Do Sony Readers Run Down When Turned Off?

WJCronon · 08-04-2007, 07:18 PM

I've noticed that the battery of my Sony Reader seems to drain significantly even when turned off, so much so that if left unused for 2-3 weeks, starting with an initially full charge, there is virtually no charge left and it has to be fully recharged. Have other people experienced this? I just called Sony tech support, and was told that this is completely normal: that despite the advertised claim that E-Ink technology drains power only when pages are being turned, in fact E-Ink technology DOES drain the battery even when the Sony Reader is turned off. (If true, I assume that this would be in addition to the normal drainage that happens to most rechargeable batteries after a while, though this is the fastest I've ever experienced a Li-Ion battery draining while not used.) Have other people experienced this kind of rate of discharge while their units aren't turned on? If not, does anyone have suggestions about what might be going on with my Sony Reader? Thanks for your help.

Nate the great · 08-04-2007, 07:26 PM

The Reader doesn't actually turn off. It's still running after you flick the power switch.

Two to 3 weeks is normal.

aleks · 08-04-2007, 07:47 PM

Yes it is nrmal for it to run down when not in use. I neglected to use my reader for about three weeks and was down to one bar of power.

WJCronon · 08-04-2007, 08:21 PM

Thanks, I appreciate these posts and they answer my question. Certainly this isn't a big problem as long as one is aware of it; I just wish Sony were a little more forthcoming about the fact that it would be unwise to disappear into deep boonies for an extended period (sans charger) expecting thousands of page turns before having to recharge one's Reader.

batpuppy · 08-04-2007, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WJCronon

Thanks, I appreciate these posts and they answer my question. Certainly this isn't a big problem as long as one is aware of it; I just wish Sony were a little more forthcoming about the fact that it would be unwise to disappear into deep boonies for an extended period (sans charger) expecting thousands of page turns before having to recharge one's Reader.

Yeah but someone did post around here about using a solar recharger to charge up the reader. So that might help if you are alway from power for a long while.

WJCronon · 08-04-2007, 08:42 PM

Yes, I've been known to use solar chargers when I'm away from the ordinary grid for an extended period, and that's definitely what I'll now do with the Sony Reader...but based on Sony's marketing, I wouldn't have assumed that this would have been necessary. Again, I'm not complaining...I'm just glad I now know that Sony Readers can't be away from wall sockets (or alternative external power sources) for more than a couple weeks at a time.

HarryT · 08-05-2007, 02:33 AM

The advantage of this behaviour is that the Reader is instantly ready for use when you switch it on. It's not like, say, the Iliad where it takes some 45 seconds to "boot" every time it's turned on. As you say, as long as one is aware of it, there's no issue. You'll lose approximately 1 "bar" of charge per week with the Reader turned off.

mlbspike · 08-06-2007, 08:43 PM

My reader drains completely in about 10 days. Documenting it fully, I ran it past tech support, and they had me send it in. Got it back promptly. It now drains completely in about 10 days. Sigh ... if 2 to 3 weeks is standard, I guess I'm just on the low end, although could have sworn I got a full month, when I first received it. Frustrating, when tech support is so unsure of the product ... had to go thru 3 people before someone even had a clue what I was talking about, and it turns out, there may not have even been anything wrong. On the upside ... love the little thing.

Nate the great · 08-06-2007, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlbspike

My reader drains completely in about 10 days. Documenting it fully, I ran it past tech support, and they had me send it in. Got it back promptly. It now drains completely in about 10 days. Sigh ... if 2 to 3 weeks is standard, I guess I'm just on the low end, although could have sworn I got a full month, when I first received it. Frustrating, when tech support is so unsure of the product ... had to go thru 3 people before someone even had a clue what I was talking about, and it turns out, there may not have even been anything wrong. On the upside ... love the little thing.

10 days of moderate to heavy use, or 10 days of sitting there not being used?

Try letting it sit there. If it drains that quickly on its own, then keep sending it in until they replace it.

mlbspike · 08-07-2007, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

10 days of moderate to heavy use, or 10 days of sitting there not being used?

Try letting it sit there. If it drains that quickly on its own, then keep sending it in until they replace it.

Drained that quickly on it's own, before replacement. Painful though it was, I left it on the shelf without using, checking charge once a day. Tried that twice, with the same results. Because I wasn't reading all that much per day, I noticed that using it normally, it lasted almost exactly that same 10 days. Have just been using it normally since getting it back, and it's still dead after about the same duration ... mabe 1200 pages. I'm giving it a couple charges, as a fair test, but if it continues to look the same, I'll take your advice and give them another call (may repeat the sit-unused-on-the-shelf test once ... but it's hard to do ... there are books calling my name).

astra · 08-08-2007, 04:25 PM

My reader looses 1 bar every 5-6 days.

igorsk · 08-08-2007, 10:25 PM

If you're leaving your Reader for a long time, a good idea would be to:
1) connect it to the PC, wait until the USB screen appears and disconnect it (this will save the bookmarks)
2) turn it off
3) press the reset
That will "really turn it off" and the battery won't drain beyond the natural discharge. When you're back, you'll just have to wait a bit longer for it to boot.

Dr. Drib · 08-09-2007, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorsk

If you're leaving your Reader for a long time, a good idea would be to:
1) connect it to the PC, wait until the USB screen appears and disconnect it (this will save the bookmarks)
2) turn it off
3) press the reset
That will "really turn it off" and the battery won't drain beyond the natural discharge. When you're back, you'll just have to wait a bit longer for it to boot.

