Internal Lithium Ion Rechargeable Batteries

[Alphawolf]

Yes or no? I would never buy and outdoor unit with this type of battery! I can buy a whole bunch of alkalines for the $40 or $50 that they will charge to replace that battery when it goes belly up! Besides, if I want rechargeable, I can put NiMh rechargeable AA batteries in for $5.00! Your thoughts?

[+Sputnik 57]

Well, my Treo 650 has a rechargable Li, and it is probably as important to me in a bind as the GPSr. If I'm out in the forest, I always carry a compass, just in case, so battery failure shouldnt be life or death.

 

I carry spare (NiMH rechargables) with me for my 60C, but if I did get a GPSr with a rechargable Li battery, I would (i) invest in a AA to USB recharger tocarry in my pack for emergencies, and (ii) expect that I could get a replacement Li battery for my GPSr at Radio Shack without having to take out a second mortgage.

 

Just my $.02.

[+Tahoe Skier5000]

hate them!

 

I think its obvious that people who buy these units dont think long term. They dont realize that in a year or so they will have to buy a new battery at $30 or more and worse yet might have to send it in to the company and have THEM replace it at even more cost. And dumber YET, lithiums degrade a lot faster over time giving you less and less juice everytime you use your GPS. If youve only got one battery, you had better cut your trips shorter and shorter.

 

All of this to shave 4 seconds off of the time it takes to charge your batteries.

Edited July 30, 2005 by Tahoe Skier5000

[+damel]

I don't like rechargeables. One of the selling points of the 60c for me was that it took regular batteries. I can't tell you the number of times I have been out looking for a cache and looked at my palm to read the description of the cache only to find my palms lithium ion battery was dead! Thankfully with my GPS if this happens I just pop in a couple of AA's and I'm ready to go. Best part about it is you can find AA's anywhere, but finding a wall socket and a changing connection for your lithium ion battery can be very hard.

[vagabond]

You can buy a replacement ion battery for the explorists for around $9;00 to $11:00 true its not an Magellan batt, but it works very nice in its place .

I was a little worried about the batt. system myself, but now that I have the unit I'm very happy with it. I can use it all day and charge it up in the evenings. If I ever need to go more then a day without 110 available I can always get a external batt. pac to recharge it. So I really don't think the ion batt. is going to be a problem.

[+Miragee]

I don't like rechargeables. One of the selling points of the 60c for me was that it took regular batteries. I can't tell you the number of times I have been out looking for a cache and looked at my palm to read the description of the cache only to find my palms lithium ion battery was dead! Thankfully with my GPS if this happens I just pop in a couple of AA's and I'm ready to go. Best part about it is you can find AA's anywhere, but finding a wall socket and a changing connection for your lithium ion battery can be very hard.

I love my 15-minute AA NiMH Energizer rechargeable batteries. Regular Alkaline batteries are so wasteful for the environement, and your wallet.

 

I have a nearly three-year-old Palm M500 and its battery has never died on me. It recharges every time I HotSync it and download new data to it.

 

But, to answer the OP's question, no . . . I would not buy a GPSr that uses proprietary batteries.

[+GOT GPS?]

I remember having all kinds of trouble with the 1700mah Rechargeables in the GPS V, and the map60C GPS units, because they were too small, and I got the shutoffs big time. I had two GPS V units, and the older one had a ton of wear in the battery compartment, from the batteries jiggling around in there. What was interesting was the new 2500 mah rechargeables, were too big for my Extrex Vista, but were perfect for the map60C, and this size rechargeable had solved the shutoff problem.

 

Back in the last 2 or 3 years I had wanted a GPS with a snap-on lithium battery, replacing the battery door, that is used for the AA batteries, then when the lithium battery pack runs out, you would then put some AA batteries back in the GPS, and get the battery door back out of your GPS bag, and snap back on.

 

What I would really like to see is a GPS with an internal 5 hour Lithium battery plus a 2 AA battery compartment on back, and how this would work, is that when the AA batteries die, the GPS continues on the internal Lithium battery untill you can find a pair of AA batteries, then when you find some AA batteries, throw them in the GPS, all this without the GPS ever shutting off

 

On the back of the Garmin map276C GPS there is no battery door, what they do instead, is to snap on an external battery, and coudn't Magellan do this with the Explorist GPS units? You will get a much higher capacity by getting rid of the battery door on the Explorist, and snapping on an external battery pack, say maybe with a 30 or 40 hour capacity, and that would be cool. With a GPS I would prefer many options, and not just one option.

