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Colorado 400t Short Battery Life


SL3

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I got my 400t in July but really have not had a chance until recently to give it a good try. It is a great tool but almost worthless for extended hikes were tracking is constantly needed. My batteries last about only 3 hours and thats with the backlight set at the lowest setting. Two times I was in the back country (deep cover - off trail) and found myself with a dead battery and loss of tracks. Yes I carry spare batteries and I can always navagate back to a way point but not always by the way I came. I have a old black and white screen Etrex Venture that I can track from sun up to sun down. As nice as all the colors are I think I am going to dump the Colorado until they make one that will go at least 12 hours. Also I can't figure how to pan a waypoint map. It seems you can only pan on your current position. Oh well I should have done more research.

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I got my 400t in July but really have not had a chance until recently to give it a good try. It is a great tool but almost worthless for extended hikes were tracking is constantly needed. My batteries last about only 3 hours and thats with the backlight set at the lowest setting. Two times I was in the back country (deep cover - off trail) and found myself with a dead battery and loss of tracks. Yes I carry spare batteries and I can always navagate back to a way point but not always by the way I came. I have a old black and white screen Etrex Venture that I can track from sun up to sun down. As nice as all the colors are I think I am going to dump the Colorado until they make one that will go at least 12 hours. Also I can't figure how to pan a waypoint map. It seems you can only pan on your current position. Oh well I should have done more research.

 

Sounds like you have a problem. I use a Colorado 300 with eneloop batteries and I can generally go 8-10 hours on a fully charged set. If you are only getting 3 hours, you may have bad batteries, or a faulty GPSr. Are you using rechargables? If so, how old are they?

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I use Duracell 2650 MaHr NiMh batteries and have never had a battery problem. I always carry a couple of fully charged spares and have never needed them. I have never checked their life, but they last all day long. Just be sure that the batteries are properly conditioned. If not, they only last a couple of hours...

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I have always used regular Copper Top Duracell batteries. I now buy the biggest pack I can find. But if you guys are getting 8 to 10 hours I need to update to what you have. Where can I get eneloop batteries or the Duracell 2650 NiMhr. I guess it's time to get rechargeables. I did not know they give you extended time. Like I said my Etrex goes all day on Copper Tops. Also what do you mean by conditioning them.

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Rechargable batteries perform better after cycled a couple of times. So the first three or four times you won't get maximum performance out of them and then you'll get better performance. You can buy rechargables at riteaid/wallgreens in the photo section. But I'd suggest buying from the web.

 

I bought Powerex MAHA AA and AAA batteries from Thomas Distributing thomasdistrubuting.com or batterysupply.com along w/ a mh-cr01fs 100 minute cool charger. The AAA batteries are 1000 ma and the AA are 2700ma. Whereas the rechargables in my solar path lights are only 800ma.

 

I can generally go a couple of days of geocaching on one set of batteries, or at least all day with heavy use, screen changes, compass use, fully backlit, etc.

 

good luck!

 

I have always used regular Copper Top Duracell batteries. I now buy the biggest pack I can find. But if you guys are getting 8 to 10 hours I need to update to what you have. Where can I get eneloop batteries or the Duracell 2650 NiMhr. I guess it's time to get rechargeables. I did not know they give you extended time. Like I said my Etrex goes all day on Copper Tops. Also what do you mean by conditioning them.

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Colorado power management for alkaline batteries (non-rechargeable) is just plain bad. Several people have reported it to Garmin. The best response we've gotten is "we fixed the problem for NiMH rechargeables." So I guess they don't recognize it as a problem, or they can't fix it. In any case, the only solution is to switch to rechargeables. Everybody reports good results with any decent brand of NiMH rechargeables. Saves you dollars and better for the landfills, too.

