Battery Life Tests

[Zizkov]

More observations than scientific tests: usage mainly music files (mixed MP3/WMA/OGG) with some radio, backlight 10 seconds, average volume 28.

Pansonic PowerMax 3 - this was the first battery I used in it. About 25-27 hours.
As I didn't really expect 50 hours, I thought this was OK.

Duracell Ultra (supplied with player). 20-22 hours. A bit disappointing.

Tronic NiMh 600mAh rechargeable. 2 batteries, only about 2-2.5 hours each. As these have prove OK in other devices (despite the low capacity), disappointing.

Uniross NiMh 1300mAh rechargeable. As these have previously only given me about 40% more than the Tronics, I didn't expect much. But 2 batteries gave me 9.5 and 11.5 hours. Pretty good, and suggests high power NiMh could give upwards of 20 hours.

In usage the alkalines drifted down fairly evenly to 1.05V (as shown on the G3) before stopping. And if you are stuck for a battery you can coax another 20-30 minutes from them by rubbing them between your hands for 2-3 minutes.

The Uniross sat for most of the time around 1.3V, then collapsed over an hour or so.

There is another post further down with more tests and an explanation of why the battery types act differently.

So, how is your battery life going?

[muikano]

holy crap that's awful battery life. Crack your G3 open and lets have some pictures.

[notguilty]

It might have to do with the charger being used, as well (look for chargers that allow for odd numbers of batteries). I agree, though...I'm getting almost that many hours on a 750mAh w/ my I5.

What voltages were the NiMH ones reading straight into the player from a fresh charge?

[kemot1984]

I use Vapextech 2300mAh (about £5 on ebay) and I get over 40 hours easily. With Duracell ultra (the one that came with the player) I got about 45 hours. With standard energizer I get just over 30 hours.

Three things:
1. Check your watch :)))
2. Check the temperatue at which you store the batteries and how long passes from the charge to the usage
3. Check the charger - it really make a difference - a use a 4-channel (each battery is charged separatelly) microprocessor controlled BTC charger (again, check ebay for good deals)

[notguilty]

For a cheap four-bank charger, the Duracell CEF12N should suit you well. Having used it, you do get what you pay for in features of more expensive ones (one status LED, shows charged when one is charged, and each battery is at different levels of charge, as an example), but it does the job well.

Kodak's K2000 and K6000 chargers are also this way.