 

How do you like this idea? Anybody?

Id like your input on this post.

 

Thanks,

Geoff

Edited July 30, 2005 by GOT GPS?

[+D0T-C0M]

i love the Li-ions in my explorist600 , I love them because cheap replacements have been found on ebay( I bought 2 for 7$ each that last 10 to 12 hours each, the one from magellan last about 15hrs) also when its in its handlebar cradle and plugged into the cigarette lighter the unit is not only running off external power, its also charging the battery. You cant charge AA batteries in any GPS AFAIK

Edited July 30, 2005 by D0T-C0M

[+Cache Heads]

Well, as many people here know, I have quite a few bones to pick with Magellan on my new eXplorist 600..... however, the Li-ion battery is not one of them.

 

I happen to think the Li-ion is great-- I don't ever have to worry about the battery, I just charge it overnight. On the trail, a USB charger is just as handy as replacement AAs, or if you have the $$ you can even spring for replacement Li-ions which will give you 13 hours a pop and are lighter than a box of AAs.

 

All in all, I've got to admit-- I love my Li-ion battery.

[+embra]

I, too, had some worries when I thought that replacement batteries for the explorists were going to be more than $40. I was paying close attention to the 4xAA USB chargers ad such. But the find of cheap Motorola replacements has put that concern to rest.

 

I hardly ever have to open the battery compartment now; when I'm done using it I just plop it in the swivel mount (hooked up with external power) and it's ready to go the next time I want it. In the 3 months I've been using it, it's become a non-issue for me. I don't even *think* about batteries now.

 

Only last a year? At $8 I don't mind replacing it. It may be a little more than the AA's I'd otherwise be using, but the convenience is worth it to me.

 

Need to stop someplace to buy new AA's? I presume you'll drive there, and a car can recharge the unit as quickly as a wall-wart. Again, third-party parts to the rescue: although the official Magellan charger is a little pricey, the Pelican PSP charger at Walmart was under $10.

 

If someone is going for a wilderness expedition of 7 days or more, then they'd probably do better with something like a 60c. But as someone (I think it was Marky) observed, Li-Ion should work just fine

 

BTW, I am a *big* fan of rechargeables in general. I love NiMH AA's and AAA's.

[+EScout]

I have an "extended" Li Ion in my cell phone, going on 2 years. I use it constantly every day and it gets recharged every night, and is still going strong.

 

I have a Li Ion in my Sony PDA which I also use every day, charge about every other day. I have had the same battery for 1.5 years.

 

Life would be heck if I had to remove batteries and recharge the old way (like my Meridian with AAs.) These devices, including my eXplorist can be charged in car or at home. I was concerned about expensive backup batteries. I have found one for my cell phone for $5 and bought one for my eXplorist for $8.

[tubemonkey]

If I just used my GPSr for geocaching or car navigation, then I wouldn't mind using Li-Lion's. I use one in my cell phone and don't have any problems with that. BUT ..... I primarily use my GPSr for hiking, and charging is not an option out on the trail. So, I'll never buy a GPSr that relies on a Li-Ion battery.

 

BTW, sealed batteries are a deal breaker. My son wanted a micro drive MP3 player and after looking at the options available, it became quite clear that there was only one option -- Zen Micro. It has a user replaceable Li-Ion, while everyone else uses a sealed battery. Personally, I think the industry has gone mad. What's with sealing a battery inside anyway? It's not like it has to be done that way in order to make these devices small. After all Creative managed to do it ..... what's Apple's problem?

[+briansnat]

A GPS without field replaceable AAs would be a no go for me. What happens on a multi day canoe or backpacking trip? What if I'm travelling and forget the charger? What if I get home and forget to plug it in?

 

I usually have an ample supply of AAs in my day pack and if not, they're readily available everywhere. Just the other day my GPS's batteries died while out geocaching, so I took the batteries out of a flashlight and kept going the rest of the day. If they died, I could have taken the ones from my digital camera. You just don't have this flexibility with the internal Lithium Ions.

