Just A Little Bit O'complaining

[+lostinjersey]

... give more advanced warning on when the batteries are low. I have the same complaint about cell phones, digital cameras and almost anything else requiring batteries. Why, ogh lord, why do such devices always warn you with maybe TEN SECONDS left that your batteries are low?

 

Why do they give that warning when you have enough juice for maybe 5 pictures. or only 3 minutes left before the GPS dies. or your cell phone dies. If you don't have spare batteries you're done. I was hunting Bergen County Parks, a 4 stage multi which i had already grabed parts 1 & 2 of, took forever to find stage 3 and then it died before I got to stage 4. 400 ft away!!!!

 

cameras are the same thing. Its not as if you can be selective about your remaining picture taking either. you've got 5 pictures left. why can't they warn you when you're at.. say... 10% battery life? that way if your camer can take 250 pictures, you've at least got 25 shots left...

 

I was in Niagara falls and my wife & I took a helicopter ride over the falls, and I sat in front with the 35mm camera. I had 2 rolls of film as spare (and did the fastest change of film in history!) but I also had the spare batteries. My wife gets 6 pictures and POOF! dead camera. I could pass the batteries back to her so we had to rely solely on my shots, which were good and I like them, but she could've been just rolling off the pictures L & R, but no, that wasn't to be.

 

I said it then and I say it now. it didn't matter. How could I get myself mad over this when I was 1/2 a mile above one of the most majestic waterfalls in the world? It would've interfered with my ability to take pictures and enjoy the flight, and then I'd >really< have reason to be mad at myself for allowing my trip to be spoiled. So in this case it was a big deal that wasn't.

 

and i take full credit for knowing that the batteries always go at the worst moment, so I have spares, but I wasn't forward thinking enough to say "hey I've take a bunch of pictures, how about changing the batteries?" or at least giving the spares to my wife. So I do take credit. and today I didn't have my belly bag. no belly bag today = no spares to change out on the gps. so its my own fault, yes.

 

But it still annoys me that theres so little warning.

[+TotemLake]

Take it to the Complaint Department?

 

Life happens and then it goes on.

Edited July 8, 2004 by TotemLake

[+GOT GPS?]

A funny idea of mine, is that batteries should weigh twice as much when full, then empty, that way you can tell if they need charging, just by holding them in your hands.

[vagabond]

My gps has a battery meter shows the percentage left, just like my 35 mm, and digi camera. Just takes a few seconds to look.

Maybe you should install new or fully charged batterys before starting out in the morning.

[+Tahoe Skier5000]

I usually get 2 or so minutes of operation after the battery warning.

[+Allen_L]

I have a sony digital camera. I hate the fact it uses a special rechargeable battery and if it goes dead I am out of luck. I love the fact when it is on, it shows an estimate of the number of minutes remaining of battery life in the view finder.

[+GOT GPS?]

All the reason you should put the batteries in your chargers before going to bed then you can have a fresh set of batteries in the morning for your GPS, Still and Video Cameras, and your hoverboards and hoverpacks(Just kidding).

[tubemonkey]

I have a sony digital camera. I hate the fact it uses a special rechargeable battery and if it goes dead I am out of luck.

I avoid any digital camera that doesn't use AA batteries and SD cards. As much as possible, I try to only get electronic devices that use AA batteries. I will not buy any device that uses sealed (iPod and clones) or odd-sized batteries. Part of the research I do before purchasing an electronic device is to make a trip to Target and Wal-Mart to make sure that batteries are readily available. If it fails the Target test, I don't get it (no matter how much I like it).

 

tm

[+lostinjersey]

Take it to the Complaint Department?

 

Life happens and then it goes on.

nah, cause this deals specifically with the function of the GPS units. and this a forum for discussing GPS units in all respects which would include complaints. that discussion is for just complaining in general, and it seems like complaining for complaining sake.

[+lostinjersey]

My gps has a battery meter shows the percentage left, just like my 35 mm, and digi camera. Just takes a few seconds to look.

Maybe you should install new or fully charged batterys before starting out in the morning.

sweet. what models do you havew (camera & gps)

 

as for leaving with fresh batteries the problem is that I cant replace both the gps batteries AND the dig camera batteries too at the same time. I have 3 sets of 4 batteries. one set in the gps, one in the camera, and then a spare which is usually charging. I keep 2 sets (usually) of regular non-rechargables in my belly bag for when I'm out, but once in a while I dont have it with me, and then I'm done.

 

like yesterday.

[thorin]

DOH that sucks dude.

 

Fortunately I've never experienced that problem and my Geko 201 has a battery meter

 

Thorin

[+Couparangus]

... give more advanced warning on when the batteries are low. I have the same complaint about cell phones, digital cameras and almost anything else requiring batteries. Why, ogh lord, why do such devices always warn you with maybe TEN SECONDS left that your batteries are low?

 

Part of the problem is as batteries weaken their internal impedance goes up. When this happens the voltage will drop moreso for the given current being drawn. Many electronic devices don't draw a uniform current during operation so with weaker batteries they will drop below the dead battery threshold voltage and it will appear that the batteries are dead, yet they could indeed run for several more hours. Manufacturers set their Low Batt threshold in such a way that it won't drive the user crazy with alarms long before its time to replace the cells.

 

The problem with any electronic device giving you a time-til-dead is that the unit doesn't know the capacity (or chemistry) of the batteries being used. The exception is proprietary rechargeable batteries like many equipment manufacturers use.

 

The best answer is to always carry a spare set of batteries.

 

C-A

[+piper28]

as for leaving with fresh batteries the problem is that I cant replace both the gps batteries AND the dig camera batteries too at the same time.

 

That's one of the reasons I really like the 15 minute rechargeable batteries. Ok, they do cost a little more than other nimh batteries, but I can charge a couple sets of 4 batteries in a brief period of time in the evening, and I'm all set for the next day. Even better is the charger I have for them has a car adapter, so I can even do it in the car.

[+Criminal]

Get a Rayovac 15 minute charger and two sets of batteries. Start with a fresh set and when you get back to the car after your first cache, put that set in the recharger and the other set in the unit. Before you get back from your next cache there will be a fresh set of batteries waiting to swap again. You don't have to wait until they're dead to change them, just keep swapping them out every time you get to the car.

 

The Rayovac 15 minute charger comes with a car adaptor.

[+GOT GPS?]

I wished my car had a powered accessory Jack when the engine is off and the key is out. What I end up doing is putting the ignition switch halfway and pulling out my keys to charge my phone.