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I got my 400t in July but really have not had a chance until recently to give it a good try. It is a great tool but almost worthless for extended hikes were tracking is constantly needed. My batteries last about only 3 hours and thats with the backlight set at the lowest setting. Two times I was in the back country (deep cover - off trail) and found myself with a dead battery and loss of tracks. Yes I carry spare batteries and I can always navagate back to a way point but not always by the way I came. I have a old black and white screen Etrex Venture that I can track from sun up to sun down. As nice as all the colors are I think I am going to dump the Colorado until they make one that will go at least 12 hours. Also I can't figure how to pan a waypoint map. It seems you can only pan on your current position. Oh well I should have done more research.

I have a eTrex Venture Cx, taken it on multi-day backpacks with a single pair of Maha Powerex 2700 mAH NiMH. Never used my spare batteries.

 

If you're buying NiMH's, passed on any made in China, the best are made in Japan like the Powerex's. You can get them from Thomas Dist (Google) with a charger in a bundle.

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Just don't take your Colorado out in cold weather. I was out elk hunting today and it was in the 20's. The freshly charged and properly cycled Duracell 2650mah NIMH batteries lasted three hours. I put in the spares that I always carry and they lasted the same amount of time. Lousy! :blink:

 

NO worries mate, my track log is on, oops oh wait the batteries died. Well it's been THREE HOURS what would I expect. :D

 

If you're used to the 60CSX and Vista/Legend all day use of one set of batteries no matter how cold it is (i.e. snowmobiling, hunting, skiing.) you're in for a rude awakening with the Colorado series. Take plenty of spares and check your battery levels often. Not recomended for the "Set it and forget it" crowd of which I am a part.

 

 

PS: I know, I know, cold weather slows the internal reactions of the battery.

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Two issues with Lithiums:

 

1) The buggers are expensive. Almost 5 bucks a pair!

 

2) Normally I get just shy of 12 hours on two NIMH's. In the cold weather I barely got three hours out of a freshly charged pair of 2650mah NIMH's which equates to a 75% reduction in battery life. Now sure, you would see a reduction in batt life in the older models but not this much.

 

All I'm saying, and I guess I'll just be restating the obvious, the Colorado series probably wouldn't be the first choice of serious, hardcore winter sports people because of the rediculously short batt life. Hunters, snowmobilers, skiers and the like may not want to fork over 10 bucks a week to use lithiums in their Colorado's when the older models get the job done with rechargeables ($0).

 

Just add this to the lenghty list of why I will dissuade customers (I work part time at a sporting goods store) from buying the Colorado's and steer them into a 60CSX. Keep in mind however that most of my customers aren't geo-cachers.

Edited by yogazoo
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Since the lithiums are so much more I was wondering if their life is enough (or more than enough) to justify the cost.

The comparison in this thread is lithium non-rechargeables vs. NiMH rechargeables. Since the (incremental) cost of a single use of a pair of rechargeables is virtually zero (just the cost of the electricity to recharge them), the answer is no.

 

Of course, the ability to tell where you are is priceless.

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Let me rephrase the question. What is the difference in life between Alkaline batteries and Lithium? Are they worth the price? Sort of like buying flourescent bulbs instead of incadescent, expenseive but long lasting.

I have not tried Lithiums in the Colorado, although others report good results. I have used Alkalines in the Colorado. A pair of name-brand alkalines lasts for 4-5 hours. This is why I switched immediately to NiMH rechargeables. In warm weather, most people report 10-12 hours on a pair of 2700 mA NiMH rechargeables. Sounds like this is not the case in cold weather. May be time to actually try the Lithiums...

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Let me rephrase the question. What is the difference in life between Alkaline batteries and Lithium? Are they worth the price? Sort of like buying flourescent bulbs instead of incadescent, expenseive but long lasting.

I have not tried Lithiums in the Colorado, although others report good results. I have used Alkalines in the Colorado. A pair of name-brand alkalines lasts for 4-5 hours. This is why I switched immediately to NiMH rechargeables. In warm weather, most people report 10-12 hours on a pair of 2700 mA NiMH rechargeables. Sounds like this is not the case in cold weather. May be time to actually try the Lithiums...