[+DocW]

First hearing about the Li-Ion version of the eXplorists, I thought exactly the same:

I never go on the trail without a second set of NiMh, having also the Digicam also equipped with NiMH and for the last option, there are fresh Alkalines inside the flashlight.

But in the meantime I really like the option, you can forget about the battery hassle: just take it with you, re-charge it while driving to the cache. I have a 5V-Converter inside my car for many of the little electronic gadgets, a man likes to toy with.

For later I am thinking of a fallback solution, a spare battery pack. But with the USB/loader cable youre in good shape nearly everywhere in normal civilized areas.

And as far as the loader cable accepts any 5V input, many other options for multi-day hikes are now possible: what about a recharger-pack using 3 AA, C or D Batteries? This will be a very cheap solution! Or think of a solar driven charger! IMHO the LI-Ion opens many new opportunities.

[+D0T-C0M]

briansnat you bring up all valid points I too was concerned about Li-ION batteries before the explorist made it to market but with the advent all the power source alternatives is is now a non issue IMO for those who use Li-ION batteries. Replacement Li-ION packs are very cheap, I bought 2 on ebay for $7 each and they last at least 10 hours. Solar panels are really coming down in prices these days and make a viable alternative. USB charging packs are available.

[+JanniCash]

In addition to what's been said, the use case of GPSr devices can be a little different. Especially because of the satellite signal problems we all know about, the GPSr is most likely exposed to other temperature ranges than other electronics like cellphones, PDA's, Laptops.

 

All battery chemistries (except for the dry-lithium) operate best at or around room temperature. And all of them decrease in cycle time when charged/discharged at temperatures significantly above or below that. So everyone who does geocaching in the winter, holding the GPSr in his glove-protected hand, will put the batteries in harms way. Not many people do geocaching when it gets really cold, so only a few here might have seen what happens to Li-Ion and NiMH batteries below -20C. They just turn into useless frozen material, incapable of powering an LED flashlight.

 

So whatever experience someone has with whatever battery in his cellphone or PDA, I prefer to have some spare Lithium-Sulfur batteries in my backpack during those winter-mountain-hikes. Lithium-Sulfur are non-rechargable, long shelf-life, high energy density batteries that retain 50% of their capacity even if discharged at -40C.

 

Jan

[+dino_hunters]

When magellan announced the Explorist 400/500/600 they said there would be an accesory available late this summer allowing it to take 3 AAA batteries.

[tubemonkey]

When magellan announced the Explorist 400/500/600 they said there would be an accesory available late this summer allowing it to take 3 AAA batteries.

Still not a viable option. My flashlight, digital camera, and two-way radio all take AA batteries. My GPSr must take the same batteries or I won't even consider it.

 

BTW, does anyone know how long a set of AAA's would last?

[+embra]

BTW, does anyone know how long a set of AAA's would last?

The highest ratings I've seen for AAA's go 1000 mAh. If the 1400 mAh Li-Ion in the explorist goes for 16 hours, I would estimate that the AAA's might go somewhere around 11 hours.

[+Renegade Knight]

Under two conditions.

 

First, if the rechargable battery was replacable with Standard AA's. Then I could use the GPS to charge my NiMH's without removing them. That would be a plus. In a pinch I could use AA's bought at the local tourist trap.

 

Second. If it's the only option out there. I'm still going to get a GPS so I'd make

do.

 

For the most part though the answer is "NO!"

Edited August 1, 2005 by Renegade Knight

[+D0T-C0M]

Renegade Knight,

 

you most likely will not be able to charge the aaa batteries as magellan would leave themselves wide open for warranty claims as there will be someone somewhere who will put alkaline batteries in there and try to charge them. No doubt they will put some sort of diode circuit to prevent charging.

 

What I would like to see is an external battery clip that would clip on neatly and connect through the external rear connector that would charge the internal battery and supply the unit power at the same time. Sure it would make it a little bulkier but it would be nice to have a battery pack that could last 36 hours or more.

Edited August 1, 2005 by D0T-C0M

[+Langner91]

I have a Kodak Digital camera. Kodak solved all of this perfectly.

 

The camera will operate on two AA batteries. Placing it in the cradle with two AA batteries, no matter what type, does nothing. No chargin takes place.