As Johnny Carson would say: "I did not know that."

When you turn it back on, does it go through a 2-3 minute reboot process?

Also, what do you mean, "the USB screen"? I don't think I see a USB screen when I plug my Reader into my laptop.

Thanks,
Don

HarryT · 08-09-2007, 10:29 AM

You should see a blank screen with a picture of a USB connector and "USB Connected" underneath. When you run "Connect", a "Stop" sign appears and the text changes to "Do not disconnect".

Azayzel · 08-09-2007, 06:54 PM

Heh, I noticed this same drain problem myself a few months ago. The way I remedy it, I use it all the time and don't let it sit.

j/k HarryT offered the same advice a while back to hard off the device when you're not planning to use it for a while. That pretty much puts it into the same state it was when you received it.

Cool Idea: Maybe some enterprising coder out there will put in some kind of key sequence we can push to get it to shut itself down this way without having to break out a paperclip and remove/bend the back cover? I think that would be a cool idea, or add it as an option under the tools section.

08-04-2007, 07:18 PM	#1
WJCronon Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Marvin XD	Do Sony Readers Run Down When Turned Off? I've noticed that the battery of my Sony Reader seems to drain significantly even when turned off, so much so that if left unused for 2-3 weeks, starting with an initially full charge, there is virtually no charge left and it has to be fully recharged. Have other people experienced this? I just called Sony tech support, and was told that this is completely normal: that despite the advertised claim that E-Ink technology drains power only when pages are being turned, in fact E-Ink technology DOES drain the battery even when the Sony Reader is turned off. (If true, I assume that this would be in addition to the normal drainage that happens to most rechargeable batteries after a while, though this is the fastest I've ever experienced a Li-Ion battery draining while not used.) Have other people experienced this kind of rate of discharge while their units aren't turned on? If not, does anyone have suggestions about what might be going on with my Sony Reader? Thanks for your help.

08-04-2007, 08:21 PM	#4
WJCronon Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Marvin XD	Thanks Thanks, I appreciate these posts and they answer my question. Certainly this isn't a big problem as long as one is aware of it; I just wish Sony were a little more forthcoming about the fact that it would be unwise to disappear into deep boonies for an extended period (sans charger) expecting thousands of page turns before having to recharge one's Reader.

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08-04-2007, 07:26 PM	#2
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	The Reader doesn't actually turn off. It's still running after you flick the power switch. Two to 3 weeks is normal.

08-04-2007, 07:47 PM	#3
aleks Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 205 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Upstate NY Device: Rocket eBook & Sony Reader	Yes it is nrmal for it to run down when not in use. I neglected to use my reader for about three weeks and was down to one bar of power.

08-04-2007, 08:42 PM	#6
WJCronon Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Marvin XD	Yes, I've been known to use solar chargers when I'm away from the ordinary grid for an extended period, and that's definitely what I'll now do with the Sony Reader...but based on Sony's marketing, I wouldn't have assumed that this would have been necessary. Again, I'm not complaining...I'm just glad I now know that Sony Readers can't be away from wall sockets (or alternative external power sources) for more than a couple weeks at a time.

08-05-2007, 02:33 AM	#7
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The advantage of this behaviour is that the Reader is instantly ready for use when you switch it on. It's not like, say, the Iliad where it takes some 45 seconds to "boot" every time it's turned on. As you say, as long as one is aware of it, there's no issue. You'll lose approximately 1 "bar" of charge per week with the Reader turned off.

08-06-2007, 08:43 PM	#8
mlbspike Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 12 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: San Diego Device: Sony PRS500, PRS505	My reader drains completely in about 10 days. Documenting it fully, I ran it past tech support, and they had me send it in. Got it back promptly. It now drains completely in about 10 days. Sigh ... if 2 to 3 weeks is standard, I guess I'm just on the low end, although could have sworn I got a full month, when I first received it. Frustrating, when tech support is so unsure of the product ... had to go thru 3 people before someone even had a clue what I was talking about, and it turns out, there may not have even been anything wrong. On the upside ... love the little thing.

08-08-2007, 04:25 PM	#11
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	My reader looses 1 bar every 5-6 days.

08-08-2007, 10:25 PM	#12
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,442 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	If you're leaving your Reader for a long time, a good idea would be to: 1) connect it to the PC, wait until the USB screen appears and disconnect it (this will save the bookmarks) 2) turn it off 3) press the reset That will "really turn it off" and the battery won't drain beyond the natural discharge. When you're back, you'll just have to wait a bit longer for it to boot.

08-09-2007, 10:29 AM	#14
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	You should see a blank screen with a picture of a USB connector and "USB Connected" underneath. When you run "Connect", a "Stop" sign appears and the text changes to "Do not disconnect".

08-09-2007, 06:54 PM	#15
Azayzel Cache Ninja! Posts: 643 Karma: 1002300 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: PRS-500, HTC Shift, iPod Touch, iPaq 4150, TC1100, Panasonic WordsGear	Heh, I noticed this same drain problem myself a few months ago. The way I remedy it, I use it all the time and don't let it sit. j/k HarryT offered the same advice a while back to hard off the device when you're not planning to use it for a while. That pretty much puts it into the same state it was when you received it. Cool Idea: Maybe some enterprising coder out there will put in some kind of key sequence we can push to get it to shut itself down this way without having to break out a paperclip and remove/bend the back cover? I think that would be a cool idea, or add it as an option under the tools section.

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