For the most part the Lithiums are not affected by the cold, probably single digit percentage. That is, in any

human bearable cold; in warmer climate roughly 30% better than alkalines(?). Don't have documentation

for ironclad backup just a "butt dyno" thing. Cost to mAh is probably a push, or in favor of the alky's..

But for cold, and to have as backups for unforeseen situations they're worth the expense, IMHO.

The shelf life is also astounding, comparatively speaking. Buy some, chuck 'em in the kit, use 'em if ya

hafta, . . . or don't; it's comforting to know they're there if ya need 'em.

 

Norm

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This may be stupid but....

 

 

I too was having short battery life with my rechargeables (Kodak 2500mah), sometimes as little as 3 hours with limited backlight usage.

I invested in a much better charger, one that monitors what's happening in the individual batteries to make sure each one is being fully charged and I'm now getting 3-4 times the battery life I was and I use the backlight a lot more than I used to.

It was less than $30 and it made a world of difference!

 

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I too was having short battery life with my rechargeables (Kodak 2500mah), sometimes as little as 3 hours with limited backlight usage.

I invested in a much better charger, one that monitors what's happening in the individual batteries to make sure each one is being fully charged and I'm now getting 3-4 times the battery life I was and I use the backlight a lot more than I used to.

It was less than $30 and it made a world of difference!

The charger does matter. Remember, though, that NiMH rechargeables do not deliver their full capacity until they've been through several full charge/discharge cycles. The more expensive chargers typically have some kind of conditioning cycle which does the same thing. But even those with simple-minded chargers will get better results after the batteries have been used a few times.

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It's been noted by some, the hybrids, although having a lower mAh rating, give good performance.

It seems to be related to the higher "internal resistance" acting as a current buffer, slowing the

discharge rate under load as well as static (waiting in the bag, next to the lithiums). The hybrids

'cold performance' remains untested by me; suspect it to be similar to the other rechargeables,

'cept the Lithium-Ion. My experience w/Li-Io is only using some un-spectacular Cobra hand-held

walkie-talkies, so probably doesn't really apply to GPSrs very well.

 

Norm

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i am considering getting a Garmin Colorado, I want anyone's opion on this unit. I have heard battery life is an issue. anything else good or bad?

Battery life is not really an issue as long as you use Lithium disposables or NiMH rechargeables. As noted above, Alkaline disposables are still questionable.

 

The rest of the question is off-topic. See the Colorado Wiki here:

 

http://garmincolorado.wikispaces.com

 

for good comparison information (or links to such info) between the Colorado and other units, including the Oregon.

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i am considering getting a Garmin Colorado, I want anyone's opion on this unit. I have heard battery life is an issue. anything else good or bad?

Battery life is not really an issue as long as you use Lithium disposables or NiMH rechargeables. As noted above, Alkaline disposables are still questionable.

 

The rest of the question is off-topic. See the Colorado Wiki here:

 

http://garmincolorado.wikispaces.com

 

for good comparison information (or links to such info) between the Colorado and other units, including the Oregon.

 

I bought brand new rechargeables and a new battery charger/conditioner and has cycled my batteries several times. I popped in my 2700 mAh batteries after 2 days of conditioning and 30 mins in my Colorado gave me a "low battery" warning and now it shuts off every so often. It's ridiculous. I thought the last patch fixed that issue. im bummed. :unsure:

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i am considering getting a Garmin Colorado, I want anyone's opion on this unit. I have heard battery life is an issue. anything else good or bad?

 

Worst thing about the Colorado is the appalling implementation of the software. for example you have a software 'option' button, but er.. all the obvious options are not there.