 

They also sell a battery pack, that is shaped just like two AA batteries joined together, but with an extra tab that engages a switch in the camera when inserted.

 

With the battery pack installed, the camera charges while on the dock.

 

So, when I am out shooting pictures and the rechargable pack dies, I simply pull it out and stuff in some good quality AA batteries and I am back in the game.

 

Now, if my iPod, Palm, and the Magellan GPS units did that, I would be a happy man.

[peter]

Many Kodak and other cameras are being made to use the standard RCR-V3 shape of rechargeable Li+ cell, see:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/rcrv3.html

 

As Langner stated above, this cell is shaped about the same as a pair of side-by-side AA cells so the same battery compartment can hold either a pair of AAs or a single RCR-V3. The normal Li+ voltage (based on the inherent chemistry used) is about 3.7 VDC, but the RCR-V3 cell drops this a little with internal regulation to 3.0 VDC for full compatibility with AA cells (1.5 VDC each or 3.0 VDC per pair). Devices made for the RCR-V3 can easily determine if charging should be allowed either using a physical switch as mentioned above or by monitoring the voltage at the intermediate battery contacts: with AAs installed these will be at about 1.5 VDC, but with the RCR-V3 they aren't connected.

Edited August 2, 2005 by peter

[+D0T-C0M]

Langner91

 

If I understand you correctly your camera normally uses standard batteries but comes with an optional battery pack that is rechargeable and has an extention on it that allows it to be charged while it the camera and docked.

 

If I understood correctly then your camera situation is the opposite of what magellan plans to do. Magellan never foresaw the demand for standard batteries in their new Explorist line so the hardware itself wasnt designed to accept multiple types of batteries. With the advent of cheap replacement batteries I think many people will rig themselves with spares if needed but some folks will not be willing to change.

 

Magellan is supposedly going to come out with a battery pack that you can insert aaa batteries inside it and snap it in the place where the Li-ION battery is. Theres really no way to prevent the aaa batteries from charging from within the GPS itself so its most likely going to be incorporated withing the battery pack. I'm going to guess that they will use a series diode that will only permit current flow to come out of the batteries and not vise versa. As 3 AAA's will put out 4.5v nominal and with a series diode it will drop it down to 3.8v

Edited August 2, 2005 by D0T-C0M

[m8o]

I for one would, and did. No complaints ; very happy.

[+Langner91]

Langner91

 

If I understand you correctly your camera normally uses standard batteries but comes with an optional battery pack that is rechargeable and has an extention on it that allows it to be charged while it the camera and docked.

 

If I understood correctly then your camera situation is the opposite of what magellan plans to do. Magellan never foresaw the demand for standard batteries in their new Explorist line so the hardware itself wasnt designed to accept multiple types of batteries. With the advent of cheap replacement batteries I think many people will rig themselves with spares if needed but some folks will not be willing to change.

 

Magellan is supposedly going to come out with a battery pack that you can insert aaa batteries inside it and snap it in the place where the Li-ION battery is. Theres really no way to prevent the aaa batteries from charging from within the GPS itself so its most likely going to be incorporated withing the battery pack. I'm going to guess that they will use a series diode that will only permit current flow to come out of the batteries and not vise versa. As 3 AAA's will put out 4.5v nominal and with a series diode it will drop it down to 3.8v

Yes, you understood correctly.

 

I was attempting (ok, so not very well) to contrast what Magellan is doing with their batteries and what Kodak does.

 

I think Kodak does it right. Best of both worlds. Safe (can't accidently charge Duracells), and flexible.

 

I have an iPod and a Palm that force me to be a slave to the charger. Before I go to bed every night, I have to wonder if I remembered to charge my iPod and my Palm, because I only have one charger for each and I don't travel to work with it. I know I could buy more chargers, but it would be nice if I could just buy more batteries.

[tubemonkey]

Many Kodak and other cameras are being made to use the standard RCR-V3 shape of rechargeable Li+ cell, see:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/rcrv3.html

I have a Samsung digital camera and I just love the power options I have:

 

Disposable

-- 2x AA Alkaline

-- 2x AA Lithium

-- 1x CR-V3 Li-Ion

 

Rechargeable

-- 2x AA NiMH

-- 1x RCR-V3 Li-Ion

 

I wish all of my AA devices were as versatile. Hats off to Kodak, Samsung, and company for being so forward thinking.

