07-05-2007, 11:24 PM | #1 |
Minister of Silly Walks
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Weird Power Problem
Sorry if this is a FAQ, but I did a quick search and didn't see a similar thread.
Anyway, I have had my reader now for about a month, but haven't actually used it much as I was finishing up a paper book. So, it has primarily sat mostly unused for the last few weeks. I had assumed that the Reader could sit in this state almost indefinitely without running out of battery as I had heard that the thing that draws power are the actual page turns and not the e-ink displaying. So, I took it out with me to the coffee shop thinking I'd start reading one of my ebooks. After starting it up, though, it would die on me without fully rendering the main Menu. When I got home, I plugged it in and it now seems to work okay. The batter meter shows full after charging for about an hour. Is this a known problem or is this By Design? Am I supposed to ensure that I keep the batter charged even if I'm not using the device regularly? Thanks, Hep. |
07-06-2007, 12:14 AM | #2 |
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I don't think this is normal because it has never happened with my Reader. I purchased two Readers as Mothers Day gifts and one of them had this problem. The one I gave my Mother-in-law works fine but the one I gave my daughter-in-law does exactly what you describe.
I'm working with Sony to get it exchanged for her. So far we haven't gotten it back but Sony didn't give us any problems, just said "ship it back and we'll send you a new one". Maybe you can do the same? |
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07-06-2007, 12:34 AM | #3 |
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Unfortunately, it's a known ... trait of the Reader -- it still draws some current even when it's "off" such that the battery effectively discharges after 3~4 weeks, whether it's used or not. You can find details (including something of the why's) in this obnoxiously long thread, if you like.
The nutshell answer is that you ought to plan to charge it about every 3~4 weeks. |
07-06-2007, 12:39 AM | #4 |
Literate!
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Actually, it sounds like you're running into the same "issue" that most of us have discovered upon spending some time with it. The reader isn't ever actually off, even when you've flipped the switch and the screen's gone blank. It's still running the OS all the time. What this means is that after about 3-4 weeks, the battery will be depleted. I'm guessing you just needed a charge after it sitting for so long.
It's true that it doesn't require any power to maintain the image that's on the screen, but it's still sucking juice with the background OS: running the clock, for one, and probably just maintaining it so that the power on doesn't take several seconds. Many of us have complained that it'd be much nicer if it really could last several months on the shelf, but just as many have correctly remarked that the battery life of this device is orders of magnitude greater than any of our other personal electronics. |
07-06-2007, 12:40 AM | #5 |
Literate!
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Curse you Natch! You just beat me!
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07-06-2007, 12:52 AM | #6 |
Minister of Silly Walks
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Defect or By Design?
Well, thanks for the responses so far. Unfortunately, I've gotten both the "it's a defect" and "it's By Design" responses! :-)
I think what I will do is actually read an ebook next and see if normal usage results in this issue. If I have this problem recur when it clearly should not, then I'll assume it's a defect. If the battery drains in a "normal" or expected fashion, then I'll assume it's the typical 3-4 week shelf sit that did this. Thanks! Jim |
07-06-2007, 02:57 AM | #7 | |
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Quote:
This is by design. If the Reader is a month old, and has never been recharged, the battery will be flat, regardless of whether or not you use it. There's a constant power drain due to the operating system running. We all find that we need to recharge our Readers about once every 3 weeks. I'm 99% certain that you don't have a faulty Reader. |
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07-06-2007, 03:45 AM | #8 | |
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Quote:
The last part of your post seemed to indicate that you thought the unit fully charged after just one hour (the charge indicator on the unit is confusing), in which case you would not experience anywhere near the advertised operational use period between charges. Good luck! |
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07-06-2007, 04:04 AM | #9 | |
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Quote:
One final point it's perhaps worth noting is that, if you let the battery get too low, you can't recharge it via USB, but have to use the wall charger. |
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07-06-2007, 08:28 AM | #10 | |
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Quote:
@Nogg: Sorry 'bout that, buddy -- and yours was a really well phrased answer too. |
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07-06-2007, 09:21 AM | #11 |
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When you charged it, did you make sure the red light on the left side was actually out? If it's not out, then it has not yet gotten a full charge.
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07-06-2007, 01:18 PM | #12 |
Minister of Silly Walks
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Thanks, all, for the red light tip. Just in case, I plugged it in overnight, so it should be good to go.
NatCH, I'll go ahead and check out the long thread. Sounds interesting, and I like to know that kind of stuff anyway. J. |
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