Thread: Battery Confusion

Wot! I was b-r-i-e-f comparatively .... i reckon you're the one running off at the mouth this time Iggy, and i still think either the OP or i am right. i.e. (i) the battery's crapped itself; or (ii) the charging lead's shot.

Most likely he's right and the battery is not holding charge [again] rather than the charging cable being faulty as i suggested as a possibility. I just re-read his post and noticed that he mentioned "I don't use the gps very much at all". That's probably the key. He has let it go flat for extended periods. Although chemically very different, Li and lead acid cells share some characteristics in that they love to be kept topped up and trickle charged. This isn't lost on car owners who mostly know this as fact for their automobile battery and that if you let it go flat for a couple of extended periods then it won't hold a charge, but it's not generally accepted by owners of mobile devices with lithium batteries. In fact many ppl intentionally let them run right down before charging them, treating them like the older NiCad and NiMH cells which would get a 'memory effect' if repeatedly discharged only partly, particularly NiCads. That comparison between lead acid and Li batteries is frankly a gross over-simplification but i've found it effective when explaining to non-believers why not to let Li-powered mobile devices be run right down and then left flat.

Although Li-Ion/Li-Pol cells have a quite low self-discharge rate, the batteries should never be stored for long periods if low in change. In spite of their integrated over/under charging protection if allowed go completely flat repeatedly they will not be able to then fully charge or indeed may not change at all eventually, just like a car battery.

The moral is always fully charge a Li device before storing it, and if it's not being used then put it on charge once a month or so to top it up. Never allow it to fully run down.
Now you can tell me to Iggy!
PS: I might talk and write like a city slicker, but i knows how to rough it and could probably teach you a few survival tricks too Sonny.