[+EScout]

I have an iPod and a Palm that force me to be a slave to the charger. Before I go to bed every night, I have to wonder if I remembered to charge my iPod and my Palm

With my Sony (Palm OS) I have 4 choices of charging the internal Li Ion battery. It came with a wall-wart AC charger. With the USB cord, I can use a USB-port Cig Lighter adapter in the car or plug it into my computer at the office or laptop. You can also use a 4 AA charger box for charging anywhere. I am not a slave to the charger. I keep an extra USB cord permanently in my car with the cig lighter adapter. And I keep a USB cord with my laptop that travels with me daily for work.

[+JohnnyVegas]

hate them!

 

I think its obvious that people who buy these units dont think long term. They dont realize that in a year or so they will have to buy a new battery at $30 or more and worse yet might have to send it in to the company and have THEM replace it at even more cost. And dumber YET, lithiums degrade a lot faster over time giving you less and less juice everytime you use your GPS. If youve only got one battery, you had better cut your trips shorter and shorter.

 

All of this to shave 4 seconds off of the time it takes to charge your batteries.

They dont realize that in a year or so they will have to buy a new battery

I have been using Lithium ion batteries in two in my ham radio, one of my batteries is 5 yuears old and it still works as well as one of my newer ones and that battery was the only one I had for two years and it was getting recharged almost every day because I use the radio all day, not because there is something wrong with the battery . I do not now were you get the idea that a Lithium Ion battery will only last a year, I think you area way off base on this point. You may be confused with Litium batteriers which are not the same as lithium Ion batteries.

 

lithiums degrade a lot faster over time giving you less and less juice everytime you use your GPS.

this is a false statement. This sounds link the old alkaline rechargable batteries that Ray-O-Vac put on the market

[+Searching_ut]

I have been using Lithium ion batteries in two in my ham radio, one of my batteries is 5 yuears old and it still works as well as one of my newer ones and that battery was the only one I had for two years and it was getting recharged almost every day because I use the radio all day, not because there is something wrong with the battery . I do not now were you get the idea that a Lithium Ion battery will only last a year, I think you area way off base on this point. You may be confused with Litium batteriers which are not the same as lithium Ion batteries.

 

Either your newer battery must be very bad, or you're not using enough of the batteries capacity to notice the deterioration. The shelf life and cycle life of different types of batteries is quite predictable, with the assorted rechargable lithiums deteriorating the fastest over time. Using the standard of a battery being spent when it drops to point where it can only be charged to 80 percent of it's original capacity, lithium batteries will generally reach that point after slightly over a years time if stored fully charged at normal room temperatures. With higher temperaturs, or deep cycling of the battery during that time the deterioration happens faster. If you store the battery in cooler conditions or at a charge of only 40 percent you get somewhat better results, as will you if you don't cycle the battery completely when in use. In the end though, whether it's used or not, a reasonable life expectancy of a lithium type rechargable battery is only one to three years from the date of manufacture depending on type of usage, temperature, and state of charge that the battery was stored in when not in use.

 

My vote is to not buy any devices containing rechargable batteries that can't be removed and replaced in the field. Whenever possible, I also try to avoid propriatary rechargable batteries but find it harder and harder to avoid them in many products.

[+Langner91]

I am not a slave to the charger. I keep an extra USB cord permanently in my car with the cig lighter adapter. And I keep a USB cord with my laptop that travels with me daily for work.

So, let's see.

 

You are forced to keep a charger at home, at work, with your laptop, in your vehicles...

 

That's what I meant about being a slave to the charger. No matter where you go, you better have a charger of some type, that plugs into the power source available. USB, 12VDC, 110VAC...

 

Everywhere I go, I can buy AA batteries. That is freedom!

[+GOT GPS?]

Freedom would be a GPS with a built-in 10 hour lithium battery backup, and use a pair of AA batteries for it's primary power source.

 

Anytime you ever change batteries, the GPS is OFF, but if it had a secondary internal power source like a good sized backup battery, this will allow you to operate the GPS, untill you can bum some AA batteries off of another person. Too many times ive been without spare AA batteries, and the GPS goes dead. When im hiking in a forest, where it's hard to re-aquire the satellites, I need a GPS to stay ON while changing batteries.

