which is useful, but probably tanslates to ~7 of gameplay) or 16 hours of psx, Quake 3, or some other fairly taxing program? With or without WiFi enabled?
Obviously some of this may still be undr NDA, but it is at least important to know whether 16 hours is at heavy load or not and how long the lighter battery would be expected to last at comparable loads.
I'd also be more comfortable if one of you stuck an extra 3mm of card to the bottom of the current mock-up and tried that out for a couple of hours. It's been a LONG time since anything has had thickness comparable to the original gameboy (32mm), and I must say that if 16 hours is estimated at high load (psx/Q3/etc) and if the alternative were ~12 hours, I'd be tempted by the thinner battery. It still beats the bejesus out of the competition, and presumably, battery life would be even better for less power-consuming things (PCE, NGPC, Genesis et al).
nubie
Recovering Jerk-A-Holic
That was my general feeling, but the off-the-shelf nature of the battery is something that I like (unless it is a shelf of overstock going out of productionTobriand said:
)
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Tobriand
Well-Known Member
Nah, I'm thinking of the thickness with it closed. It's still added thickness to the size it needs in a pocket, even if its significantly less once opened.
Not that I can't manage with such (it'd just go in my coat pocket rather than my jeans one), but I do think it might severely limit it's appeal to the "ooh it's so thin" crowd.
Agreed, idd, re: the off-the-shelf nature of the battery, but my intuition still tends towards "if it can run an intensive psx game and stream from youtube (not at the same time) for 10 hours on the thinner battery, go thin". If it can't, then thick.
Not that I can't manage with such (it'd just go in my coat pocket rather than my jeans one), but I do think it might severely limit it's appeal to the "ooh it's so thin" crowd.
Agreed, idd, re: the off-the-shelf nature of the battery, but my intuition still tends towards "if it can run an intensive psx game and stream from youtube (not at the same time) for 10 hours on the thinner battery, go thin". If it can't, then thick.
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