Battery Issues

[pkostrze]

I have a MK1 F.E. and have been using Energizer 2500MaH rechargable batteries since I got it. I've been having problems with the batteries being recently charged and the unit gets the colored lines at startup or the fuzzy green screen... I pop the batteries out and then back in and sometimes it fires up and shows the batteries at near full. Sometimes just opening the back and spinning the batteries will let me power it up. The NiMH rechargables are supposed to have no memory from what I've read but is it possible the GP2X doesn't tap them out enough to allow a good, full charge? Why would it tank on boot only to come up okay after popping the batteries out then back in?

This is getting infuriating and I'm not in the mood to buy more batteries just to find they do the same thing.

I wish the Craigenator would get here already <grumble>.

 

[Squidge]

Open the battery compartment and notice the bits of metal sticking out which are GPH's economy method for a spring.

Using a screwdriver, open them up more so they point further into the battery compartment.

Now your batteries should fit snug inside the compartment and not have the issue any more.

 

[pkostrze]

Open the battery compartment and notice the bits of metal sticking out which are GPH's economy method for a spring.

Using a screwdriver, open them up more so they point further into the battery compartment.

Now your batteries should fit snug inside the compartment and not have the issue any more.

That was one of the first things I did... it's so tight in there I have to pry the batteries out. It's weird, I'll have three or four fuzzy green screens then all of a sudden on the fifth (or so) reboot it comes up fine. Do NiMH have a short life expectancy?

 

[Null]

Do NiMH have a short life expectancy?

It depends on the mAh rating of the battery, the higher the mAh rating the less amount of times the batteries can be recharged.

I seem to remember that 2500mAh batteries can be charged 1000 times and 2700mAh batteries can be charged 500 times.

Further info:

Battery charging information from Powerstream

Battery charging information from Panasonic

 

[grahf]

I had 8 energizer nimh batteries, and would rotate them in pairs. They all have the same usage, but half of them hold a charge great while the other half gets considerable less. Ive just come to the conclusion that the Energizer nimh batteries suck.

edit: I use and have used many brands of nimh batteries, and have a great charger. I will recommend Sayno Eneloop, and Powerex.

 

[pubzombie]

try new batteries dude.
i lent the misses a couple of my rechargeable for her camera . now they wont hold enough charge to power the f200 properly and i get all sorts of weird artifacts and glitches then they die. others work fine. so i gues they can die easily. dont lend em the other half.
PZmb

 

[senquack]

Yes, get new batteries, the GP2X needs quite a bit of power.

Seconding recommendation of PowerEX (Maha) batteries. They may not be any more than 2700mah, but it's a honest rating and they're very high quality. I have a set of 8 and have recharged hundreds of times and they still last a loooong time. I don't even bother with the AC adapter when developing, they last that long.

http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/product...e26970b1b0d476e

Also, be sure to use a good quality charger, not a timed charger. I can't believe some companies can't even be bothered to stick a $.50 chip in their devices and rely on timed charges to charge batteries of varying capacity. Look at any MAHA charger on that same website for an example of a good V-Delta charger.

 

[pkostrze]

Thanks, everyone! I'm going to dump the Energizers and use them for less important things like my Walkman. Once again, the GP2X community has proven itself to be far above average in helpfulness and information! Thanks again.