Gp2x Battery Issue.....

[tgg]

I have this gp2x mk1 not the first edition, anyways whats happening is I'm getting sypmtons on the gp2x as if the batteries are dead/dying. Now tommorow I will go out and buy new recharables batteries, as right now I have these energizer 2500mah that are at least 2 years old, so maybe they are bad becuase when using them in a digital camera for taking pictures on ebay when selling things these batteries lose their power no later than the next day if i wanted to use the camera again i have to recharge them again. And I only use the batteries in the camera for about no more than 10-15 minutes.

Just incase this isnt a battery issue i saw this in a google search from these forums I beleive:

"It is actually a known fault, before you two flame each other to death Taking the batteries out will make no difference whatsoever, as it draws too much current whilst in use (but zero whilst off). This is due to component failure, and can be fixed, but it's not exactly a simple task."

Does anyone know of a fix on these gp2x's because I am handy in soldering and basics electronics etc?

 

[sam fisher]

i wouldn't drain the batteries that fast (10-15mins) even with a hardware fault.

 

[jmetal88]

In my experience, the GP2X is a battery issue.

I couldn't hurt to buy a new pair though.

 

[dpoarch]

If the joint from the battery contact came loose from the board then it is a definite possibility. Because of the less than solid connection it can raise the resistance and lower the voltage going into the gp2x. If you take the batteries out of the gp2x after they are dead, then put them in something else, and they have almost a complete charge then this could be what is wrong.

 

[woogal]

You've just told us your batteries are crap, so why on earth would you think anything else is the problem?

 

[sam fisher]

If the joint from the battery contact came loose from the board then it is a definite possibility. Because of the less than solid connection it can raise the resistance and lower the voltage going into the gp2x. If you take the batteries out of the gp2x after they are dead, then put them in something else, and they have almost a complete charge then this could be what is wrong.

Would the increased resistance not increase the voltage but decrease the current the batteries can output as i'm pretty sure the batteries aren't in parrallel.

 

[Lint]

the increased resistance would give you less current AND less voltage... 2 resistors in series (one which is the load of gp2x, the other is the battery holder resistance) is a voltage-divider circuit
but beside that, current also get limited proportionally to the voltage drop

 

[tgg]

Well Pm evildragon and he suggested that I clean the battery contacts of the gp2x and that should take care of the 10-15 minute battery draining issue the gp2x was doing. Well I bought part# 640-4345 Precision Electronics Cleaner spray can and I probably didnt have to remove the whole back cover of the gp2x with the 4 phillips screws because looks like I could have done it by just removing the battery cover, anyways I sprayed some cleaner on some q-tips and started rubbing/cleaning the contacts and I put in fresh 2650mah batterys same ones as you see in my threads about battery issue and so far I played with the gp2x on for hour in a half straight and still no red light on the gp2x came on and went to the settings and abttery and still shows full.

So I guess it might have worked, its something you guys can try.

 

[imhotep]

Well Pm evildragon and he suggested that I clean the battery contacts of the gp2x and that should take care of the 10-15 minute battery draining issue

I wonder how many people this has worked for. Sounds very promising!

 

[Squidge]

You can tell if your 2x has the problem, as the batteries are usually drained from full charge after 10 - 15 minutes, and when you remove them they will be very hot (due to the excessive current draw). As you know, when the voltage drops, the 2x attempts to step the voltage up to nominal voltage again.

So what you finally end up with is a lot of current draw, and as usually stated in battery datasheets, they can usually only provide upto a certain amount of current before they drain rapidly.