MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Seeking feedback on replacing PRS-600 battery

Xochipilli2012 · 03-27-2010, 07:10 PM

Hi there,

A few of you might remember my tales of woe regarding a fading screen on my PRS-600. It seemed to have a "happy outcome" in that the replacement unit has a much better screen. It still fades noticeably in the sun, but nothing like it did before, and I'm willing to live with it as it is.

However...this unit, which I assume is "refurbished", seems to have very poor battery life as compared to the previous one. I've even experimented with "flattening the battery" to help calibrate the meter--and noted that the unit continued playing MP3 files for about 2 hours past "no bars" and a visible battery low warning.

However, since then, after going to "full charge" (8 hours on a PSP charger) with 4 bars showing, I put my unit into sleep mode after reading for a couple hours--at four bars--and when I re-activated the unit today, it wouldn't stay on because the battery was empty. (I forgot the exact message--it boots up as if from a total shut-down, flashes the message, then shuts down again.)

I called Sony Support in El Salvador (the 239-768-7678 for US customers) and they politely instructed me to charge via the USB port for 4 hours. They indicated that the "knock-off" PSP Charger (made by JSD) is NOT the authorized way to charge the device because its rated output is 5.0V and it is supposed to be 5.2V -- according to the Sony service rep. So, I'm going to "play along" and give the USB charge a try, even though it is counter-intuitive...and counter to what I've understood from reading about the issue here on MR.

To be fair, Sony at least sounds like it is committed to my being happy with the device.

All of this notwithstanding, however, I suspect I may have a crap battery and might want to direct Sony to replace it. I would like them to replace only the battery as I would rather not risk getting another "bum screen" that fades if I participate in the exchange program, for which I still qualify.

So, I'd like to hear from anyone who has had their battery replaced by Sony in the US, I assume by sending it to the Laredo TX service center.

Was the process smooth?

How much did the labor costs run (assuming you had to pay them--I probably will once my initial 90 days are up in a week or so)?

Are you satisfied with the outcome? Does the replacement battery perform better than the one it replaced?

Thanks in advance for any replies that may come in.

On a personal note, there is so much I love about the PRS-600. The screen fade issue is a bummer, and yes, glare and contrast could both stand some improvement. But the user interface, the way books can be accessed, marked up, annotated, etc. is all very cool. And I've been reading a dead-tree copy of Korzybski's Science and Sanity recently, and resorting to the dictionary on my reader quite a bit as a result. I have even had some fun doing some drawings with the notepad feature. It's just a brilliant little piece of kit (at least it could be, if these annoyances like screen fade, or poor battery life in my case, could be ironed out).

Bless-up!

03-27-2010, 07:10 PM	#1
Xochipilli2012 Zealot Posts: 101 Karma: 38 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Seattle Device: Red PRS-600, Slate Blue Astak EZReader Pocket Pro	Seeking feedback on replacing PRS-600 battery Hi there, A few of you might remember my tales of woe regarding a fading screen on my PRS-600. It seemed to have a "happy outcome" in that the replacement unit has a much better screen. It still fades noticeably in the sun, but nothing like it did before, and I'm willing to live with it as it is. However...this unit, which I assume is "refurbished", seems to have very poor battery life as compared to the previous one. I've even experimented with "flattening the battery" to help calibrate the meter--and noted that the unit continued playing MP3 files for about 2 hours past "no bars" and a visible battery low warning. However, since then, after going to "full charge" (8 hours on a PSP charger) with 4 bars showing, I put my unit into sleep mode after reading for a couple hours--at four bars--and when I re-activated the unit today, it wouldn't stay on because the battery was empty. (I forgot the exact message--it boots up as if from a total shut-down, flashes the message, then shuts down again.) I called Sony Support in El Salvador (the 239-768-7678 for US customers) and they politely instructed me to charge via the USB port for 4 hours. They indicated that the "knock-off" PSP Charger (made by JSD) is NOT the authorized way to charge the device because its rated output is 5.0V and it is supposed to be 5.2V -- according to the Sony service rep. So, I'm going to "play along" and give the USB charge a try, even though it is counter-intuitive...and counter to what I've understood from reading about the issue here on MR. To be fair, Sony at least sounds like it is committed to my being happy with the device. All of this notwithstanding, however, I suspect I may have a crap battery and might want to direct Sony to replace it. I would like them to replace only the battery as I would rather not risk getting another "bum screen" that fades if I participate in the exchange program, for which I still qualify. So, I'd like to hear from anyone who has had their battery replaced by Sony in the US, I assume by sending it to the Laredo TX service center. Was the process smooth? How much did the labor costs run (assuming you had to pay them--I probably will once my initial 90 days are up in a week or so)? Are you satisfied with the outcome? Does the replacement battery perform better than the one it replaced? Thanks in advance for any replies that may come in. On a personal note, there is so much I love about the PRS-600. The screen fade issue is a bummer, and yes, glare and contrast could both stand some improvement. But the user interface, the way books can be accessed, marked up, annotated, etc. is all very cool. And I've been reading a dead-tree copy of Korzybski's Science and Sanity recently, and resorting to the dictionary on my reader quite a bit as a result. I have even had some fun doing some drawings with the notepad feature. It's just a brilliant little piece of kit (at least it could be, if these annoyances like screen fade, or poor battery life in my case, could be ironed out). Bless-up!