 

- - - - - - - -

 

When can we get a GPS with 3 levels of power?

Primary source > AA batteries

Secondary source > Built-in 5 or 10 hour lithium battery(may add an ounce to the weight)

External source > solar panel ontop of backpack, or other external source

Edited August 2, 2005 by GOT GPS?

[tubemonkey]

Everywhere I go, I can buy AA batteries.  That is freedom!

Agreed!

[vagabond]

I'll never drive one of those new fangled horseless carriages thingies I'll stick to my horse and buggy.

[+Zen Cooker #1]

Magellan has announced that there will be an AAA battery pack available as a backup for the eXplorist series. It should be out soon. I have a rechargable battery in my phone, my camera, and my laptop, so I didn't hesitate to get a new GPSr with rechargable battreries. Plug-and-play is a lot easier than worrying about constantly replacing batteries.

Edited August 2, 2005 by Zen Cooker #1

[+EScout]

One advantage of my cell phone, PDA and eXplorist, which all use rechargeable Li Ion batteries: They can be on and used while charging. My cell phone is never turned off. I can use it and the PDA and GPSr while they are on and charging. When using devices with AAs, they are shut off when removing batteries.

Most people who use devices that use AA batteries, use NiMH which require a recharging unit. With the above devices, all you need is a USB cable. I found a cable for my PDA for $2 and found the cig-lighter car USB adapters for $1. I also have a USB port AC wall-wart that cost me $1. As I mentioned earlier, the batteries are inexpensive.

[tubemonkey]

With the above devices, all you need is a USB cable.

Uh .... like there aren't any USB ports out in the woods. I know, 'cause I looked. I was thinking about dropping the Forest Service a note suggesting that they start installing powered USB ports in their forests, but somehow, I don't think they'll take me seriously.

[+JanniCash]

With the above devices, all you need is a USB cable.

Uh .... like there aren't any USB ports out in the woods. I know, 'cause I looked. I was thinking about dropping the Forest Service a note suggesting that they start installing powered USB ports in their forests, but somehow, I don't think they'll take me seriously.

That would be a partial solution. Come on, think to the end, think big, the limit is the sky!!!

 

If they would replace the darn satellites with some that have serious transmitter power, the GPS receivers could work more like good old diode radios on long wave ... powered entirely by the received waves. That would mean, that you don't even need ANY battery at all.

 

Done right it would also take care of the annoying tree cover problems.

 

Now ... which is the correct address where to file that suggestion?

 

Jan

[+EScout]

Uh .... like there aren't any USB ports out in the woods. I know, 'cause I looked. I was thinking about dropping the Forest Service a note suggesting that they start installing powered USB ports in their forests, but somehow, I don't think they'll take me seriously

99% of the time I am "plugged in". You may live in the wilderness, I live in a large city. What do you do about your cell phone. I use one on my job 8 hours a day. Perhaps you do not need to be plugged in.

When I am in the wilderness, hiking, I am moving about 6-7 hours max per day. The explorist battery should last 2 days at this rate. If you carry the USB power boxOne type of USB box with 4 AAs in it, you will get at least 2 full charges. (also, Extra Li Ion cells are $8 and very light.) Carry 4 more AAs (8 total) and thats about 10 days worth of power in the wilderness. I have never been in the wilderness for that long in my life.

[tubemonkey]

You may live in the wilderness, I live in a large city. What do you do about your cell phone. I use one on my job 8 hours a day. Perhaps you do not need to be plugged in.

I live in a large city also and my cell phone is always on, except when I'm at work. My phone accompanies me on my outings, but it's turned off and saved for emergency use only. Chances are, it wouldn't work anyway because of a lack of towers.

 

As to extended outings with a GPSr, I don't like the idea of field recharging. If I forget to do so, I'm screwed. I choose not to hassle with a box and cable. Besides, with battery compatibility -- GPSr, digicam, 2-way radio, flashlight -- I can always steal from one device to feed another in a pinch.

[+D0T-C0M]

You are correct that in the end you do have the right to choose, but your wrong that you'd be screwed if you forget to charge the Li-ion, if you forget to charge it, you can plug in the usb battery pack (filled with your flashlight batteries hehehe) and continue to use your GPS while its charging.

