Is this a bad battery or what?

Dave W · 01-23-2010, 10:28 AM

My PRS-600 has started crashing. Yesterday and again today, the screen froze. I could not power down and even the reset button did nothing. I plugged it into the USB port on my notebook and, in 5 minutes, it indicated a USB connection and the Sony Reader Library opened. It took the full 5 minutes. That behavior is exactly what the user manual says about the first time the reader is plugged in. It implies that, if the battery is completely dead, it will take a while before the reader will start to function.

On my reader, the battery charge indicator is down only one bar when this happens and I get no warning. It just freezes. The unit is only a few months old and is still well within warranty. I'm inclined to visit the Sony store in my area and talk to them about this. Does anyone know if they will help or will they just refer me to customer service? The behaviour I'm seeing is either a battery that goes dead way before the charge circuits know about it or the charge circuits themselves are faulty and think the battery is dead when it isn't. Keep in mind though, that when it crashes the screen still indicates 3 bars of charge.

Can anyone help with this? I read in bed before going to sleep and don't want to put the reader down early or get up to plug it into my notebook and wait 5 minutes to start reading again. Besides, I have only gotten a few hundred page turns when this happens.

Dave W

tnronin · 01-23-2010, 10:37 AM

I'm not by any means a knowledgeable person on these. But I didn't start locking or crashing my 300 until I loaded some large books, or converting PDF's to a smaller format. Then when I did font sizing I would lock/crash. If you are seeing this after attempting anything maybe wiping the mem might help. Mine is new as well FWIW.

HarryT · 01-23-2010, 10:47 AM

I'd suggest that you get a PSP charger. USB charging often seems to be unreliable.

Dave W · 01-23-2010, 12:12 PM

Harry, I understand that USB charging may be unreliable, but why would the screen charge indicator indicate 75% charge remaining? If USB charging didn't fully charge the battery, that should be indicated by a faster than normal drop though the charge remaining bars and, finally, give you a low battery warning. If the battery charge indicator can give a false indication, then what good is it? With Ni-Cad batteries, as in my Norelco shaver, discharge and charge is indicated using an internal timer which depends on the known rate of charge or discharge to the internal batteries. That system works on batteries that are in spec. However, as the batteries reach end of life, the indicator doesn't work properly. With Li-ion batteries, the charge indicator should not depend on a timer, but on the actual charge state of the batteries. I've seen this on notebook computers where you get a percent charge remaining. As the battery gets weaker, the charge remaining indication decreases more rapidly and gives a good indication of the true state of the battery. Doesn't the Sony reader work that way?

Tronin, in my case, I am reading a large book - 1350 pages as shown on the Sony. I am also reading large font so that I can see it better in dim light. However, when it crashes, I'm not doing anything other than reading. When I go to turn the page, it is frozen. Even so, why wouldn't the reset button work and why does it take 5 minutes (I've timed it) plugged into a USB port to recover?

Dave W

HarryT · 01-23-2010, 12:16 PM

The battery charge meter can definitely be very "flaky". It generally takes few complete full charge / full discharge cycles for it to correctly calibrate itself.

What I find on my own 600 is that very often USB charging will stop (the charge light goes off), but if I then plug in my PSP charger, it will carry on charging for a good while longer. Many people here have found USB charging to be just plain unreliable.

Don't bother with the "official" Sony charger - any PSP charger works fine with the Reader.

Bremen Cole · 01-23-2010, 07:35 PM

+1 to the PSP charger. Be sure and get the one that uses the "barrel" connection, and not the USB one. Using a real charger, instead of relying on the USB/laptop one, seems to cure most battery issues.....

tnronin · 01-23-2010, 10:33 PM

Dave, I got nuthin'.

tnronin · 01-23-2010, 10:34 PM

I've got this one coming in. Probably a slow boat..... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

A Nonny Mouse · 01-24-2010, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave W

Can anyone help with this? I read in bed before going to sleep and don't want to put the reader down early or get up to plug it into my notebook and wait 5 minutes to start reading again. Besides, I have only gotten a few hundred page turns when this happens.

Dave W

It takes at least 4 hours to fully charge the reader from an active computer via USB.

Any generic PSP charger will work connected to the round barrel, with the added advantage that you can still read whilst it is charging.

Do a search on the forum for PSP charger there is loads of information.

HarryT · 01-24-2010, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Nonny Mouse

Any generic PSP charger will work connected to the round barrel, with the added advantage that you can still read whilst it is charging.

Plus, there's the benefit that it charges a lot more quickly than it does with USB.

