Touch Excessive Battery Use?

[RAH]

Originally Posted by azazel1024

Out of curiousity, did the nook ST you have come with a charger or not? And/or a Refurb?

My first Touch was a very early model (purchased the very first day they were available in the stores). It came with a charger.

Later, the local B&N store swapped chargers with me, to see whether maybe the charger I had was at fault (which no one believed, but worth a try).

I returned (via mail-in plan) this first Touch (also returned the charger, as instructed) after it drained rapidly for about 3 or 4 months and never improved. I received a brand new unit (there was no label on the box that indicated a refurb) with a new charger. It misbehaves exactly the same way as the original. I am living with it using my "topping off" scheme as detailed in the thread I linked to above.

So, I think it is hard to tell from my experience if it is hardware or software. I suppose I could argue that if the hardware (battery, etc) is acting oddly, it is hard for the software to make sense of it. So I think it probably is a hardware thing.

[azazel1024]

Well, not that it proves a single thing, but at least the units you have had issues with all came with charges...which I would think at least means they are "earlier" units. Though I guess earlier is pretty relative. I wonder if anyone has had any battery related issues that ended up getting a nook that did NOT include the charger (which seems to be later manufacturered units, or that is my guess).

I don't think it is an issue with the charger at all, but since B&N stopped including it at some point, I assume to save a buck, that would at least indicate later manufacturing and/or packaging of the Nook ST.

[soondai]

I had problems with 2 and they did not come with chargers. Both were bought from Target in December, so maybe they were from the same batch, although one shipped to me from Illinois when I bought it online and the other was a replacement off the shelf at the local store in California.

[RAH]

Sounds to me like they are continuing to have hardware problems, even with the very latest units. Gee, that's a shame. That's probably why they are now exchanging them in B&N stores, even after the 14-day period.

[azazel1024]

Just an update on my new one. Unless it goes ugly, it is working great. I am at basically 50% battery life left with almost 3 weeks of use in (19 days). I am not getting as much reading time in as I'd like, but I am probably still averaging a little over an hour a day. I plan on charging it as soon as it dips below 20% charge, which by my estimate puts it somewhere around the end of next week, or a bit over a month on one charge.

After that I'll probably charge it about every week or two. I don't much see the point in intentionally running the battery really low, but it'll be nice not to have to worry about the battery for any realistic usage scenario.

[hard_boiled]

Originally Posted by kevn57

I charged up my new Touch to 100% this afternoon, after reading for 2 hours it was at 95% then in standby for 2 1/2 hours now it's at 92%. WiFi is off and has the new 1.1 firmware was installed earlier in the day. This seems like it's using a lot of power.

I've only had it for two days, should I bring it back?

Thanks

Well, I had similar high battery usage, but then I found a great solution: I rooted my Nook and use another ereader program (NOT B&N) to read. As an example, I last charged up my Nook 7 days ago. I read with it 3-5 hours a day (during lunch and after the kids have gone to bed). I am still at 74% battery life. I used to not get a week between charges with the B&N software.

The B&N software is still there, and I can use it if I like, but I really don't have a reason to.



hard_boiled

[tbm]

My Nook had virtually the same symptoms as azazel1024's:

• The battery will show (e.g.) 100%, and when you check a minute later it will show 34%, and then jump back to 90% (or some other value).
• The battery shows 90% and 100% but suddenly the Nooks turns off, saying it has no battery charge.
• Even after charging overnight it sometimes says it has no power.
• Sometimes when it says it has no power and turns off, you can connect it to the charger for a few seconds, unplug it and it will boot up and say it has plenty of battery.

Things tried, none helped:

• Charged it full, tried to drain the battery by using it, charge again.
• Factory reset
• Software updates: tried 1.0.1(?), 1.1.0, or 1.1.1 and 1.1.2.

After fighting with these problems for several weeks, I concluded that the battery or battery sensor is defective and got a replacement. I called B&N to get an RMA and got a replacement in store. My Nook was refurbished so I got a refurished one (with a charger). This one seems to be working fine so far...

[RAH]

Originally Posted by tbm

My Nook was refurbished so I got a refurished one (with a charger). This one seems to be working fine so far...

Seems a shame that even a refurbished unit would have these problems - I mean, you'd think when they refurbished the thing, they'd at least make sure it worked OK afterward.

[azazel1024]

Oh I am sure they do make sure it works okay after refurbishing. They like "charge it up" all the way, turn it on, page through a few things or even just make sure it comes up and they can use the on screen keyboard at first, power it off and stick it in a box. To some degree it makes sense, especially for a refurb product that sells for $69, there isn't much money to be made selling it and every dollar of QA and refurb work is a $ less they are making. In some ways refurbs might make more money, but they have to replace whatever might be wrong in it or has more then light wear, then at least a quick check to make sure it works and then packaging and shipping.

My new one works great, but I am pretty sure it is a new unit and not a refurb. If it is a refurb it is deffinitely like new (my iPad 2 refurb is identical to a new unit cosmetically on the outside).

Ay any rate, good look and hopefully you weren't as frustrated and demoralized as I was by my "cheap gadget"...but reading is probably my main passion in life (outside of wife/kids, but my reading never nags me or talks back...yet at least)...so any distruption to that is intensely frustrating. Now that my nook ST works perfectly, it is wonderful.

[Ryvyan]

My Nook STR has been crazy the past month. The drop in battery is quite normal, but somehow it will not fall below 80%. Before this is reached, my Nook will freeze like there is insufficient battery power - not responding to hard resets but only when I connect it to a power plug or my Mac. The battery will indicate at least 80% whenever I do this. I have been charging it quite a lot these days because of this fault.

Also, sometimes before it freezes completely like in the situation above, the STR will freeze when I'm in the middle of a read. A hard reset would solve the problem quickly though.

It's irritating to no ends, and I wish it would just go back to normal (dropping too low and a warning pops out). I do not use a SD card. No idea what to do... The warranty will expire soon (June), but I'm outside the US and shipping it back without a backup is just lame.

Has anyone attempted opening up the device for a battery change? I'D LOVE TO GO THIS WAY IF POSSIBLE.

[RAH]

That's really a shame Ryvyan. It sounds to me like there is more wrong with it than just the battery. Even if it is a pain to return it, I would, before the warranty runs out. It seems clear to me that it is really defective.

[susaz]

Everyone, again, calibration! Charge it fully and let it discharge until it tells you it´s low on battery. Charge and uncharge fully a couple times. This helps calibrate the counter. Again, it´s not a battery problem but how the reader "uses" the counting method. This helps reset it.

[Ryvyan]

Oops I never came back to update this particular thread.

I managed to open it up and remove the battery, then I did what some troubleshooting videos have suggested: to charge the device without the battery then putting the battery back in, and now all problems are gone. It basically is business as usual, with battery life back to normal.

I'm suspecting the battery was dislodged as a result of my throwing it around at the beach and bed and other places.

[RAH]

Can you give us a link to one of these troubleshooting videos (although I'd probably be too chicken to open my Touch).

[susaz]

Originally Posted by RAH

Can you give us a link to one of these troubleshooting videos (although I'd probably be too chicken to open my Touch).

It´s very easy, just one screw underneath the on off switch on the back. I still don´t have that many problems with battery, but what worries me the most is the battery drain on standby... Usually 1 or 2% overnight.