Edited August 3, 2005 by D0T-C0M

[+Cache Heads]

Uh .... like there aren't any USB ports out in the woods. I know, 'cause I looked.

Depends on who's camping in them.....

USB chargers do come in handy.

 

Works for my iPod and my e600.

[+GOT GPS?]

Nobody likes my idea of having both an internal Lithium battery, and a pair of AA batteries installed in the GPS at the same time, if you did have a setup like that, you could get maybe 50 or 60 hours of use on the combo power supply.

 

Since everybody is taking sides, and not liking the idea of combo power, then why don't we get the GPS makers to come out with a GPS with a built-in crank on the side, where 5 minutes of cranking the little hand crank gives the GPS another hour of charge. Another idea of mine.

 

It could be possible to come out with a Garmin GPS VI that would have an internal 30 hour lithium battery plus a pair of AA batteries for a total of 50 or 60 hours of use. The GPS V had to have 4 AA batteries, so why not convert it to a GPS VI with color screen, and need only a pair of AA batteries.

[Team Sidewinder]

I would never buy a gps with a rechargable battery. Rechargable batteries are always in a constant stage of discharge. Even if you never use your gps the freshly recharged batteries/battery put in a couple of months ago could be dead when you want to use the gps. I know using lithiums ( 10 year shelf life ) may not be enviormently friendly but I have too many drills with rechargable batteries that have dead batteries that won't recharge any more and the drill is just fine. It costs just about half of a new drill to buy a new rechargable battery. No rechargables for me and my gps.

[+Zen Cooker #1]

None of this stuff about rechargables being unreliable, expensive, inconvenient, etc. better reach the cell phone industry or the mp3 industry or the laptop industry or...

 

[+Langner91]

None of this stuff about rechargables being unreliable, expensive, inconvenient, etc. better reach the cell phone industry or the mp3 industry or the laptop industry or...

 

I bet there are a few people at Apple who wish iPods used AA's..

 

[+Marky]

I have no complaints with my li-ion batteries in the eXp600. I love never having to open the battery door, and to have it charging when I plop it in the cradle when driving from cache to cache. Good times...

 

--Marky

[+briansnat]

None of this stuff about rechargables being unreliable, expensive, inconvenient, etc. better reach the cell phone industry or the mp3 industry or the laptop industry or...

 

First of all I do have issues with MP3 players that don't use AAs. Its why I refused to buy an iPod.

 

Laptops are very different because of the heavy drain. It would cost a bundle to have to use 10 D cells to power your laptop. Also, people tend not to take them into the backcountry.

 

As far as my cell phone, I get 3 or more days out of a charge, so you're comparing clams and oysters. Back when they were about the size of a GPS and the charge only lasted a day, I cursed the people who didn't design them to use AA's

 

If most of your caching is urban park and grabs, I'm sure an eXplorist, or a Garmin Quest will do the job, but for those of us who head out for a day or two of geocaching or hiking, where we can be miles from a charger, AA's are the way to go.

Edited August 8, 2005 by briansnat

[Parsa]

I can see the pros and cons about recharables. However for daytime use where you can plug the machine into the car, it's a good idea I think. I installed 3 extra 12V outlets in my Xterra, for a total of 6 (5 are always on, one goes off when the car does). I need that, because as was mentioned, lots of things are rechargeable now. Among other things: my iPod, my Handspring Visor PDA, and my laptop.

 

Even if I were on a very long trek, say across the Sahara by camel (I just read Michael Asher's book), I think I'd prefer rechargeables. There's one source of power that you long distance folks fail to remember-- the sun.

 

Parsa

[+JanniCash]

Nobody likes my idea of having both ...

... as nobody read my concerns about possibly charging frozen Li-Ions. And that means just frozen, not necessarily deep frozen. Even if most attempts to do so hopefully won't cause them to explode (they can however), charging cold "whatever" rechargables is a bad idea as it deteriorates the battery like mad. So one question remaining is, can one prevent the Explorist units from charging the Li-Ion's when they are plopped into the cradle? Or is it that when one wants to have permanent backlit in the car after a winter caching trip, one has to damage the battery?

 

Again, you have to give all rechargable batteries the chance to warm up to room temperature before charging. Using NiMH or NiCD, this is what you normally do because you can't charge them in the unit anyway.

 

Jan