PN-60 batteries

[+movemaine]

Hi all,

 

I've ordered a Delorme PN-60 which should get here in the next few days.

 

Delorme says the only rechargeable lithium ion batteries that should be used are the ones you purchase from them. They didn't even say preferred - they say there is a risk of explosion with different batteries. Additionally, I contact customer support to ask a question about the car charger and the rep stated that the auto power cord would only recharge their batteries, not others.

 

Sounds like a bunch of hooey, however maybe this device has issues with any batteries above or below 1300mAh (which seems awfully low for this type of device)

 

Has anyone used other rechargeable without any explosions?

[+ecanderson]

I can understand their concern. The operative sentence is "There is a risk of explosion if battery is replaced by an incorrect type", and I'd emphasize the words "incorrect type". There are other rechargeable lithium CR-V3s out there that should serve just as well. They're worried about some idiot putting in a non-rechargeable CR-V3 or something equally insane... and you can bet someone will do it. That's one of the reasons that most of the manufacturers aren't providing any sort of charging mechanism for the cells their units use.

 

At somewhere in the neighborhood of 1300mAh to 1400mAh, I have a hard time getting wound up about them. Total power (even taking the higher voltage into account) isn't on par with a low end NiMH.

 

That said, any lithium rechargeable CR-V3 should operate just fine, and there are a number from which to choose.

Edited September 25, 2010 by ecanderson

[+Team CowboyPapa]

Hi all,

 

I've ordered a Delorme PN-60 which should get here in the next few days.

 

Delorme says the only rechargeable lithium ion batteries that should be used are the ones you purchase from them. They didn't even say preferred - they say there is a risk of explosion with different batteries. Additionally, I contact customer support to ask a question about the car charger and the rep stated that the auto power cord would only recharge their batteries, not others.

 

Sounds like a bunch of hooey, however maybe this device has issues with any batteries above or below 1300mAh (which seems awfully low for this type of device)

 

Has anyone used other rechargeable without any explosions?

No, but they all, companies, are quite the same. AT&T will void your cellphone warranty if you send it back for repair with a non-approved Li-Ion cell in it.

 

Now, what he told you is correct in that you cannot charge NiMH rechargeable AAs while installed in a PN-XX using the car charger. With those batteries, you must take them out of the PN-XX and recharge them in one of those sled chargers.

 

Furthermore, I use one of their Li-Ion rechargeable battery packs and never take it out of my PN-40. I mostly keep it connected to my always ON 12VDC jack in my Jeep. I do not go on 8 day backpacking trips so the 1300mAh is sufficient for me. Additionally, I keep my Jeep in my garage when not driving so that leaving my PN-40 connected to charge when not driving is not a problem.

 

Now here is another advantage that is not mentioned frequently. It is usually adivised, for those GPSrs with electronic compass function, to recalibrate that with every battery change. Now, ask me how oftern that I have to do that.

Edited September 25, 2010 by Team CowboyPapa

[+movemaine]

Now here is another advantage that is not mentioned frequently. It is usually adivised, for those GPSrs with electronic compass function, to recalibrate that with every battery change. Now, ask me how oftern that I have to do that.

 

Very good point - I hadn't thought about that. Most of my trips are 2-6 hours in length, so the batteries should be fine.

 

thanks for the input.

[+dfx]

Now here is another advantage that is not mentioned frequently. It is usually adivised, for those GPSrs with electronic compass function, to recalibrate that with every battery change.

that's at least partly a myth. it may be true for some units, but on my oregon 450 i never had to recalibrate, ever.

[+The Yinnies]

Hi all,

 

I've ordered a Delorme PN-60 which should get here in the next few days.

 

Delorme says the only rechargeable lithium ion batteries that should be used are the ones you purchase from them. They didn't even say preferred - they say there is a risk of explosion with different batteries. Additionally, I contact customer support to ask a question about the car charger and the rep stated that the auto power cord would only recharge their batteries, not others.

 

Sounds like a bunch of hooey, however maybe this device has issues with any batteries above or below 1300mAh (which seems awfully low for this type of device)

 

Has anyone used other rechargeable without any explosions?

