POLL: Garmin 62s Battery Life

[+luvvinbird]

I'm presently using rechargeable Duracell batteries in my 62s. How many hours (or days) of use are you getting from your batteries? I'm curious because I seem to be going through them more often, lately.

[+backroadcachers]

I have energizer rechargeable batteries and they last forever. My 62s can easily get 4 days out of 2 batteries with the gps on for 6-8 hours at a time. I think a lot of it has to do with the settings in the gps( track up/north up, screen brightness/screen saver, and even if your gps is set up for the type of batteries you are using. It also depends on where you are too, I know when I'm in the deep woods and have my backlight on full the batteries will die faster.

 

On another note, most times I leave the back light off and if you angle the gps just right the sunlight will make the screen brighter than if the backlight was on full.

 

Hope some of this helps.

[yogazoo]

One thing I do know, the battery meter is terrible. Shows full until the last hour or so then drops off a cliff. Garmin needs to fix this to be meaningful.

[+luvvinbird]

One thing I do know, the battery meter is terrible. Shows full until the last hour or so then drops off a cliff. Garmin needs to fix this to be meaningful.

Yes!! I totally agree. Once in awhile I'll check the battery level and it seems to take forever to lose a "bar". But then, suddenly, shortly after I get a low battery warning.

[+backroadcachers]

One thing I do know, the battery meter is terrible. Shows full until the last hour or so then drops off a cliff. Garmin needs to fix this to be meaningful.

 

Yes this is frustrating. I've given up on using the meter to let me know how much battery I have left. My watch has 3 stopwatch/timers so I have one set that is roughly the life on one set of batteries. When the timer is getting low (usually below 1 hour) I'll switch out my batteries for another fully charged set and reset the timer.

[+humboldt flier]

Got to agree:

 

The meter sucks lemons - shortly after using one bar I have found that there are nano seconds left and the fressh batteries better be close at hand.

 

I am using Ultimate Lithium by one of the big name battery companies. I'd use their name by don't wish to be strung up by my heels for commercialization reasons.

[yogazoo]

Seems like everyones in agreement that the battery meter on the 62/78 is worthless. I expect everyone here to write the 62 beta team and tell them about your feelings on the matter. If everyone does, I bet they fix it in the next release. I know I've been writing them since day one on the matter.

[+janandsteve]

Seems like everyones in agreement that the battery meter on the 62/78 is worthless. I expect everyone here to write the 62 beta team and tell them about your feelings on the matter. If everyone does, I bet they fix it in the next release. I know I've been writing them since day one on the matter.

Agree - another email sent to bring it to the top of their pile

[+coggins]

Seems like everyones in agreement that the battery meter on the 62/78 is worthless. I expect everyone here to write the 62 beta team and tell them about your feelings on the matter. If everyone does, I bet they fix it in the next release. I know I've been writing them since day one on the matter.

Not everyone, I like the non liner ramp function as it gives you more meter when you need it most, at the end of the cells runtime. I think this is what Garmin was going for when they changed it.

[yogazoo]

Seems like everyones in agreement that the battery meter on the 62/78 is worthless. I expect everyone here to write the 62 beta team and tell them about your feelings on the matter. If everyone does, I bet they fix it in the next release. I know I've been writing them since day one on the matter.

Not everyone, I like the non liner ramp function as it gives you more meter when you need it most, at the end of the cells runtime. I think this is what Garmin was going for when they changed it.

 

?

 

Not sure if I'm following you. None of Garmin's other GPS units experience this battery meter behavior. I'm quite sure the meter is a problem. However to each their own, if you like it I guess I stand corrected that not everyone thinks that at 50% of battery life the meter should read 2/4 bars. If you like 4/4 bars at 50% battery life then that's your perogative. For me, not knowing whether I have 2 hours or whether I have 17 hours left on a set of batteries is a huge problem.

 

Edited to add: They never "changed it" it has always been this way.

Edited June 1, 2011 by yogazoo

[+michaelnel]

At the risk of actually answering the OP's question, I am using the 2400 mAh Maha Imedion cells in mine. They are NiMH Low Self Discharge batteries like the Sanyo Eneloops, but 20% higher capacity. They seem to last me about 2 days of caching. I usually run track up, backlight on medium with a 15 second timeout, and I don't use the battery saver function (I like to just look at it and not have to touch a button to wake it up). I just carry a spare set (and I *know* the spare set will be up to charge, unlike the Maha Powerex 2700 mAh NiMH cells I used to use).

Edited June 1, 2011 by michaelnel

[+coggins]

 

Not sure if I'm following you...

 

They never "changed it" it has always been this way.