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I bought brand new rechargeables and a new battery charger/conditioner and has cycled my batteries several times. I popped in my 2700 mAh batteries after 2 days of conditioning and 30 mins in my Colorado gave me a "low battery" warning and now it shuts off every so often. It's ridiculous. I thought the last patch fixed that issue. im bummed. ;)

 

Then there is something wrong with your unit. I always get 14+ hours on a 2650 Ni-MH.

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I bought brand new rechargeables and a new battery charger/conditioner and has cycled my batteries several times. I popped in my 2700 mAh batteries after 2 days of conditioning and 30 mins in my Colorado gave me a "low battery" warning and now it shuts off every so often. It's ridiculous. I thought the last patch fixed that issue. im bummed. :)

 

Then there is something wrong with your unit. I always get 14+ hours on a 2650 Ni-MH.

I agree. If your firmware is up to date and your batteries are properly conditioned, it's time for an RMA.

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I got my 400t in July but really have not had a chance until recently to give it a good try. It is a great tool but almost worthless for extended hikes were tracking is constantly needed. My batteries last about only 3 hours and thats with the backlight set at the lowest setting. Two times I was in the back country (deep cover - off trail) and found myself with a dead battery and loss of tracks. Yes I carry spare batteries and I can always navagate back to a way point but not always by the way I came. I have a old black and white screen Etrex Venture that I can track from sun up to sun down. As nice as all the colors are I think I am going to dump the Colorado until they make one that will go at least 12 hours. Also I can't figure how to pan a waypoint map. It seems you can only pan on your current position. Oh well I should have done more research.

 

End of Battery life for the CO family is very simple: when the battery drops below a specific voltage the CO declares them 'dead' and shuts itself off. The complexity is in how different battery output voltages behave with respect to many variables, i.e., battery chemistry, state-of charge (SoC), age, time since last recharge, method of recharge, temperature, battery load current, past specific battery history, etc. But in the end the CO can only monitor battery voltage and when it falls below an immutable value those batteries are no longer usable [to that CO].

 

So, why do alkalines last longer than rechargables in a 60CSx? It's because alkalines have more energy than rechargables and the 60CSX has much better internal electronics which can get at that energy over a wider range of battery voltages than the CO. Those "dead" alkalines from your CO aren't dead at all, they're just dead to the CO. Try putting those supposedly dead alkalines into an LED flashlight, they will work fine and for a long time. I have a whole bag of half-used alkalines from my CO which I use for other battery operated devices.

 

Why do certain rechargables and lithium expendables work longer in a CO? It's because they [generally] deliver their energy at a higher voltage and the CO can therefore get at access to that energy. In the case of lithium expendables: they start out with more inherent energy and a higher terminal voltage vs SoC so you win twice with them -- if you can stand the price.

 

Contrary to their previous handheld designs which operate at a lower internal battery voltage and at much higher external input voltages (up to 40 volts on earlier models), Garmin has cheaped-out on the CO. They have saved a few cents on the power converter circuit and saddled users with a product having a very limited input voltage range. It hurts the consumer on internal battery life efficiency at the low end and on external source flexibility at the other end. Have you noticed the high price of the CO automobile adapter? That is because the 12-14 volt car battery voltage has to be knocked down to something the inadequate CO internal power supply can handle. The auto adapters for earlier models only had to match a cigarette lighter plug to the oddball Garmin plug.

 

This bad feature is yet another reason that I do not recommend the CO to my backpacking and hiking friends/students. Perhaps its handful of new goodies outweigh its many missing features and render it tolerable to Geocachers, but the 60CSx/Vista family is a better match to the needs of outdoors folks. This latter comment is not intended to irritate Geocachers, I am simply not one of that set and have no understanding of their preferences.

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I haven't heard anyone mention setting the "battery type setting" fpr the right type of battery (NiMH, Alkaline, Lithium)

Would this make a difference or not?

I was using brand new lithium batteries and while playing around with the menu's I noticed that I had the setting on "alkaline" so I changed it to "lithium" although I wonder if it matters.

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