Pandora Battery And Dosbox

[christo930]

I love my gp32 and my gp2x and one of the reasons why I can still use them on the go is because they both use standard AA batteries, so I can always count on the availability of AA batteries and that was one of the major reasons I didn't get a wiz. I am now seriously considering a Pandora to add to my gaming arsenal, but I am fearful of the long term availability of the battery. So my question about this is does the Pandora use a standardized rechargeable battery or at least a battery used in so many devices that it is likely to be available new (not new old stock since lithium ion batteries age even when not in use)10 years from now?
Another major concern is the speed and quality of dosbox (from xt to high end 386)for the Pandora. I find that dosbox really sucks on the gp2x, but also on my 700mhz G4 emac.

Any help would be appreciated,


Chris

 

[Pickle]

I love my gp32 and my gp2x and one of the reasons why I can still use them on the go is because they both use standard AA batteries, so I can always count on the availability of AA batteries and that was one of the major reasons I didn't get a wiz. I am now seriously considering a Pandora to add to my gaming arsenal, but I am fearful of the long term availability of the battery. So my question about this is does the Pandora use a standardized rechargeable battery or at least a battery used in so many devices that it is likely to be available new (not new old stock since lithium ion batteries age even when not in use)10 years from now?
Another major concern is the speed and quality of dosbox (from xt to high end 386)for the Pandora. I find that dosbox really sucks on the gp2x, but also on my 700mhz G4 emac.

Any help would be appreciated,


Chris

The pandora battery is totally custom, but that one reason it can last longer since its larger than most devices.

Dosbox on pandora can run 386 type stuff, think vga titles from apogee. For example i played keen 4-6 on the pandora.

 

[chame]

you can replace the lipo cell with a solder iron

it is a quite easy procedure. battery has a circuit and the cell. just unsolder the cell (two wires +/-), and solder the new one

notice that lipo cells are out of date afer 2 years. from that time the performance decrease until they become unusable. I dont know how many batteries OPT built and their age, but if the built them 3 years ago, they should be by now practically unusable. specially if they remained uncharged

ensure to buy only fresh batteries

 

[Twiitcher]

you can replace the lipo cell with a solder iron

it is a quite easy procedure. battery has a circuit and the cell. just unsolder the cell (two wires +/-), and solder the new one

notice that lipo cells are out of date afer 2 years. from that time the performance decrease until they become unusable. I dont know how many batteries OPT built and their age, but if the built them 3 years ago, they should be by now practically unusable. specially if they remained uncharged

ensure to buy only fresh batteries

This quote from the Li-Ion wiki begs to differ from your 2 year math. I believe OPT kept the batteries in a controlled environment and at the required 40 - 60 percent charge, not in the trunk of Craigs car.

"A Standard (Cobalt) Li-ion cell that is full most of the time at 25 °C (77 °F) irreversibly loses approximately 20% capacity per year. Poor ventilation may increase temperatures, further shortening battery life. Loss rates vary by temperature: 6% loss at 0 °C (32 °F), 20% at 25 °C (77 °F), and 35% at 40 °C (104 °F). When stored at 40%–60% charge level, the capacity loss is reduced to 2%, 4%, and 15%, respectively.[51][citation needed] In contrast, the calendar life of LiFePO4 cells is not affected by being kept at a high state of charge.[52]"

 

[chame]

This quote from the Li-Ion wiki begs to differ from your 2 year math. I believe OPT kept the batteries in a controlled environment and at the required 40 - 60 percent charge, not in the trunk of Craigs car.

"A Standard (Cobalt) Li-ion cell that is full most of the time at 25 °C (77 °F) irreversibly loses approximately 20% capacity per year. Poor ventilation may increase temperatures, further shortening battery life. Loss rates vary by temperature: 6% loss at 0 °C (32 °F), 20% at 25 °C (77 °F), and 35% at 40 °C (104 °F). When stored at 40%–60% charge level, the capacity loss is reduced to 2%, 4%, and 15%, respectively.[51][citation needed] In contrast, the calendar life of LiFePO4 cells is not affected by being kept at a high state of charge.[52]"

I was talkin about lipos, but liion are even worst.take a two years cell and compare witha fresh one. no matter what you did to store them.

http://www.electric-rc-helicopter.com/article/prolongLiPo.php

The best practice is to fully charge it and maintain it at 4.2 V per cell before storing the battery away for a long time. For example, if you bought a 3-Cell Li-Po battery rated at 11.1 V, when fully charged, the battery will hold 12.6 V. This will make it suitable to keep stored away for 3 to 6 months. However, after 6 months, the voltage will start to weaken. When this happens, fully charge it again, whereby giving another 6 months of storage time. While this procedure can be performed over and over, the battery shouldn't be kept without being used for more than 2 years.

and some quotes from http://www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-lipo-batteries.html

a LiPo cell that drops below 3 volts under load is almost always & irreversibly damaged (reduced capacity or total inability to accept a charge).

As batteries sit, they will naturally self discharge. LiPo’s are actually very good in this respect and self discharge much slower than most other rechargeable battery types, but they still do loose voltage as they sit. If you leave them for a number of weeks or months at close to 3.5 volts per cell, chances are they will drop below that and will be irreversibly damaged.

Disadvantages of LiPo Batteries
* Have very short shelf life of two to three years
* Very sensitive to high temperatures
* Very sensitive to high and low voltages. Exceeding either will damage the battery
* Prone to explode if exposed to heat, or charged/discharged improperly

http://electric-rc-helicopter.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=400

Lipo batteries also have a shelf life of 2 - 3 years, which means that you should always buy freshly manufactured batteries, not something that has been sitting on a shelf for a few years.

 

[Dunny]

you can replace the lipo cell with a solder iron

I had no idea that those could hold a charge! How many hours do you get?

D.

 

[Twiitcher]

Whoops, my bad on battery type..... walks away quietly.

Twiitcher