Is It Just Me.... (internal Lion Battery Bad)

[toddm]

I don't know about everyone else, but I just cannot fathom why companies would put a non-replaceable rechargeable battery in a product like a gps, and I would never purchase one unless they can get the runtime so high it's not an issue.

 

Case in point, the new garmin 205/305 that are gps/heart rate/cycling computer units for biking. I was very pumped when I first heard about these because I generally have a HR monitor and a GPS on my bike when I'm out biking esp. if I'm biking in a non-local area. I would have really liked to have been able to get the same setup with just one unit. I was already looking for my checkbook to order one when I saw the 305 had the new sensor and had wireless speed/cadense and HR functions.

 

The deal breaker for me, and it was the same problem I have with most the forerunner units. The internal lion battery, so you can't use a common replacement battery, and you can't even carry a spare lion battery.

 

So I spend $400 on a gps, hr, cyclocomputer, and it only works for 12 hours, which in reality is probably 10 or less hours knowing how battery life is quoted, which is not even 2 full days of riding at best on a mountain bike trip, after that it's just a hunk of plastic on my bike that does nothing. I realize you don't get much better life out of say my 76csx but I can carry a couple spare sets of AA's and it will run for a few days.

 

I'm sure it saves them some product space and such, and for an ipod or something that's a pure luxury fine, but a gps unit is something that's meant to be used in the field, why make it so you are forced to recharge it every day with no other power options. I suppose a person can pack a solar panel setup to charge it, but it just seems silly. Even the forerunner units, I know the gps takes a ton of power, but I can't imagine having to plug my cycling computer or polar HRM in every day I used it, it would drive me nuts.

 

I may put up with it on my ipod, but never on something like a gps.

[+geognerd]

So I spend $400 on a gps, hr, cyclocomputer, and it only works for 12 hours, which in reality is probably 10 or less hours knowing how battery life is quoted, which is not even 2 full days of riding at best on a mountain bike trip, after that it's just a hunk of plastic on my bike that does nothing. I realize you don't get much better life out of say my 76csx but I can carry a couple spare sets of AA's and it will run for a few days.

Actually, you are doing pretty well at 12 hours. Both the Edge 205 and 305 product pages say "Up to 12 hours (typical use)." The manual states that "The Edge contains a non-user-replaceable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery." At least you can replace the Li-ion batteries in the eXplorist 4/5/600. I won't buy an iPod because it's a pain to replace the battery. These non-user-replaceable batteries are a racket.

[+Team Dubbin]

I'm sure it saves them some product space and such, and for an ipod or something that's a pure luxury fine, but a gps unit is something that's meant to be used in the field,

 

Umm so is and ipod. Anyway, I really don't have a problem with the internal batteries. My Dell DJ 30 has non replaceable batteries and I just throw it on the charger after each use. No big deal.

[rmm200]

Just to put a plug in for the Magellan Explorist LI batteries.

 

These units will take the Motorola 720 1100mah batteries which run $5-10 now on EBay.

 

I picked up a couple and use an old cell phone as a charger.

 

Battery life on these is about 14 hours per charge.

And the Magellan carrying case has room for a second battery.

 

I like this arrangement better than AAs. Very nice form factor.

 

Robert

[toddm]

Umm so is and ipod. Anyway, I really don't have a problem with the internal batteries. My Dell DJ 30 has non replaceable batteries and I just throw it on the charger after each use. No big deal.

 

That's true but I don't use an ipod to navigate or keep my ride data, which I consider slightly more imporant than listening to music. Also on that issue actually there are several alternative power options for the ipod, you can get AA power and lion rechargeable units that will give you an extra 20 hours or so.

 

I also like to keep ride/trip/hr data, and on many of our bike trips there IS no charger unless you bring something solar with on the trip. Certainly we have maps and compasses with as a backup, but that's not the point.

 

It might be fine for someone that just wants a gadget to play with or does local training rides everyday, but if that's the case why would you need a gps unit anyway, a simple cyclocomputer will keep all the data you need and it's battery lasts for months if not years. It's pretty useless in the field on actual outdoors trips unless you stay in a hotel every night so you can recharge it daily.

[robertlipe]

I think the key here is "user replacable". Batteries don't last forever. For Explorist, you unsnap the back cover and click in a new one. You might have paid Magellan $60 for that battery or you might have gotten one from your favorite cell fone shop for < $10. Either way, you can just snap in a new one.

 

Units like Quest, FR30x, and Ipod require you to disassemble the unit, voiding your warranty, and potentially solder in a new battery. Granted anyone reasonably comfortable with a screwdriver and a soldering iron can do this, but it's not for everyone. If you have to send your unit in in 4 years to get it done, you can be darned sure that it's going to cost a susbstantial fraction of the units replacement value to have it done.