I am not sure, but I think their rechargeable lithium ion batteries charges while hooked up and the others will not. I have been using them for a year or so and have no problems. It is nice to be able to charge while driving. You will have to recalibrate everytime you change batteries. The -60 also has a setup that if you do not move it it sleeps. I left mine on one night and in the morning it had hardly used any battery. In my opinion I would get the battery from them of Amazon.

Thanks

[+EScout]

In my PN-30, I have used a no-name brand CR-V3 Li-ion, rated at 2000mAH. It works, and charges in the unit. I have found what others have found, that the Li-ion will not fully charge inside the unit. It gets a more full charge in an outside charger.

 

So, you can use other batteries, but I doubt the capacity of 2000 for these. They do not last long, and I have gone to using NiZn AAs, which are working better than the CR-V3 Li-ion, or NiMH AAs.

[CoffeCat]

There is a replacement battery out there specifically for the DeLorme PN series GPS's. It's called cabbat. If you go to the DeLorme forums there is a lot of information on it. I use it all the time in my PN60wse, it can be charged in the PN or externally depending upon the charger you have. It works fine with the charger that came with the DeLorme battery. I didn't get very good life from the Crv3 I got from Delorme, but I like to charge it in the unit, so I decided to switch. Google cabbat and you can find their website, but it is nice to charge it in the car on the way out of town! I've been getting about 20 hours on one charge, so it is way better than most other batteries I've tried.

[+embra]

It does seem that DeLorme's stated policy is a CYA thing so they don't have to honor warranty repairs is someone where to do something dumb with the wrong kind of battery.

 

I haven't explored too many alternatives with the PN-60, but the shorter battery life of the PN-40 inspired several of us to explore alternative R-CRV3 batteries. Most of them worked (and recharged within the PN), although there were one or two that didn't (they either were just a little too big to fit in the compartment or failed to make adequate contact to supply power...no explosions or fired units that I ever heard of). Of the batteries that were available for us to try at the time (this was a couple years ago), the alternatives cost less than the DeLorme offering, but as I recall tended to have a little less run time (I think they were all in the 1200 - 1400 mAh range) and they tended to be less expensive. So I think you're safe enough shopping around, but I would buy from someplace that offers returns just in case you get something that doesn't work.

 

The Cabbat is the gold standard for those who want the best R-CRV3. The developer worked in consultation with DeLorme, so they're certainly aware of it even though their policy keeps them from endorsing it. It's pricey, but IMO worth it. It's what I keep in my PN-60 for everyday use.

 

One drawback with all non-Delorme R-CRV3's is that they will each have their own individual discharge curve. The PN's monitor the remaining voltage of their resident batteries, check it against the profile for the battery type selected by the user, and give an estimate for how much power remains. Since the PN's are using the DeLorme Li-Ion profile, the calculation for a non-DeLorme battery is wrong, wrong, wrong. In the case of the Cabbat, for example, you'll get a power remaining readout of 100% until something like 5 or 10 minutes before the end of the charge cycle. Then the readout plummets like a thermometer in the path of an Alberta clipper. You'll get a graceful shutdown, but there's little warning. It's sort of like driving a car that gets great mileage, but the gas gauge doesn't work except for the low fuel warning. Unless you have a good idea of elapsed time on your charge cycle, you'll have little idea of how much time you have left. (Moral: go out freshly topped up, carry spares and heed the low power warnings immediately).

 

One other thing unique about the Cabbat: it's bigger in girth than other R-CRV3s, so if you want to maintain a watertight seal on the battery compartment you may need to do a little modification on the battery cover (i.e., removing the foam tape and/or carving out the ribs). I've not found this to be the case with other R-CRV3s I have tried. If you dropped a PN-60 in the drink with a Cabbat inside and it leaked, I would not expect DeLorme to honor the warranty.

[+Team CowboyPapa]

One other thing unique about the Cabbat: it's bigger in girth than other R-CRV3s, so if you want to maintain a watertight seal on the battery compartment you may need to do a little modification on the battery cover (i.e., removing the foam tape and/or carving out the ribs).

So when I put my CabBat in my PN-60, on went the carved and trimmed back from my PN-40.

[+rambrush]

I also use the Cabbat since the 20 and use that back on the 40. weird color combo but it works. his customer service is top notch.