Backup Battery Low Messages

[CatchClaw]

I have been getting "backup battery is low. entering sleep mode to protect from data loss..." messages. In the power screen, the backup battery shows 70%. I took the little disc battery out (I assume this is the "backup" battery it is yammering about) and put it in a battery tester and it shows a full battery.

Any suggestions? The main battery is charged 100%.

Ok, I seem to be noticing this happening right after using my holux gps unit. This morning I got a low backup battery warning and it showed 40%. I took the battery out and tested it - it tested fully charged and I put it back in and the power meter showed it at 70%. What on earth is happening? Is there another battery somewhere I should be looking for? Does the bluetooth card use backup battery juice or something? All I see are the main battery and the little disc battery above it.

Thanks.

[Drifter]

Hi.

A new back up battery will cost you about $2-3, so it is worth investing just to eliminate that as a cause of problem.

It is quite possible for the battery to read 40% and then after removing and refitting, jump to 70%, all batteries will "recover" some charge if left to rest for a while.

Also some battery testers do not actually measure the battery output but the voltage, this can remain at expected levels, although the power provided can be very low.

The Axim only has the two batteries you mention, the GPS or bluetooth will only take power from the back up if the main battery is empty.

Your GPS unit will also have a small battery in it that stores the GPS data for "hot fixes", This however is not replaceable and will not be causing a problem.

Check power drain on the GPS module and bluetooth, this can be upto 145mA. Depending on the GPS software you use, some system actually have an option to keep the GPS unit powered whilst the Axim is switched off. TomTom has this option.

I suspect the same for the bluetooth card. This function, should be set to off.

I would seriously change the back up, little cost for a lot of peace of mind.

Hope this solves the problem, good chance it will

[CatchClaw]

Thanks. I bought a bunch of those cr type batteries on ebay awhile back. I just couldn't figure out why all of a sudden I was having issues and conflicting readings.

In the car I have a charging travel cable that plugs into the cigarette lighter, so there should be no drain of any battery, right?

[Drifter]

Right, the car charger should supply sufficient power for the PDA and accessories plus just about enough to charge.

My apologies if the following are basic questions, but it is worth checking.

1) When your car charder is plugged in, is the axim button lit geen or red. I've experienced a situation wher I though it was being charged, and missed the lack of the lit button due to it being in the car in sunlight.

2) Again check, your car will stop supplying power when the ignition is off and key out. It is possible the PDA will power down the screen, giving the feeling it is off, but still working and supplying power to the card.

Finally, you mention you purchased some Cr2032 batteries of ebay. Are they a standard brand, ie Duracell, Rayovac, etc.

Some unbranded or not so well known batteries are great for calculators etc, but can be of lower quality and not produce the needed power for a PDA. I've seen this comment made in a few forums before.

Worth checking, but I think the basic fact is that it does not seem an Axim fault, which is the concern

Regards