They changed from the linear meter you are used to in the GPSMAP 60/76 series to a non linear ramp function in the GPSMAP62/78 series. They also changed some map handling routines on those two units that I'm not that happy with but such is life.

 

At the risk of actually answering the OP's question, I am using the 2400 mAh Maha Imedion cells in mine. They are NiMH Low Self Discharge batteries like the Sanyo Eneloops, but 20% higher capacity.

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to give these a look. Edited June 1, 2011 by coggins

[yogazoo]

Sorry for steering the thread off course, my bad.

 

I had a bad experience with Duracell low self-discharge batteries myself. They worked fine at first but a few months passed and they started failing early / not charging properly. Sounds like the problem the OP has experienced as well. I would steer clear of the Duracells and opt for a known high quality NIMH such as a fan favorite Eneloop or Powerex (Maha) batteries that Michaelnel mentioned.

 

Your local Costco should have the new Eneloops that work in colder environments and have a longer life (1,000 charges opposed to 500) than the original Eneloops. I've seen the Powerex (Maha) batts online and have been tempted. Anyone using the Imedions care to comment on how they work vs other brands? I've seen conflicting reports online but I don't trust those reviews half the time (user error).

[+luvvinbird]

Thank you all very much for taking the time to respond to my poll. The inaccuracies in the battery level meter was also around on versions prior to 3.00. Was that mentioned before? In any case I, too, sent an e-mail to the Garmin beta team. We'll have to see what happens. Thanks again!

[freeday]

GARMIN was informed about that bug already on 27 August 2010 (!!!)

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=258465&st=0&p=4449619&hl=batterie&fromsearch=1entry4449619

 

Garmin also was informed about a method to solve that bug. Until now - no update :-(

[+luvvinbird]

GARMIN was informed about that bug already on 27 August 2010 (!!!)

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=258465&st=0&p=4449619&hl=batterie&fromsearch=1entry4449619

 

Garmin also was informed about a method to solve that bug. Until now - no update :-(

I e-mailed the beta team recently and received a reply shortly thereafter. They wanted to know the details of the batteries I was using (Duracell NiMH) and the setting I was using on the device (rechargeable NiMH). Hopefully, they'll resolve the problem. Your post from last August was very detailed and informative.

[freeday]

Yes, Garmin got all information to correct that bug.

But they did nothing.

[Now at Zero Gravity]

I get about 24 hrs continuous with Eneloops, which can mean 4 or 5 days of on and off use.

 

The battery meter works as designed--it measures VOLTAGE. If you use NiMH batteries, the voltage will remain rather constant until the last couple of hours and then drop quickly. That's how NiMH batteries work. Amazingly, that is exactly what the meter shows! With NiMH or Lithium, there is no easy work around.

 

A possible approach might be to have an elapsed time meter that would show how long you've been using the current set of batteries.

 

NA0G

[+luvvinbird]

I just wanted to add an update to this battery poll that I started. I had been using my 62s "in the field" for awhile and hadn't got the obligatory "low battery" warning so I checked battery strength and I actually saw one bar! Usually, I'll see one bar missing and seconds later, the warning. I'm running version 3.0. Do you think this latest version has improved on this problem?

[+ventura_kids]

It's certainly a function of the backlight usage.

I keep mine on 15 seconds at a time on full brightness.

A set of 'toss them in the trash when done' alkalines will last about 8 hours and 100 geocaches. If we are only casual caching...40 finds or so...we can sometimes use them on the way home too.

Edited June 20, 2011 by ventura_kids

[+*bandit*]

I feel as though I should pipe in here. My experience, just my experience is that any NiMH battery will dump fast. I use this type of battery in all kinds of high end cordless tools and they give you hardly any warning they are getting weak. They seem to just dump out. I have to assume if you are using these in your GPS the same applies. I use them in mine and it's the same. I feel it's the batteries not the units.

[+Viajero Perdido]

On the subject of the non-linear battery meter - maybe it's not the unit's fault. Maybe you have especially good NiMH cells and/or charger.

 

I use tired old Energizer NiMH cells that, by rights, should have already died years ago. But my top-of-the-line Maha C-9000 charger keeps them in great shape (considering), and routinely tops them up to 1.45 volts or more. (Energizer's own data sheet says to expect 1.4 volts for cells in "good condition", per Wiki.)

 

These cells routinely give me 2 full days in my trusty 60Cx, but at the halfway point the unit finally only goes down to 3 bars from 4 - probably because of the higher-than-average voltage in my particular cells. (I have two sets with the same characteristics.) Naturally, 3 bars, 2, etc. come more quickly on the second day of caching. I get used to it.