01-23-2010, 10:28 AM	#1
Dave W Connoisseur Posts: 61 Karma: 670 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Massachusetts Device: Sony PRS-600 & Nook ST w/glow light	Is this a bad battery or what? My PRS-600 has started crashing. Yesterday and again today, the screen froze. I could not power down and even the reset button did nothing. I plugged it into the USB port on my notebook and, in 5 minutes, it indicated a USB connection and the Sony Reader Library opened. It took the full 5 minutes. That behavior is exactly what the user manual says about the first time the reader is plugged in. It implies that, if the battery is completely dead, it will take a while before the reader will start to function. On my reader, the battery charge indicator is down only one bar when this happens and I get no warning. It just freezes. The unit is only a few months old and is still well within warranty. I'm inclined to visit the Sony store in my area and talk to them about this. Does anyone know if they will help or will they just refer me to customer service? The behaviour I'm seeing is either a battery that goes dead way before the charge circuits know about it or the charge circuits themselves are faulty and think the battery is dead when it isn't. Keep in mind though, that when it crashes the screen still indicates 3 bars of charge. Can anyone help with this? I read in bed before going to sleep and don't want to put the reader down early or get up to plug it into my notebook and wait 5 minutes to start reading again. Besides, I have only gotten a few hundred page turns when this happens. Dave W

01-23-2010, 10:47 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 55,142 Karma: 27556397 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Touch, PW, Fire HD, iPad 3, iPhone 4, Samsung Tab 2 7 + More	I'd suggest that you get a PSP charger. USB charging often seems to be unreliable. __________________ Harry Currently proofreading The Poison Belt, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

01-23-2010, 12:16 PM	#5
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 55,142 Karma: 27556397 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Touch, PW, Fire HD, iPad 3, iPhone 4, Samsung Tab 2 7 + More	The battery charge meter can definitely be very "flaky". It generally takes few complete full charge / full discharge cycles for it to correctly calibrate itself. What I find on my own 600 is that very often USB charging will stop (the charge light goes off), but if I then plug in my PSP charger, it will carry on charging for a good while longer. Many people here have found USB charging to be just plain unreliable. Don't bother with the "official" Sony charger - any PSP charger works fine with the Reader. __________________ Harry Currently proofreading The Poison Belt, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

01-23-2010, 07:35 PM	#6
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	+1 to the PSP charger. Be sure and get the one that uses the "barrel" connection, and not the USB one. Using a real charger, instead of relying on the USB/laptop one, seems to cure most battery issues..... __________________ Bremen Cole Music = http://www.bremencole.com Bike Journal = http://www.bikejournal.com/journal_p...ame=BremenCole

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01-23-2010, 10:37 AM	#2
tnronin Zealot Posts: 118 Karma: 210 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mid-Tennessee Device: PRS-300	I'm not by any means a knowledgeable person on these. But I didn't start locking or crashing my 300 until I loaded some large books, or converting PDF's to a smaller format. Then when I did font sizing I would lock/crash. If you are seeing this after attempting anything maybe wiping the mem might help. Mine is new as well FWIW.

01-23-2010, 12:12 PM	#4
Dave W Connoisseur Posts: 61 Karma: 670 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Massachusetts Device: Sony PRS-600 & Nook ST w/glow light	Harry, I understand that USB charging may be unreliable, but why would the screen charge indicator indicate 75% charge remaining? If USB charging didn't fully charge the battery, that should be indicated by a faster than normal drop though the charge remaining bars and, finally, give you a low battery warning. If the battery charge indicator can give a false indication, then what good is it? With Ni-Cad batteries, as in my Norelco shaver, discharge and charge is indicated using an internal timer which depends on the known rate of charge or discharge to the internal batteries. That system works on batteries that are in spec. However, as the batteries reach end of life, the indicator doesn't work properly. With Li-ion batteries, the charge indicator should not depend on a timer, but on the actual charge state of the batteries. I've seen this on notebook computers where you get a percent charge remaining. As the battery gets weaker, the charge remaining indication decreases more rapidly and gives a good indication of the true state of the battery. Doesn't the Sony reader work that way? Tronin, in my case, I am reading a large book - 1350 pages as shown on the Sony. I am also reading large font so that I can see it better in dim light. However, when it crashes, I'm not doing anything other than reading. When I go to turn the page, it is frozen. Even so, why wouldn't the reset button work and why does it take 5 minutes (I've timed it) plugged into a USB port to recover? Dave W

01-23-2010, 10:33 PM	#7
tnronin Zealot Posts: 118 Karma: 210 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mid-Tennessee Device: PRS-300	Dave, I got nuthin'.

01-23-2010, 10:34 PM	#8
tnronin Zealot Posts: 118 Karma: 210 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mid-Tennessee Device: PRS-300	I've got this one coming in. Probably a slow boat..... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

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